JPH1188655A - Image-processing unit and record medium thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To apply joint processing to an image received with division efficiently, without making joints conspicuous. SOLUTION: An image input device 10 outputs image data expressed in a density for each pixel through image reading by a scanner or the like. Furthermore, image border information and duplicate information are outputted to a joint position decision processing section 40. An image memory 20 is a storage section that stores plural image data obtained by reading the image input device. The joint position decision processing section 40 decides at random joints for each line, so as to be set within a duplicate area DR for an image of a scan 1 and an image of a scan 2. Then based on the decided joint position, an image joint processing section 30 applies joint processing to plural image data to generate a single image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a recording medium for connecting a plurality of divided images by connecting them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when the size of a document to be read by an image reading apparatus such as a scanner is large, the image of the document is read in a plurality of times, and then the plurality of images read in a divided manner are connected. The original image is restored by performing the processing. Further, even when a plurality of line sensors for reading an image are provided, one image is restored by performing a connecting process when one image is read by the plurality of line sensors.

FIG. 10 shows such a conventional image processing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 10, the image input device 100 obtains a plurality of image data obtained by dividing and inputting an image. Then, the obtained plurality of image data is stored in the image memory 200. Further, in the image input apparatus 100, the connection position of the images is obtained, and the obtained image boundary information is sent to the image connection processing unit. Then, in the image connection processing unit 300,
A plurality of pieces of image data stored and held in the image memory 200 are read out, and image connection processing is automatically performed based on image boundary information obtained from the image input device 100.

[0004]

By the way, since the connection processing of the image processing apparatus as described above is performed in units of one pixel, a deviation within one pixel is not corrected. The deviation within one pixel causes a problem that, for example, in the case of an image obtained by reading a halftone image or the like, the connecting position of the images is visually noticeable.

FIG. 11 shows this example. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case in which the connection processing of regular pattern images is performed by the conventional image processing apparatus. FIG. 11A illustrates a case in which the connection position is not shifted. 11
(B) shows a case where the connection position is shifted by 画素 pixel. In the figure, the image of scan 1 is
The image read in the first reading, and scan 2
Is an image read by the second reading.

As shown in FIG. 11 (a), when there is no displacement of the connecting position, a regular pattern is maintained,
The connecting position between the image of scan 1 and the image of scan 2 is not conspicuous, and a preferable image is generated. However, as shown in FIG. 11B, when a displacement of 1/2 pixel occurs at the connection position, the distance between the dots near the connection position is shorter than that of the other portions. In, the vertical line is visually recognized, and the connecting position is conspicuous.

Further, FIG. 12 shows a case where a conventional image processing apparatus performs a connecting process of a pattern image different from that of FIG. 11, and also in this case, if a displacement within one pixel occurs, the vicinity of the connecting position is obtained. The width of the dot is different from the width of the dots in the other portions, and the connection position is visually conspicuous.

In order to prevent the above-described displacement within one pixel from occurring, it is only necessary to perform a connection process within one pixel. However, it is necessary to calculate the density values of all the pixels of one image by interpolation. This causes a problem that processing time is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and has been made in consideration of the above-described problem, and has been made in consideration of the following circumstances.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus capable of performing a connecting process without making a connecting position conspicuous, and a recording medium recording a processing program thereof.

[0010]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for generating a single image by performing a joining process on a plurality of divided and input images. And (a) image input means for inputting an image,
(b) image storage means for storing a plurality of divided images obtained from the image input means, (c) connection position determination means for determining a connection position for each scan line for the plurality of images, and (d) connection position A connection processing unit that performs a connection process on a plurality of images based on the connection position determined by the determination unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the first aspect, the connection position determining means randomly determines a connection position from an overlapping area of a plurality of images.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising: (e) contrast extracting means for deriving a contrast for each pixel in an overlapping area of a plurality of images, and determining a connection position. The means is characterized in that the position of the pixel showing the minimum value among the contrasts obtained by the contrast extracting means is determined as the connection position.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the scanning line is a scanning line in a main scanning direction with respect to an image.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the scanning line is a scanning line in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the image.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium comprising: (a) an image input unit for inputting an image; and (b) a plurality of divided images obtained from the image input unit. Image storing means for storing, (c) a connecting position determining means for determining a connecting position for each scanning line for a plurality of images, and (d) connecting processing of a plurality of images based on the connecting position determined by the connecting position determining means. A program for functioning as a connection processing unit is recorded.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<1. First Embodiment> First, a first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
As shown in (1), the image processing apparatus according to this embodiment includes an image input device 10, an image memory 20, an image connection processing unit 30, and a connection position determination processing unit 40.

