JP4374063B2 - Image processing apparatus, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a program, and a storage medium.

  Due to advances in image input technology and output technology, the demand for higher definition of images has increased greatly in recent years. For example, taking a digital camera as an example of an image input device, the price of a high-performance charge coupled device (CCD) having a number of pixels of 3 million or more has progressed, and the spread price range has increased. It has come to be widely used in products. And it is said that this increasing trend in the number of pixels will continue for a while.

  On the other hand, with regard to image output / display devices, for example, products in the hard copy field such as laser printers, ink jet printers, sublimation printers, and flats such as CRTs, LCDs (liquid crystal display devices), and PDPs (plasma display devices). The high definition and low price of products in the soft copy field of panel displays are remarkable.

  Due to the market launch of these high-performance, low-priced image input / output products, high-definition images have become popular, and it is expected that demand for high-definition images will increase in all situations. In fact, the development of technologies related to networks such as personal computers and the Internet is accelerating these trends. In particular, recently, mobile devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers have become very popular, and the opportunity to transmit or receive high-definition images from any point using communication means has increased rapidly.

  Against this background, it is inevitable that the demand for higher performance or multi-functionality for image compression / decompression technology that facilitates handling of high-definition images will become stronger in the future.

  Thus, in recent years, a new method called JPEG2000, which can restore high-quality images even at a high compression rate, is being standardized as one of image compression methods that satisfy these requirements. In JPEG2000, it is possible to perform compression / decompression processing in a small memory environment by dividing an image into rectangular regions (tiles). That is, each tile becomes a basic unit for executing the compression / decompression process, and the compression / decompression operation can be performed independently for each tile. In JPEG2000, it is possible to separate low resolution data and high resolution data in one image file.

  By the way, the algorithm of JPEG 2000 as described above is complicated, and the load on the encoding process and the decoding process is larger than that of the conventional JPEG. For example, image files compressed in the JPEG2000 format are stored together on the server computer side, and the client computer side accesses the server computer as necessary to obtain only low-resolution data from the image files compressed in the JPEG2000 format. Even when taking over and performing thumbnail display processing, a heavy load is applied to the server computer.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, a program, and a storage medium that can distribute a processing load at the time of data creation or output such as data display / printing and can realize high-speed processing. is there.

The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 is an image processing apparatus that hierarchically compresses and encodes pixel values for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or a plurality of parts by a procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding. In this embodiment, the encoding means for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes the image data in a state where the image data is divided for each rectangular area, and the compression codes divided for each rectangular area by the encoding means for each rectangular area are respectively distributed to store a plurality of Distributed storage means for storing in the apparatus, and the distributed storage means stores one layer of compressed codes corresponding to each storage apparatus .

  Accordingly, the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area are stored in a distributed manner, so that when the image is displayed, the rectangular area images may be combined and displayed. If only the area (specified by the user) needs to be displayed, only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) may be acquired to display the image. Since the processing load can be distributed at the time of output such as display / printing, high-speed processing becomes possible.

An image processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is an electronic device connected to a network together with various electronic devices, and the pixel value is discrete wavelet transformed, quantized, and encoded for each rectangular area obtained by dividing the image data into one or a plurality. In the image processing apparatus that hierarchically compresses and encodes the image data according to the procedure of encoding, the encoding unit for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes the image data in a state in which the image data is divided for each rectangular area; Distributed storage means for distributing and storing the divided compression codes in a plurality of storage devices of each electronic device, and the distributed storage means stores one layer of compression codes corresponding to each storage device .

  Therefore, the compression codes divided for each rectangular area are distributed and stored in the storage unit of each electronic device, so that when the image is displayed, the rectangular area images may be combined and displayed. When only a predetermined area (specified by the user) needs to be displayed instead of the entire image, only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) is acquired from the storage unit of the predetermined electronic device. Thus, it is sufficient to display an image, and the processing load can be distributed to each electronic device at the time of data creation or at the time of data display / printing, so that high-speed processing is possible.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image processing device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the encoding means for each rectangular area includes the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, and the image data. The image data is compressed and encoded at a decomposition level in accordance with the type of electronic device that is the source of the source or an instruction from the outside.

  Accordingly, the image data can be compressed and stored in accordance with the resolution required for display.

An image processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the image processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the encoding means for each rectangular area has the decomposition level corresponding to the type of the area of the image data. Data is compressed and encoded.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus that hierarchically compresses and encodes pixel values for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or a plurality of parts by a procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding. A program that is installed in a computer, or is interpreted and executed, and the computer encodes a rectangular area by an encoding function in a state where image data is divided into rectangular areas, and the rectangular areas. A distributed storage function that distributes the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area by the encoding function and stores the compressed codes in a plurality of storage devices, and the distributed storage function has one layer corresponding to each storage device. Store the compression code .

  Accordingly, the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area are stored in a distributed manner, so that when the image is displayed, the rectangular area images may be combined and displayed. If only the area (specified by the user) needs to be displayed, only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) may be acquired to display the image. Since the processing load can be distributed at the time of output such as display / printing, high-speed processing becomes possible.

A program according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is an electronic device connected to a network together with various electronic devices, and pixel values are referred to as discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or more. A program that is installed in a computer included in an image processing apparatus that hierarchically compresses and encodes according to a procedure, or that is interpreted and executed. The computer encodes the image data in a state where image data is divided into rectangular areas. And a distributed storage function for distributing and storing compressed codes divided for each rectangular area by the rectangular area encoding function in a plurality of storage devices of each electronic device. The distributed storage function stores one layer of compressed code corresponding to each storage device .

  Therefore, the compression codes divided for each rectangular area are distributed and stored in the storage unit of each electronic device, so that when the image is displayed, the rectangular area images may be combined and displayed. When only a predetermined area (specified by the user) needs to be displayed instead of the entire image, only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) is acquired from the storage unit of the predetermined electronic device. Thus, it is sufficient to display an image, and the processing load can be distributed to each electronic device at the time of data creation or at the time of data display / printing, so that high-speed processing is possible.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the fifth or sixth aspect , the encoding function for each rectangular area causes the computer to classify the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, and the image data. The image data is compressed and encoded at a decomposition level in accordance with the type of electronic device that is the source of the information or an instruction from the outside.

  Accordingly, the image data can be compressed and stored in accordance with the resolution required for display.

The program according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the program according to the fifth or sixth aspect, wherein the encoding function for each rectangular area compresses the image data at a decomposition level corresponding to the type of the area of the image data. Turn into.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium comprising: an image processing device that hierarchically compresses and encodes pixel values for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or a plurality of parts by a procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding. A program that is installed on a computer that is installed, or is interpreted and executed, and the computer performs compression encoding on each rectangular area in a state where image data is divided into rectangular areas; and the rectangular area A distributed storage function for storing compressed codes divided for each rectangular area by a separate encoding function and storing the compressed codes in a plurality of storage devices is stored, and the distributed storage function corresponds to each storage device One layer of compressed code is stored .

