JPS62236261A - Image retrieving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To execute the efficient image retrieval by reading and retrieving one color with a high compressing ratio among plural colors. CONSTITUTION:A color image read from an original document reader 1 is color-dissolved, compressed and coded and successively sent to an image file storing part 6. Among three registered subfiles, the subfile with the highest compressing ratio is selected from the data of a RAM and formed as one of the index information of an image file. When a single color image mode is selected and retrieved, the subfile of the color with the high compressing ratio is selected, decoded, developed onto an image memory and displayed at a CRT. For such a reason, the image retrieval with a higher time efficiency than a conventional system can be executed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an image search device.

In a conventional device that registers a color image in a storage unit, searches for it, and reads it out, for example, when storing a full-color image, the full-color image is read out, displayed on a display device, and searched, so the search time is more than three times that of a simple black-and-white image. There were such drawbacks.

(Objective) The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and aims to provide a search device that can easily process color image searches in a short time.Another object of the present invention is to provide a search device that has image index information. I will provide a.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of a color image processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

1 is a manuscript league that converts a color image into an electrical signal using COD, etc.; 2 is a high-speed printer that records an image on a recording material based on the information converted into an electrical signal; 3 is an operation unit that issues operational commands to the color image file device; 4 is a CPU that performs various processes according to commands from the operation unit, etc.; 5 is a RAM;
C when creating an image film with the working memory of 4.
Temporarily stores index information created by the PU.

6 is an image film having a storage medium such as an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk, on which a large amount of image information can be written and read; 7 is an image film that compresses and encodes image information when storing the information in an image file, and when reading it out; Companding processing units 8, 9 and 10 each read image information read from the manuscript league and the image file 6 and decode it in the companding processing unit 7, which decompresses and decodes the original image information. Image memory R that temporarily stores image information for each of the three primary colors.
1G and B. Reference numeral 11 denotes a path line through which the above-mentioned block-to-block connection image information is transmitted, and although not shown in the figure, it is connected to other blocks of the image processing system such as a communication modem.

Next, the operation of such a system will be explained separately for registering an image file and for searching, using flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

This chart is stored in the ROM as a program executed by the CPU shown in FIG.

First, in FIG. 2, the registration mode is started with SO. Sl
The color image original read by the original reader 1 is color-separated and converted into electrical signals in image memories R, G, B (8, 9, 1) for each of the three primary colors in S2.
0) Expand on top. In S3, the expanded image information is compressed and encoded from, for example, data on the image memory R8, and sequentially sent to the image file storage section 6. S
In Step 4, it is determined whether all the data on the image memory R8 has been encoded and stored in the image file 6. If it has not been encoded, repeat the operation of S3, and if it has been encoded, proceed to S5 and encode the data on the image memory R. The compression rate (%) of the information when the data is encoded is determined by the CPU 4, and the value is stored in the RAM 5.
Then, in S6, the encoded information on the image memory R is registered as one subfile of the image file being registered. At S7, image memories R, G,
Determine whether all of B has been completed, and if not, return to S3, and in this case, image memo IJG,
Repeat the operations from S3 to 85 for H. and,
When it is determined that all the steps have been completed and the creation of the three subfiles has been completed, the process advances to S8. In S8, the one with the highest compression ratio among the three registered subfiles is selected from the data in the RAM and created as one of the index information of the image file to be used when searching and reading later.

In step S9, the color document including this index information, information for managing subfiles, etc., and read as new index information is treated as one image file, and the registration is completed (s i o).

Next, in the case of the search mode in FIG. 3, the search mode is started with SO. In SL, it is determined whether to search for a single color image or a multicolor image based on the input signal of the mode key. If the mode is multicolor mode, go to S8, enter a search code and select an image file to read, and S9 Reads the three subfiles, decrypts each, expands it on memory, and uses SIO
Display it on the CRT and determine whether it is the image file you are looking for (5ll). If it is not, return to S8 and enter a different search code to complete the routine. If it is the file that was being searched for, the YES key is input and the process proceeds to step 512.

On the other hand, when performing a search operation by selecting the monochromatic image mode to which the present invention is applied in St, a search code is first input and determined in S2 to select an image file to be read. Then, referring to the index information in the RAM of the image file selected in S3, a color subfile with a high compression ratio is selected, the selected subfile is decoded in S4 and developed on the image memory, and in S5 it is converted into a monochrome image. Display on CRT. In S6, it is determined whether the image file is the one being searched for based on the image of this subfile, and if it is not, the search code is input again in S2 to select another image file.

If it is the file you are looking for, press the YES key to
In step 7, the information of the other two subfiles is also automatically sequentially decoded and sequentially expanded onto the image memory. And S12
Output a color image from the printer. In this example, parameters such as each coding rate and total amount of information are registered in advance as index data, so it is more time efficient than searching by calculating the coding efficiency of each color at the time of search. You can perform advanced image searches.

Although the search has been described as using a single color, a search may be performed using a mixture of two colors, or a black and white image may be set for the search after color conversion.

Further, the three primary colors may be RGB, YMC, or YIQ.

As described above, the effect of the first object of the present invention is that one color with a high compression rate out of a plurality of colors is read out and searched, so the readout time and decoding time can be reduced, and efficient image search can be performed.

Furthermore, the effect of the second purpose is that the coding rate, total amount of information, etc. for each color are registered as index information, so that efficient image retrieval is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a color image processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a flowchart in registration mode, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart in search mode.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A storage means for storing color images of a plurality of colors in a compressed and encoded state, and an image retrieval means for reading out one of the images from the storage means, decompressing and decoding it, and displaying the image; An image search device characterized by registering feature parameters of each color as index information.