JPH1125283A - Document picture processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enlarge a character picture without any sense of incongruity by a relatively simple processing, and to output a character picture in a configuration easily readable for a reader. SOLUTION: A picture input processing part 1 inputs document picture information as digital data. A picture data storing part 2 stores the inputted picture data, a picture analyzed result and a picture processing result or the like. A picture area division processing part 3 divides the document picture according to attributes such as a character area, graphic area, and image area or the like. The character area is divided into each character unit. A character picture processing part 4 performs a proper character picture enlargement processing to a character picture divided for one character unit according to an enlargement ratio. Also, an emphasis processing and color processing such as the increase of a contrast or color conversion is performed. A document picture re-synthesis processing part 6 re-arranges each kind of picture processed for element units according to an algorithm.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for dividing document image data into element units, performing image processing such as enlargement in element units, and recombining the document image data. In order to avoid discomfort when resynthesizing the enlarged document image, when enlarging the character element, use an enlargement method or character parameters according to the size of the character element to be reproduced. In addition to enlarging, the spacing of character elements and line spacing at the time of resynthesis is adjusted to an easy-to-read interval for the document, and the document is resynthesized. A document image processing device that performs a line feed or page break operation in some cases, performs appropriate enlargement even in a non-character area, and performs re-synthesis processing. On.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image processing apparatus for handling an image as digital information is increasing. For example, in the past, copiers could only realize limited functions such as optical enlargement / reduction, but with the digitalization of copiers, not only mere enlargement / reduction but also image rotation, position correction, mirror image, etc. Functions that can be realized because they can be stored and processed as digital have been added.

In such a situation, for example, the elderly or visually impaired people cannot easily see small characters and special colors. it can. The above problem can be dealt with to some extent only by the image processing function provided by a copying machine or the like. This is because some recent copying machines can change the enlargement ratio in units of%, and color copying machines also have a color conversion function. However, since combining these independent functions must be done manually, various problems remain when including usage. In addition, a scene that can be solved only by a normal function is only a case from a predetermined fixed size to another fixed size, and an actual application range is limited. In particular, if the enlargement ratio becomes larger than the enlargement generally assumed, it will not fit within the output page, and it is not practically feasible to enlarge and copy as a document.

[0004] As an image editing apparatus, for example, there is an apparatus for designating a region to be enlarged as a rectangular region on a display device, and enlarging or reducing it to a desired size, for example, to fit in a fixed region.

[0005] As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-81401, an image area to be edited by an image display device is designated. Some image editing apparatuses can change the number of characters per line by designating the number of characters in one line of an image and the number of characters in one line to be pasted.

[0006]

As described above,
The conventional enlargement / reduction methods mainly perform enlargement / reduction while maintaining the layout of the area. For example, when an A4 size document is enlarged, a protruding portion occurs. Some correction work was needed. For example, in a copier, some measures can be taken by changing the size of the output document, but the enlargement rate of the document is fixed (for example, from A4 size to B4 size, A4 size).
(A3 size to A3 size), otherwise the measures were incomplete. There is also a method of increasing the size of one original to 16 originals, which is called 400% enlargement, and coping with the original by pasting them together. However, this method is inconvenient when trying to view an enlarged document. However, there is a problem that the practicability is low. In particular, the conventional technology enlarges the entire A4 size document to increase the
I couldn't make it into a 4 size document.

Further, in the conventional enlargement method, a method of simply enlarging the entire image is basically used, and the jaggedness of pixels accompanying the enlargement of digital data is smoothly reproduced by an anti-aliasing technique or the like by correction. However, in consideration of enlarging characters, for example, when a document is created with 12-point characters using an editor and when a document is created with 48-point characters, the character size is four times larger.
Accordingly, the line width of characters, character spacing, and line spacing are not always simply quadrupled. There are appropriate parameters depending on the character size. In other words, simply enlarging the image does not necessarily mean that the image is in a state appropriate for the size of the character.

In order to reconstruct a document, it is possible to perform character recognition on a character area to treat it as character information data, and to reconstruct the document with appropriate characters, character intervals, and line intervals. However, character recognition takes a long time to process, and requires a powerful arithmetic unit for the process.
For this reason, for example, it is difficult to adopt such a device as a copier in which a certain speed is required and where cost is considered important.
In addition, although the recognition rate of character recognition is increasing, erroneous recognition may occur. This erroneous recognition is a problem, and if it is recognized as an erroneous character and recombined as a document, the meaning of the sentence intended by the manuscript will not be transmitted or understood, which is not preferable in practical use.