  Accordingly, the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area are stored in a distributed manner, so that when the image is displayed, the rectangular area images may be combined and displayed. If only the area (specified by the user) needs to be displayed, only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) may be acquired to display the image. Since the processing load can be distributed at the time of output such as display / printing, high-speed processing becomes possible.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium that is an electronic device connected to a network together with various electronic devices, wherein the pixel value is discrete wavelet transformed, quantized and encoded for each rectangular area obtained by dividing the image data into one or a plurality. This program is installed in a computer included in an image processing apparatus that performs hierarchical compression encoding in accordance with the procedure described above, or is interpreted and executed. The computer compresses image data divided into rectangular areas. The encoding function for each rectangular area to be encoded and the distributed storage function for storing the compressed code divided for each rectangular area by distributing to the plurality of storage devices of each electronic device by the encoding function for each rectangular area The distributed storage function stores a program for storing one layer of compression codes corresponding to each storage device .

  Therefore, the compression codes divided for each rectangular area are distributed and stored in the storage unit of each electronic device, so that when the image is displayed, the rectangular area images may be combined and displayed. When only a predetermined area (specified by the user) needs to be displayed instead of the entire image, only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) is acquired from the storage unit of the predetermined electronic device. Thus, it is sufficient to display an image, and the processing load can be distributed to each electronic device at the time of data creation or at the time of data display / printing, so that high-speed processing is possible.

The storage medium according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the storage medium according to the ninth or tenth aspect , wherein the encoding function for each rectangular area causes the computer to classify the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, The image data is compressed and encoded at a decomposition level corresponding to the type of electronic device that is the source of the image data or an external instruction.
The storage medium according to claim 12 is the storage medium according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the encoding function for each rectangular area compresses and encodes the image data at a decomposition level corresponding to the type of the area of the image data. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus is an image processing apparatus.

  Accordingly, the image data can be compressed and stored in accordance with the resolution required for display.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an image processing apparatus, a program, and a storage medium that can distribute processing load at the time of data creation or output such as data display / printing and realize high-speed processing. Can be realized.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an image processing apparatus, a program, and a storage medium that can distribute processing load at the time of data creation or output such as data display / printing and can realize high-speed processing. it can.

  According to the image processing apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, an image in which pixel values are hierarchically compressed and encoded by a procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding for each rectangular region obtained by dividing image data into one or a plurality of regions. In the processing apparatus, encoding means for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes image data divided into rectangular areas, and the compressed code divided for each rectangular area by the encoding means for each rectangular area is distributed and stored. Distributed storage means, and by compressing and storing compressed codes divided for each rectangular area, when displaying an image or the like, each rectangular area image may be synthesized and displayed, If it is only necessary to display a predetermined area (specified by the user) instead of the entire image, it is sufficient to display only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user). , It is possible to distribute the processing load at the time of output of the display or printing of data creation and data, it is possible to realize high-speed processing.

  According to the image processing apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, it is an electronic device connected to a network together with various electronic devices, and the pixel value is discrete wavelet transformed and quantized for each rectangular area obtained by dividing the image data into one or a plurality. In the image processing apparatus that hierarchically compresses and encodes according to the procedure of encoding and encoding, a rectangular area encoding unit that compresses and encodes image data in a state where the image data is divided into rectangular areas, and the rectangular area encoding unit Distributed storage means for storing the compressed code divided for each area in the storage unit of each electronic device, and storing the compressed code divided for each rectangular area in the storage unit of each electronic device Therefore, when displaying an image, etc., it is only necessary to combine and display each rectangular area image, and when only a predetermined area (specified by the user) is displayed instead of the entire image. Only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the fixed area (specified by the user) needs to be acquired from the storage unit of a predetermined electronic device and displayed as an image. At the time of data creation, data display / printing, etc. Since the processing load can be distributed to each electronic device, high-speed processing can be realized.

  According to the image processing apparatus of the invention described in claim 3, the encoding unit for each rectangular area includes the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, the type of the electronic device that is the source of the image data, or Since the image data is compression-encoded at a decomposition level according to an instruction from the outside, the image data can be compression-encoded according to the resolution required for display and stored.

  According to the program of the invention described in claim 4, the image processing apparatus which hierarchically compresses and encodes the pixel value for each rectangular area obtained by dividing the image data into one or a plurality of parts by the procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization and encoding. A rectangular area encoding function that compresses and encodes image data in a state in which the image data is divided into rectangular areas, and is installed in a computer included in the computer. A distributed storage function for distributing and storing the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area by the area-specific encoding function, and storing the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area in a distributed manner For example, it is only necessary to combine and display each rectangular area image, and display only a predetermined area (specified by the user) instead of the entire image. In such a case, it is sufficient to display the image by acquiring only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user), and the processing load is distributed during data creation, data display / printing, etc. Therefore, high-speed processing can be realized.

  According to the program of the invention described in claim 5, the electronic device is network-connected with various electronic devices, and the pixel value is discrete wavelet transformed, quantized, and encoded for each rectangular area obtained by dividing the image data into one or a plurality. A program that is installed or interpreted and executed in a computer included in an image processing apparatus that hierarchically compresses and encodes in accordance with the procedure of conversion, and in which the image data is divided into rectangular areas in the computer. A rectangular area encoding function for compression encoding, and a distributed storage function for distributing and storing the compression codes divided for each rectangular area by the rectangular area encoding function in the storage unit of each electronic device. When the compression code divided for each rectangular area is distributed and stored in the storage unit of each electronic device, each rectangular area image is displayed. If only the predetermined area (specified by the user) should be displayed instead of the entire image, only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) is displayed. It is only necessary to display the image obtained from the storage unit of a given electronic device, and the processing load can be distributed to each electronic device during data creation and data display / printing, etc., realizing high-speed processing can do.

  According to the program of the invention described in claim 6, the encoding function for each rectangular area includes the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, and the type of the electronic device that is the source of the image data. Alternatively, since the image data is compression-encoded at a decomposition level according to an instruction from the outside, the image data can be compression-encoded and stored according to the resolution required for display.

