JP3201531B2 - Image processing device - Google Patents

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 capable of imaging an object and displaying an image of the object on a display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional image processing apparatus in which an object is imaged by a camera or the like and the image is displayed on a display device, in order to obtain a high-accuracy image, an operator uses a light and shade displayed on a screen of the display device. While observing the image or the binarized image, the focus of the camera is adjusted or the aperture is adjusted.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional image processing apparatus, since the adjustment of the focus and the aperture of the camera is performed while the operator observes the image, he relies on a human sense. There is a problem that it is troublesome and it is difficult to perform high-precision adjustment like a mechanical type.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an image processing apparatus capable of adjusting a focus and an aperture of a camera without trouble and obtaining a highly accurate image. The purpose is to do.

[0005]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a camera for picking up an object and outputting image data, and a grayscale image of the object based on image data from the camera are displayed on a display device. In the image processing apparatus for displaying, based on the grayscale image data from the camera, the density or the gradation on a line crossing a part of the grayscale image of the object.
Line brightness calculation means for calculating a line brightness which is a tonal value, and line brightness display means for displaying the line brightness calculated by the line brightness calculation means on the display device together with the grayscale image of the object, It is characterized in that as the inclination of the line bright at the boundary between the object and the background of the line bright displayed on the line bright display means approaches a vertical line, a more accurate grayscale image is obtained.

[0006]

In the above arrangement, the camera captures an image of the object and outputs image data, and the line-bright calculating means calculates a line-bright which crosses a part of the image of the object based on the image data from the camera. Since the line-bright display means displays the line-bright together with the object image on the display device, the line-bright serves as a reference when the operator adjusts the focus and aperture of the camera.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a system configuration of the image processing apparatus. The apparatus is a TV camera 1 which captures an object by a CCD or the like and outputs image data.
And an image processing apparatus main body 2 for inputting image data from the TV camera 1 and performing various image processing described later, and a TV camera 1
And a video monitor 3 for displaying messages, graphic data, and the like processed and generated in the image processing apparatus main body 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the image processing apparatus main body 2 described in FIG.

The main body 2 of the image processing apparatus is a TV camera 1
A / D conversion unit 21 for converting the image data output from the A / D converter from analog to digital, and performing pre-processing such as noise removal using a filter on the image data via the A / D conversion circuit 21 to convert the image data into gray-scale image data or binarization. A preprocessing unit 22 for outputting image data as image data, and a frame memory 2
3, character memory 24, CPU 25, ROM 26,
RAM 27, graphic memory 28, display control unit 2
9. It has a D / A converter 30 for digital-to-analog conversion of image data and the like via the display controller 29.

The frame memory 23 is a memory for storing the image data passed through the pre-processing unit 22 for display on the video monitor 3. The character memory 24 stores the video monitor 3
Is a memory in which character data to be displayed is stored in advance.
The ROM 26 is a memory in which a system program for operating the CPU 25 is stored. RAM 27 is CP
The CPU 25 functions as a main storage device of the U25.
Calculates a line brightness on an arbitrary line crossing a part of the image of the object based on the image data input from the TV camera 1 via the preprocessing unit 22, and calculates the line brightness from the calculated line brightness. Application, which operates to calculate the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the line brightness, the sum of the absolute values of the differential values of the density or the gradation value in the line brightness, and the maximum value of the differential value. A memory in which an application program is stored. Note that line brightness refers to the density or gradation value on a line.

The graphic memory 28 is a memory for storing the line brightness processed by the CPU 25 and the above-mentioned line brightness characteristic values. The display control unit 29 includes:
Each data such as graphic data and a message from the frame memory 23, the character memory 24 and the system ROM 26 is inputted, and control is performed so that each data is displayed on the video monitor 3. When displayed together with the gray image of the target object, the line bright and the line bright characteristic value are displayed together with the image or superimposed on the image (see FIG. 3).

Since the image processing apparatus is configured as described above,
In the image processing apparatus main body 2, when image data is input from the TV camera 1, the image data is input to the CPU 25 via the A / D conversion unit 21 and the preprocessing unit 22, and the CPU 25
By executing the application program stored in M27, the line brightness that crosses the image of the object is calculated, and the line brightness feature value is calculated based on the line brightness, and the line brightness and the line brightness feature are calculated. The value is sent to the graphic memory 28.

Then, the line brightness and the line brightness feature value are sent from the graphic memory 28 to the display control unit 29, and the display control unit 29 sends the A / D converter 2 together with the line brightness and the line brightness feature value.
1 and the pre-processed gray-scale image data from the frame memory 23 and the character data from the character memory are input and controlled and sent to the video monitor 3 via the D / A converter 30. The line brightness and the line brightness feature value are displayed on the video monitor 3 together with or superimposed on the grayscale image of the object.