Further, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-81401, a character area is specified on the display device, the number of characters per line is further specified, and the number of characters per line to be pasted is also specified. By doing so, it is also possible to perform affixing without discomfort. This method cannot be used unless the number of characters per line is constant. However, there is almost no document that uses a fixed character size and a fixed character pitch in recent documents. In addition, there is a problem that the operation is complicated and impractical, for example, it is necessary to enclose the area on the display device and input the number of characters of the line as a procedure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a document image which enlarges a character image without a sense of incongruity by relatively simple processing, and outputs a character image in a form which is easy for a reader to read. It is intended to provide a processing device.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a document image processing apparatus comprising: image input processing means for inputting image data; image data storage means for storing the input image data; An image area dividing unit that divides an image into image regions having different attributes to make an element unit, a character image processing unit that performs predetermined scaling / structure conversion / color conversion processing on a character element, and a non-character element Non-character image processing means for performing predetermined scaling / color conversion processing, document image resynthesis processing means for resynthesizing a document with the processed element image, and a document for outputting the resynthesized document image Image output means.

In this configuration, various problems that occur when a document image is enlarged and recombined are solved by treating the document image in element units. That is, elemental image conversion or resynthesis is performed while automatically or manually adding preferable parameters at the time of resynthesis, and a page break function is provided to reproduce an image that is easy for a reader to read. Furthermore, since the above processing is realized only by rearrangement with enlargement of image data, the processing itself is not complicated, and even if an error occurs in the analysis in the division of the element unit, the user can make a prediction and understand the document. No obstacles.

In this configuration, the image area dividing means analyzes the entire input image, divides the input image into various attribute areas including a character area, a graphics area, and an image area. In other words, it may be divided into character elements that can be handled in units of one character.

Further, the image area dividing means extracts only a designated area, performs an analysis process only on the area, and divides the area into various attribute areas including a character area, a graphics area, and an image area. Further, a character may be further divided into character elements that can be handled in units of one character.

Further, the image area dividing means may extract only a previously designated area, perform an analysis process only on the area, and divide the area into character elements that can be handled in units of one character. .

Further, the character image processing means may perform enlargement / reduction, deformation, and color conversion of a character suitable for the size of the character to be converted.

Further, when the element image to be recombined is prepared, the document image re-synthesizing means assigns appropriate character spacing, line spacing, and element-to-element spacing according to the characteristics of the element image. May be re-synthesized, have the concept of a page, perform appropriate re-synthesis within a page, and perform re-synthesis work over a plurality of pages.

Further, when the document image re-synthesizing means prepares the element image to be re-synthesized, the document image re-synthesizing means adds appropriate character spacing, line spacing, and inter-element spacing according to the characteristics of the element image. May be re-synthesized to have a concept of a display area, and appropriate re-synthesis may be performed in the display area.

The document image processing apparatus according to the present invention further comprises means for extracting a character unit area from an input image, means for enlarging the character unit area while executing processing in accordance with an enlargement ratio, It is characterized by comprising means for combining unit areas in an output image in a predetermined arrangement, and means for outputting the combined output image.

Also in this configuration, an enlarged image which is easy for a reader to read is reproduced. Further, the processing itself is not complicated, and even if an error occurs in the analysis in the division of the element unit, the user can make a prediction, and there is no obstacle in understanding the document.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a document image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is an image input processing unit, 2 is an image data storage unit, 3 is an image area division processing unit, 4 is a character image processing unit, 5 is a non-character image processing unit, 6 is a document image synthesis processing unit, 7 is An image output unit.