  According to the storage medium of the seventh aspect of the present invention, image processing for hierarchically compressing and encoding pixel values for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or a plurality of steps by the procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization and encoding A program that is installed in a computer included in the apparatus, or that is interpreted and executed. The computer encodes the image data by rectangular area in a state in which the image data is divided into rectangular areas. Stores a program that executes a distributed storage function for storing the compressed code divided for each rectangular area by the encoding function for each rectangular area, and stores the compressed code divided for each rectangular area. Thus, when displaying an image, etc., it is only necessary to synthesize and display each rectangular area image, and not a whole image but a predetermined (specified by the user) If only the area needs to be displayed, only the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) may be acquired to display the image, and output during data creation, data display / printing, etc. Since the processing load can sometimes be distributed, high-speed processing can be realized.

  According to the storage medium of the invention described in claim 8, the electronic device is connected to a network together with various electronic devices, and the pixel value is converted into a discrete wavelet transform, a quantization and a pixel value for each rectangular area obtained by dividing the image data into one or a plurality. A program that is installed or interpreted and executed in a computer included in an image processing apparatus that hierarchically compresses and encodes in a procedure called encoding, and in which the image data is divided into rectangular areas in the computer And a distributed storage function for distributing and storing the compression codes divided for each rectangular area by the rectangular area encoding function in the storage unit of each electronic device. If you want to display images by storing compressed programs divided into rectangular areas and storing them in the storage unit of each electronic device Can be displayed by synthesizing and displaying each rectangular area image, and when it is only necessary to display not a whole image but a predetermined area (specified by the user), a rectangle included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) It is only necessary to display the image by acquiring only the compression code of the area from the storage unit of a predetermined electronic device, and the processing load can be distributed to each electronic device at the time of data creation or data display / printing output. High-speed processing can be realized.

  According to the storage medium of the ninth aspect of the invention, the encoding function for each rectangular area causes the computer to classify the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, and the electronic device that is the source of the image data. Since the image data is compression-encoded at a type or a decomposition level according to an instruction from the outside, the image data can be compression-encoded and stored in accordance with the resolution required for display. .

  Various embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, an outline of the “hierarchical encoding algorithm” and the “JPEG2000 algorithm” which are the premise of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a system that implements a hierarchical encoding algorithm that is the basis of the JPEG2000 system. This system includes color space transform / inverse transform unit 101, two-dimensional wavelet transform / inverse transform unit 102, quantization / inverse quantization unit 103, entropy encoding / decoding unit 104, and tag processing unit 105. It is configured.

  One of the biggest differences between this system and the conventional JPEG algorithm is the conversion method. In JPEG, discrete cosine transform (DCT) is used. In this hierarchical coding algorithm, the two-dimensional wavelet transform / inverse transform unit 102 uses discrete wavelet transform (DWT). ing. DWT has the advantage of better image quality in the high compression region than DCT, and this is one of the main reasons why DWT is adopted in JPEG2000, which is a successor algorithm of JPEG.

  Another major difference is that in this hierarchical encoding algorithm, a functional block of the tag processing unit 105 is added to perform code formation at the final stage of the system. The tag processing unit 105 generates compressed data as code string data during an image compression operation, and interprets code string data necessary for decompression during the decompression operation. And JPEG2000 can realize various convenient functions by code string data. For example, the compression / decompression operation of a still image can be freely stopped at an arbitrary layer (decomposition level) corresponding to octave division in block-based DWT (see FIG. 3 described later).

  In many cases, color space conversion / inverse conversion 101 is connected to the input / output portion of the original image. For example, the RGB color system composed of R (red) / G (green) / B (blue) components of the primary color system and the Y (yellow) / M (magenta) / C (cyan) components of the complementary color system This corresponds to the part that performs conversion or reverse conversion from the YMC color system consisting of the above to the YUV or YCbCr color system.

  Next, the JPEG2000 algorithm will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in a color image, each component 111 (RGB primary color system here) of an original image is generally divided by a rectangular area. This divided rectangular area is generally called a block or tile, but in JPEG2000, it is generally called a tile. Therefore, such a divided rectangular area is hereinafter referred to as a tile. (In the example of FIG. 2, each component 111 is divided into a total of 16 rectangular tiles 112, 4 × 4 in length and breadth). When such individual tiles 112 (R00, R01,..., R15 / G00, G01,..., G15 / B00, B01,..., B15 in the example of FIG. 2) execute the image data compression / decompression process. It becomes the basic unit. Therefore, the compression / decompression operation of the image data is performed independently for each component and for each tile 112.

  At the time of encoding image data, the data of each tile 112 of each component 111 is input to the color space conversion / inverse conversion unit 101 in FIG. A dimensional wavelet transform (forward transform) is applied to divide the space into frequency bands.

  FIG. 3 shows subbands at each decomposition level when the number of decomposition levels is three. That is, the tile original image (0LL) (decomposition level 0) obtained by the tile division of the original image is subjected to two-dimensional wavelet transform, and the subbands (1LL, 1HL, 1LH shown in the decomposition level 1) , 1HH). Subsequently, the low-frequency component 1LL in this hierarchy is subjected to two-dimensional wavelet transformation to separate the subbands (2LL, 2HL, 2LH, 2HH) indicated by the decomposition level 2. Similarly, the low-frequency component 2LL is also subjected to two-dimensional wavelet transform to separate subbands (3LL, 3HL, 3LH, 3HH) shown in the decomposition level 3. In FIG. 3, the subbands to be encoded at each decomposition level are indicated by shading. For example, when the number of decomposition levels is 3, the subbands (3HL, 3LH, 3HH, 2HL, 2LH, 2HH, 1HL, 1LH, 1HH) indicated by shading are the encoding targets, and the 3LL subband is encoded. It is not converted.

  Next, the bits to be encoded are determined in the specified encoding order, and the context is generated from the bits around the target bits by the quantization / inverse quantization unit 103 shown in FIG.

  The wavelet coefficients that have undergone the quantization process are divided into non-overlapping rectangles called “precincts” for each subband. This was introduced to use memory efficiently in implementation. As shown in FIG. 4, one precinct consists of three rectangular regions that are spatially coincident. Further, each precinct is divided into non-overlapping rectangular “code blocks”. This is the basic unit for entropy coding.

  The coefficient values after wavelet transform can be quantized and encoded as they are, but in JPEG2000, in order to increase the encoding efficiency, the coefficient values are decomposed into “bit plane” units, and each pixel or code block is divided. Ranking can be performed on “bitplanes”.

  Here, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a procedure for ranking the bit planes. As shown in FIG. 5, this example is a case where the original image (32 × 32 pixels) is divided into four 16 × 16 pixel tiles, and the size of the precinct and code block at the composition level 1 is Each is 8 × 8 pixels and 4 × 4 pixels. The numbers of the precinct and the code block are assigned in raster order. In this example, the number of assigns is assigned from numbers 0 to 3, and the code block is assigned from numbers 0 to 3. A mirroring method is used for pixel expansion outside the tile boundary, wavelet transform is performed with a reversible (5, 3) filter, and a wavelet coefficient value of decomposition level 1 is obtained.

