JP3315440B2 - Image processing method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention synthesizes image data,
The present invention relates to an image processing method for forming an image according to synthesized image data .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image processing system of this type of apparatus, various images are synthesized using a memory. However, an image to be synthesized and an image to be synthesized are different. It was not configured to synthesize while allowing it to.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when the same image is synthesized while being moved, synthesis with a portion having no image is performed in the vicinity of the end, or an address counter of the memory unit is used. However, there is a drawback that the image at the right end of the image is combined with the image at the left end of the image.

[0004] In addition, image synthesis in an image processing system in which compressed (encoded) image data is stored in a memory unit and then decompressed (decoded) again has not been considered. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides an image processing method capable of combining various images in an image processing system in which compressed data is stored in a memory and decompressed again. With the goal.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention combines image data and combines the image data.
An image processing method for forming an image according to data
A first step of compressing the image data and storing the compressed data in the storage means;
The image data read from the storage means and expanded,
Combine image data with image data moved in a predetermined direction
Then, the combined image data is compressed and stored in the storage unit.
And a second step of repeating the storing process a predetermined number of times,
Each time the second step is repeated, the image data is transferred.
It is characterized in that the amount to be moved is sequentially changed non-linearly .

[0006]

[0007]

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. <Reader Configuration> In a color image storage device for reading an original and storing it on recording paper, an original image is read by a CCD 151 provided with RGB three-color filters as shown in FIG. 1, and image data is read by an A / D & S / H unit 152. The image data is converted into digital data, the image data is corrected by the shading correction unit 153 and the input masking unit 154, and a scaling process is performed by the scaling unit 155 during the scaling operation. Then, the image data is stored once in the companding unit 156 and the masking U
The masking process is performed in the CR unit 160. Further, YMCK output image data is generated by the γ correction unit 161 and the edge enhancement unit 162, and the image is recorded on a recording sheet by the printer unit 103 described later through the video processing unit 163.

Here, the video processing section 163 generates a laser light signal by PWM modulation from the MCYK video signal processed by the reader section and outputs the laser light signal to the printer section 103. <Configuration of Printer Unit> Next, the configuration of the printer unit 103 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 301 denotes a video processing unit 163.
Is a polygon scanner that scans the laser beam generated on the photosensitive drum on the photosensitive drum, 302 is an image forming unit of magenta (M) in the first stage, and 303, 304, and 305 are cyan (C) and yellow ( This is an image forming unit for each color of Y) and black (K).

In the magenta (M) image forming section 302, a photosensitive drum 318 forms a latent image by exposure to laser light. Reference numeral 313 denotes a developing device that performs toner development on the drum 318. Reference numeral 314 in the developing device 313 denotes a sleeve that applies a developing bias and performs toner development.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a primary charger for charging the photosensitive drum 318 to a desired potential. Reference numeral 317 denotes a cleaner for cleaning the surface of the drum 318 after transfer. Reference numeral 316 denotes charge removal for the surface of the drum 318 cleaned by the cleaner 317. , Primary charger 315
, A pre-exposure lamp 330 for erasing the residual charge on the drum 318, 319 a discharge from the back of the transfer belt 306, and a toner on the drum 318 This is a transfer charger for transferring an image to a transfer member.

Reference numerals 309 and 310 denote cassettes for accommodating transfer members, reference numeral 308 denotes a paper feed unit for supplying the transfer members from the cassettes 309 and 310, and reference numeral 311 denotes a transfer belt for feeding the transfer members fed by the paper feed unit 308. Reference numeral 312 denotes a transfer belt roller which is used to rotate the transfer belt 306 and simultaneously forms a pair with the transfer charger 306 to suction-charge the transfer member to the transfer belt 306.

