JP2002368986A - Picture processor, picture processing method, picture transmitting device and picture transmitting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a picture processor which can transmit or accumulate picture data by optimum data quantity and with high picture quality. SOLUTION: A scanner 1 reads picture information with reading resolution that a resolution control part 3 sets and stores it in a memory 2. A picture separation part 11 separates picture information into a first picture plane (pattern part), a second picture plane (color information of character part) and a selection picture plane (shape of the character part) selecting either plane. A resolution control part 3 sets optimum resolution into first to third resolution conversion parts 12 to 14 in accordance with picture quality, an original type, device environment and the characteristics of the respective picture planes. The three picture planes are converted into resolution which is set in the first to third resolution conversion parts 12 to 14. The picture planes after the conversion of resolution are compressed by the first to third compression parts 15 to 17 and they are collected into one data format by a picture format part 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a public line and a LAN.
Image transmitting apparatus and image transmitting method for transmitting image data with high quality via a network line such as, and an image processing apparatus and image processing suitable for transmitting such image data and storing high-quality image data It is about the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image data has been actively transmitted and stored. For example, black and white binary image data is subjected to MR or MMR encoding or the like and transmitted or stored, as typified by, for example, normal G3 or G4 facsimile. For color images, various means have been proposed, such as an orthogonal transform coding transmission method represented by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-308474. In each case, the input image is basically treated as one image (one plane), and after transmission, the image is compressed or stored.

In some cases, processing is performed according to the image structure (characters, pictures, etc.) of each part of an image. For example, 2
When transmitting a value image (black and white facsimile image),
A simple binarization process is performed on the character portion, and a dither binarization process is performed on the picture portion.
The data is transmitted after R encoding or MMR encoding.

On the other hand, in the case of a color multi-valued image represented by a photograph, image data is often compressed using the above-described orthogonal transform coding method. First, after an input image is divided into blocks of a predetermined size, an orthogonal transformation process is performed for each block. This is a method in which a quantization process is performed on the obtained orthogonal transform output, and this is encoded and compressed. However,
Although this method is effective for picture parts such as photographs, it has been pointed out that when applied to characters and line drawings, mosquito noise is deteriorated.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-354263, it is assumed that a character / line drawing portion is represented by a binary value, and a binary portion (character / line drawing portion) and a multi-valued portion (picture pattern) included in an image. A method of recognizing a photo portion and performing MMR coding on a binary portion and orthogonal transform coding on a multi-value portion and transmitting the same is disclosed. On the receiving side, these coded compressed data are separately restored and recombined. The basic idea is equivalent to separating an image for each attribute and treating it as a plurality of planes (binary image plane of text and multi-valued image plane of picture picture). By using a compression technique suitable for characters and using a compression technique suitable for a picture picture for an image plane of a picture picture, the compression ratio is improved and the image quality deterioration is not so noticeable.

However, in recent image data, characters and line drawings are often expressed not by binary values but by multi-values or colors. When an image in which characters, line drawings, and patterns expressed in multi-values and colors are mixed by using the above-described conventional method, a binary image is generated for the characters and the line drawing part. Encoding (MMR etc.) cannot be applied,
Characters and line drawings cannot be handled as binary parts. As a countermeasure, it is possible to use a conventional method by binarizing multi-valued characters and line drawing parts. However, there are problems that the quality of characters and line drawings is deteriorated and the color is changed.

By the way, the higher the resolution of a character / line image, the higher the image quality tends to be. Therefore, it is desirable to transmit or accumulate character and line drawings at the highest possible resolution. However, if the resolution is increased to a dark cloud, the data amount increases and the transmission load also increases. Further, in the case of a multi-valued or color-represented character line drawing, since the data also has gradation information, the data amount is further increased as compared with the case of a binary value. There is no problem when using a line with a large capacity that can withstand the load, but when multi-valued or color images are transmitted using a line with a small capacity such as a public line, there is a problem that it takes too much transmission time. .

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an image processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus capable of transmitting or storing image data with an optimum data amount and high image quality. In addition to providing a processing method,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image transmitting apparatus and an image transmitting method for transmitting such image data.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a multi-layered image information comprising first image data, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. Output in data format. For example, in the image information, a picture portion such as a photograph can be separated into the first image data, the color information in the character / line drawing portion can be separated into the second image data, and the shape information in the character / line drawing portion can be selected data. Since the selected data only selects either the first image data or the second image data, it can be handled as binary data, and can be compressed at a high compression rate while maintaining the image quality at a high resolution.

As a method of reducing the amount of data to be transmitted or stored, not only the compression method is switched according to the attribute as described above, but also high-resolution image data is converted to low-resolution image data, and further data compression is performed. A method is conceivable. In particular, the second image data does not need to have a high resolution because the information of the shape of the character or the line drawing is separated, and can be converted to a low resolution and compressed.

As described above, according to the present invention, by enabling the resolution conversion processing and the data compression corresponding to each of the first image data, the second image data, and the selected data, a small data amount can be obtained. It is possible to transmit or store high-quality image data.

When the resolution conversion is performed as described above, it is necessary to balance the data amount and the image quality. If these factors are not taken into consideration, the transmission data amount is excessively useless, so that the transmission time is excessively long or the storage area is unnecessarily occupied. Conversely, the transmission time is short and no storage area is required, but satisfactory image quality may not be obtained in some cases. Therefore, in the present invention, the resolutions of the first image data, the second image data, and the selected data are appropriately set in advance in accordance with the image characteristics and device characteristics, or the device limit, the transmission amount limit, and the like. As a result, image data can be transmitted or stored with an optimum image quality with an appropriate data amount.

The data of the set resolution is obtained by, for example, scanning image data of an original with input means according to the set resolution of the selected data when image information is input. Alternatively, it can also be obtained by performing a resolution conversion process. The setting of the resolution can be performed, for example, according to an instruction of the image quality or image type by the user. For example, when a high image quality is specified or a character is specified as an image type, characters or line drawings are transmitted or stored at a high image quality by setting the selection data having information on the character shape to a high resolution. be able to. Further, when the user instructs a picture such as a photograph as the type of image, the picture can be transmitted or stored with high image quality by setting the first image data having the picture information to a high resolution.