The image input processing unit 1 is, for example, a scanner, and performs a process of inputting document image information as digital data and converting the document image information into a form suitable for performing an image area dividing process. The image data storage unit 2 stores input image data, image analysis results, image processing results, and the like. The image area division processing unit 3 performs processing for dividing a document image into areas corresponding to respective attributes. For example, division is performed according to attributes such as a character area, a graphics area, and an image area. The division may be fully automatic, semi-automatic, or manual. Furthermore, for character areas, character columns / lines,
Furthermore, the division is performed up to one character unit. The character image processing unit 4 performs an appropriate character image enlargement process on the character image cut out in units of one character according to the enlargement ratio. Further, enhancement processing and color processing such as increasing the contrast and performing color conversion are performed. The non-character image processing unit 5 performs enlargement processing on the entire area of the graphics area and the image area other than the character in consideration of the output document. In some cases, enhancement processing and color processing such as increasing the contrast and performing color conversion are performed. The document image resynthesis processing unit 6 rearranges images processed variously for each element in accordance with an algorithm. For example, the character spacing and the line spacing are automatically set to appropriate values or manually set and arranged. The non-character image is also rearranged at an appropriate interval from the character area after performing appropriate processing. If these operations do not fit on the same output page, processing such as a page break is performed. The document image output unit 7 outputs an image obtained by the document image recombining process in an appropriate form.

Next, the detailed configuration and operation of one embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the image input processing unit 1. As the input image, a binary image, a black-and-white multi-valued image, a color multi-valued image, and the like can be considered. First, as a pre-process for improving the state of the original, the noise removal processing unit 1
1. There is a skew correction processing unit 12. Since noise has an adverse effect on area division, isolated points are removed, and black noise at the binding portion when a book is input is removed. However,
This can be performed even in the area division. Further, when the document is input at an angle, the output image is also output at an angle. In addition, if the inclination is severe, it may affect the area division and correct character re-synthesis may not be performed. Therefore, skew correction may be required. To implement skew correction, there are a method using Hough transform, a method using marginal distribution, and the like.

Further, there is a marker detection processing section 13 as one of the preprocessing. This is necessary in a case where a target area of a document is surrounded by a marker or the like in advance, and only the area surrounded by the marker is extracted. In the case of a color image, since the color of the marker is specified, area extraction can be easily performed by extracting and processing only a specific color. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, by obtaining coordinate values with respect to the color continuity of the extracted marker, the coordinate values obtained by making the periphery of the marker rectangular can be easily obtained. As another method, the instruction may be given by a digitizer attached to a platen or the like of a copying machine instead of paper. In this case, since information is previously input to the device from a digitizer or the like, it is possible to extract only a necessary area without requiring special processing.

Apart from image enlargement and resynthesis processing, the area division processing is basically performed on a binary image.
A threshold processing unit 14 for obtaining a value image is required.
Examples of converting a color image into a black-and-white multi-valued image include various methods such as a method using only G of RGB components, a method of calculating a luminance component, and a method of obtaining a necessary luminance component in consideration of color characteristics such as a background of a document. There is a method. There are also a method using a fixed threshold value for the threshold processing, a method of obtaining and processing a unique threshold value from the density characteristics of the entire screen, and a method of dynamically changing the threshold value while observing the state of the image. .

Although the image analysis may be performed with the resolution of the input image unchanged, a reduced image may be used. In such a case, a reduction processing unit 15 for storing a line image is required. An example of a reduction method for storing a line drawing is OR reduction. In this concept, when M * M is reduced to one pixel, if there is even one black in M * M, the reduced pixel is also regarded as a black pixel. In image reduction, there are cases where a reduction process is performed on a binary image and a case where a reduction process is performed on a multi-valued image and then a threshold value process is performed.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing details of the image area division processing section 3. As shown in FIG. The method of region division used in the region division basic processing unit 31 is divided into a method of analyzing macro to micro and a method of analyzing micro to macro. For example, as an example of analyzing from macro to micro, there is a method of using a marginal distribution characteristic a plurality of times. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation of grasping the characteristics of the entire image using the marginal distribution and dividing the peak and valley portion of the marginal distribution into a plurality of regions is performed a plurality of times. By obtaining the peripheral distribution in the vertical and horizontal directions, in the example of FIG. 5, the image is largely divided into an image area and a character area. At this time, the character area is divided as character lines. Next, a marginal distribution is obtained again in the horizontal direction with respect to the character region divided as a line. Furthermore, by estimating the size of the character from the width of the character line and performing the division based on the value, it is possible to divide the character so that it can be handled almost in units of one character. On the other hand, as a technique for analyzing from micro to macro, for example, there is a technique using labeling. First, as shown in FIG. 6, a small area is determined in units of pixel connection. Next, the small areas are summarized in units of one character based on the positional relationship before and after the small areas. Subsequent grouping into large units, such as lines and paragraphs, enables region division. Both techniques can ultimately obtain image information in units of one character and image information as a continuous line of characters.

The attribute discrimination processing section 32 performs a process of discriminating whether each of the divided areas is a character area, a halftone area, a graphics area, or the like based on image characteristics in the area.

The vertical / horizontal writing discrimination processing unit 33 determines whether the character in each area in the document is vertical writing or horizontal writing. This is obtained by using the intermediate result of the area analysis. In both the technique of analyzing from macro to micro and the technique of analyzing from micro to macro, an area corresponding to a character line or a character string is obtained during the analysis. That is, an analysis result corresponding to FIG. 7 is obtained. In the case of a horizontally written document, a horizontally long rectangular row is extracted, and in the case of a vertically written document, a vertically rectangular column is extracted. That is, since a row or a column is extracted, it is determined from the information whether the writing is horizontal or vertical. This result is used to determine the order in which each character is cut out, further character enlargement, and document image resynthesis. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing details of the character image processing unit 4. In normal enlargement, if an enlargement ratio is determined for an input image, the value is processed for the entire image to obtain an enlarged image. Such an enlargement alone is acceptable, but here, an enlargement method suitable for the size of the character to be enlarged is used. The enlargement / reduction processing unit 41 performs enlargement / reduction processing to the size of a character required for output. FIG. 9 shows details of image processing for elemental images.
Shown in For example, a case where a character equivalent to 10 points is enlarged to 40 points will be described. For normal enlargement, one pixel is simply enlarged to 4 * 4 16 pixels. If the contour becomes jagged when enlarged, the apparent character quality can be improved by performing an interpolation process as shown in FIG. The interpolation method differs between a binary image and a multi-valued image. In the case of a binary image, interpolation is either white or black, but in the case of a multi-valued image, the density value must also be determined at the time of interpolation. There are generally known techniques such as linear interpolation and 9-point quadratic interpolation.

The structure conversion processing unit 42 performs a process of changing the character style of a character in a pseudo manner. This has two effects. One is that, for example, the character size of a 10-point character and a 40-point character is four times, but the line width is not always four times. By modifying the line width suitable for the character size, a more legible character can be recombined. Second, depending on the person, it may be difficult to read characters unless the line width is thick. At that time, it may be required to increase the line width as much as possible. In other words, even for characters with thin lines such as those written in Mincho font, by making the line width of characters that have been changed to thick characters such as Gothic font thicker, more legible characters can be obtained. The difference can be recombined. Examples of processing for changing the line width include expansion and
There is shrinkage processing.

The color conversion processing section 43 performs color conversion to make the characters easy to see. For example, it is possible to add processing such as increasing the contrast of an output image for a visually impaired person, and for a color blind person, performing color conversion corresponding to individual colors to change the image into an easily viewable image.

With these processes, appropriate character image processing is performed for each element. At this time, the size of the character may slightly change due to various processes on the original enlarged image. In order to perform re-synthesis, it is necessary to correct the variation of the size coordinate system.

In this embodiment, each image processing is performed after the image is decomposed in units of elements. However, when the same image processing is performed on an area, the image processing is performed on the entire image. It may take the form of decomposing into elements later.

The non-character image processing unit 5 is basically the same as the character image processing unit 4, but does not require the structure conversion processing 42. Color conversion is not required for natural images, but is required for graphics. However, in this case, if the converted color becomes a color similar to the surrounding color, for example, in the case of a graph, it becomes indistinguishable, so it is necessary to convert to a color not used in the surroundings.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing details of the document image resynthesis processing unit 6, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of actual processing. The character elements are separated one by one by the processing up to this point, and the character is deformed in an optimal character form to a desired size by appropriate character processing. In addition, the character spacing and line spacing of the character area when re-synthesizing a document are determined from the size of the enlarged character. In addition, since the non-character area is also enlarged at an appropriate enlargement ratio, these are also subjected to the re-synthesis processing. Using these information, the document resynthesis can be performed by pasting the enlarged character image and non-character image.
The character element synthesis processing unit 61 performs synthesis on a character element that has been subjected to appropriate processing. A method of embedding such a sub character pattern is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-26.
There is a technique as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6168. This will be described with reference to FIG. This figure shows an example of a horizontally written document. Basically, the operation of pasting one character, leaving a space corresponding to the character interval, and pasting one character is continued until characters cannot be embedded in the line. When the embedding cannot be performed, the same processing is performed on the next line by shifting by the designated line interval. When such a line is filled, the right end of the character line is not always uniform. If justification is necessary, pseudo justification can be performed by finely adjusting the character spacing for the line. In addition, punctuation marks may be left at the left end. Although a general document editor performs prohibition processing so as not to cause such a problem, in this embodiment, since recognition as a character is not performed, prohibition processing like a document editor cannot be performed. However, punctuation is extremely small compared to normal characters,
When such a character (rectangle) arrives, pseudo prohibition processing that moves to the right end of the previous line becomes possible. Similarly, pseudo line feed processing is also possible.

The non-character element synthesizing section 62 performs such an operation not on characters but on non-character image elements. An appropriate interval is embedded between the other elements according to the size of the image, and the non-character image element is re-synthesized.

In such a case, the processing result does not always fit into one document, and the processing result may span a plurality of pages. The page processing unit 63 performs this control. Give the concept of a page when resynthesizing characters. At the beginning of the process, an area for one page is first secured, and the character element and the non-character element are recombined. If it does not fit in one page, an area for one page is newly secured, and the character and non-character areas are pasted again. This operation is continued until there are no more elements in the target document. That is, the page processing section 63 plays a role of monitoring the result of the re-synthesis processing by the character element synthesis processing section 61 and the non-character element synthesis processing section 62 in order to control the page.

FIG. 12 shows an example in which only the marked area is enlarged, and FIG. 13 shows an example in which one page of the image is enlarged. In either case, the character is enlarged to a desired size and converted to a suitable character shape and color. Next, resynthesis is performed in a form suitable for the size of the character. In addition, even when there is a non-character area, enlargement is performed at an appropriate enlargement ratio, and re-synthesis processing is performed.

In the above description, since the character elements are basically embedded one by one, it is basically necessary that the character elements are separated in units of one character. This accuracy depends on the performance of the region division, but due to misidentification at the stage of the region division,
For example, as shown in FIG. 13, there are cases where characters are separated or concatenated and put together, and in that case, the recombined result also looks slightly different. In particular, the problem occurs when the phenomenon occurs between the right end of a line and the left end of the next line. However, since humans perform pattern recognition through their eyes, even if there is such an erroneous recognition, characters can be reconstructed in their heads, which makes reading difficult, but not impossible. If this is the case of character recognition, it will be converted to a character different from misrecognition, so it is necessary to understand the meaning of the sentence, not just eye pattern recognition, to correct it, causing incorrect interpretation Sometimes.

In this embodiment, for example, enlargement of a character, conversion of the structure of a character, conversion of the color of a character, enlargement of a non-character area, etc. are performed for each element, and the pasting process is performed on a page basis. However, for example, in a character area, first, paste is performed at a character interval and a line interval in consideration of an enlargement ratio using an original size, and then, an area that can be divided in the line direction is considered as one processing unit. After performing the enlargement processing, the structure conversion processing, the color conversion processing, and the like on the area, the paste processing may be performed in the page.

In this embodiment, an example of re-synthesis for a horizontally written document has been described. However, processing for a vertically written document can be realized by the same processing except that the direction in which elements are embedded is different. Also,
Here, the character spacing and line spacing are automatically adjusted according to the size of the character, but this value may be adjusted manually.

Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to a copying machine, this function is not limited to the copying machine alone. The same can be realized on a PC (personal computer) having a scanner or the like. The analysis processing can be performed on the entire screen, or the processing can be performed only on an area specified by a marker or the like. In addition, a desired area can be designated with a mouse or the like on the original image virtually displayed on the display, and processing can be performed only on that area. Further, as a form of output reproduction, there are a case of a display and a case of a printer. The image synthesizing process in the case of a printer is the same as that of the copier shown in the present embodiment.
In the case of display display, there are two cases: a case where the screen is recombined as one page, and a case where the screen is displayed without having the concept of a page.
The street is conceivable. For example, in the case of a horizontally written document, the width of the display is fixed, and the display in the vertical direction is easy to read for the user by scrolling. In the case of vertical writing, the vertical direction is fixed, and scrolling in the horizontal direction provides a display that is easy for the user to read. In the case of a display, it is also possible to display in a state of contrast (for example, black-and-white inversion) that is more visible to the user. Furthermore, if the output destination is paper, it is necessary to specify the position of the non-character area and re-synthesize it, but the CRT (cathode ray tube)
In the case of such a display device, for example, a pointer indicating that there is a non-image area on the screen may always be displayed without specifying the position to be re-synthesized, and may be called up and displayed when necessary.

[0044]

As described above, according to the document image processing apparatus of the present invention, various problems that occur when a document image is enlarged and recombined can be solved by treating the document image in element units. Can be. In other words, by handling the document image in element units, the preferred parameters are automatically added or manually added at the time of re-synthesis, and the element image conversion or re-synthesis is performed, and the page break function is provided. Images can be reproduced. Further, by realizing only the rearrangement accompanied by enlargement of the image data, even if an analysis error occurs, the user can make a prediction and does not hinder the understanding of the document.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a document image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image input processing unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating marker detection according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image area division processing unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating area division according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating area division according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining vertical / horizontal writing discrimination processing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a character image processing unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an enlargement process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a document image recombining process according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a document image recombining process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a document image recombining process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a document image recombining process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a document image recombining process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image input processing part 2 Image data storage part 3 Image area division processing part 4 Character image processing part 5 Non-character image processing part 6 Document image resynthesis processing part 7 Document image output part 11 Skew correction processing part 12 Noise removal processing part 13 Marker detection processing unit 14 Threshold processing unit 15 Reduction processing unit 31 Area division basic processing unit 32 Attribute determination processing unit 33 Vertical / horizontal writing determination processing unit 41 Enlargement / reduction processing unit 42 Structure conversion processing unit 43 Color conversion processing unit 51 Character Element synthesis processing section 52 Non-character element synthesis processing section 53 Page processing section

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An image input processing means for inputting image data, an image data storage means for storing the input image data, and an element for dividing the image into image areas having different attributes with respect to the image data. Image area dividing means as a unit, character image processing means for performing predetermined scaling / structure conversion / color conversion processing for character elements, and non-character for performing predetermined scaling / color conversion processing for non-character elements A document image comprising: image processing means; document image resynthesis processing means for resynthesizing a document with a processed element image; and document image output means for outputting a resynthesized document image. Processing equipment. 2. The image area dividing means performs an analysis process on an entire input image, divides the input image into various attribute areas including a character area, a graphics area, and an image area. 2. The document image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the document image is divided into character elements that can be handled by. 3. The image area dividing means extracts only an area designated in advance, performs analysis processing only on the area, and divides the image area into various attribute areas including a character area, a graphics area, and an image area. 2. The document image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character is further divided into character elements that can be handled in units of one character. 4. The image area dividing means extracts only an area designated in advance, performs analysis processing only on the area, and divides the image area into character elements that can be handled in units of one character. Item 7. The document image processing device according to Item 1. 5. The document according to claim 1, wherein the character image processing means performs character enlargement / reduction, deformation / color conversion suitable for the size of the character to be converted. Image processing device. 6. The document image re-synthesizing means, when an element image to be re-synthesized is prepared, assigns appropriate character spacing, line spacing, and inter-element spacing according to the characteristics of the element image. Re-synthesizing, having the concept of a page, performing appropriate re-synthesis within a page, and performing re-synthesis work over a plurality of pages.
6. The document image processing device according to 4 or 5. 7. The document image re-synthesizing means, when an element image to be re-synthesized is prepared, assigns an appropriate character interval, line interval, and inter-element interval according to the characteristics of the element image. Re-synthesizing the image data, having a concept of a display area, and performing appropriate re-synthesis within the display area.
The document image processing apparatus according to 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. 8. A means for extracting a character unit area from an input image, a means for enlarging the character unit area while performing processing according to an enlargement ratio, and an output image in which the enlarged character unit area is arranged in a predetermined arrangement. A document image processing apparatus, comprising: means for combining images in a medium; and means for outputting the combined output image.