Reference numeral 324 denotes a static eliminator for facilitating separation of the transfer member from the transfer belt 306. Reference numeral 325 denotes a separation charger for preventing image disturbance due to separation discharge when the transfer member is separated from the transfer belt 306. , 326,3
Reference numeral 322 denotes a pre-fixing charger for compensating for the toner adsorbing force on the transfer member after separation and preventing image disturbance.
A transfer belt static eliminator 3 for eliminating charge from the transfer belt 306 and electrostatically initializing the transfer belt 306.
Reference numeral 28 denotes a belt cleaner for removing dirt from the transfer belt 306.

307 is separated from the transfer belt 306,
The fixing unit fixes the toner image on the transfer unit, which has been recharged by the pre-fixing chargers 326 and 327, to the transfer member by heat.
Reference numeral 329 denotes a paper edge sensor for detecting the edge of the transfer member fed onto the transfer belt by the paper feeding unit 308. A detection signal from the paper edge sensor is sent from the printer unit to the reader unit, and the reader unit sends the detection signal to the printer unit. Is used as a sub-scanning synchronization signal when a video signal is sent to the video signal.

Returning again to the reader section, the companding section 156 is compressed by the encoder section 157. For example, considering the shaded portion of the thick frame in FIG. 2, one cell corresponds to one pixel, and each pixel has 8 bits of RGB three-color data, which is 4 pixels × 4 lines, that is, 16 pixels. L ^* ,
The data is converted into color component signals of a ^* and b ^* , and the data of 16 pixels × 3 colors × 8 bits = 384 bits is compressed so as to have a fixed length code of 1/12 to obtain 32-bit data. For this compression, for example, vector quantization or orthogonal transform coding is used. This is now stored as image data A, 208 in the memory unit 158, and is subjected to YMC by four-color simultaneous processing.
K, the image data B, 209
And the data is expanded to 24 bits for each of the YMCKs.

As described above, the steps of compressing, storing and decompressing image data are necessary in the case of a printer in which the position of the image forming unit for each color is shifted as shown in FIG. This is because the positions of the image data required by the image forming unit on the screen are different from each other, and the storage unit is used as a delay unit for compensating for the time lag. The compression and decompression are performed to reduce the amount of image data and thereby reduce the capacity of the storage unit.

<First Embodiment> Now, the drawing and stretching unit 15 will be described.
6, an image combining process in the first embodiment for combining two images will be described. The companding unit 156 of FIG. 1 is configured as shown in FIG. 4, and an arithmetic processing unit 170 is provided before input of RGB (8 bits each).
Are combined while moving the images.

Here, assuming that the input image signals are R _A , G _A , B _A , R _B , G _B , and B _B , for example, the arithmetic processing unit 170 performs the matrix calculation as shown in the following equation. It outputs the calculation results R _C , G _C , and B _C of the two images.

[0018]

(Equation 1)

However, the coefficients (r ₁ , r ₂ , g ₁ , g ₂ , b
₁ , b ₂ ) are input in advance by the CPU 172, and the value of this coefficient can be appropriately set according to the content of the image to be output. First, when the first image is read from the reader, the above-described coefficient is set as in the following equation, and the input signal of the first image passes through the encoder unit 157 as it is to the memory unit 158. 5 is stored at the timing of the time-divided block.

[0020]

(Equation 2)

Next, when reading the second image, the timing of the time-divided block as shown in FIG.
A little before the timing of capturing the second image at the sub-scanning enable timing as shown in FIG.
The first image is read from the memory unit 158 at a time corresponding to 59 delays), and the first image is input to the arithmetic processing unit 170 through the decoder unit 159 in accordance with the phase of the second image. Is calculated.

At this time, in the arithmetic processing unit 170, the above-mentioned coefficient is set, for example, as in the following equation, and the signal subjected to the arithmetic processing passes through the encoder unit 157 again and is stored in the memory at the timing of the block shown in FIG. The image is stored in the unit 158 as a composite image.

[0023]

(Equation 3)

At the timing shown in FIG. 6 and the sub-scan enable timing shown in FIG.
The YK image is read at each timing, and the decoder unit 1
Masking / UCR through 59 and LOG converter 171
The process proceeds to step 160, where an image is output by the above-described processing, and a composite image is completed. Here, the second image is
Repeating the operation of moving the second image with respect to the first image to create a composite image as the same image as
The image shown in FIG. 8 is completed.

That is, the image a and the image b are combined in RGB,

[0026]

(Equation 4)

Further, with respect to these R ₁ , G ₁ , and B ₁ ,

[0028]

(Equation 5)

Further, with respect to R ₂ , G ₂ , and B ₂ ,

[0030]

(Equation 6)

As a result, composite images R ₃ , G ₃ and B ₃ (FIG. 8) are completed. Generally, the following equation is obtained, and G
_{The same} applies to _n and _Bn . R _n = r _{(n-1) 1} (r _{(n-2) 1} (... (r ₂₁ (r ₁₁ R ₀ + r ₁₂
R ₁ ) + r ₂₂ R ₂ ) +...) + R _{(n-2) 2} R _n-2 ) + r
_{(n-1) 2} R _{n-1 If} this operation is performed on the entire image, the image is synthesized with a portion having no image near the edge, or the memory unit 1
There is a risk that the address counter 58 will make one round and the image at the right end of the image will be combined with the image at the left end.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when writing in the memory unit 158 in consideration of the moving distance l in advance, an area signal for writing the entire image is generated from the area generating unit 173. By generating an area signal that is short each time, an image at the end of the image is cut out, and a shifted composite image is output. <Modification 1 of First Embodiment> In the above-described embodiment, the case where the entire image is moved and synthesized is described.
It is also possible to move only a part of the image and synthesize it. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when rotating only the tire of a picture of a car, first, all the images are written in the memory unit 158. Next, the area generation unit 173 is set to the Bitmap format, and an enable signal is generated only for the tire portion. Then, the images of the tires can be synthesized by the above-described method while rotating and moving.

<Modification 2 of the first embodiment> Further, the present invention can be applied to the case of producing an image such as a panning shot of a photograph. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, only the car stops and only the surrounding background moves (so-called panning).
In this case, the background image as shown in FIG. 10 is synthesized while moving it with the capacity of the above-described embodiment, and this is combined with the memory unit 158.
To be stored. Then, the image of the car as shown in FIG. 9 is cut out only by the area generation unit 173 (of a bitmap format) and fitted into the shifted background image. At this time, the above-mentioned coefficients are represented by r ₁ = g ₁ = b ₁ = 1 and r ₂ = g ₂
= B ₂ = 0, or r ₁ , g ₁ , and b ₁ are r ₂ ,
If g ₂ and b ₂ are sufficiently large, a composite image as shown in FIG. 11 can be obtained.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, an image in which a still image is actually moving can be obtained in an image processing system in which compressed data is stored in a memory and decompressed again. In addition, it is possible to remove a synthesis error or a sense of discomfort near the end. <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 12 is a view showing the configuration of the compander 156 of FIG. 1 in the second embodiment. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In the first embodiment, an area signal at the time of writing and reading is generated by the area generation unit 173 to enable the composition of the moved image. In this embodiment,
This is made possible by the address counter 174.

As in the first embodiment, the second image is converted to the first image.
The image shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 is completed by repeating the operation of moving the second image relative to the first image to create a composite image.
In the case of FIG. 13, the setting value of the address counter 174 can be realized by the CPU 172 sequentially giving an offset of one pixel or more in the main scanning direction. That is, the image a
Can be realized by setting the offset to 0, the image b to 20 pixels, the image c to 40 pixels, and the image d to 60 pixels. Similarly, FIG.
In the case of FIG. 13, while the address counter in the main scanning direction is changed in FIG. 13, this can be realized by setting the address counter in the sub-scanning direction.