The setting of the resolution can be set in consideration of the receiving ability of the receiving apparatus for receiving such multi-layer data format image information. For example, the resolution can be determined based on the highest resolution receivable by the receiving device, and waste of transmission time due to transmission at a high resolution that cannot be handled on the receiving side can be eliminated. Also, the resolution of the selected data is set to 1 / ns (n
s is a natural number), and the resolution of the first image data and the resolution of the second image data are each set to 1 / n of the selected data.
It can be set to 1, 1 / n2 (n1, n2 are natural numbers). This makes it possible to simplify the resolution conversion process and facilitate the image reconstruction on the receiving device side.

Further, the resolution can be set according to the data amount. For example, if the compressed data amount of each of the first image data and the second image data or the sum of the compressed data amounts is larger than a predetermined amount, the data is converted to a low resolution to reduce the data amount and compressed again. Can be. As a result, image information can be transmitted or stored within a range of a desired data amount.

[0016]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a scanner, 2 is a memory, 3 is a resolution control unit, 4 is a multi-layer data format conversion unit, 11 is an image separation unit, 12 is a first resolution conversion unit, 13 is a second resolution conversion unit, and 14 is a second resolution conversion unit. A three-resolution converter, 15 is a first compressor, 16 is a second compressor, 17 is a third compressor, and 18 is an image format unit.

The scanner 1 scans a document image at a resolution set by the resolution control unit 3 and inputs image information. Note that the scanner 1 is an example of a device for inputting image information, and may be another image input device whose resolution can be set, such as an external computer that transfers image information at a set resolution. Good. The memory 2 stores image information input by the scanner 1. A configuration without the memory 2 is also possible. The resolution control unit 3 internally stores information on resolutions corresponding to the first image data, the second image data, and the selected data in advance, and sets the resolution at which the scanner 1 scans a document image, , The first of the multi-layer data format converter 4
The resolution to be converted is set for the resolution conversion unit 12, the second resolution conversion unit 13, and the third resolution conversion unit 14.

The multi-layer data format converter 4 converts the input image information into a multi-layer data format consisting of first image data, second image data, and selection data for selecting one of the first and second image data. And output. The multilayer data format conversion unit 4 includes an image separation unit 11, a first resolution conversion unit 12, a second resolution conversion unit 13, a third resolution conversion unit 14, a first compression unit 15, a second compression unit 16, and a third compression unit. 1
7, an image format unit 18 and the like.

The image separation section 11 separates the image data input to the memory 2 into three image planes of first image data, second image data, and selection data. First resolution converter 12, second resolution converter 13, third resolution converter 1
4 performs resolution conversion processing on each image plane separated by the image separation unit 11 to a resolution designated by the resolution control unit 3. At this time, when the resolution specified by the resolution control unit 3 matches the resolution of the image plane, the resolution conversion need not be performed. First resolution converter 1
2, the resolution conversion method performed by the second resolution conversion unit 13 and the third resolution conversion unit 14 is arbitrary, and a resolution conversion method most suitable for each image plane can be used. First compression section 15, second compression section 16, third compression section 1
7 performs a compression process on each image plane output from the first resolution conversion unit 12, the second resolution conversion unit 13, and the third resolution conversion unit 14, respectively. The compression processing method performed on each image plane is arbitrary, and compression can be performed using a compression method optimal for each image plane. The image format unit 18 wraps the three image planes compressed by the first compression unit 15, the second compression unit 16, and the third compression unit 17 into one data format.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First, in step S101, the resolution of the scanner 1 is set by the resolution controller 3. In step S <b> 102, the scanner 1 scans the document image at the set reading resolution, reads image information, and stores the image information in the memory 2.

Next, in step S103, the image separating section 11 of the multi-layer data format converting section 4 reads out the image information stored in the memory 2, and outputs a first image plane and a second image plane comprising first image data (picture part). The image is separated into three image planes, a second image plane including data (color information of a character portion) and a selected image plane including selected data.

The obtained first image plane is input to the first resolution conversion section 12, and the resolution conversion processing to the resolution set by the resolution control section 3 is performed in S104. Similarly, the second image plane is input to the second resolution conversion unit 13, and a resolution conversion process to the resolution set by the resolution control unit 3 is performed in S105. Further, the selected image plane is input to the third resolution conversion unit 14, and the resolution conversion processing to the resolution set by the resolution control unit 3 is performed in S106. Of course, resolution conversion may not actually be performed on some or all of these planes.

The first image plane after the resolution conversion is input to the first compression unit 15, the second image plane after the resolution conversion is input to the second compression unit 16, and the selected image plane after the resolution conversion is the third image plane. Each is input to the compression unit 17.
In S107, S108, and 109, a predetermined compression process is performed for each plane independently.

The three image planes compressed by the first compression unit 15, the second compression unit 16, and the third compression unit 17 are input to the image format unit 18. In S110, the image format unit 18 sets the three compressed image planes to 1
Performs wrapping processing to combine data into two data formats.

An example of the above operation will be further described using a specific example. First, the reading resolution of the scanner 1 is set by the resolution control unit 3 (S101),
An image is read at the set resolution (S102).
As an example, the resolution set by the resolution control unit 3 is 400
In the case of dpi, the scanner 1 converts the original image to 400 dpi.
Scanning and reading are performed at the resolution of i. At this time,
The resolution control unit 3 can set the resolution within the range in consideration of the capability of the scanner 1. In the resolution control unit 3, one or more sets of resolutions of the first image data, the second image data, and the selected data are set in advance. For example, a set of standard resolutions can be selected. For example, the reading resolution of the scanner 1 can be set according to the resolution of the selected data. The image input from the scanner 1 is stored in the memory 2.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of image separation in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. For example, the image information input by the scanner 1 is shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the image is a color image in which pictures and characters are mixed as shown in FIG. In the image shown in FIG.
PAN "and a halftone map of Japan. The character "JAPAN" is also drawn in a different color for each character. For convenience of illustration, different colors are shown with different hatching.