FIG. 3 shows a case where a line brightness and a line brightness characteristic value are displayed together with a grayscale image of the object a on the screen 3a of the video monitor 3. As shown in this figure, when the line bright is created on the line of the dashed line b that crosses a part of the object a, as a result, the line bright is displayed on a part of the line bright display section c on the screen 3a, The line bright feature value is displayed on the numerical value display section d.

In this embodiment, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value on the line bright as the line bright feature value, the sum of the absolute values of the differential values of the density in the line bright, and the density differential value are displayed on the numerical value display section d. The maximum value of is displayed.

The operator of the apparatus observes the line bright display section c and the numerical value display section d,
The focus and aperture of the camera are adjusted with reference to the line brightness and changes in the line brightness feature value.

FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are enlarged views of the line bright display section c of FIG. 3, and an example of adjusting the focus and aperture of the camera while observing the line bright will be described below.

In other words, when the line brightness is displayed as shown in (a), the portions C to D are the line brightness of the object, and the portions A to B and E to F are the background line brightness. is there. And the border line bright B ~
The focus and aperture of the camera are adjusted so that the inclinations of C and D to E are as close as possible to the vertical line as shown in FIG. When the inclination of the line bright at the boundary between the object and the background approaches a vertical line, the boundary is clarified. Therefore, when the inclination approaches the vertical, the focus is reached.

The change in line brightness when the aperture is adjusted is as follows. When the aperture is bright ... Background (Line Bright AB, E
To F) increase. When the aperture is dark ・ ・ Object (Line Bright C ~ D)
Becomes lower.

With reference to such points, the aperture of the camera is adjusted so that the gradation values of the background line brightnesses A to B and E to F decrease and the line brightnesses C to D of the object increase. .

When the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the line brightness is displayed on the numerical value display section d as the line brightness feature value, the aperture of the camera is adjusted so that the difference becomes as large as possible. When the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value is large, the difference in density between the target object and the background is large, and the time when the difference is the maximum is when focus is achieved.

When the sum of the absolute values of the density differential values in the line brightness is displayed as the line brightness feature value on the numerical value display section d, the aperture of the camera is adjusted so as to increase the sum of the absolute values. . In this way, the inclination of the line bright at the boundary between the object and the background approaches a vertical line.

Further, when the maximum value of the density differential value in the line brightness is displayed on the numerical value display section d as the line brightness feature value, the aperture of the camera is adjusted so that the maximum value becomes the largest. This is because the maximum value of the density differential value is the maximum when the inclination of the line bright at the boundary between the object and the background approaches a vertical line.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the operator observes one or both of the line brightness and the line brightness feature value displayed on the screen of the video monitor 3 while observing the aperture of the camera as described above. By performing such adjustments, a highly accurate image can be obtained without any trouble in adjusting the focus, aperture, and the like of the camera.

In this embodiment, the line brightness and the line brightness characteristic value are displayed on the video monitor 3 together with the image of the object.
Either the line brightness or the line brightness feature value may be displayed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the line brightness is calculated on the broken line b which horizontally crosses the object a as shown in FIG. 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. If it crosses the section, it may be not only a horizontal line to the screen but also a vertical or oblique line.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, a line brightness that crosses a part of an image of an object is calculated based on image data obtained by capturing the image of the object, and the calculated line brightness is converted to an image of the object. Because it was displayed with,
If the operator adjusts the aperture and the like of the camera while observing the line brightness, it is possible to obtain a high-precision image without any trouble in adjusting the focus and the aperture of the camera.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed circuit configuration of an image processing apparatus main body.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where a line brightness and a line brightness feature value are displayed together with a grayscale image of an object on a screen of a video monitor.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram in which a line bright portion is enlarged.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 TV camera 2 Image processing apparatus main body 3 Video monitor (display device) 21 A / D conversion part 22 Preprocessing part 23 Frame memory 24 Character memory 25 CPU (Line bright calculation means) 26 ROM 27 RAM 28 Graphic memory 29 For display Control unit (line bright display means) 30 D / A conversion unit

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 5/222-5/257

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A camera for capturing an object and outputting image data, and an image processing apparatus for displaying a gray image of the object on a display device based on the image data from the camera, wherein the gray image data from the camera is Based on the above object
Density or gradation value on the line that crosses part of the grayscale image
Comprising a line bright calculating means for calculating a line bright is, a line bright display means for displaying the computed line bright by the line bright operation means on the display device together with the gray-scale image of said object, the said line An image processing apparatus characterized in that a gray scale image with higher precision is obtained as the inclination of the line bright at the boundary between the object and the background of the line bright displayed on the bright display means approaches a vertical line.