FIG. 15 shows an address counter 174.
Is given by giving the same offset value in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. That is, the image a has an offset of 0 for both main and sub, the image b has 20 pixels, and the image c has 4
By setting 0 pixels and the image d to 60 pixels, an image as shown in FIG. 15 can be obtained. <Modification of Second Embodiment> As shown in FIG. 17, it is also possible to apply acceleration to the moving composite image. In this example, the moving distances of the composite image are represented by l ₁ , l ₂ , l ₃ (l ₃ > l
₂ > l ₁ ), and by repeating the synthesis from the image a to the image d, it is possible to obtain an image as if the image a is moving with a negative acceleration. That is, the offset of the image a in the main scanning direction is 0, and the image b is 6
This can be realized by changing 0 pixels, image c to 20 pixels, and image d to 10 pixels.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, by further appropriately changing the offsets in the main scanning and the sub-scanning, various kinds of image synthesis can be performed. According to the above-described embodiment, an image processing system that compresses (encodes) image data, stores the image data in a memory, and decompresses (decodes) the image data again can synthesize the image. This makes it possible to combine watermark images between images, and provides an effect that can be widely applied especially in the design aspect.

The input signal is limited to (R, G, B)
And (L^* , A^* , B^* ), (L^* , U^* , V^* ),
(Y, I, Q), (Y, M, C), etc.
When compressing (L^* , A^* , B^* Not limited to other
It may be a color component. Further, the coefficients of the arithmetic processing unit 170 are also described above.
Not limited to the above example, for example, the coefficient is r₁ > R _Two , G₁ > G
_Two , B₁ > B_Two As a result, the density of the first image becomes
High watermark synthesis is possible. In addition, the arithmetic processing unit 170
The operation is not limited to this.
The shading process is performed by the
Burley becomes possible. Further, by performing multiplication processing,
In addition, texture processing can be performed.

The printer is not limited to a laser beam printer, but may be a thermal transfer printer, a dot printer, an ink jet printer, or the like. In particular, in a printer using a head of a type that discharges droplets using film boiling due to heat energy, the present invention is effective when four heads for one line each of Y, M, C, and K are used. It is.

The present invention may be applied to a system constituted by a plurality of devices or to an apparatus constituted by a single device. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the composite image data is stored in the storage unit, the compression processing is performed on the composite image data, so that the storage capacity of the storage unit can be saved. Further, the image stored in the storage unit and the image obtained by moving the image in a predetermined direction
Composition that combines and repeats the amount to move the image
Since it changes sequentially in a non-linear manner for each process,
Thus, a composite image in which the image is moving can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing 4 pixels × 4 lines to be compressed.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a printer unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a compander 156 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a time-division process of accessing a memory unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a time-division process of accessing a memory unit.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart of a sub-scanning enable.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edited image in the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edited image in a first modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edited image in a second modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edited image in a second modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a companding unit 156 according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image edited in the second embodiment (in the main scanning direction).

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edited image (sub-scanning direction) according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an edited image (main and image) in the second embodiment;
FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edited image in a modification of the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edited image in a modification of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 156 Companding unit 157 Encoder unit 158 Memory unit 159 Decoder unit 170 Operation processing unit 171 LOG conversion unit 172 CPU 173 Area generation unit 174 Address counter

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-192167 (JP, A) JP-A-62-140174 (JP, A) JP-A-63-294587 (JP, A) JP-A-56-67446 (JP) JP-A-3-156574 (JP, A) JP-A-60-239824 (JP, A) JP-A-2-268370 (JP, A) JP-A-2-239957 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06T 11/80 G06T 3/00 H04N 1/387

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image data synthesizing device, comprising: synthesizing image data;
An image processing method for forming an image according to data, wherein a first step of compressing image data and storing the compressed image data in a storage means
When the image data and該画which extends reads from the storage means
Combine image data with image data moved in a predetermined direction
Then, the combined image data is compressed and stored in the storage unit.
And a second step of repeating the storing process a predetermined number of times. The image data is transferred each time the second step is repeated.
An image processing method characterized by sequentially changing a moving amount in a non-linear manner .