The image input device 10 is a device, such as a scanner, capable of reading an image and outputting image data expressed by a density value for each pixel. Then, when one image is divided and read a plurality of times, reading is performed such that the second reading region partially overlaps the first reading region. Similarly, when the third and fourth readings are performed, the reading is performed such that the third reading area partially overlaps the second reading area, and the fourth reading area becomes the third reading area. The reading is performed so as to partially overlap.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a method of reading an image by the image input device 10, and shows a case where the original 1 is read by reading twice. The image input device 10 reads the original 1 with a line sensor or the like composed of a plurality of pixels arranged in the main scanning direction X, and scans the line sensor in the sub-scanning direction Y to read the original 1.
Can be read two-dimensionally. Then, when the document 1 is large, the area indicated by scan 1 shown in FIG. 2 is read by the line sensor, and then the area indicated by scan 2 is read. Here, regions that are actually read as images in scan 1 and scan 2 are regions R1 and R2 shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, scan 1 and scan 2 read the image of the overlapping area DR in an overlapping manner. In FIG. 2, a mark A1 indicates a reading reference position provided in a scanner or the like.

The image input device 10 outputs the image boundary information and the overlap information to the connection position determination processing unit 40. Here, the image boundary information is, for example, when i and j are arbitrary integers, the i-th pixel of the image of scan 1 and the j-th pixel of the image of scan 2 are at the same position on the document. It is information of the content. For example, in the case of a scanner or the like, in the case of a scan 1 and a scan 2, the mark A1 of the reference position is read before reading the original 1.
Is read and the pixel number of the mark A1 is obtained. The duplication information is information indicating an image area that is read in an overlapped manner between the scan 1 image and the scan 2 image. The overlap information is information indicating how many pixels the area of the scan 1 image overlaps with that of the scan 2 image. This overlapping information can be derived from the image boundary information and the number of pixels of the known line sensor. And with this duplicate information,
The overlapping area DR shown in FIG. 2 is found.

Returning to FIG. 1, the image memory 20 is a storage unit capable of storing a plurality of image data obtained by reading by the image input device 10.

The connection position determination processing unit 40 determines the connection position of the image for each line in the main scanning direction based on the image boundary information and the overlap information obtained from the image input device 10. That is, the connection position determination processing unit 40 randomly determines the connection position so as to be within the overlapping area of the scan 1 image and the scan 2 image for each line. Then, the determined connection position is stored in the image connection processing unit 3.
It is configured to output 0.

The image connection processing unit 30 reads out a plurality of image data to be subjected to connection processing from the image memory 20, and performs the connection processing on the plurality of image data based on the connection position from the connection position determination processing unit 40. To generate one image.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an image that has undergone the connection processing by the image processing apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the connection processing performed by the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is performed in such a manner that a connection position is set to an overlapping portion where the image of scan 1 and the image of scan 2 overlap every line in the main scanning direction X. It is set randomly.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, even if the image of scan 1 and the image of scan 2 are shifted by 1/2 pixel in the main scanning direction X, the connection position is diffused at the overlapping portion. The connecting portion of the image generated by the connecting process does not become linear and visually noticeable. In addition, since it is not necessary to perform an interpolation process or the like by calculation, efficient processing can be performed without requiring a long processing time.

In this embodiment, the information sent from the image input device 10 to the connection position determination processing unit 40 has been described as the image boundary information and the overlap information.
Any information may be used as long as the overlapping range of the plurality of divided images is known, and any one of the information may be used.

If the image input device 10 does not have a function of outputting image boundary information or overlap information as in a digital camera or the like, the splicing position determination processing unit 40 actually connects the scan 1 and the scan 2 to each other. Compare the images and derive the overlap of the two images. Then, the connection position determination processing unit 40 randomly determines a connection position for each line from the overlapping portion derived as described above, and outputs the connection position to the image connection processing unit 30. As described above, the overlapping portion can be known by performing image comparison in the connection position determination processing unit 40. Therefore, when the image boundary information or the overlapping information cannot be input from the image input device 10, the image is generated by the connection processing. It is possible to make the connecting portion of the image to be visually inconspicuous.

<2. Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the image processing apparatus according to this embodiment includes an image input device 10, an image memory 20, an image connection processing unit 30, a connection position determination processing unit 40, and a density contrast extraction unit 50.