  An explanatory diagram showing an example of the concept of a typical “layer” configuration for tile 0 / precinct 3 / code block 3 is also shown in FIG. The converted code block is divided into subbands (1LL, 1HL, 1LH, 1HH), and wavelet coefficient values are assigned to the subbands.

  The layer structure is easy to understand when the wavelet coefficient values are viewed from the horizontal direction (bit plane direction). One layer is composed of an arbitrary number of bit planes. In this example, layers 0, 1, 2, and 3 are made up of bit planes of 1, 3, 1, and 3, respectively. A layer including a bit plane close to LSB (Least Significant Bit) is subject to quantization first. Conversely, a layer close to MSB (Most Significant Bit) is quantized to the end. It will remain without being. A method of discarding from a layer close to the LSB is called truncation, and the quantization rate can be finely controlled.

  The entropy encoding / decoding unit 104 illustrated in FIG. 1 performs encoding on the tile 112 of each component 111 by probability estimation from the context and the target bit. In this way, encoding processing is performed in units of tiles 112 for all components 111 of the original image. Finally, the tag processing unit 105 performs processing for combining all the encoded data from the entropy encoding / decoding unit 104 into one code string data and adding a tag thereto.

  FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration for one frame of the code string data. Tag information called a header (main header, tile part header which is tile boundary position information, etc.) is provided at the head of the code string data and the head of the code data (bit stream) of each tile. Appended, followed by the encoded data for each tile. In the main header, coding parameters and quantization parameters are described. A tag (end of codestream) is placed again at the end of the code string data. FIG. 7 shows a code stream structure in which packets containing encoded wavelet coefficient values are represented for each subband. As shown in FIG. 7, the same packet string structure is obtained regardless of whether the tile division process is performed or the tile division process is not performed.

  On the other hand, when the encoded data is decoded, the image data is generated from the code string data of each tile 112 of each component 111, contrary to the case of encoding the image data. In this case, the tag processing unit 105 interprets tag information added to the code string data input from the outside, decomposes the code string data into code string data of each tile 112 of each component 111, and Decoding processing (decompression processing) is performed for each code string data of each tile 112. At this time, the position of the bit to be decoded is determined in the order based on the tag information in the code string data, and the quantization / inverse quantization unit 103 determines the peripheral bits of the target bit position (the decoding has already been performed). Context is generated from the sequence of The entropy encoding / decoding unit 104 performs decoding by probability estimation from the context and code string data, generates a target bit, and writes it in the position of the target bit. Since the data decoded in this way is spatially divided for each frequency band, the two-dimensional wavelet transform / inverse transform unit 102 performs two-dimensional wavelet inverse transform on each of the components of the image data. The tile is restored. The restored data is converted to original color system image data by the color space conversion / inverse conversion unit 101.

  The above is the outline of the “JPEG2000 algorithm”.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, an example relating to an image compression / decompression technique represented by JPEG2000 will be described, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the contents of the following description.

  The server computer and the client computer according to the present embodiment execute various types of image processing by being controlled by an image processing program that is installed in the computer or interpreted and executed. In this embodiment, a storage medium for storing such an image processing program is also introduced.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of system construction in the present embodiment.

  The image data processing system according to the present embodiment assumes a server client system 1 in which a plurality of client computers 4 are connected to a server computer 2 that is an image processing apparatus via a network 3 such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The server client system 1 has an environment in which an image input device 5 such as a scanner or a digital camera and an image output device 6 such as a printer can be shared on the network 3. An MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) 7 called a multi-function peripheral is connected on the network 3, and an environment is constructed so that the MFP 7 functions as the image input device 5 and the image output device 6. Also good. That is, the server computer 2, the client computer 4, the image input device 5, the image output device 6, and the MFP 7 constitute an electronic device.

  Such a server client system 1 is constructed so as to be capable of data communication with another server client system 1 via, for example, an intranet 8 and constructed so as to be capable of data communication with an external environment via an Internet communication network 9.

  As the client computer 4, an information terminal device such as a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant device (PDA), or a mobile phone is applicable. Further, the MFP 7 may function as the client computer 4.

  Here, the client computer 4 will be briefly described. Here, FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection of each part constituting the client computer 4. As shown in FIG. 9, the client computer 4 functions as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for centrally controlling each unit, a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing various programs including an image processing program, and a work area for the CPU. A control means 41 composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like is provided, and this control means 41 controls various calculations and data transfer. The control means 41 is connected to a communication control means 42 that performs data input / output control with the network 3 and a storage device 46 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) that stores various programs and various data. Note that programs stored in the storage device 46 are different depending on each client computer 4, and a unique function is exhibited for each client computer 4 due to the difference in the programs stored in the storage device 46.

  Each client computer 4 includes a display unit 43 such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) controlled by the control means 41, an input unit 44 such as a keyboard or mouse functioning as an input unit, An interface (I / F) 45 for performing data connection with an external device is provided.

  In the following, the server computer 2 which is an image processing apparatus that exhibits the characteristic functions of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection of each part constituting the server computer 2 which is the image processing apparatus in the present embodiment. The server computer 2 stores a central processing unit (CPU) 11 that performs information processing, a primary storage device 14 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 that store information, and a compression code that will be described later. A secondary storage device 16 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 15 as a storage unit; a removable disk device 17 such as a CD-ROM drive for storing information, distributing information to the outside, and obtaining information from the outside; A network interface 18 for communicating information with the image input device 5 and other external computers via the network 3, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or LCD (Liquid Crystal) for displaying processing progress and results to the operator A display device 19 such as a display), a keyboard 20 for an operator to input commands and information to the CPU 11, and a mouse. And a bus controller (not shown) connected to the data bus 22 may arbitrate data transmitted / received between these units via the data bus 22. .

  In such a server computer 2, when the user turns on the power, the CPU 11 activates a program called a loader in the ROM 12, reads a program for managing the hardware and software of the computer called the operating system from the HDD 15 into the RAM 13, and this operating system Start up. Such an operating system starts a program, reads information, and performs storage according to a user operation. As typical operating systems, Windows (registered trademark), UNIX (registered trademark), and the like are known. An operation program running on these operating systems is called an application program.

  Here, the server computer 2 stores an image processing program in the HDD 15 as an application program. In this sense, the HDD 15 functions as a storage medium that stores the image processing program.