The image separating section 11 separates the image stored in the memory 2 as shown in FIG. 3A into three image planes as shown in FIGS. 3B to 3D (S10).
3). Here, a picture portion such as a photograph is separated as first image data to generate a first image plane. In other words, as shown in FIG.
Separated into image planes. Further, the color information of the character / line drawing portion is separated as the second image data, and a second image plane is generated. That is, as shown in FIG.
Only the color information of “PAN” is separated into the second image plane. The selection plane is generated by selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. However, if the data for selecting the second image plane is stored for pixels constituting a character or a line drawing, Good. At this time, a set of pixels constituting a character or a line drawing is information indicating the shape of the character or line drawing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3D, the shape information of the character "JAPAN" is separated into the selected image plane.

Here, the first image plane shown in FIG. 3B needs a data length for holding colors and gradations in order to represent a multi-valued color image such as a photograph or a picture. Although the second image plane shown in FIG. 3C needs to be color multi-valued image data expressing the color of a character for each pixel, it is not necessary to retain the shape of the character. For characters of various colors, a color palette for each character may be used. For this reason, in the example shown in FIG. 3C, a circumscribed rectangle of the character is used, and is shown as a uniform color region in the region where the character exists. Further, the selected image plane shown in FIG. 3D preferably has a higher resolution because the shapes of characters and line drawings are retained as described above. However, the first image data or the second
Since it is only necessary to select any one of the image data, here, it is sufficient that there is one bit of information per pixel, and it can be handled as binary data.

When the three image planes are recombined into the original image, the portion (black portion) representing the shape of the character line drawing in FIG. 3D is the second image data (character color) in FIG. 3C. Palette) and the other part (white part) can be restored the original image by outputting the first image data (picture part) in FIG. 3B.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of another specific example of image separation in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the separation may be performed, for example, as shown in FIG. FIG. 4A is FIG.
It is the same input image as (A). FIG. 4B is a view similar to FIG.
Similar to FIG. 3B, a multi-valued pattern portion such as a photograph is separated, and FIG. 4D shows a selected image plane (reflecting the shape of a character and line drawing) as in FIG. 3D. Only FIG. 4 (C) differs from FIG. 3 (C) in that an image plane having both the shape of the character and line drawing and its color information is generated. In this case, if intuitively grasped, an image component composed of a relatively low frequency component such as a picture is composed of a relatively high frequency component such as a first image plane and a character / line drawing (including a color). The image component is a second image plane,
Furthermore, three image planes composed of a selected image plane for combining these into one image plane are obtained.

Besides, based on the above idea, it goes without saying that other image separation modes may be used.
Also, here, the plane is separated into three planes,
(Computer graphic) The number of planes is not limited to three, for example, the image part is also separated into a four-plane configuration. In the following description, it is assumed that the image is separated into three image planes in the form shown in FIG.

Various methods have been proposed for separating an input image. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-2
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 67678, a circumscribed rectangle and an outline are extracted for each part (picture, character) of an image,
There is a method of determining whether the part is a picture or a character line drawing based on the obtained density feature in the circumscribed rectangle or the area of the circumscribed rectangle of the circumscribed rectangle. Three image planes are generated based on the obtained separation result. In addition, for example, a method using a density difference as described in JP-A-5-14701,
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 114045, there is a method of extracting and summarizing feature amounts for each small area. As the image separation method used in the present invention, any of these methods and various other known methods can be used.

Next, resolution conversion is performed on each of the separated image planes (S104 to S106). As described above, for example, a standard resolution of each image plane is set in the resolution control unit 3 in advance. Processing for converting the resolution of each image plane is performed based on the set resolution. For example, for each image plane read at 400 dpi and divided into three planes as shown in FIG. 3, the first image plane (picture part) is 1
The resolution is reduced (reduced) to 00 dpi, the second image plane is set to 100 dpi, and the selected image plane is set to 200 dpi.

The resolution (resolution of the conversion destination) set in the resolution control unit 3 is, for example, due to the memory limitation of a storage device when storing image data, and the capacity of a transmission line when transmitting image data. The standard resolution is determined in advance by restrictions and the like. The resolution value determined in this way is stored and set in the resolution control unit 3. The resolution relationship between the image planes is set such that the standard resolution of the selected image plane, which affects the image quality at the time of synthesis, is set to be higher than the standard resolutions of the other two image planes in consideration of the character and line drawing that requires high resolution. It is good to set.

A known technique may be used for the resolution conversion method. For the first image plane (pattern), a projection method capable of maintaining good gradation, and for the second image data (character color) and the selected image plane, a zero-order hold method or a nearest neighbor method with little color change or noise. May be used.

The reading resolution of the scanner 1 can be adjusted in advance to the standard resolution of the selected image plane (character outline). For example, if the resolution of the selected image plane is 200 dpi, the reading resolution of the scanner 1 may be set to 200 dpi. As a result, the selected image plane obtained as a result of the separation is directly
There is an advantage that the data can be input to the third compression unit 17 and the third resolution conversion unit 14 is not required, so that the apparatus scale can be reduced. Regarding the other two image planes, image quality degradation is generally not noticeable at the time of synthesis even if the resolution is low, so that resolution conversion to a resolution lower than the resolution read by the scanner 1 may be performed. However, when higher image quality is required or when transmission does not require much load, this is not a limitation. For example, it is also possible to transmit the other two image planes at the same resolution as the resolution of the selected image plane. .

By performing the resolution conversion processing according to the three image planes in this way, it is possible to significantly reduce the data amount by combining with the compression processing described later.

Next, each of the obtained image planes after resolution conversion is independently subjected to a predetermined compression process (S10).
7 to S109). Since the first image plane contains a picture such as a photograph, it may be encoded by using a well-known irreversible compression method. For example, orthogonal transform coding or the like can be used. Since the second image plane contains the color information of the character and line drawing, and it is desired that the color change is as small as possible, a well-known reversible compression method may be used. For example, the LZ method can be used. As for the third image plane, since the shape of the character and line drawing is included, the existing 2D image plane does not deteriorate.
What is necessary is just to use the lossless encoding for a value image. For example, MMR
Method, MR method, MH method, or the like can be used. The details of the compression processing are omitted here.