The image input device 10 and the image memory 20 have the same contents as those described in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The density contrast extracting section 50 determines one of the overlapping portions of the image for each line in the main scanning direction X based on the image boundary information and the overlapping information obtained from the image input device 10.
Find the contrast in pixel units. For example, in FIG. 5, assuming that the pixels existing in the overlapping area DR of scan 1 and scan 2 are the n-th to m-th pixels in scan 1, the k-th pixel that satisfies m ≦ k <n Is obtained by deriving the absolute value of the difference between the density value of the (k-1) th pixel (the pixel on the left) and the density value of the (k + 1) th pixel (the pixel on the right). This calculation is performed for a range that satisfies m ≦ k <n, and the contrast is obtained for all the pixels existing in the overlapping area DR. Further, as another method of obtaining the contrast, k
Calculate the absolute value of the difference between the average value of the multiple pixels on the left side of the nth pixel and the average value of the multiple pixels on the right side, or obtain the density value of the pixel several pixels to the left of the kth pixel and several pixels to the right. The absolute value of the difference from the density value of the pixel can also be obtained.
Then, the density contrast extraction unit 50 sends the contrast obtained for all the pixels of one line to the connection position determination processing unit 40. Here, the description has been given of obtaining the contrast of the image of scan 1 in the overlap area DR of scan 1 and scan 2.
Since the scan 1 and scan 2 images of R are basically the same image, the contrast may be derived using the scan 2 image.

The connection position determination processing unit 40 specifies a pixel having the minimum value among the contrasts of a plurality of pixels in the one-line overlapping area DR sent from the density contrast extraction unit 50. The pixel having the minimum contrast is a connection position between the image of scan 1 and the image of scan 2 for the main scanning line. Since the contrast is obtained by the difference between the density values of the pixels located on the right and left sides of each pixel as described above, the image portion of a thin line such as one pixel width or two pixel width does not become a connection position. . The connection position determined in this way is output to the image connection processing unit 30.

Then, the image connection processing unit 30 reads out a plurality of image data to be subjected to connection processing from the image memory 20, and based on the connection position from the connection position determination processing unit 40, performs the connection processing on the plurality of image data. I do.

Generally, the fact that the contrast is minimum indicates that the image is the flat portion where the change of the image is the smallest. Then, in this embodiment, in order to set the flattest part of such an image as a connection position,
In an image generated by performing the connection processing, a line diagram, a character break, or the like does not occur, and a connection portion is not visually conspicuous.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an image which has undergone the connection processing by the image processing apparatus of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the connection processing performed by the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is performed at a pixel position where the connection position has the minimum contrast for each line in a portion where the scan 1 image and the scan 2 image overlap. It is done by setting. In the case shown in FIG. 6, a white portion of the overlapped scan portion is determined as a connection position for each line in the main scanning direction X, and a connection process is performed.

Therefore, even if the image of scan 1 and the image of scan 2 are shifted by 1/2 pixel in the main scanning direction X as shown in FIG. 6, the connection position is not visually noticeable among the overlapping portions. Since the position of the minimum contrast is set as the connection position, the connection portion of the image generated by the connection processing is not visually noticeable. In addition, since it is not necessary to perform an interpolation process or the like by calculation, efficient processing can be performed without requiring a long processing time.

In this embodiment, when there are a plurality of pixels having the minimum contrast in the overlapping portion of one line, one of the plurality of pixels is randomly selected from the plurality of pixels.
A pixel may be specified, or one pixel may be specified by another method.

Also, in this embodiment, the information sent from the image input device 10 to the density contrast extraction unit 50 has been described as the image boundary information and the overlap information, but the overlap range of the plurality of divided images is described. Any information may be used as long as the information is known.

Further, when the image input device 10 does not have a function of outputting image boundary information or overlap information as in a digital camera or the like, the density contrast extraction unit 50 actually outputs the image of the scan 1 and the scan 2 And derive the overlap between the two images. Then, the contrast is derived for all the pixels of each line from the overlapping portion derived as described above by the density contrast extraction unit 50. Then, the connection position determination processing unit 40 determines the connection position based on the contrast, and outputs the connection position to the image connection processing unit 30. As described above, since the overlap portion can be known by comparing the images in the density contrast extraction unit 50, the overlap portion is generated by the link processing when the image boundary information or the overlap information cannot be input from the image input device 10. Can be made visually inconspicuous.