  In general, the operation program installed in the secondary storage device 16 such as the HDD 15 of the server computer 2 is recorded on an optical information recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or a magnetic recording medium such as an FD. The recorded operation program is installed in the secondary storage device 16 such as the HDD 15. Therefore, a portable storage medium such as an optical information recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk, or a magnetic recording medium such as an FD can be a storage medium for storing an image processing program. Furthermore, the image processing program may be imported from the outside via, for example, the network interface 18 and installed in the secondary storage device 16 such as the HDD 15.

  In the server computer 2, when an image processing program operating on the operating system is started, the CPU 11 executes various arithmetic processes according to the image processing program and controls each unit intensively. Of the various types of arithmetic processing executed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2, characteristic processing of the present embodiment will be described below.

  Here, functions realized by various arithmetic processes executed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, in the server computer 2 which is an image processing apparatus, a first hierarchy compression code creation means 31, a second hierarchy compression code creation means 32, a third hierarchy compression code creation means 33, a first hierarchy data storage The functions of the means 34, the second hierarchy data storage means 35, and the third hierarchy data storage means 36 are realized by various arithmetic processes executed by the CPU 11. If real-time performance is important, it is necessary to speed up the processing. For this purpose, it is desirable to separately provide a logic circuit (not shown) and realize various functions by the operation of the logic circuit.

  The first hierarchy compression code creation means 31, the second hierarchy compression code creation means 32, and the third hierarchy compression code creation means 33 roughly compress image data input from the image input device 5 or the like according to the JPEG2000 algorithm. It is to become. Regarding the compression processing according to the JPEG2000 algorithm, the spatial transform / inverse transform unit 101, the two-dimensional wavelet transform / inverse transform unit 102, the quantization / inverse quantization unit 103, and the entropy encoding / decoding unit 104 shown in FIG. Since the tag processing unit 105 has been described above, the description thereof is omitted here. According to the compression processing according to the JPEG2000 algorithm, a compression code is created for each layer corresponding to octave division in discrete wavelet transform (DWT). In the present embodiment, a three-level compression code is created.

  The first hierarchy compression code creating means 31 creates a compression code of the highest hierarchy (first hierarchy) and creates a compression code of the lower hierarchy from the multi-value image of the LL component band-resolved by the discrete wavelet transform. The data is passed to the two-layer compression code creation means 32. The second layer compression code creating means 32 creates a second layer compression code and a third layer compression for creating a lower layer compression code from the LL component multi-valued image band-resolved by discrete wavelet transform. It passes to the code creation means 33. Then, the third layer compression code creating means 33 creates a third layer compression code.

  That is, the first hierarchical compression code creating means 31, the second hierarchical compression code creating means 32, and the third hierarchical compression code creating means 33 are provided by the hierarchical coding means for compressing and coding image data in a state of being divided into hierarchies. The function is executed.

  Note that the compression code of each layer created by the first layer compression code creation unit 31, the second layer compression code creation unit 32, and the third layer compression code creation unit 33 is the first layer data storage unit 34, The data is passed to the hierarchical data storage means 35 and the third hierarchical data storage means 36, respectively.

  The first layer data storage unit 34 stores the compression code of the highest layer (first layer) passed from the first layer compression code creation unit 31 in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2.

  The second layer data storage unit 35 stores the second layer compression code passed from the second layer compression code creation unit 32 in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4.

  The third tier data storage means 36 stores the three tier compression code passed from the third tier compression code creation means 33 in a storage device of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 in which the second tier compression code is stored. 46.

  That is, the function of the distributed storage means for distributing and storing the compressed codes divided for each hierarchy is executed by the first hierarchy data storage means 34, the second hierarchy data storage means 35, and the third hierarchy data storage means 36. The

  Note that the compression code creating means and the hierarchical data storage means are not limited to the third hierarchy, but may be provided up to the nth hierarchy (n = 1, 2, 3,...). Yes.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored by the first to third hierarchical data storage units 34 to 36. FIG. 12 shows a case where the compression codes (sub-bands) up to the decomposition levels 1 to 3 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the first hierarchy data storage means 34 stores the sub-bands 1LL, 1HL, 1LH, and 1HH of the composition level 1 in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2, and the second hierarchy data storage means 35 The sub-bands 2LL, 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH of the composition level 2 are stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4, and the third layer data storage means 36 includes the sub-bands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH of the composition level 3 3HH is stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 in which the subbands 2LL, 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH of the decomposition level 2 are stored. In this case, the compressed code read out from one storage device (HDD 15 or storage device 46), that is, one storage device, is used in the case of demodulating a compressed image of any one of decomposition levels 1 to 3. Since a desired image is obtained by demodulating the signal, a desired image can be obtained at high speed.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another example of data stored by the first to third hierarchical data storage units 34 to 36. FIG. 13 shows a case where the compression codes (subbands) up to the decomposition levels 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 3 are stored without duplication by the first to third layer data storage means 34 to 36. As shown in FIG. 13, the first hierarchy data storage means 34 stores the subbands 1HL, 1LH, 1HH of the decomposition level 1 in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2, and the second hierarchy data storage means 35 stores the decomposition level 1 -Level 2 subbands 2HL, 2LH, 2HH are stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4, and the third hierarchical data storage means 36 is composed of the decomposition level 3 subbands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH, 3HH. Store in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 in which the subbands 2HL, 2LH, 2HH of level 2 are stored. That is, since the subband 2LL can be generated from the subbands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH, and 3HH, it is not necessary to store them separately. Similarly, since the subband 1LL can be generated from the subbands 2LL (3LL, 3HL, 3LH, 3HH), 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH, it is not necessary to store them separately. Therefore, in this case, the storage capacity necessary for storing the compressed code can be reduced as compared with the case of FIG. When demodulating a compressed image at the level of decomposition level 3, a desired image is obtained by demodulating a compression code read from one storage device (storage device 46), that is, one storage device. When demodulating a compressed image at the level of decomposition level 2, a desired image can be obtained by demodulating the compression codes read from the two storage devices (two storage devices 46). When demodulating a compressed image at the level of decomposition level 1, a desired image is obtained by demodulating the compression codes read from the two storage devices (HDD 15 and storage device 46).

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a high resolution image is stored in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2 and a low resolution image is stored stepwise in the storage device 46 of each client computer 4.

  In this way, the compression codes are distributed and stored for each layer in the server computer 2 and the client computer 4 (including the MFP 7) distributed on the network 3, so that the data can be displayed and displayed / printed. Since the processing load can be distributed at the time of output, high-speed processing becomes possible.

  Therefore, the processing can be reduced and high-speed processing can be performed by switching the devices to be accessed (server computer 2 and client computer 4 (including MFP 7)) depending on devices such as display / printing / communication.

  For example, when the display screen area is limited, such as a mobile phone or PDA, or when a reduced image display (thumbnail display) is performed, the low-resolution image in which data is divided and stored for each layer is stored. The storage device (for example, the storage device 46 of each client computer 4) is accessed to display the data. At this time, from a display device (output device) such as a mobile phone or a PDA, a device that stores and holds a low-resolution image (for example, the storage device 46 of each client computer 4) stores data of the first layer. The display program of the data display device can be used without changing the program on a device that can display a large screen, such as a personal computer, or a device that can display only a small screen (for example, The third hierarchy is regarded as the first hierarchy and displayed on a mobile phone or the like).

  In the present embodiment, the compression codes are distributed and stored for each layer in the server computer 2 and the client computer 4 (including the MFP 7) distributed on the network 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the compressed code may be stored in a single device (for example, the server computer 2) in a distributed manner for each layer.

  In addition, when the compression codes are distributed and stored in each hierarchy in the server computer 2 and the client computer 4 (including the MFP 7) distributed on the network 3, all devices must be turned on. There is a problem that it cannot be processed. To solve this, make sure that all devices are turned on before starting the process. If not, it is determined that the processing is not performed.

  As described above, the compression codes divided for each layer are distributed and stored, so that it is possible to distribute the processing load at the time of data creation and at the time of output such as data display / printing. Processing becomes possible.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is also omitted. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the functions realized by various arithmetic processes executed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2.

  Functions realized by various arithmetic processes executed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2 of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, in the server computer 2 which is an image processing apparatus, a tile image dividing unit 50, a first compressed code creating unit 51, a second compressed code creating unit 52, a third compressed code creating unit 53, a first The functions of the data storage unit 54, the second data storage unit 55, and the third data storage unit 56 are realized by various arithmetic processes executed by the CPU 11. If real-time performance is important, it is necessary to speed up the processing. For this purpose, it is desirable to separately provide a logic circuit (not shown) and realize various functions by the operation of the logic circuit.

  The tile image dividing unit 50 divides image data input from the image input device 5 or the like into a plurality of tiles (small areas). For convenience of explanation, it is assumed in the present embodiment that the image data is divided into three tiles (small areas). Then, the three divided tiles (small areas) are transferred to the first compressed code creating means 51, the second compressed code creating means 52, and the third compressed code creating means 53, respectively.

  The first compressed code creating means 51, the second compressed code creating means 52, and the third compressed code creating means 53 generally compress and encode the tile image passed from the tile image dividing means 50 according to the JPEG2000 algorithm. It is. Regarding the compression processing according to the JPEG2000 algorithm, the spatial transform / inverse transform unit 101, the two-dimensional wavelet transform / inverse transform unit 102, the quantization / inverse quantization unit 103, and the entropy encoding / decoding unit 104 shown in FIG. Since the tag processing unit 105 has been described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

  That is, a rectangular area that is compressed and encoded in a state where the image data is divided into rectangular areas by the tile image dividing means 50, the first compressed code creating means 51, the second compressed code creating means 52, and the third compressed code creating means 53. The function of another encoding means is executed.

  The compression codes of the respective layers created by the first compressed code creating means 51, the second compressed code creating means 52, and the third compressed code creating means 53 are the first data storage means 54, the second data storage means 55, the second The data is transferred to the three data storage means 56.

  The first data storage unit 54 stores the compressed code of the tile image passed from the first compressed code creation unit 51 in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2.

  The second data storage unit 55 stores the compressed code of the tile image passed from the second compressed code creation unit 52 in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4.

  The third data storage unit 56 stores the compressed code of the tile image passed from the third compressed code generation unit 53 in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 used in the second data storage unit 55. To do.

  In other words, the first data storage unit 54, the second data storage unit 55, and the third data storage unit 56 execute the function of a distributed storage unit that stores the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area in a distributed manner.

  Needless to say, the compression code creating means and the data storage means are not limited to three each, and may be provided up to n (n = 1, 2, 3,...).

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of tile image division. FIG. 15 shows how the tile image dividing unit 50 divides document image data into three tiles T1 to T3 according to the type of area (or the type of image data). In this case, if the area type is “figure (photograph, etc.)”, this area is regarded as a tile T1. The tile T1 is encoded by the first compression code creating means 51 into the compression codes (subbands) 1LL, 1HL, 1LH, and 1HH of the composition level 1 shown in FIG. Stored in the HDD 15. When the type of the area is “character”, this area is regarded as the tile T2. The tile T2 is encoded into the sub-bands 2LL, 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH of the composition level 2 by the second compression code generation means 52, and is stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 by the second data storage means 55. . If the area type is “title”, this area is regarded as a tile T3. The tile T3 is encoded by the third compression code generation means 53 into the sub-bands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH, 3HH of the composition level 3, and the client computer in which the compression code of the tile T2 is stored by the third data holding means 56 4 is stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from 4. In this case, the storage capacity required to store the compression codes of the tiles T1 to T3 can be kept small.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the storage of the compressed code corresponding to the type of region. The process shown in FIG. 16 is performed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2. In FIG. 16, step S1 determines whether the type of the area of the document image data to be stored is “title”, “character”, or “figure (photograph etc.)”. The area type is determined based on information about the area type input from the input unit 44 of the client computer 4 by the user, based on the position of the area in the document image, or added to the document image data. The determination can be made by a known method such as determination based on a label indicating the type of each area. If it is determined that the area type is “figure (photograph etc.)”, step S2 regards the area as a tile T1, and the first compression code generation means 51 uses the compression code of the decomposition level 1 shown in FIG. (Subband) The data is encoded into 1LL, 1HL, 1LH, and 1HH, and stored in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2 by the first data storage means 54. If it is determined that the region type is “character”, step S3 regards the region as a tile T2, encodes it into sub-bands 2LL, 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH of decomposition level 2, and stores the second data storage means. 55 to store in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4. If it is determined that the region type is “title”, step S4 regards the region as a tile T3, encodes it into sub-bands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH, and 3HH of decomposition level 3 to obtain third data holding means. 56, the data is stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 in which the compression code of the tile T2 is stored.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining compression code storage according to the type of client computer. The process shown in FIG. 17 is performed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2. In FIG. 17, step S11 determines whether the source of the image data to be stored is a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a mobile phone. Which type of information terminal device such as a PC, a PDA, or a mobile phone is the source of the image data can be determined by a known means. For example, the type of the source information terminal device may be determined from the e-mail address through which provider the image data is transmitted. The type of the source information terminal device may be determined by sending dummy data to the source and confirming the communication speed from the returned information. The type of the information terminal device is not limited to the type of the device itself, and it goes without saying that it may be discriminable based on the device model, the communication speed of the device, the size of the display screen area, and the like. Yes.

  If it is determined that the type of the information terminal device is a mobile phone, step S12 regards the area of the image data to be stored as the tile T1, and the first compression code creating means 51 uses the decomposition level 1 shown in FIG. Compression codes (subbands) 1LL, 1HL, 1LH, and 1HH, and the first data storage means 54 stores them in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2. If it is determined that the type of the information terminal device is PDA, step S13 regards the area of the image data to be stored as the tile T2, and encodes it into the sub-bands 2LL, 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH of decomposition level 2. The data is stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 by the second data storage means 55. If it is determined that the type of the information terminal device is PC, the step S14 regards the area of the image data to be stored as the tile T3, and encodes it into the sub-bands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH, 3HH of the composition level 3. The third data holding unit 56 stores the compressed code of the tile T2 in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 in which the code is stored.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the storing of the compressed code according to the user's selection. The process shown in FIG. 18 is performed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2. In FIG. 18, steps S21 and S23 are storage methods in which the user inputs from the input unit 44 of the client computer 4 whether the storage method of the image data to be stored is high resolution, medium resolution, or low resolution. A determination is made based on an instruction regarding selection. If it is determined in step S21 that the storage method has a high resolution (S21: YES), step S22 regards the area of the image data to be stored as a tile T1, and the first compression code creating means 51 shows it in FIG. Decomposition level 1 compression codes (subbands) 1LL, 1HL, 1LH, 1HH are encoded and stored in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2 by the first data storage means 54. If it is determined in step S23 that the image data storage method is medium resolution (S21: NO, S23: YES), step S23 regards the area of the image data to be stored as the tile T2, and the decomposition level 2 Are sub-bands 2LL, 2HL, 2LH and 2HH, and are stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 by the second data storage means 55. If it is determined in step S23 that the image data storage method has a low resolution (S23: NO), step S24 regards the area of the image data to be stored as a tile T3, and the sub-band 3LL of decomposition level 3 , 3HL, 3LH, 3HH, and the third data holding means 56 stores the data in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 in which the compression code of the tile T2 is stored.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining reading of an image according to the type of region. The process shown in FIG. 19 is performed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2. In FIG. 19, step S31 determines whether or not the type of document image data area to be read is “figure (photograph, etc.)”. If the decision result in the step S31 is YES, the step S32 regards the area as a tile T1, and stores the compression codes (subbands) 1LL, 1HL of the decomposition level 1 shown in FIG. 3 stored in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2 , 1LH, 1HH are read out and decoded. In step S33, the decoded image data of “figure (photograph, etc.)” is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source. If the decision result in the step S31 is NO, a step S34 decides whether or not the type of the area of the document image data to be read is “character”. If the decision result in the step S34 is YES, the step S35 regards the area as a tile T2, and stores the decomposition level 2 compression codes (subbands) 2LL, 2HL, 2LH stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 , 2HH are read and decoded. In step S36, the decoded image data of “character” is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source. If the decision result in the step S34 is NO, it is judged that the type of the area of the document image data to be read is “title”, and the area is regarded as the tile T3. In step S37, the sub-bands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH and 3HH of the composition level 3 stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 storing the compression code of the tile T2 are read and decoded. In step S38, the decrypted image data of “title” is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart for explaining reading of an image according to the type of the client computer. The process shown in FIG. 20 is performed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2. In FIG. 20, step S41 determines whether or not the source type of the image data to be read is PC. If the decision result in the step S41 is YES, the step S42 regards the area of the image data to be read as the tile T1, and stores the compression code (sub-level 1) shown in FIG. 3 stored in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2 Band) 1LL, 1HL, 1LH, and 1HH are read and decoded. In step S43, the decoded image data is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source. If the decision result in the step S41 is NO, a step S44 decides whether or not the type of image data source to be read is a PDA. If the decision result in the step S44 is YES, a step S45 regards the area of the image data to be read as the tile T2, and the compression code (subband) of the decomposition level 2 stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 2LL, 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH are read and decoded. In step S46, the decoded image data is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source. If the decision result in the step S44 is NO, it is judged that the type of the image data source to be read is a mobile phone, and the area of the image data to be read is regarded as a tile T3. The step S47 reads out the decoding level 3 subbands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH, and 3HH stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 in which the compression code of the tile T2 is stored and decoded. In step S48, the decrypted image data is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining reading of an image according to a user's selection. The process shown in FIG. 20 is performed by the CPU 11 of the server computer 2. In FIG. 21, step S51 determines whether or not the image data to be read has a high resolution. If the decision result in the step S51 is YES, the step S52 regards the area of the image data to be read as the tile T1, and stores the compression code (sub-level 1) shown in FIG. 3 stored in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2 Band) 1LL, 1HL, 1LH, and 1HH are read and decoded. In step S43, the decoded image data is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source. If the decision result in the step S41 is NO, a step S44 decides whether or not the type of image data source to be read is a PDA. If the decision result in the step S44 is YES, a step S45 regards the area of the image data to be read as the tile T2, and the compression code (subband) of the decomposition level 2 stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 2LL, 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH are read and decoded. In step S46, the decoded image data is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source. If the decision result in the step S44 is NO, it is judged that the type of the image data source to be read is a mobile phone, and the area of the image data to be read is regarded as a tile T3. The step S47 reads out the decoding level 3 subbands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH, and 3HH stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4 in which the compression code of the tile T2 is stored and decoded. In step S48, the decrypted image data is displayed on the display unit 43 of the client computer 4 that is the display request source.

  Needless to say, the first to third data storage units 54 to 56 may each encode and store each tile. In this case, each tile can be read out with a desired resolution.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating another example of tile image division. FIG. 22 shows how the tile image dividing unit 50 divides image data input from the image input device 5 or the like into four tiles T1 to T4. In this case, each of the tiles T1 to T4 is encoded by the first compression code creating means 51 into the compression codes (subbands) 1LL, 1HL, 1LH, and 1HH of the composition level 1 shown in FIG. The data is stored in the HDD 15 of the server computer 2 by the means 54. The tiles T1 to T4 are encoded into decomposition level 2 subbands 2LL, 2HL, 2LH, and 2HH, and stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 by the second data storage means 55. Further, each of the tiles T1 to T4 is encoded into decomposition level 3 subbands 3LL, 3HL, 3LH, and 3HH, and the third data holding means 56 stores the compression codes (subbands) of the tiles T1 to T4. Stored in the storage device 46 of the client computer 4 different from the client computer 4. In this case, the images of the tiles T1 to T4 can be read with a desired resolution.

