JPH10178536A - Image processing method and image processing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing method and an image processing unit that processes an entire image at a very high speed in the case of transmission/recording/reproduction of a gradation image and thereafter conducts image processing with a prescribed fidelity. SOLUTION: In the case of recording or transmitting a proportional value proportional to a volume of a lower density side area than a curved surface among each of rectangular solids laminated with the plural rectangular solids formed by dividing a solid with an image storage device 103 or in the case of reproducing an image with an image reproduction device 107, the solid is divided roughly into rectangular solids to conduct processing and after the processing, the solid is divided into smaller rectangular solids to conduct processing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing method and an image processing apparatus for recording / transmitting / reproducing monochrome and color grayscale image data, and more particularly to a method for compressing and expanding grayscale image data. The present invention relates to a suitable image processing method and image processing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, when a grayscale image is recorded on a recording medium, for example, an image read by a scanner is converted into density data or the like, and is digitized and recorded. Since enormous storage capacity is required for recording, conventionally, such a grayscale image is divided into recording units coarser than the pixels of the scanner, and the average value of each recording unit section is recorded. When an image is reproduced, smoothing and sharpening such as edges are performed as necessary.

[0003] Techniques for encoding grayscale images are broadly classified into a preservation type compression method for preserving all the amount of information and a non-preservation type compression method for allowing a certain amount of information loss. The former includes DPCM (differential PCM), predictive coding,
Block adaptive variable length coding, bit plane coding,
Methods such as hierarchical coding are known, and the latter are known methods such as predictive coding, transform coding, vector quantization, and block truncation coding.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-343130, for example, the density space is divided into rectangular parallelepipeds, and for each of the divided rectangular parallelepipeds, the volume that the density curved surface crosses is calculated, and this is transmitted and recorded. -There is also a method to play.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following problems. That is, in the prior art, it is possible to reproduce an image with a high compression ratio and high fidelity, but display the image on a display in real time (that is, when transmission and reproduction are performed in a series of processes). There was a problem when doing. That is, in order to perform processing after dividing an image plane into a predetermined area, image reproduction is generally performed in units of divided areas. Therefore, even if the resolution is slightly low, it is inconvenient to view the entire image quickly. there were. In particular, in WWW browsers on the Internet, there is a strong demand to view the entire image quickly even at the low resolution as described above, but the prior art could not cope with it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to process an entire image at a very high speed when transmitting, recording, and reproducing a grayscale image, and to thereafter perform image processing with a predetermined fidelity. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing method and an image processing apparatus which enable the above.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, when recording or transmitting an image, an image is recorded in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes. A curved surface expresses the gray level distribution of the image in a two-dimensional space, a solid having an image area as a bottom surface and a gray level range as a height is divided into a plurality of rectangular parallelepipeds, and a density lower than the curved surface in each of the stacked rectangular parallelepipeds. When recording or transmitting each proportional value proportional to the volume of the side area, and reproducing an image, for each of the rectangular parallelepipeds whose curved surface crosses among the rectangular parallelepipeds, the proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped and the rectangular parallelepiped adjacent to the rectangular parallelepiped In the image processing method of reproducing the curved surface crossing the rectangular parallelepiped based on the proportional value and connecting the curved surfaces to reproduce the entire curved surface, the recording or transmission of the proportional value or the reproduction of the image, Performs processing by dividing the three-dimensional coarse rectangular parallelepiped first, and performs processing by dividing the solid into smaller cuboid after the treatment.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image processing method according to the first aspect, when recording or transmitting the proportional value and reproducing an image, the solid is first divided into a rough rectangular parallelepiped. The processing is performed after the processing, and the processing is performed by dividing the solid into finer rectangular parallelepipeds after the processing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when recording or transmitting an image, a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes is used. Represents the gray level distribution of the image of
In a three-dimensional area whose center of gravity is a predetermined grid point arranged in a gray level range with the image area as a bottom surface, a proportional amount proportional to the volume of a lower density side area than the curved surface is recorded or transmitted as a proportional value of the grid point. Then, when reproducing an image, in the image processing method for reproducing the entire curved surface by obtaining a passing point on the curved surface based on the proportional value of each of the lattice points and the proportional value of the lattice point adjacent to the lattice point, At the time of recording or transmitting the proportional value or at the time of reproducing an image, processing relating to a lattice point density lower than the predetermined lattice point arrangement is performed first, and processing relating to a higher lattice point density is performed after the processing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing method according to the third aspect, at the time of recording or transmitting the proportional value and at the time of reproducing an image, the predetermined lattice point array is first used. A process related to a low grid point density is performed, and a process related to a higher grid point density is performed after the process.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first, second, third or fourth aspect, wherein the proportional value is compressed after recording or transmitting the image. Recording or transmission is performed, and at the time of reproducing an image, the compressed proportional value is expanded before reproducing the image.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect, wherein the proportional value is subjected to a diffusion process when an image is reproduced. It is characterized by the following.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the gray level of the image is the brightness of the image or the density of the image. Alternatively, any one of the number of shots per pixel or a combination thereof is characterized.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 8 is the image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the gray level of the image is the luminance and color difference information of the color image. It is characterized by being.

To achieve the above object, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when an image is recorded or transmitted, a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes is formed on a two-dimensional space. Represents the gray level distribution of the image of
The solid having the image area as the bottom surface and the shade level range as a height is divided into a plurality of rectangular parallelepipeds, and each proportional value proportional to the volume of the lower density side area than the curved surface is recorded or transmitted in each of the stacked rectangular parallelepipeds, and the image is recorded. When reproducing, for each of the rectangular parallelepipeds that the curved surface crosses out of each of the rectangular parallelepiped, a curved surface that crosses the rectangular parallelepiped is reproduced based on the proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped and the proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped adjacent to the rectangular parallelepiped, and these curved surfaces are connected. In the image processing apparatus that reproduces the entire curved surface, when recording or transmitting the proportional value or when reproducing an image, first, the solid is divided into a rough rectangular parallelepiped to perform processing, and after the processing, the solid is refined. It is characterized by comprising image processing means for performing processing by dividing into a rectangular parallelepiped.

In order to achieve the above object, according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the image processing means first records or transmits the proportional value and reproduces the image. The processing is performed by dividing the solid into a rough rectangular parallelepiped, and after the processing, the solid is divided into finer rectangular parallelepipeds and the processing is performed.

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, when an image is recorded or transmitted, a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes is used in a two-dimensional space. Represents a density level distribution of the image, and is proportional to the volume of a lower density side area than the curved surface in a three-dimensional area whose center of gravity is a predetermined grid point arranged in a density level range with the image area as a bottom face. When recording or transmitting the quantity as a proportional value of a grid point and reproducing an image, a pass point on the curved surface is obtained based on the proportional value of each grid point and the proportional value of a grid point adjacent to the grid point. In the image processing apparatus that reproduces the entire curved surface, when recording or transmitting the proportional value or when reproducing an image, first, a process regarding a grid point density lower than the predetermined grid point array is performed, and after the process, a higher grid size is performed. Characterized by comprising an image processing means for performing processing related to point density.

In order to achieve the above object, a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the image processing apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the image processing means firstly records or transmits the proportional value and reproduces the image. A process relating to a grid point density lower than a predetermined grid point array is performed, and a process relating to a higher grid point density is performed after the process.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth aspect, the image processing means stores the proportional value when recording or transmitting an image. An image is recorded or transmitted after being compressed, and at the time of reproducing an image, the compressed proportional value is expanded before reproducing the image.

[0020] In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 14 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13, wherein the image processing means performs the proportional reproduction when reproducing the image. It is characterized in that the value is subjected to diffusion processing.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 15 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the gray level of the image is the brightness of the image or the density of the image. Alternatively, any one of the number of shots per pixel or a combination thereof is characterized.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 16 is the image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the gray level of the image is the luminance and color difference information of the color image. It is characterized by being.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration of an image processing system including an image recording unit and an image reproducing unit according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The image processing system generally includes an image recording unit and an image reproducing unit. The image recording unit includes a scanner 101, a luminance / density converter 102, an image storage device 103, and a ROM 104. The image reproducing unit includes an image reproducing device 107 having a display interface 107a and a printer driver 107b, a graphic display 109,
The configuration includes a printer 110 and a ROM 111.

The function of each unit in the image recording unit will be described in detail. The scanner 101 reads the image data of the original image 105 set in the scanner 101. The brightness / density converter 102 converts the brightness of the image data read by the scanner 101 into density data. Image storage device 1
03 is provided with a microprocessor, ROM 10
4, volume ratio (Rv) data is created based on a calculation program stored in advance, and density image data is stored. The ROM 104 stores an arithmetic program and an image storage program described later.

At the time of image recording, the luminance of the image read by the scanner 101 is converted by the luminance / density converter 102 into density data. After that, the image storage device 1
At 03, volume ratio (Rv) data described later is created.
This operation is performed by a microprocessor in the image storage device 103. The volume ratio (Rv) data is transmitted to the image reproducing device 107 of the image reproducing unit.

The function of each part in the image reproducing section will be described in detail. The image reproducing apparatus 107 has a built-in CPU which will be described later, reads a volume ratio developing program and a curved surface reproducing program stored in the ROM 111 in advance, Is calculated. The display interface 107a outputs a display signal to the graphic display 109. The printer driver 107b controls driving of the printer 110. The graphic display 109 displays an image based on a display signal output via the display interface 107. The printer 110 performs a printing operation under the control of the printer driver 110. The ROM 111 stores a volume ratio expansion program and a curved surface reproduction program.

At the time of image reproduction, data transmitted from the image recording unit is read and the image reproduction device 107 reads the data.
Sent to In the image reproducing device 107, a volume ratio developing program and a curved surface reproducing program are read from the ROM 111, and density data of each pixel is obtained. Then, these data are converted into luminance data and displayed on the graphic display 109 via the display interface 107a. The printer driver 10
The image data is converted into density data as required by the image processing by 7b and printed by the printer 110.

Next, image processing in the image processing system according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

When recording an original image having a density level, the original image is read by a scanner 101, converted into density data by a luminance / density converter 102, and then converted to an image storage program stored in a ROM 104 in advance. In the image storage device 103, first, the XY plane is equally divided into, for example, 32 × 32 cells, and the OD value is further divided into, for example, 20 levels of density levels from 0.0 to 1.0 every 0.05. To divide. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the density level width ΔD (= 0.
05), and 20 rectangular parallelepipeds 1-1, 1-2,.
.. Assume a solid body in which 1-20 are stacked.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a density distribution curved surface of the rectangular parallelepiped 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a density distribution curved surface of the laminated rectangular solids 1-1, 1-2, 1-3. As shown in FIG. 3, when the density distribution in one cell is distributed within the same density level, the image storage device 103 sets the density level width Δ
Curved surface 2 showing density distribution in rectangular parallelepiped 1 corresponding to D
The lower volume ratio Rv is calculated. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when the density distribution in one cell is distributed over a plurality of density level widths, for example, three rectangular parallelepipeds 1-1 to 1-3 are provided.
If the density level width is distributed in the rectangular parallelepiped, the image storage device 103 calculates the volume ratio Rv for the rectangular parallelepipeds 1-1 to 1-3.

In the present embodiment, each volume ratio Rv calculated as described above is converted into an 8-bit integer (= 0 to 25).
Standardize to 5). Therefore, in a rectangular parallelepiped that does not cross the curved surface 2 showing the density distribution, Rv = 25 below the curved surface 2
5, Rv = 0 on the upper side. After this calculation, 32 × 3
After calculating the volume ratio Rv of all the 2 × 20 rectangular parallelepipeds, the volume ratio Rv is compressed and stored as digital information on a floppy disk (not shown) via an external storage device.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are flowcharts of an image storage program showing the procedure for storing the grayscale image data in the image storage device 103. In the present embodiment, the processing is performed by setting the size of the above-described rectangular parallelepiped in three stages in the vertical, horizontal, and height directions.

In FIG. 5, first, the number of pixels M and N are respectively set to, for example, 512 (step S0). Next, the predetermined cell size Nw is set to, for example, 32 (step S1). The cell size is a numerical value representing the length of the side of the bottom surface of the rectangular parallelepiped in the unit of the number of pixels. Furthermore,
The size of the bottom surface of the rectangular parallelepiped that is larger than the rectangular parallelepiped to be processed, that is, the temporary cell size N'w is set to, for example, 128 (step S2).

Next, density division data is set (step S3). That is, the density level width ΔD is set in accordance with the cell size, the number Md of cuboids is set to, for example, 20, and the height Hd of each cuboid is set to, for example, 10. In this case, the density level width ΔD is 0.2 when the cell size is 128, 0.1 when the cell size is 64, and 3 when the cell size is 64.
In the case of 2, it is set to 0.05.

Next, the image storage device 103 is stored in the ROM 104
Read density data D (p, q) from
4) The number of pixels M and N described above, the provisional cell size N'w, the density level width ΔD, and the number Md of rectangular parallelepipeds are stored in the image reproducing apparatus 10.
7 (step S5).

In FIG. 6, next, the density data q in the Y-axis direction is set to "1" (step S6), and q and N (= 5).
The magnitude relation of 12) is determined (step S7). In this case, since q = 1 at the beginning, the answer in step S7 is negative (NO), so that q defined by the following equation (1)
One value is calculated (step S8).

Q1 = q + N'w-1 (1) Further, the density data p in the X-axis direction is set to "1" (step S9), and the magnitude relation between p and M is determined (step S9).
10). In this case, since p = 1 at first, step S
Since the answer to 10 is negative (NO), the following equation (2)
Is calculated (step S12).

P1 = p + N'w-1 (2) The K value (K (1), K (1)
After resetting (2),... K (Md)) to “0” (step S13), the volume density K value for each pixel is calculated (step S14).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a specific procedure for calculating the volume concentration K value.

In FIG. 7, first, m0 = ｛D (i,
j) / ΔD × Hd｝ (int), m0 is calculated (step S141), m is calculated based on the formula m = {m0 / Mdｍ (int) (step S142), and K (m +
1) = K (m + 1) + m0−m × Hd
(M + 1) is calculated (step S143). Next, m
It is determined whether or not = 0 (step S144). If m = 0, K (m) = K (m) + Hd
(M) is calculated (step S145), and this is repeated until m becomes 0 (step S146). When m = 0, the process returns to the program of FIG.

That is, steps S141 to S
In 143, the volume density K (m + 1) below the density distribution curved surface to which the rectangular solid belongs is calculated, and the above-described step S is performed.
In steps 144 to S146, all the volume densities belonging to the lower side of the density distribution curved surface are added to obtain the volume density K.
(L) (l = 1, 2,... Md) is calculated.

Referring again to FIG. 6, based on the following equation (3), the volume concentration K (l) is normalized to an 8-bit integer to calculate a volume ratio (Rv) (step S1).
5).

[0044]

(Equation 1) Next, these Rv (l) (l = 1, 2,... Md) are transmitted to the image reproducing apparatus 107 (step S16), and N (w) is added to p (= 1) to obtain a new p (1). The value is calculated (step S17), and the flow of steps S10 to S17 is executed again based on the p value.

Then, in the subsequent loop, the above step S
If the answer to 10 is affirmative (YES), that is, if the p-value is M (= 5)
12), Nw is added to q1 to obtain a new q
The value is calculated (step S11), and the flow of steps S7 to S17 is executed again based on the q value.

Then, in the subsequent loop, the above step S
7 is affirmative (YES), that is, when the q value is N (= 51)
If the value exceeds 2), the temporary cell size N'w is compared with the predetermined cell size Nw (step S18). If the processing up to the predetermined cell size Nw has been completed based on the comparison result, the program is terminated and the predetermined cell size Nw
If the processing up to w has not been completed, the temporary cell size N'w is reset to Nw / 2 (step S1 in FIG. 5).
9) Start reprocessing.

The above-described method is essentially different from the method of dividing an image into a plurality of plane regions and calculating the average density of each divided region as in the prior art.

On the other hand, when reproducing an image, data is read from a floppy disk (not shown), and
At 07, the volume ratio expansion program and the image reproduction program read from the ROM 111 are executed, and the density data of each pixel is obtained. Then, this density data is converted into luminance data, and the display interface 1
The image data is displayed on the graphic display 109 via the printer driver 07a, or is converted into printing rate data by image processing, and is printed by the printer 110 such as an inkjet printer via the printer driver 107b.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the image reproduction program. The program of this flowchart is stored in the ROM 111, and
7 is executed under the control of a CPU (Central Processing Unit, not shown).

In FIG. 8, first, the image reproducing device 107
CPU reads the pixel number data M and N transmitted from the image storage device 103, the predetermined cell size Nw, the provisional cell size N'w, the density level width ΔD, and the number Md of rectangular parallelepipeds (step S21). = M / Mw, and the cell number CY is calculated based on the equation CY = N / Nw (step S22).

Next, density data D (p, q) to be reproduced
(1 ≦ p ≦ M, 1 ≦ q ≦ N) are all set to “0” (step S23), and the volume ratio Rv (i, i,
j) is read from an external storage device (not shown) (step S24), and then the volume ratio Rv (i, j, k) is read.
Then, the same gray-scale data of each of the 512 × 512 pixels as the original image is reproduced and displayed on the graphic display 109 (step S25). In this case, i and j indicate the position of the cell (1 ≦ i ≦ 32, 1 ≦ j ≦ 32), and k indicates the density level (1 ≦ k ≦ 20).

When the reproduction and display are completed, the temporary cell size N'w is compared with the predetermined cell size Nw (step S2).
6) If the temporary cell size N'w and the predetermined cell size Nw match, the program is terminated. If the temporary cell size N'w does not match the predetermined cell size Nw, It returns to step S21.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a specific reproduction procedure of the grayscale data.

In FIG. 9, first, the volume ratio Rv (i,
j) is determined to be “255” (step S251), and the volume ratio Rv (i, j, k) is determined to be “255”.
If it is determined that the density data D (p, q) is expressed by the following equation (4) for all the pixels in the range in which the cuboid is projected on the image plane (this is called the cell). Is increased by the density level width ΔD (step S
252).

D (p, q) = D (p, q) + ΔD (4) In this case, p and q are {32 (i−1) +1} ≦ p ≦ 3
2i, all integers satisfying {32 (j−1) +1} ≦ q ≦ 32j.

On the other hand, in step S253, the volume ratio R
If it is determined that v (i, j, k) is not “255”, it is determined whether the volume ratio Rv (i, j, k) is greater than “0” (step S253), and the volume ratio Rv is determined.
The case where (i, j, k) is not larger than “0” is a case where the volume ratio Rv (i, j, k) = 0, and FIG.
Return to program.

On the other hand, in step S253, Rv (i,
j, k) is determined to be larger than “0”, that is, 0
If <Rv (ijk) <255, first, the differential coefficients fx, fy, fz (directions of the density plane passing through the rectangular parallelepiped) of the volume ratio Rv at this point are obtained (step S254). In the present embodiment, considering the discontinuity of the volume ratio Rv,
Using information of the adjacent rectangular parallelepiped to some extent, calculations as shown in the following equations (5) to (8) are performed.

[0058]

(Equation 2) In the case of the present embodiment, when the density distribution curved surface passing through the rectangular parallelepiped is approximated by a plane, the normal of the plane is a vector (fx, fy, f
z), so that the position of this plane is moved in the direction of the vector, so that the volume ratio of the plane to the volume of the cuboid is closest to Rv (i, j, k) / 255, Specifically, the processing is performed so that the difference is about 5%.

Next, the positions Px, Py and Pz of the density plane are determined and the DD value for each pixel is calculated (step S25).
5).

FIG. 10 shows positions Px and P on the density plane.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for specifically explaining the determination of the positions of y and Pz. Each pixel (p, q) in the cell {32 (i-1) +1}
≤p≤32i, {32 (j-1) +1} ≤q≤32j, and the intersection of the straight line parallel to the concentration axis with the curved surface (curved surface intersection) is P ', and the intersection with the lower surface of the rectangular parallelepiped 1 To P
1. Let P2 be the intersection with the upper surface. Also, the intersection point P ′ with the curved surface
Is located above the rectangular parallelepiped 1, P ′ = P 2, and when the intersection P ′ with the curved surface is below the rectangular parallelepiped 1, P ′ = P 2
Set to 1. Then, using the obtained points P1, P2, and P ', calculation is performed based on the following equation (9).

[0061]

(Equation 3) In this description, when the concentration distribution curved surface is parallel to the concentration axis, the “lower side” of the curved surface or plane is “the higher concentration”.
And “upper side” is “lower density”.

Referring again to FIG. 9, x = p−Nw × (i
−1), y = q−Nw × (j−1), D (p, q) = D
The density data D (p, q) is calculated based on the formula (p, q) + ΔD × DD (x, y) (step S256),
Exit this program.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a method of determining a plane position and calculating a DD value. In the processing shown in FIG. 11, the calculation is performed by equally dividing the rectangular parallelepiped into Nw cube cubes.

In FIG. 11, first, assuming that the passing point (Px, Py, Pz) of the density curved surface is the center of the rectangular parallelepiped (step S2551), the number KOSU of the small rectangular parallelepiped satisfying the following equation (10) is set to “0”. (Step S255)
2) Enter a loop for U and V. Next, the DD value is set to “0” (step S2553), and the bottom surface of the small rectangular parallelepiped, that is, the center of the pixel is obtained (step S2554).
Enter the loop for W. Further, the center of the height of the small rectangular parallelepiped is determined (step S2555), and the following equation (10) is obtained.
It is determined whether or not is established (step S2556).

(X−Px) fx + (y−Py) fy + (z−Pz) fz ≧ (10) If the above equation (10) does not hold, 1 is added to W and the process proceeds to step S2555. Return. On the other hand, the above equation (1)
If (0) is established, 1.0 is added to the DD value (step S2557), 1 is further added to KOSU (step S2558), and the process returns to step S2555. When W reaches Nw, the next (U, V) is set and the process returns to step S2553. That is, when the processing has been completed for all the small rectangular parallelepipeds, it is determined whether or not the following equation (11) holds (step S2559).

[0066]

(Equation 4) When the above equation (11) is satisfied, Px = Px + 0.
5fx, Py = Py + 0.5fy, Pz = Pz + 0.5f
Based on the equation z, the plane position is corrected to the positive side (step S2560), and the process returns to step S2552. On the other hand,
If the above equation (11) is not satisfied, the following equation (1)
It is determined whether or not 2) is satisfied (step S256)
1).

[0067]

(Equation 5) If the above equation (12) is satisfied, Px = Px-0.
5fx, Py = Py-0.5fy, Pz = Pz-0.5f
The plane position is corrected to the negative side based on the equation z (step S
2562), and returns to step S2552. On the other hand, if the above equation (12) does not hold, DD (p, q) = D
D (p, q) / Nw for 1 ≦ q ≦ Nw The DD value is calculated based on the equation (step S2563), and the process returns to the first step S2551.

As described above, the original image having the density data of 512 × 512 pixels is reproduced, and the known image processing is performed based on the density curved surface distribution.
Print out from.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
When recording or transmitting an image, an image processing system including an image recording unit and an image reproducing unit is configured to convert an image in a two-dimensional space on a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having XY coordinate axes and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes. Expressing the gray level distribution, dividing the solid whose height is the gray level range with the image area as the bottom surface into a plurality of rectangular parallelepipeds, and in each of the stacked rectangular parallelepipeds, calculate each proportional value proportional to the volume of the lower density side area than the curved surface When the image is recorded or transmitted and the image is reproduced, for each of the rectangular parallelepipeds whose curved surface crosses, the curved surface crossing the rectangular parallelepiped is reproduced based on the proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped and the proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped adjacent to the rectangular parallelepiped. Has the function of reproducing the entire curved surface by linking, and when recording or transmitting the proportional value or reproducing the image, first, the solid is divided into a rough rectangular parallelepiped, and the processing is performed. It has a function of performing processing by dividing the three-dimensional into smaller rectangular parallelepiped.

Accordingly, the method is essentially different from the conventional method of dividing an image into a plurality of plane regions and calculating the plane density of each divided region. It is possible to perform processing in division, and finally to perform processing in sufficiently fine division with fidelity, and when transmitting, recording and reproducing grayscale images, it is possible to grasp the entire image very quickly. At the same time, transmission and display can be performed with a predetermined fidelity. As a result, there is an effect that the minimum necessary information amount can be processed at an extremely high speed.

Also, the processing time is 1 + 1/8 of the conventional case, compared with the case of performing only the fine division process as in the conventional case.
Although the increase is about + 1/64 = 1.14 times, there is an epoch-making effect that the image obtained by the processing with the coarsest division can be displayed on the graphic display 109 in 0.016 times the time.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of one device. A storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or the apparatus executes the program code stored in the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by executing the reading.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also an OS or the like running on the computer is actually executed based on the instructions of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the above-described processing is performed, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0077]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when recording or transmitting an image, when recording or transmitting an image, a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes is used. Expressing the gray level distribution of the image on the dimensional space, dividing the solid having the image area as the bottom surface and the gray level range as a height into a plurality of rectangular parallelepipeds, and in each of the stacked rectangular parallelepipeds, a lower density region of the curved surface than the curved surface When recording or transmitting each proportional value proportional to the volume and reproducing an image, for each of the rectangular parallelepipeds that the curved surface crosses among the rectangular parallelepipeds, the proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped and the proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped adjacent to the rectangular parallelepiped are calculated. In an image processing method for reproducing a curved surface that crosses the rectangular parallelepiped based on the rectangular parallelepiped and connecting these curved surfaces to reproduce the entire curved surface, the recording or transmission of the proportional value or the reproduction of an image firstly sets the vertical position. Is divided into coarse rectangular parallelepiped and processed, and after the processing, the three-dimensional object is divided into finer rectangular parallelepipeds to perform processing.Therefore, when transmitting / recording / reproducing a grayscale image, it is possible to grasp the entire image at a very high speed. Transmission and display with a predetermined fidelity. As a result, there is an effect that the minimum necessary information amount can be processed at a very high speed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when an image is recorded or transmitted, the density of the image in a two-dimensional space is determined by a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a density level axis orthogonal to both axes. A level distribution is expressed, and in a three-dimensional area having a center of gravity at a predetermined grid point arranged in a gray level range with the image area as a bottom surface, a proportional amount proportional to the volume of a lower density side area than the curved surface is defined as a grid point. When recording or transmitting as a proportional value and reproducing an image, a pass point on the curved surface is obtained based on a proportional value of each of the lattice points and a proportional value of a lattice point adjacent to the lattice point to reproduce the entire curved surface. In the image processing method, when recording or transmitting the proportional value or when reproducing an image, first, processing related to a grid point density lower than the predetermined grid point array is performed, and processing related to a higher grid point density is performed after the processing. Therefore, as in the first aspect of the invention, when transmitting / recording / reproducing a grayscale image, it is possible to grasp the entire image at an extremely high speed, and thereafter perform transmission / display with a predetermined fidelity. it can. As a result, there is an effect that the minimum necessary information amount can be processed at a very high speed.

Further, the image processing method according to the second and fourth to eighth aspects of the invention has the same effects as described above.

The image processing apparatus according to the ninth to sixteenth aspects has the same effect as the above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system including an image recording unit and an image reproducing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a density level width ΔD is set to a height on the Z axis of each cell obtained by equally dividing the XY plane according to the embodiment of the present invention.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the solid body which laminated | stacked the rectangular parallelepiped.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a density distribution curved surface of a rectangular parallelepiped according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a density distribution curved surface of a stacked rectangular parallelepiped according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an image storage program showing a procedure for storing grayscale image data in the image storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an image storage program showing a procedure for storing grayscale image data in the image storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a specific calculation procedure of a volume concentration K value according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an image reproduction program executed by the image reproduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a specific procedure for reproducing grayscale data by the image reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of position determination of positions Px, Py, and Pz on a density plane according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating the position of a plane and D according to the embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of calculating a D value.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 101 scanner 102 brightness / density converter 103 image storage device 107 image reproduction device 109 graphic display 110 printer

Claims (16)

[Claims] When recording or transmitting an image, a gray level distribution of the image in a two-dimensional space is expressed by a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes, The solid whose area is the bottom surface and the shade level range is the height is divided into a plurality of rectangular parallelepipeds, and in each of the stacked rectangular parallelepipeds, each proportional value proportional to the volume of the lower density side area than the curved surface is recorded or transmitted, and the image is recorded. When reproducing, for each of the rectangular parallelepipeds that the curved surface crosses out of the rectangular parallelepiped, a curved surface that crosses the rectangular parallelepiped is reproduced based on a proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped and a proportional value of a rectangular parallelepiped adjacent to the rectangular parallelepiped, and these curved surfaces are connected. In the image processing method for reproducing the entire curved surface, when recording or transmitting the proportional value or reproducing the image, first, the solid is divided into a rough rectangular parallelepiped, and the processing is performed. Image processing method characterized by performing a process by dividing the solid into smaller cuboid. 2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein
At the time of recording or transmitting the proportional value and at the time of reproducing an image, first, the solid is divided into a rough rectangular parallelepiped to perform processing, and after the processing, the solid is divided into finer rectangular parallelepipeds, and the processing is performed. Image processing method. 3. When recording or transmitting an image, a gray level distribution of the image in a two-dimensional space is expressed by a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes, In a three-dimensional area whose center of gravity is a predetermined grid point arranged in a gray level range with the area as the bottom face, a proportional amount proportional to the volume of the lower density side area than the curved surface is recorded or transmitted as a proportional value of the grid point. When reproducing an image, the image processing method for reproducing the entire curved surface by obtaining a passing point on the curved surface based on the proportional value of each of the lattice points and the proportional value of a lattice point adjacent to the lattice point, When recording or transmitting a proportional value or reproducing an image, first, a process related to a grid point density lower than the predetermined grid point array is performed, and a process related to a higher grid point density is performed after the process. Image processing method. 4. The image processing method according to claim 3, wherein
At the time of recording or transmitting the proportional value and at the time of reproducing an image, first, processing relating to a lattice point density lower than the predetermined lattice point arrangement is performed, and after this processing, processing relating to a higher lattice point density is performed. Processing method. 5. The image processing method according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the recording or transmission of the image is performed after compressing the proportional value at the time of recording or transmission of the image. An image processing method characterized in that an image is reproduced after expanding a compressed proportional value. 6. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein, when reproducing an image, a diffusion process is performed on the proportional value. 7. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the gray level of the image is one of luminance of the image, density of the image, and the number of shots per pixel. Or an image processing method characterized by a combination thereof. 8. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the gray level of the image is luminance and color difference information of a color image. 9. When recording or transmitting an image, a gray level distribution of the image in a two-dimensional space is represented by a curved surface in a three-dimensional space having an XY coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes. The solid whose area is the bottom surface and the shade level range is the height is divided into a plurality of rectangular parallelepipeds, and in each of the stacked rectangular parallelepipeds, each proportional value proportional to the volume of the lower density side area than the curved surface is recorded or transmitted, and the image is recorded. When reproducing, for each of the rectangular parallelepipeds that the curved surface crosses out of the rectangular parallelepiped, a curved surface that crosses the rectangular parallelepiped is reproduced based on a proportional value of the rectangular parallelepiped and a proportional value of a rectangular parallelepiped adjacent to the rectangular parallelepiped, and these curved surfaces are connected. In the image processing apparatus that reproduces the entire curved surface, at the time of recording or transmitting the proportional value or at the time of reproducing the image, first, the solid is divided into a rough rectangular parallelepiped, and the processing is performed. The image processing apparatus characterized by comprising an image processing means for processing by dividing the solid into smaller cuboid. 10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image processing unit performs processing by first dividing the solid into a rough rectangular parallelepiped at the time of recording or transmitting the proportional value and at the time of reproducing an image. An image processing apparatus, wherein after the processing, the solid is divided into finer rectangular parallelepipeds and the processing is performed. 11. When recording or transmitting an image, use XY
A curved surface in a three-dimensional space having a coordinate axis and a gray level axis orthogonal to both axes represents a gray level distribution of the image in a two-dimensional space, and predetermined grid points arranged in a gray level range with an image area as a bottom surface When a proportional amount proportional to the volume of the region on the lower density side than the curved surface is recorded or transmitted as a proportional value of a lattice point in a three-dimensional region having the center of gravity as a gravity point, when reproducing an image, the proportional value of each lattice point is And in an image processing apparatus that reproduces the entire curved surface by obtaining a passing point on the curved surface based on a proportional value of a lattice point adjacent to the lattice point, at the time of recording or transmitting the proportional value or reproducing an image, An image processing apparatus comprising: an image processing unit that performs a process related to a grid point density lower than the predetermined grid point array, and performs a process related to a higher grid point density after the process. 12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the image processing means performs processing relating to a grid point density lower than the predetermined grid point array first when recording or transmitting the proportional value and when reproducing an image. An image processing apparatus for performing a process related to a higher grid point density after the process. 13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image processing means records or transmits the image after compressing the proportional value when recording or transmitting the image. An image processing apparatus for reproducing an image after expanding the compressed proportional value when reproducing the image. 14. The method of claim 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit performs a diffusion process on the proportional value when reproducing the image. 15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the gray level of the image is one of luminance of the image, density of the image, and the number of shots per pixel. Or an image processing apparatus characterized by a combination thereof. 16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the gray level of the image is luminance and color difference information of a color image.