<3. Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is shown in FIG.
The processing performed by the image memory 20, the image connection processing unit 30, and the connection position determination processing unit 40 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, or the image memory 2 of the second embodiment shown in FIG.
0, image connection processing unit 30, connection position determination processing unit 4
The processing performed by the 0, density contrast extraction unit 50 is processed by a general computer.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the input / output device 61, the CPU 62, the memory 6
3, storage unit 64, interfaces 71, 72, 73, 7
4 are interconnected via a data bus. The input / output device 61 includes a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk,
This device reads data from a computer-readable portable recording medium 80 such as a CD-ROM, and writes data to the data. CPU62
Is a processing unit that executes a predetermined program to perform arithmetic processing. The memory 63 is a device for temporarily storing data such as image data, and the storage unit 64 includes:
It is a computer-readable fixed recording medium such as a magnetic disk. The interface 71 has a CR
A display device 65 such as a T or a liquid crystal display is connected.
The mouse 67 is connected. Interface 7
3, an image input device 10 is connected, and an interface 74 is connected to an external device such as an output scanner, and outputs image data subjected to connection processing.

As described above, the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is divided into a plurality of divided units input from the image input device 10 by the internal CPU 12 in one general computer 60 on which an operating system (OS) is installed. This is an apparatus realized by executing a predetermined program for generating a single image by performing a joining process on the images. Note that the predetermined program for performing the above-described connection processing may be read from the portable recording medium D, or may be stored in the storage unit 14 in advance. That is, the program is stored irrespective of whether it is a portable recording medium or a fixed recording medium.

When realizing the same processing as the processing shown in the first embodiment with such a configuration, the CPU 62 performs the processing according to the processing procedure as shown in FIG. First, in step S11, image data of a plurality of divided images is input from the image input device 10, and is stored in the memory 63 or the storage unit 6.
4 and so on. Then, in step S12, a connection position is randomly determined for each line based on the image boundary information and the overlap information. Then, in step S13, image connection processing is performed according to the connection position of each line obtained in step S12, and the plurality of divided images is set as one image.

By performing the processing described above, the first
The image of scan 1 and the image of scan 2
Even if the image is shifted by 画素 pixel in the main scanning direction X, the connecting position is diffused in the overlapping portion, so that the connecting portion of the image generated by the connecting process is visually inconspicuous. In addition, since it is not necessary to perform an interpolation process or the like by calculation, efficient processing can be performed without requiring a long processing time.

By executing the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, the image subjected to the connection processing is the same as the image shown in FIG.
Is the same as

Next, in the case of realizing the same processing as the processing shown in the second embodiment with the above configuration, the CPU 62 performs the processing according to the processing procedure as shown in FIG. First,
In step S21, image data of a plurality of divided images is input from the image input device 10 and stored in the memory 63, the storage unit 64, or the like. Then, in step S22, one line of image boundary information and overlapping information are read in the main scanning direction. Then, from the image boundary information and the overlap information, the density values of the pixels located in the overlap area of the image data for one line are extracted (step S23). Next, step S23
The contrast is derived for all the pixels in the overlapping area from the density values of the pixels located in the overlapping area extracted in (Step S24).

Then, in step S25, the minimum value among the contrasts of all the pixels located in the overlapping area is obtained, and the position of the pixel showing the minimum value is determined as the connection position. Here, when a plurality of pixels showing the minimum value are found, one pixel is randomly selected from the plurality of pixels.
One pixel position is set as a connection position, or one pixel position is set as a connection position according to another predetermined rule.

Then, in step S26, it is determined whether or not the joining positions have been determined for all the lines.
If "O" is determined, the process proceeds to step S27, and "YES"
If it is determined, the process proceeds to step S28. Step S27
Then, the target line for determining the connection position is set to the next line.

Then, in step S28, one image is generated by performing a connecting process on a plurality of images divided for each line based on the connecting position determined in step S25.

In the above description, the connection position is determined for all the lines, and then the image connection processing is performed. However, as another example, the connection processing is performed immediately after the connection position is determined for each line in step S25. By executing this process and repeating this process for all the lines, it is also possible to execute the connecting process for the entire image.

By performing the processing described above, the second
The image of scan 1 and the image of scan 2
Even if the image is shifted by 画素 pixel in the main scanning direction X, the minimum position of the contrast that is not visually noticeable among the overlapping portions is set as the connection position. The connected portion of the image to be displayed does not lack a line diagram or a character line, and the connected portion is visually inconspicuous. In addition, since it is not necessary to perform an interpolation process or the like by calculation, efficient processing can be performed without requiring a long processing time.