  In this way, the server computer 2 and the client computer 4 (including the MFP 7) distributed over the network 3 store the compressed code in units of tiles (small areas) obtained by dividing the image data into a plurality of parts, Since the processing load can be distributed at the time of data creation and output such as data display / printing, high-speed processing becomes possible.

  Therefore, when displaying an image or the like, tile (small area) images held in each device (the server computer 2 and the client computer 4 (including the MFP 7)) are combined and displayed. In addition, when it is sufficient to display only a predetermined tile (specified by the user) (small area) instead of the entire image, a device (server computer 2 or client computer 4 ( The predetermined data (only the predetermined tile (small area) image designated by the user) may be extracted from the MFP 7)) and displayed.

  As described above, the compression codes of the image data divided for each rectangular area are distributed and stored, so that when displaying an image, the rectangular area images may be combined and displayed. If it is only necessary to display a predetermined area (specified by the user) instead of the entire image, it is only necessary to acquire the compression code of the rectangular area included in the predetermined area (specified by the user) and display the image. Since the processing load can be distributed at the time of data creation and output such as data display / printing, high-speed processing becomes possible.

1 is a functional block diagram of a system that realizes a hierarchical encoding algorithm that is the basis of a JPEG2000 system that is a premise of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the rectangular area | region where each component of the original image was divided | segmented. It is explanatory drawing which shows the subband in each decomposition level when the number of decomposition levels is three. It is explanatory drawing which shows a precinct. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the procedure which ranks a bit plane. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure for 1 frame of code sequence data. It is explanatory drawing which shows the code stream structure which represented the packet in which the encoded wavelet coefficient value was accommodated for every subband. It is a schematic diagram which shows the system construction example of 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical connection of each part which comprises a client computer. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical connection of each part which comprises the server computer which is an image processing apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function implement | achieved by the process which CPU performs based on an image processing program. It is a figure explaining an example of the compression code which a 1st-3rd hierarchy data storage means preserve | saves. It is a figure explaining the other example of the compression code which a 1st-3rd hierarchy data storage means preserve | saves. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function implement | achieved by the process which CPU performs based on the image processing program of 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of tile image division. It is a flowchart explaining the preservation | save of the compression code | cord | chord according to the classification of area | region. It is a flowchart explaining the preservation | save of the compression code | cord | chord according to the classification of a client computer. It is a flowchart explaining preservation | save of the compression code | cord | chord according to a user's selection. It is a flowchart explaining the reading of the image according to the classification of area | region. 6 is a flowchart for explaining reading of an image according to a type of a client computer. It is a flowchart explaining reading of the image according to a user's selection. It is a figure explaining the other example of a tile image division | segmentation.

Explanation of symbols

2 Image processing apparatus, electronic device 3 Network 4, 5, 6, 7 Electronic device 15 Storage medium 31, 32, 33 Hierarchical encoding means 34, 35, 36 Distributed storage means 50, 51, 52, 53 Codes by rectangular area Means 54, 55, 56 Distributed storage means

Claims (12)

In an image processing apparatus that hierarchically compresses and encodes pixel values for each rectangular region obtained by dividing image data into one or a plurality of steps, such as discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding,
Encoding means for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes image data in a state divided into rectangular areas;
And a distributed storage means for storing a plurality of storage devices respectively dispersing the compressed codes which are divided for each rectangular region by the rectangular region by coding means,
The distributed storage means stores one layer of compression codes corresponding to each storage device. This is an electronic device connected to a network together with various electronic devices, and is an image in which pixel values are hierarchically compressed and encoded by a procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or more. In the processing device,
Encoding means for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes image data in a state divided into rectangular areas;
And a distributed storage means for storing the compressed codes which are divided for each rectangular area is dispersed into a plurality of storage devices of the electronic devices by the rectangular region by coding means,
The distributed storage means stores one layer of compression codes corresponding to each storage device.   The encoding means for each rectangular area includes the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, the type of the electronic device that is the source of the image data, or a decomposition level according to an instruction from the outside. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data is compression-encoded. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoding unit for each rectangular area compresses and encodes the image data at a decomposition level corresponding to a type of the area of the image data. Installed in or interpreted by a computer that has an image processing device that hierarchically compresses and encodes pixel values for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or a plurality of steps, such as discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding. A program executed by the computer,
An encoding function for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes image data divided into rectangular areas;
A distributed storage function for distributing the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area by the encoding function for each rectangular area and storing them in a plurality of storage devices ;
Was executed,
The distributed storage function stores a compression code of one layer corresponding to each storage device . This is an electronic device connected to a network together with various electronic devices, and is an image in which pixel values are hierarchically compressed and encoded by a procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or more. A program installed in a computer included in a processing device or interpreted and executed,
An encoding function for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes image data divided into rectangular areas;
A distributed storage function for storing the compressed code divided for each rectangular area by the encoding function for each rectangular area in a plurality of storage devices of each electronic device;
Was executed,
The distributed storage function stores a compression code of one layer corresponding to each storage device . The encoding function for each rectangular area is a function that allows the computer to perform a decomposition / decomposition according to the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, the type of the electronic device that is the source of the image data, or an instruction from the outside. wherein the compressing encoding the image data at a level, according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the program. 7. The program according to claim 5, wherein the encoding function for each rectangular area compresses and encodes the image data at a decomposition level corresponding to a type of the area of the image data. Installed in or interpreted by a computer that has an image processing device that hierarchically compresses and encodes pixel values for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or a plurality of steps, such as discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding. A program executed by the computer,
An encoding function for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes image data divided into rectangular areas;
A distributed storage function for distributing the compressed codes divided for each rectangular area by the encoding function for each rectangular area and storing them in a plurality of storage devices ;
Storing a program for executing,
The distributed storage function stores a compression code of one hierarchy corresponding to each storage device . This is an electronic device connected to a network together with various electronic devices, and is an image in which pixel values are hierarchically compressed and encoded by a procedure of discrete wavelet transform, quantization, and encoding for each rectangular area obtained by dividing image data into one or more. A program installed in a computer included in a processing device or interpreted and executed,
An encoding function for each rectangular area that compresses and encodes image data divided into rectangular areas;
A distributed storage function for storing the compressed code divided for each rectangular area by the encoding function for each rectangular area in a plurality of storage devices of each electronic device;
Storing a program for executing,
The distributed storage function stores a compression code of one hierarchy corresponding to each storage device . The encoding function for each rectangular area is a function that allows the computer to perform a decomposition / decomposition according to the type of the image data, the type of the area of the image data, the type of the electronic device that is the source of the image data, or an instruction from the outside. wherein the compressing encoding the image data at a level, according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the storage medium. 11. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the encoding function for each rectangular area compresses and encodes the image data at a decomposition level corresponding to a type of the area of the image data.

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