JPH0681292B2 - Image recorder - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and more particularly to an image recording apparatus for recording a visible image on an image recording medium from a video signal representing a still image.

BACKGROUND ART A still image recording apparatus has been proposed which receives a video signal read from a video signal recording medium such as a video floppy disk or a video tape and reproduces a visible image on an image recording medium such as photographic paper. In such an image recording apparatus, it is a natural color image to perform image processing of a video signal input from a video floppy and appropriately adjust the gray balance, γ characteristic, hue, gradation and the like to perform recording. It is advantageous in terms of reproduction.

Conventionally, this image processing is such that when recording images one after another on photographic paper, while operating the operating device while viewing images to be recorded on a video monitor device such as a CRT, image processing such as hue and gradation is performed. The image processing circuit performed by setting the parameter to the optimum value.

It is inefficient for an operator to monitor an image on such an image monitor device and appropriately modify the image processing parameter because it requires experience and is time-consuming. In particular, in the case of a laboratory that handles such image services, since a large number of video floppies are handled, it is efficient to perform such an operation for each image frame recorded on those floppies. Not relevant. Therefore, the appearance of an image recording apparatus capable of efficiently handling a large number of images is desired. Therefore, automatic setting of image processing parameters (auto setup) is desired, but the auto setup calculation generally takes time, and some kind of device is required to improve the processing capability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above demands, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of efficiently recording an image that has been appropriately image-processed.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a video signal source that supplies a video signal, a data extraction unit that extracts image data from the video signal from the video signal source, a storage unit that stores the image data, and an image processing unit. Image processing means for image-processing a video signal from a video signal source according to a parameter, recording means for recording an image represented by the video signal processed by the image processing means on an image recording medium, video signal source, and data extraction means A storage means, an image processing means, and a control means for controlling the recording means, wherein the control means controls the video signal source to record the image of the video signal supplied from the video signal source by the recording means, The image data relating to the image stored in the storage means is read out, and the value of the image processing parameter relating to the image data is set in the image processing means.

Description of Embodiments Embodiments of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, for example, a video signal recorded by FM modulation on a video floppy (VF) 13 is demodulated by a video signal source such as a video floppy reproducing section 11 and three primary color signals R, G and B are obtained. Supplied to the input 12 of the analog-to-digital (A / D) conversion circuit 10. Further, the synchronizing signal SYNC of the video signal is input from the reproducing unit 11 to the input 14 of the A / D conversion circuit 10. In this embodiment, a video signal of one field is recorded for each track of the video floppy 13.

The A / D conversion circuit 10 converts the input video signal RGB into corresponding digital data in response to the synchronization signal SYNC and outputs it to the image sampling unit 70.

The image sampling section 70 has a frame memory for accumulating the video signal, samples the density data at a predetermined sampling point of, for example, about 1,000 points in one frame image represented by the video signal, and sends this to the control section 46. It has an image data extraction function to transfer. The video signal is output from the output 19 to the gray correction unit 16.

The gray correction unit 16 is a gray correction lookup table LU.
T-1 is set and is a parameter correction unit that performs gray balance correction and γ characteristic correction. Lookup table
The LUT-1 has a gray balance and γ for the input video signal.
It is a data table that defines input / output characteristics so that video signal data whose characteristics have been corrected is output. By this, a difference due to illumination conditions in which an image represented by the input video signal is formed is compensated. This correction is set for each image.
Therefore, video signal data in which the gray balance and the γ characteristic are corrected to the target density is output to the three outputs 20 of the gray correction unit 16.

The output 20 of the gray correction unit 16 is the color correction unit 22 and the gradation correction unit 24.
And high-intensity black and white for recording, which is selectively selected by the switch 28 through the digital-analog (D / A) conversion circuit 26.
Input to CRT30. A lens 34 and a three-color separation filter 36 are provided in front of the display screen 32 of the recording CRT 30 so that the image displayed on the screen 32 is focused on an image recording medium such as color photographic paper 38. It is set up. For recording
Instead of the CRT 30, a recording means of another method such as EOT, a thermal head, or an inkjet may be used.

The color correction unit 22 is a parameter correction unit in which the color correction matrix MARIX is set and the difference between the hue characteristics of the signal source of the input video signal and the photosensitive material 38 is compensated by this. For example, if the input signal source is a TV camera, the color correction matrix MA
The RIX uses matrix coefficients that compensate for the hue characteristics of the TV camera and the printing paper 38. As a result, the video signal data whose hue has been corrected to the target density is output to the output 40.

The gradation correction unit 24 uses a gradation correction lookup table LUT-
2 is set, which is a parameter correction unit that compensates the gradation characteristics of the recording CRT 30 and the printing paper 38. The gradation correction unit 24 stores table data that compensates for such gradation characteristics.

Thus, gray balance, γ characteristics, hue, and recording
The video signal data in which the gradation characteristics of the CRT 30 and the printing paper 38 are corrected is input from the output 42 of the gradation correction unit 24 to the D / A conversion circuit 26 and converted into corresponding analog signals. This analog signal is supplied to the recording CRT 30 through the switch 28. As shown by a dotted line 64, the switch 28 is controlled to be switched by a control unit (CPU) 46, which will be described later, and selectively selects the three separated color signals RGB of the output 44 and supplies them to the recording CRT 30. Is.

The control unit 46 is a control unit that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, and is advantageously configured by a processing system such as a microprocessor. The storage unit 47 is connected to this.

The recording unit 47 is a storage device that stores image data sampled by the image sampling unit 70, and for example, a storage device such as a RAM or a magnetic disk is used. The recording unit 47 also includes lookup tables LUT-1, LUT-2,
And various parameter values set as the color correction matrix MARIX are stored. The data of these lookup tables LUT-1 and LUT-2, and the color correction matrix MATRIX are read from the storage unit 47 by the central processing unit 46 and set in the correction units 16, 24 and 22, respectively.

The control unit 46 stores the image data sampled by the image sampling unit 70 in the storage unit 47 as it is. Alternatively, the characteristic value of the image may be calculated from the image data and stored in the storage unit 47.

Input to the control unit 46 such as a keyboard for the operator to give necessary instructions such as an image recording (printing) instruction, a track number on which a video signal to be recorded is recorded, and the number of sheets to be printed. The operation unit 62 is connected. Further, it may have a key for giving an instruction for selecting or modifying an image processing parameter such as a lookup table LUT-1. This parameter selection and correction is performed by operating an operation member that gives an instruction, for example, to darken or lighten the entire image, to increase the reddishness, to increase the greenishness, to increase the bluishness, or to make the red more vivid. It is done by doing.

By the way, when the video signal recorded in the video floppy 13 is reproduced on the photographic printing paper 38 to record a visible image, the video floppy 13 is first set in the reproducing section 11 and a recording instruction is inputted from the operation section 62 (100 ). This recording instruction includes, for example, the number of the track on which the video signal to be recorded is recorded and the number of prints. In response to this order input, the control unit 48 stores these input information in the storage unit.
Store in 47.

When a print instruction is input from the operation unit 62, the control unit
The reproduction unit 11 is controlled by the control line 80 to sequentially read the video signal from the track designated by the input information. This video signal is converted into digital data by the A / D conversion circuit 10 and input to the image sampling section 70. The sampling unit 70 samples the density data at a predetermined sampling point in the image of one frame, and the control unit 46 through the data line 72.
This sampling data is transferred to.

The control unit 46 temporarily stores the sample data in the storage unit 47 in association with the track number (102). The sample data may be stored in the recording unit 47 as it is. Alternatively, a characteristic value may be calculated from this sample data and stored in the storage unit 47. This characteristic value may be, for example, an integrated average value, a peak value, a histogram value or the like of the density data at each sampling point of the image of one frame. The reading of the video signal and the storage of the image data are sequentially performed for the tracks designated by the order input from the operation unit 62 among the tracks of the video floppy 13.

When this is completed, the control unit 46 controls the reproducing unit 11 again to start reading the video signal from the first track of the tracks designated by the order input (10
Four). At that time, the control unit 46 reads the image data of the track from the storage unit 47 (106) and performs an auto setup calculation (108). That is, the characteristic value of the image is calculated from the image data, and the value of the image processing parameter is selected from this value or directly from the characteristic value included in the image data. The value of this image processing parameter is sent from the control unit 46 to the gray correction unit 16, the color correction unit 22, and the gradation correction unit 24, respectively, to the gray correction lookup table LUT-1, the color correction matrix MATRIX, and the gradation correction lookup. It is set as table LUT-2 (110).

The control unit 46 then takes in the video signal converted from the video floppy 13 by the A / D conversion circuit 10 read by the reproduction unit 11 into digital data, which passes through the image sampling unit 70 and the gray correction unit 16 Entered in. At that time, the image data extraction function of the image sampling unit 70 is invalidated by the control unit 46. The gray balance and γ characteristics of the video signal are corrected by the gray correction unit 16, the hue is then corrected by the color correction unit 22, and finally the gradation is corrected by the gradation correction unit 24. At 26, it is converted to an analog video signal and output to the CRT 30.

The control unit 46 controls the switch 28 to output the three-separated color video signal.
In addition to selectively outputting to the CRT30, a set of color separation filters 36 corresponding to the separation color signals output to the CRT30 are selected and inserted into the optical axis of the lens 34, and the separated color image is printed on the photographic paper.
Expose to 38. This operation is sequentially performed for the three separated color signals to complete a color image on the photographic printing paper 38 (112).

That is, the control unit 46 sequentially switches the switch 28, sequentially and selectively inserts the filter 36, cancels the blanking of the recording CRT 30 for a predetermined exposure time, and outputs the image of three separated colors to the same frame of the photographic paper 38. Record again. As a result, a color image of one frame is recorded on the photographic printing paper 38. When this is developed and fixed, a hard copy of the frame image is completed.

In this way, for the frames designated by the order input, the reading 104 of the video signal from the video floppy 13 and the setting 110 of the image processing parameters based on the image data stored in the storage unit 47 are performed (114, 116) until the designated frames are exhausted. Repeat this.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the process 108, that is, the auto setup calculation and the process 112, that is, the exposure recording are performed in parallel. More specifically, the auto-setup calculation 108 for one frame is performed during exposure of the image of the preceding designated frame.

For example, setting the image processing parameters for frame ^# 1
After 110, the control unit 46 performs the exposure operation 112. The exposure itself takes much longer than the CPU time of the control unit 46, but the CPU time itself is not used much. In other words, the CPU load is light. Therefore, the control unit 46 controls the process 112.
When the start of exposure is instructed at, the image data reading process 106 for the next designated frame ^# 2 is started, and the auto setup calculation 108 is subsequently performed. Since the auto-setup calculation 108 uses a relatively large amount of CPU time, it is performed using the exposure time of the previous designated frame ^# 1.

In this way, by sequentially performing the auto-setup calculation of the next designated frame while performing the print operation for the video signal of one frame, the sequential recording of a large number of frames can be efficiently performed while efficiently using the processing time of the control unit 46. You can

Effects As described above, according to the present invention, a video signal to be printed is read from a video floppy prior to recording an image,
By extracting the rough data of the image represented by the video signal and calculating the characteristic value from this, if necessary,
Remember them. The value of the image processing parameter is selected or calculated based on the thus stored image data, the video signal of one frame is sequentially read from the video floppy, and the image processing is performed according to the image processing parameter value. As a result, appropriate image recording of a large number of frames can be efficiently performed without requiring much experience and trouble.

Further, by performing the image processing parameter calculation of the next designated frame while performing the recording operation, the sequential recording of a large number of frames can be performed more efficiently while efficiently using the processing time of the processing system. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an operation flow chart showing an example of an image recording operation in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the same embodiment. 5 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing an example of operation timing in FIG. Description of main part code 11 …… Video floppy disk playback unit 16 …… Gray correction unit 22 …… Color correction unit 24 …… Gradation correction unit 30 …… Recording CRT 38 …… Printing paper 46 …… Control unit 47… … Memory section 62 …… Input operation section 70 …… Image sampling section

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A video signal source for demodulating an input video signal into analog R, G and B color signals and converting the analog R, G and B color signals into digital R, G and B color signals and outputting the signals. Data extraction means for inputting digital R, G and B color signals from the video signal source and outputting digital R, G and B color signals and sampling data of the digital R, G and B color signals, Storage means for accumulating sampling data of digital R, G, and B color signals from the data extracting means for a plurality of images, and storage means for extracting from the data extracting means in accordance with at least a value of a gray balance correction parameter corresponding to a characteristic value of the sampling data. Image processing means for image-processing and outputting digital R, G and B color signals, and digital R processed by the image processing means , G and B
The image forming apparatus includes a recording unit that records an image represented by a color signal on an image recording medium, and a control unit that controls the video signal source, the data extracting unit, the storage unit, the image processing unit, and the recording unit. Storing sampling data of digital R, G and B color signals of a plurality of images in a storage means,
The sampling data of digital R, G, and B color signals of one image accumulated in the storage means is read out, the characteristic value of the sampling data is calculated, and the value of the gray balance correction parameter corresponding to the characteristic value is set to the image. The video signal source is set in the processing means, the video signal source is controlled based on the set value, and the digital R, G, and B color signals of the one image supplied from the video signal source are image-processed and supplied to the recording means. Then, while the one image is being recorded on the photosensitive material by the recording means, the sampling data of the other one image is read from the storage means, and the characteristic value of the other sampling data is calculated to correspond to the characteristic value. An image recording apparatus, wherein the value of a gray balance correction parameter to be determined is determined.