By executing the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, the image subjected to the connection processing is converted to the image shown in FIG.
Is the same as

As described above, the processing of the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 and 9 can be performed by a general computer to perform the processing of connecting the images in which the connection portions are inconspicuous. However, in the first and second embodiments, As described in the embodiment, when the image input device 10 does not have a function of outputting image boundary information or overlap information as in a digital camera or the like, the image of the scan 1 and the image of the scan 2 are further compared with each other. A step of deriving an overlap between the two images may be performed. Then, in the overlapped portion obtained by performing the image comparison, the connection position is determined randomly for each line in the flowchart of FIG. 8, and the process of deriving the contrast of all the pixels in the overlapped portion is performed in the flowchart of FIG. The configuration is as follows. That is, since the overlapping portion can be known by performing the image comparison in the computer, when the image boundary information and the overlapping information cannot be input from the image input device 10, the connecting portion of the image generated by the connecting process is visually recognized. Can be made less noticeable.

<4. Modified Example> In each of the above embodiments, for simplicity of description, the case where there are two divided images to be connected is described as a representative example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is needless to say that the present invention can also be applied to a joining process when the image is read after being divided into three or more images.

In the above description, the image joining process has been described as determining the joining position for each line in the main scanning direction X. However, this is for an image obtained by dividing the image into a plurality of parts in the main scanning direction X. Normal processing is performed when the connection processing is performed. However, when the image is divided into a plurality of images in the sub-scanning direction Y, the image is divided into the main scanning direction X as described above.
It is natural that a normal connection process cannot be performed even if the connection process is performed for each line. In such a case, the connection position is determined for each line in the sub-scanning direction Y and the connection process is performed. What should I do?

[0054]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a connection position is determined for each of a plurality of divided images for each scanning line, and a plurality of divided images are divided based on the connection position. Since the image connection processing is performed, efficient connection processing can be performed on the divided images, and the connection position is not visually noticeable.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the connecting position is determined at random from the overlapping area of the plurality of images, the connecting portion of the images generated by the connecting process becomes linear and visually No noticeable thing happens.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the contrast for each pixel in the overlapping area of the plurality of divided images is derived, and the position of the pixel showing the minimum value among the obtained contrasts is determined as the connection position. Therefore, in an image generated by performing the connection processing, a line diagram or a character line break does not occur, and the connection portion is not visually conspicuous.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the scanning line is a scanning line in the main scanning direction with respect to the image, the connecting process is performed on the image divided in the horizontal main scanning direction. be able to.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the scanning line is a scanning line in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the image, the connecting process is performed on the image divided in the vertical sub-scanning direction. be able to.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a connecting position is determined for each of the plurality of divided images on a computer-readable recording medium, and a plurality of divided images are divided based on the connecting position. Since the program for performing the image joining process is recorded, the computer executes the program to perform the image joining process that does not make the joining position visually conspicuous for the divided images. It can function as a device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for reading an image in an image input device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an image on which a connection process has been performed by the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of obtaining a contrast in a density contrast extraction unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an image on which a connection process has been performed by the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a first flowchart according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a second flowchart according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a conventional image processing apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where image connection processing is performed by a conventional image processing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where image joining processing is performed by a conventional image processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 image input device 20 image memory 30 image connection processing unit 40 connection position determination processing unit 50 density contrast extraction unit 60 computer DR overlapping area

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for generating a single image by performing a joining process on a plurality of divided and input images, comprising: (a) image input means for inputting an image; and (b) the image input means. Image storage means for storing a plurality of divided images obtained from the input means, (c) connection position determination means for determining a connection position for each of the plurality of images for each scanning line, and (d) connection position determination means And a connection processing unit that performs connection processing of the plurality of images based on the connection position determined in (1). 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection position determination unit randomly determines a connection position from an overlapping area of the plurality of images. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: (e) contrast extraction means for deriving a contrast for each pixel in an overlapping area of the plurality of images, and wherein the connection position determination means is configured to extract the contrast. An image processing apparatus, wherein a position of a pixel showing a minimum value among contrasts obtained by a means is determined as a connection position. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning lines are scanning lines in a main scanning direction with respect to an image. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scan line is a scan line in a sub-scanning direction with respect to an image. 6. A computer comprising: (a) image input means for inputting an image; (b) image storage means for storing a plurality of divided images obtained from the image input means; A program for functioning as a connection position determining means for determining a connection position for each scanning line, and (d) a connection processing means for performing a connection process of the plurality of images based on the connection position determined by the connection position determining means. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded.