JPH10191039A - Image processing method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the compressed data and also to fast expand the data by fetching the data equivalent to (n) pages after reducing them into a single page and then expanding and outputting the compressed data after dividing them into the expanded data equivalent to (n) pages. SOLUTION: An image control device 15 divides and compresses the fetched image data equivalent to one page into the areas of (n) pages after a division/ compression instruction is received from the outside. Then the divided and compressed image data are registered in a system. When a division/expansion instruction is received, the device 15 divides and expands the fetched image data equivalent to one page into the areas of (n) pages and outputs these image data to a display device 14, etc., after applying the image processing to them. The division/compression and division/expansion instructions are expressed in the menu forms different from the normal compression and expansion and can be executed by urging an operator to perform a selective input operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus suitable for use in equipment that handles images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As the field of information processing has expanded its base, the interface between computers and humans has come to require a more friendly form. As a result of being able to handle multiple media such as images, graphics, and sound in addition to the conventional character code information, many people who were previously unrelated to computers are now participating in this information processing world. is there.

Meanwhile, in the above-described computer that handles multimedia, particularly in an image processing system that handles images, image data output from the computer or images stored in a large-capacity storage device such as an optical disk connected to the system. A high-definition display that displays data and the like on the screen is equipped. Since the image data has a large data amount and a high degree of redundancy, the image data is transmitted after being subjected to data compression. The above-described display restores the compressed image data by a decompression circuit, writes the restored image data in a frame memory, and displays it. The display has image processing functions such as enlargement, reduction, and rotation in addition to simply displaying an image.

On the other hand, when registering information input from an external input device such as a scanner in the system, data compression is performed by a compression circuit. The compression and decompression of image data is performed at high speed by dedicated hardware. Currently, compression and decompression are performed in about 0.5 seconds per A4 sheet, and further speedup is possible due to advances in semiconductor technology. It has been. In such an image processing system, when image data is compressed and registered in the system, the image data is registered at the same magnification. Therefore, when the data obtained by reducing and compressing the document of n pages into one page is expanded, the display is very difficult to see because simple magnification or expansion is simply performed.

[0005]

In the conventional image processing system described above, when compressing A3 size image data such as A4 size spreads often found in books and magazines, the scanner sends the A3 size raw image to the system. Is transferred. Originally, this raw image data is A4 size 2 pages, so it is first divided into 2 pages,
It should be compressed and registered, but since the system does not have the function of judging it, it cannot be divided and compressed, and it was registered at the same magnification. Therefore, when an A3 size image of two A4 spread pages is reduced by A4 size to expand the reduced and compressed data, it cannot be divided and enlarged to be displayed as two A4 size pages. Therefore, the display is inevitably difficult to see, and the viewer feels very inconvenient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. Data of n pages is reduced and compressed to one page, data is taken in, and the compressed data is expanded to obtain expanded data of n pages. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing method and apparatus capable of performing divided output, thereby reducing compressed data and realizing high-speed decompression.

[0007]

According to the image processing method of the present invention, in an image processing system for performing processing such as enlargement and reduction of an image, an instruction for divisional compression is received from the outside, and a captured image of one page is taken. Image data
It is characterized in that it is divided into pages, compressed, and registered in the system. At this time, the instruction of the division compression is expressed in a menu format which is different from the normal compression on the display screen, and is prompted by the operator to select and input. The area division is performed by the CPU in advance from the end of the image data. This is performed by equally dividing the image into n or by specifying the area range with the pointing device for the displayed image information.

In an image processing system for expanding and reducing image information and performing processing such as enlargement and reduction, an instruction for divisional expansion is received from the outside, and the captured image data for one page is stored in area n. It is also characterized in that it is divided and decompressed, subjected to image processing and output to the outside. At this time, the instruction to divide and decompress is displayed on the display screen in a menu format that is separated from the normal compression, and is made by prompting the operator to select and input. The area is divided by the CPU in advance from the end of the image data. This is done by equally dividing the image into n or by specifying an area range with a pointing device for the displayed image information.

The image processing apparatus according to the present invention further comprises: an image input device for capturing image data into the system for each page; and a compression, decompression or expansion for the captured image data under the instruction of the program control device. An image control device that performs processing such as reduction and supplies decompressed image data to an output device, and instructs registration of the captured image data in the system by dividing it by 1 or n according to the mode of compression processing. It is characterized by having a program control device. Further, the external storage device storing the compressed data and the image data read from the external storage device are subjected to processing such as enlargement and reduction in accordance with a decompression mode output via the program control device, and the image data is output. The image processing apparatus further includes an image control apparatus for supplying the image data to the apparatus, and a program control apparatus for instructing the image control apparatus to expand the processed image data in the same size or divided into n parts according to the expansion mode.

By compressing the raw image data after compressing it, the compressed data can be reduced, and the compressed data can be expanded and divided into n pieces, so that the expansion speed can be improved.

[0011]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a CPU serving as a control center of the system. A memory 12 stores various data such as image data and programs.
Controls the entire system based on the program stored in the memory 12. Reference numeral 13 denotes a scanner device that captures image data. A display device 14 displays the image data generated by the image control device 15 and displays various data drawn by the CPU 11, and includes a bitmap memory and a drawing / display LSI.

Reference numeral 15 denotes an image control device. The image control device 15 recognizes a compression / expansion mode instructed by the CPU 11, performs compression / expansion processing according to the mode, and performs processing such as rotation, cutout, and enlargement / reduction.
11 is dedicated hardware that is performed independently. 16
A printer device prints various data such as image data. Reference numeral 17 denotes a large-capacity external storage device such as an optical disk, which stores various data other than image data. Reference numeral 18 denotes a data input device, which includes a pointing device such as a mouse in addition to a keyboard. 19 is a system bus,
The above-described blocks 11 to 18 are commonly connected, and serve as a data exchange path between the blocks.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are flow charts cited for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows compression,
FIG. 3 shows each processing routine of decompression.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams conceptually showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention on paper. FIG. 4 shows compression and FIG. 5 shows expansion.

The operation of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. First, the scanner device 13 binarizes an image written on A4 to A3 paper and takes it into the system. The CPU 11 transfers the raw image data to the memory device 12 and instructs the image control device 15 to perform a “compression processing mode”. The image control device 15 performs compression processing according to the mode, further processes images such as enlargement and reduction, and stores the processed images in the external storage device 17 via the memory device 12. The compressed image data stored in the external storage device 17 is read by the CPU 11 and supplied to the image control device 15 via the memory device 12. At the same time CPU11
Instructs the image control device 15 to perform a “decompression processing mode”. The image control device 15 performs processing such as expansion, enlargement, and reduction according to the mode, and
Alternatively, the image data is sent to an output device such as the printer device 16 to perform screen display or printing.

The compression operation will be described in detail. First, the scanner device 13 reads two A4 size spread pages as an A3 size image, and transfers the raw image to the memory device 12. The raw image data temporarily stored in the memory device 12 is subsequently transferred to the image control device 15 and is controlled by the image control device 15 in a compression processing routine. In the image control device 15, when the CPU 11 instructs the processing mode of equal magnification / division / enlargement / reduction, compression processing is performed in accordance with each routine, and the compression result is transferred to the memory device 12, and subsequently. It is stored in the external storage device 17. When "1: 1" is designated as the processing mode, normal compression processing is instructed, and when "enlargement / reduction" is instructed, compression processing is added to the enlarged / reduced image, and external processing is performed via the memory device 12. It is stored in the storage device 17. When "split" is instructed, as shown in FIG. 4, the image control device 15 first cuts out the left page P1 and performs compression processing, then cuts out the right page P2 and performs compression processing.

In the compression processing routine shown in FIG.
As a method of instructing the mode of the division / enlargement / reduction processing, a method of selecting and inputting a selection menu displayed in advance on the display device 14 by the operator, or a method of instructing in advance by a program can be considered. Also,
When the division mode is instructed, the method of designating the area to be divided may be a method of dividing the image data into n equal parts from the end of the image data, or a pointing device such as a mouse attached to the image information displayed on the display device 14. For example, a method of instructing by the number 18 can be considered.

Next, the expansion operation will be described in detail. First, the compressed data stored in the external storage device 17 is transferred to the memory device 12. The compressed data temporarily stored in the memory device 12 is transferred to the image control device 15 and subjected to decompression and expansion / reduction processing by a decompression processing routine. The content processed in the procedure shown in FIG. 3 is supplied as expansion data to an output device such as the display device 14 or the printer device 16 via the memory device 12, converted into visible information, and output to the lower bound.

When the "split" processing mode is designated in the decompression processing routine, as shown in FIG.
It is divided into two pages, such as two pages of four sizes, and output to the display device 14 or the printer device 16. As a method of instructing the division processing, a method of selecting and inputting a selection menu displayed on the display device 14 by an operator or a method of instructing in advance by a program can be considered. Also,
As a method of designating an area to be divided, a method of dividing the image data into n equal parts from the end by a program or a display device 1
A method of instructing the image information displayed in 4 with the pointing device 18 attached to the system is conceivable.

As described above, according to the present invention, data corresponding to page n is reduced and compressed to one page, the data is taken in, the compressed data is decompressed, and the data is divided and output as decompressed data corresponding to page n. Thus, compressed data can be reduced, and high-speed decompression can be performed.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the data corresponding to page n is reduced and compressed into one page and the data is fetched.
By decompressing the compressed data and dividing and outputting the data into decompressed data corresponding to n pages, the compressed data can be reduced and high-speed decompression can be performed.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects described above.

(1) By compressing raw image data after reducing it, compressed data can be reduced.

(2) One reading of the scanner device is n
Since the number of pieces of compressed data can be registered, the speed of registering image data can be improved.

(3) Various easy compression and expansion processes can be instructed.

(4) Since the compressed data can be expanded and divided into n pieces, the expansion speed is improved. Further, the inconvenience that the display becomes difficult to see as in the related art is solved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a compression process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of a decompression process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing the operation of a compression process in the embodiment of the present invention on paper.

FIG. 5 is a diagram conceptually showing on a paper surface the operation of the decompression process in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 CPU, 12 memory device, 13 scanner device, 14 display control device, 15 image control device, 1
6 printer device, 17 external storage device, 18 data input device, 19 system bus.

Claims (10)

[Claims] In an image processing system for performing processing such as enlargement and reduction of an image, a received one-page image data is area-divided into n pages and compressed by receiving a divisional compression instruction from the outside. An image processing method comprising: 2. The divided compression instruction is expressed on the display screen in a menu format that is separated from normal compression.
2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the method is performed by prompting an operator to input a selection. 3. An image processing method according to claim 1, wherein said area division is equally performed in advance from an end of the image data by the CPU. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the area division is performed by designating an area range on the displayed image information with a pointing device.
Image processing method as described. 5. An image processing system for expanding and reducing image information and performing processing such as enlargement and reduction, receives an instruction for divisional expansion from the outside, and converts the captured image data of one page into n pages. An image processing method characterized by dividing, decompressing, performing image processing, and outputting the processed image to the outside. 6. The division / decompression instruction is expressed on the display screen in a menu format which is separated from normal compression.
5. The image processing method according to claim 4, wherein the method is performed by prompting an operator to input a selection. 7. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the area division is equally performed in advance from the end of the image data by the CPU. 8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the area division is performed by designating an area range with respect to the displayed image information using a pointing device.
Image processing method as described. 9. An image input device for loading image data into the system for each page, and compressing, decompressing, and compressing the loaded image data under the instruction of a program control device.
Alternatively, an image control device that performs processing such as enlargement and reduction and supplies the expanded image data to an output device, and registers the captured image data in the system in the same size or divided into n units according to the compression processing mode. An image processing device comprising a program control device for instructing the image processing. 10. An external storage device in which compressed data is stored and image data read out from the external storage device are subjected to processing such as enlargement and reduction in accordance with a decompression mode output via a program control device. An image control device for supplying data to an output device, and a program control device for instructing the image control device to decompress the processed image data according to the decompression mode by equal size or n divisions. Image processing device.