Finally, a wrapping process is performed on the obtained three compressed image planes to combine them into one data format in the image format unit 18. For example, connect three data sequentially
There is a method of adding information such as the encoding method used for each of them, the value of each resolution, etc., and using this as a data format. A well-known format such as TIFF may be used as another format. The description of the data format is omitted.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the standard resolution of each image plane is set in advance in accordance with the memory limitation and capacity of the device, so that the maximum performance of the device is obtained. , High image quality, and no wasteful transmission time or storage capacity. As a result, color image processing suitable for the communication environment and the device environment can be performed as compared with the related art. Further, at the time when the image information is input, the device configuration can be simplified by reading at the resolution of the selected image plane, for example.

In the above description, a case where color characters and pictures are mixed has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a case of only color letters or an image of a picture only. For example, in the case of only color characters, the first image plane (picture) may be handled as blank image data. Alternatively, the image format unit 18
For example, a method in which the fact that the first image plane does not exist (not added to the transmission format) is added as information is possible. In the case of only a picture, the second image plane and the selected image plane may be treated as blank image data, or similarly, the absence of these may be added as information.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numeral 5 denotes a user interface unit. In the second embodiment,
This shows an apparatus configuration for setting a resolution according to a user's image quality request or document type.

The user interface unit 5 receives a user's designation of an image quality mode or a document type.
The resolution control unit 3 interprets the image quality mode or the document type received by the user interface unit 5 and sends a predetermined conversion destination to the first resolution conversion unit 12, the second resolution conversion unit 13, and the third resolution conversion unit 14. Set the resolution. At this time, the resolutions of the three image planes are switched according to the image quality request and the document type specified by the user.
When the scanner 1 is connected as an input unit, the resolution control unit 3 may set the reading resolution for the scanner 1 as in the first embodiment. Further, in the second embodiment, not only the scanner 1 but also various image input devices may be connected, or other computers or devices are connected directly or via a network or the like. Image information may be input.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of an example of a display screen when an image quality mode is specified in the user interface unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a display screen when a document type is also specified. It is explanatory drawing of an example. Here, as an example, an example is shown in which options are displayed on a screen, for example, and the user gives a selection instruction using input means such as a touch panel or a pointing device. Of course, buttons (keys)
Various designation methods may be used, such as a method of pressing the button. In this example, the standard mode is set in advance as default, and the set mode is highlighted. Here, for the sake of illustration, hatched portions are shown in the highlighted portions.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, either "standard" or "high image quality" can be selected as the image quality mode. “Standard” is set as the default setting as shown in FIG. To select high image quality, the mode can be changed by touching (lightly pressing) the display of "high image quality". At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the character of "high image quality" is displayed in reverse video to notify the user that the high image quality mode has been selected. Of course, then "standard"
Touch the display to return to the standard mode.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, either "text" or "photo" can be selected as the document type. As a default setting, “character” is set as shown in FIG. The mode can be changed using the touch panel as in the case of specifying the image quality mode. For example, by touching the display of “photo”, “photo” is selected as the document type, and the display changes as shown in FIG. 7B.

Note that the above-mentioned image quality mode and original type selection item names are not limited to the above-mentioned display, and the names may be appropriately changed. Further, other options such as “ultra high image quality” and “mixed text / photograph” may be provided. further,
The preset default image quality mode and default document type setting are not limited to this, and other image quality modes and document types may be set as default. Furthermore, such a default setting may be eliminated, and the user may always set these one by one.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. First, in S121, the user interface unit 5
The image quality mode or the document type is designated by the user via. In S122, the resolution control unit 3 determines the resolution (conversion destination resolution) after the conversion in the first resolution conversion unit 12, the second resolution conversion unit 13, and the third resolution conversion unit 14 according to the designated image quality mode or document type. Set each. Details of the processing in S122 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Here, a case where only either the image quality mode or the original type can be designated will be described.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the resolution setting process in the image quality mode according to the second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. When the image mode is selected on the screen as shown in FIG. 6, the user selects either "standard" or "high image quality" as the image quality mode. In S141, the image mode selected by the user is determined, and if "standard" is selected, the conversion destination resolution of the third resolution conversion unit 14 is set to the standard resolution in S142. If “high image quality” is selected as the image mode, in step S143, the conversion destination resolution of the third resolution conversion unit 14 is set to a resolution higher than the standard resolution.

The third resolution converter 14 performs resolution conversion of the selected image plane including the shape of the character / line drawing as described in the first embodiment. In general, characters and line drawings are most affected by the output resolution. Therefore, when the image quality mode is set to “high image quality”, the resolution of the selected image plane that affects these image quality during synthesis is set to the standard. The resolution is converted to a higher resolution than the resolution to improve the image quality of character and line art.

For example, if the resolution of the input image information is 30
When “standard” is selected at 0 dpi, the conversion destination resolution in the third resolution conversion unit 14 is set to a standard value of 200 dpi,
If “High image quality” is selected, set the conversion destination resolution to 400
Settings such as dpi may be used. Further, depending on the input resolution of the scanner 1, it may not be necessary to perform resolution conversion. For example, if the resolution of the image information input from the scanner 1 is equal to the standard resolution and the image quality mode is “standard”, the processing in the third resolution conversion unit 14 is not performed. Alternatively, if the resolution of the image information input from the scanner 1 is higher than the standard value and the image quality mode is “high image quality”, the reading resolution may be used as it is for the selected image plane, or the resolution may be further improved. You may. In addition, various conversion destination resolutions can be considered depending on the reading resolution of the scanner 1 and the value of the standard resolution. However, basically, when “high image quality” is designated, a preset selected image is selected. By setting the resolution of the plane higher than the standard resolution, the resolution is set so as to improve the image quality of the character and line drawing.

Further, not only the resolution of the selected image plane but also the resolution of the other two image planes, when "high image quality" is designated, the resolution higher than the standard resolution of each image plane. May be controlled to be set to.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the resolution setting process based on the document type in the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. When the document type is selected on the screen as shown in FIG. 7, the user selects either "text" or "photo" as the document type. In step S151, the document type selected by the user is determined. If the user selects "picture" as the document type, the resolution in the first resolution conversion unit 12 is set to a resolution higher than the standard resolution in step S152. I do.
When “character” is selected, the third resolution conversion unit 1
In step 4, the conversion destination resolution is set to a higher resolution than the standard resolution.

For example, a first image plane (including a picture)
When the standard resolution of the selected image plane (including the shape of the character and line drawing) is 100 dpi, and the user designates "picture", the first
The resolution of the image plane is increased to 200 dpi from the standard resolution. When the user designates “character”, the resolution of the selected image plane is increased to 200 dpi from the standard resolution. This is basically the same as the case of specifying the image quality mode described above, as long as the user can specify the resolution for each image attribute.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG.
23 and subsequent processes are performed. The subsequent processes are the same as the processes from S102 onward in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment, and thus will be briefly described. In S123, an image is input by the scanner 1, and the input image information is stored in the memory 2. In S124, the image separation unit 11 separates the image information stored in the memory 2 into three image planes. For example, they are separated as shown in FIGS. S12
In steps S5 to S127, the three separated image planes are converted by the first resolution conversion unit 12, the second resolution conversion unit 13, and the third resolution conversion unit 14 into the resolution of the conversion destination set by the resolution control unit 3. Is done. Further, S128
In steps S130 to S130, the first compression unit 15, the second compression unit 1
6. The third compression unit 17 individually compresses each of the resolution-converted image planes. Finally, in S131, the image format unit 18 wraps the three compressed image planes into a predetermined data format and outputs the data.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the resolution of each image plane can be set according to the image quality mode and the document type requested by the user, the image quality of characters and the image quality of pictures can be appropriately improved. It becomes possible. Thus, the original can be transmitted or stored at a resolution according to the purpose of the user.

In the above description, the case where the image quality mode and the document type are specified for only one of them is described. However, both the image quality mode and the document type may be specified. As a reference for determining the resolution in this case, it is only necessary to devise a method such as setting priorities for the image quality mode and the document type. Alternatively, the conversion destination resolution may be set according to the combination of the document mode and the document type. For example, when “standard” and “picture” are designated, the resolution of the first resolution conversion unit 12 is set to 100 dp.
i, 200 if “High image quality” and “Picture” are specified
dpi. In addition, when “standard” and “character” are designated, it is possible to set the conversion resolution of the third resolution converter 14 to 100 dpi, and to set “high quality” and “character” to 300 dpi.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numeral 21 denotes a first compressed data amount determining unit, and reference numeral 22 denotes a second compressed data amount determining unit. In the third embodiment, an apparatus configuration for automatically setting the resolution according to the amount of compressed data is shown.

The first compressed data amount determining unit 21 measures the data amount of the first image plane compressed by the first compressing unit 15 and compares the measured data amount with a preset threshold value. Is determined. If the compressed data amount is equal to or less than the threshold, the compressed first
The image plane is output to the image format unit 18. If the amount of compressed data exceeds the threshold, the first resolution conversion unit 12 does not output the compressed first image plane, but instructs the first resolution conversion unit 12 to convert the first image plane to a lower resolution. Similarly, the second compressed data amount determination unit 22
Measures the data amount of the second image plane compressed by the second compression unit 16 and compares it with a preset threshold value to determine whether the compressed data amount is equal to or smaller than the threshold value. If the amount of compressed data is equal to or smaller than the threshold, the compressed second image plane is output to the image format unit 18. If the amount of compressed data exceeds the threshold, the compressed second image plane is not output, and the second resolution conversion unit 13 is instructed to convert the second image plane to a lower resolution.

The first resolution conversion unit 12 and the second resolution conversion unit 13 temporarily hold the first image plane and the second image plane.
A resolution conversion process is performed according to an instruction from the compressed data amount determination unit 22. The resolution conversion need not be performed immediately after the image is separated by the image separation unit 11. In this case, in order to keep the resolution of the selected image plane higher than the resolution of the first image plane and the second image plane, the resolution of the selected image plane is set to the resolution of the input image information,
The configuration may be such that the resolution conversion unit 14 is not provided.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. First, in step S161, the scanner 1 inputs image information. Of course, similarly to the second embodiment, image information may be input via another input device, a network, or the like. The input image information is temporarily stored in the memory 2. In S162, the image data stored in the memory 2 is converted into three image planes (a first image plane, a second image plane, and a selected image plane) by the image separation unit 11 in the same manner as in the above-described first embodiment, for example. Separated.

The three separated image planes are respectively divided into a first resolution converter 12, a second resolution converter 13,
Although input to the resolution conversion unit 14, in order to maintain the image quality as much as possible, immediately after separation, the resolution of the input image information is maintained without performing resolution conversion. Of course, immediately after the separation, the image may be converted to the standard resolution or the resolution specified by the user, as in the first and second embodiments.

Subsequently, compression processing is performed on each of the three image planes. The first image plane (including the picture) is subjected to irreversible compression processing by the first compression unit 15 in S163. The second image plane (including the color information of the character / line drawing) is subjected to lossless compression processing by the second compression unit 16 in S164. The selected image plane (including the shape of the character / line drawing) is subjected to lossless compression processing by the third compression unit 72 in S165. The compression processing for each image plane may be performed in the same way as in the first and second embodiments.

[0064] First, the first image plane compressed by the first compression unit 15 is input to the compressed data amount determination unit 21, the data amount is threshold amount Th ₁ below the preset first image plane compressed It is determined in S166 whether or not this is the case. If it is determined that the amount of the compressed data is the threshold value Th ₁ below, it outputs the first image plane is compressed as it is to the image format section 18. Also, if the amount of compressed data exceeds the threshold value Th ₁ does not output the first image plane is compressed, reducing the resolution to instruct to perform resolution conversion on the first resolution converter 12 .
Upon receiving this instruction, the first resolution conversion unit 12 converts the resolution of the first image plane to a resolution lower than the resolution before the determination of the compressed data amount in S167. And S1
At 63, the compression process is performed again, and at S166, the amount of compressed data is determined. Thus until the amount of compressed data becomes the threshold value Th ₁ below, to convert lower the resolution, performs recompression. For example, when the resolution of the input image information is 400 dpi, the compressed data amount is equal to the threshold Th.
If it exceeds ₁ , the resolution of the first image plane is reduced to, for example, 200 dpi. This even if the amount of compressed data exceeds the threshold value Th ₁ lowers the resolution of the first image plane for example 100 dpi. By reducing the resolution in this way, the data amount can be reduced.
When the compressed data amount becomes equal to or smaller than the threshold Th1, the _first compressed image plane at that time is output to the image format unit 18.

Next, the processing of the second image plane compressed by the second compression section 16 will be described. The processing is basically the same as the processing from the first compression unit 15 to the image format unit 18. First, the second image plane which is compressed by the second compression unit 16 inputs the compressed data amount determination unit 22, whether or not the data amount of the compressed second image plane is less than the threshold amount Th ₂ a preset Is determined in S168. If it is determined that the amount of the compressed data is the threshold value Th ₂ or less, and outputs a second image plane which is compressed as it is to the image format section 18. If the amount of compressed data exceeds the threshold value Th ₂ does not output the second image plane which is compressed, reducing the resolution to instruct to perform resolution conversion on the second resolution converter 13. Upon receiving this instruction, the second resolution conversion unit 13 converts the resolution of the second image plane to a resolution lower than the resolution before the determination of the compressed data amount in S169. Then, the compression process is performed again in S164, and the amount of compressed data is determined in S168. Thus until the amount of compressed data becomes the threshold value Th ₂ or less, to convert lower the resolution,
Perform recompression. When the amount of the compressed data is the threshold value Th ₂ or less, the compressed second image plane at the time is output to the image format section 18.

Thus, the first image plane and the second image plane
When the image plane exceeds a predetermined compressed data amount, the data amount is controlled by lowering the resolution. As a result, data can be created in a multilayer data format in consideration of the line capacity, the capacity of the storage device, and the like. The thresholds Th ₁ and Th ₂ may be determined in consideration of, for example, the line capacity, the capacity of the storage device, the image quality, and the like.

Note that the selected image plane includes the shape of a character / line drawing that requires a high resolution in consideration of the image quality. To prevent the image quality from deteriorating, the conversion to a low resolution and the recompression processing are performed here. Not implemented. However, these processes may be performed on the selected image plane as needed. In this example, the image separation unit 51
Is selected by the third resolution conversion unit 1
4 as it is, input to the third compression unit 17, subjected to compression processing, and then input to the image format unit 18.

The three compressed image planes obtained as described above are input to the image format unit 18,
In S170, the data is wrapped into one data format and output in the same manner as the processing described in each of the above embodiments.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the data amount of the first image plane and the second image plane is controlled by the resolution, thereby making it possible to control the total data amount. Therefore, processing can be performed in consideration of the storage device capacity, the line capacity, and the like.

In the third embodiment, the first embodiment
Although the data amount control of the image plane and the data amount control of the second image plane are separately performed, for example, the compressed data amount of the first image plane compressed by the first compression unit 15 and the second compression unit 16
The sum of the compressed data amount of the second image plane compressed by
A comparison is made with a predetermined threshold value, and one or both of the first resolution conversion unit 76 and the second resolution conversion unit 78 are converted to a low resolution and recompressed according to the result. You may. In this case as well, the total image data amount may be obtained by adding the compressed data amount of the selected data plane in consideration of the selected image plane, and the determination may be made.

The configurations shown in the above-described first to third embodiments can be configured alone or in combination.

As an application example of the above-described first to third embodiments, several system configurations when applied to an image transmitting apparatus will be described. Of course, the image processing apparatus shown in the above-described first to third embodiments can be applied to an image transmitting apparatus and various applications such as an image filing apparatus when storing an image. .

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a first applied example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 31 is an image transmitting device, 32 is an image receiving device, and 33 is a document image. The image transmitting device 31 includes the image processing device of the present invention as described in the first to third embodiments. As in the case of a normal black-and-white facsimile, the image transmission device 31 scans and inputs a color document image 33, converts the input image information into a multi-layer data format by the image processing device of the present invention, and then transmits it through a line. At this time, by setting the resolution and the data amount according to the capacity of the line or the like or setting the resolution according to the instruction of the user, the image information can be transmitted with the optimum data amount while maintaining the optimum image quality.

In the image receiving device 32, the image transmitting device 31
And restores the image data in the multilayer data format sent from. More specifically, three compressed image planes are extracted from the image data wrapped in a predetermined data format, and after decoding processing, the resolutions of the three image planes are matched, and each pixel of the selected image plane is By selecting and outputting data of the first image plane or the second image plane according to the value, image data can be restored.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of an image transmission device in a first application example of the image processing device of the present invention. In the figure, 41 is a CPU, 42 is a memory,
43 is a communication control unit, 44 is an image processing unit, 45 is a scanner, 46 is an interface unit, and 47 is a bus. CP
U41 controls the entire image transmitting apparatus. Memory 42
Temporarily stores image information input from the scanner 45, multi-layer data format image information converted by the image processing unit 44, and the like. The memory 2 in FIGS. 1, 5 and 11 described above can be constituted by this memory 42. The communication control unit 43 controls communication with the image receiving device 32 and transmits image data in a multilayer data format. The image processing unit 44 includes the multi-layer data format conversion unit 4 in the first to third embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention described above and the resolution control unit 3 in the first and second embodiments. , Converts the image information input from the scanner 45 through the interface unit 46 into multi-layer data format image data. The scanner 45 reads a document and inputs image information. This corresponds to the scanner 1 in FIGS. 1, 5, and 11 described above. The interface unit 46 includes the scanner 4
5 is an interface for connecting the CPU 5 to the CPU 41. The bus 47 connects the CPU 41, the memory 42, the communication control unit 43, the image processing unit 44, and the interface unit 46 inside the image transmission device.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image transmitting apparatus in the first application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. First, in step S181, the scanner 45
The document image 33 to be transmitted is read by using. At this time, for example, when the configuration of the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention is installed in the image processing unit 44, the resolution at the time of reading is set from the image processing unit 44. The read image information is stored in the memory 42 via the interface 46 under the control of the CPU 41 in S182.

Subsequently, under the control of the CPU 41, S183
In, communication control with the image receiving device 32 is started.
At this time, a confirmation operation (negotiation) of the device environment of the image receiving device 32 is performed.
It is managed by 1. After confirming the end of the confirmation work in S184, in S185, the image processing unit 44 performs a conversion process to a multilayer data format. This processing is as described in the above-described first to third embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. Appropriate resolution conversion is performed on each image plane in the multilayer data format according to the capacity of the transmission path, the type of the document image 33 to be transmitted, and the like, and compression processing is performed.

The converted multi-layer data format image data is
In S186, it is stored in the memory 42 again. In addition,
The memory 42 may be provided with a capacity capable of storing image data for two surfaces before and after conversion, or may be provided with a capacity for only one surface to dynamically control writing and reading.

When the CPU 41 confirms that the image data converted into the multi-layer data format has been stored in the memory 42, it transmits this via the communication control unit 43 in S187, and ends the processing. As described above, the transmitted multi-layer data format image data has been subjected to conversion processing at an appropriate resolution according to the device environment and image quality requirements, so that high-quality images can be transmitted at high speed.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a second applied example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 51 to 53 are host computers, 54 is a digital camera, 55 is a scanner, 56 is a transmitting device, 57 is a modem, 58 is a transmitting network, 61 and 62 are client computers,
63 and 64 are printers, 65 is a receiving network, 6
6 is a receiving side device, and 67 is a modem. In the transmitting system, host computers 51 to 53, a scanner 55, a transmitting device 56, and the like are connected by a transmitting network 58. The host computer 53 has a digital camera 54, and the transmitting device 56 has a modem 57.
Are connected respectively.

The transmitting device 56 has, for example, the configuration shown as the first to third embodiments of the above-described image processing device of the present invention. The transmitting device 56 includes host computers 51 to 5 connected on the transmitting network 58.
3 or directly from the scanner 55 and the digital camera 54
Receives image data via the host computer 53 and performs processing such as image separation, resolution conversion, compression, and formatting, and then faxes the image data in the multilayer data format to the receiving system via the modem 57. be able to.

The receiving system is connected to the receiving network 6
5 connects the client computers 61 and 62, the printers 63 and 64, the receiving side device 65, and the like. Further, a modem 67 is connected to the receiving side device 66, and FAX image data transmitted via a communication line can be received via the modem 67.

The receiving device 65 synthesizes an image from the multi-layer data format image data received by the modem 67 and outputs it to the printer 63 or 64. Alternatively, after necessary processing is performed by the client computers 61 and 62, the data can be output from the printer 63 or 64.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the transmitting apparatus in the second application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 71 is an internal bus, 72 is a CPU,
73 is a memory, 74 is a network control unit, 75 is a communication control unit, 76 is an image storage unit, 77 is an image processing unit, and 78 is an interface unit. Transmitter 5 shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 6 denotes a configuration in which a CPU 72, a memory 73, a network 74, a communication control unit 75, an image storage unit 76, an image processing unit 77, an interface unit 78, and the like are connected by an internal bus 71.

The CPU 72 controls the transmitting device 56. The memory 73 temporarily stores the image data. The network control unit 74 receives image data from the host computers 51 to 53 and the scanner 55 via the network 58, or transmits image data to other host computers 51 to 53 via the network 58. The communication control unit 75 faxes image data via the modem 57 or the like connected to the outside. As shown in FIG. 16, a communication line such as a general telephone line is further connected to the modem 57 for communication, and image data can be transmitted by facsimile via these lines. The image storage unit 76 stores image data. The image processing unit 77 includes:
The first to third embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention described above are applied, and the image information received via the network control unit 74 is converted into a multi-layer data format using a resolution according to the line capacity and the equipment capacity. To image data. The interface unit 78 is an interface for directly connecting an image input device such as a scanner or a digital camera to the transmitting device 56.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the second application of the present invention. In FIG. 18, the host computers 51 to 53 are actually
5 shows an operation from the creation of an image or the reading of an image from the scanner 55 or the digital camera 54 to image processing and fax transmission. First, S
In 191, one of the host computers 51 to 53 or the scanner 55 connected to the network 58 issues a request to transmit an image to the transmitting device 56, and transmits the image.

When the transmission device 56 receives a transmission request via the network control unit 74, the CPU 72 directs the DMAC (Direct Memory A) (not shown).
access controller) to set predetermined parameters. Memory 7 as a parameter
3 data storage addresses and transfer rates. When the setting of the parameters is completed, the CPU 72 issues a command indicating a ready state to the network control unit 74, and then in S192, the host computer 5
The image information sequentially transmitted from any of 1 to 53 is stored in the memory 73.

In the case where the image processing unit 77 includes the configuration shown in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the host computer which has transmitted the transmission request via the network control unit 74 when setting the parameters. The resolution information is sent to 51 to 53 or the scanner 55. The host computers 51 to 53 that have received the resolution information,
Create image information according to the received resolution. Alternatively, when the scanner 55 receives the resolution information,
The original image is scanned at the received resolution, and the image information is read. The same applies when the host computer 53 reads an image with the digital camera 54. In this way, the image information according to the resolution sent from the transmitting device 56 is stored in the memory 73.

In the case where the image processing unit 77 includes the configuration shown in the second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the transmission image quality, the transmission original type, and the like are set before shifting to S193. Instructed by the user. The user interface unit 5 illustrated in FIG. 5 may be provided in the host computers 51 to 53, the digital camera 54, and the scanner 55 in addition to being provided in the transmitting device 56. When the user interface unit 5 is provided in addition to the transmission side device 56, the information of the transmission image quality and transmission original type designated by the user is transmitted to the transmission side device 56 at the time of parameter setting.

When all the image information is stored in the memory 73, the CPU 72 sets parameters such as an image read address and a write address of the processed multi-layer data format image data in a register of the DMAC, Are sequentially read and sent to the image processing unit 77. S1
In 93, the image processing unit 77 executes the processing described in the above-described first to third embodiments, and outputs multilayer image data.

For example, if the image processing section 77 has the above-described first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the transmitted image information is separated into image planes, and the resolution control section 3 sets the image information. The image data is converted into a standard resolution, compressed, formatted, and output as multi-layer data format image data. Further, if the image processing unit 77 has the above-described second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the resolution control unit 3 sets the resolution according to the transmission image quality and the transmission original type specified by the user. Then, the transmitted image information is separated into image planes, each of which is converted in resolution at the resolution set by the resolution control unit 3, compressed, formatted, and output as multi-layer data format image data. Furthermore, if the image processing unit 77 has the above-described third embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the transmitted image information is separated into image planes, and compression processing is performed to reduce the amount of compressed data. If the amount of compressed data is larger than the predetermined amount, the data is converted to a lower resolution and recompressed.This process is repeated until the amount of compressed data is within the predetermined amount, and then formatted. Is output.

In step S194, the image data converted into the multilayer data format is sequentially stored in the memory 7 starting from a write address previously set in a register of the DMAC.
3 is stored. As the memory 73, a capacity capable of storing two pieces of image data before and after the image processing may be prepared, or only the larger one may be prepared to dynamically control writing and reading. Is also good. S1
At 95, the image data in the multi-layer data format stored in the memory 73 is sequentially stored in the image storage unit 76 for storage.
Is accumulated in

When the accumulation of the image data in the multilayer data format is completed, in S196, the CPU 72 starts communication with the pre-designated receiving system. Detailed communication protocol is omitted. After confirming that the connection to the receiving system has been completed in S197, the image data in the multilayer data format stored in the memory 73 is sequentially read out and transmitted to the receiving system in S198.

By the above processing, the host computer 5
It becomes possible to convert the image information sent from the scanners 1 to 53 and the scanner 55 into image data of a multilayer data format and send it by fax to the receiving system. Alternatively, the image data in the multilayer data format stored in the memory 73 may be sequentially read out via the network control unit 74 and sent to the host computers 51 to 53. When converting the image data into the multi-layer data format, the resolution is set in consideration of the line capacity, the device capacity, and the like, so that the image data can be converted into an appropriate amount of data while maintaining the image quality.
Therefore, the image data can be transmitted according to the environment without unnecessary communication time and without unnecessarily lowering the image quality.

In the receiving system, the receiving device 66 reconstructs an image based on the FAX image data received by the modem 67. The compressed first image plane, second image plane, and selected image plane are extracted from the formatted image data in the multilayer data format, and after decoding, the resolution is adjusted, and the first image plane or the second image plane is selected according to the data of the selected image plane. Data of one of the two image planes is selected and output. Thereby, the image information is reconstructed.

The reconstructed image information is subjected to image processing as needed under the control of the client computers 61 and 62 and stored as it is.
Alternatively, it can be output from the printer 63 or the printer 64.

In the first to third embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention described above, the resolution used in the conversion process to the multi-layer data format is set in advance, and the set standard resolution is used. The resolution set according to the user's instruction is selectively used, or the resolution is automatically set according to the amount of compressed data. As described in the first and second application examples above, when image data converted to a multilayer data format is transmitted via a transmission path, determination of a resolution used in a conversion process to a multilayer data format is performed. Further, it can be performed according to the capability of the device on the receiving side. Hereinafter, this example will be described.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the image transmitting apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numeral 6 denotes a communication control unit, and 7 denotes a reception capability recognition unit. This image transmission device
For example, the present invention can be applied to the image transmission device 31 in the first application example shown in FIG. 13 and the transmission-side device 56 in the second application example shown in FIG. More specifically, in the first application example shown in FIG. 14 and the second application example shown in FIG. 17, the resolution control unit 3 shown in FIG. It is configured to include a multi-layer data format conversion unit 4 and a reception stress recognition unit 7,
The communication control unit 43 and the communication control unit 75 may include the communication control unit 6 illustrated in FIG.

Communication control unit 6 controls communication with the receiving device. In this process, information about the receiving capability of the receiving device is obtained by negotiation processing before image transmission, and is passed to the receiving capability recognizing unit 7. The receiving capability recognition unit 7 recognizes the highest receivable resolution of the receiving device from the information on the receiving capability of the receiving device passed from the communication control unit 6.
The resolution control unit 3 performs conversion by the first resolution conversion unit 12, the second resolution conversion unit 13, and the third resolution conversion unit 14 based on the highest resolution receivable by the receiving device recognized by the reception capability recognition unit 7. Set the destination resolution respectively. With these configurations, by negotiation with the receiving device before transmission,
The conversion destination resolutions of the three image planes are determined so as to be optimal for the receiving device.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image transmitting apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, in S201, the scanner 5 inputs image information. Of course, the first and second
As shown in the application example, the image data may be input from another image input device such as a digital camera, or may be transmitted from various devices such as an image input device or a computer via a network or a line. The input image information is temporarily stored in the memory 2 in this example. Of course, the data may be directly input to the multilayer data format converter 4.

Subsequently, in S202, communication control with the receiving device is performed by the communication control unit 6, and the highest resolution receivable by the receiving device is recognized by the receiving capability recognition unit 7. In S203, the first resolution conversion unit 12, based on the maximum outputtable resolution of the receiving side recognized in S202,
The resolution control unit 3 sets conversion destination resolutions in the second resolution conversion unit 13 and the third resolution conversion unit 14.

The details of the processing of S202 and S203 are shown in FIG.
Shown in FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of determining a conversion destination resolution in the embodiment of the image transmission device of the present invention. In step S211, negotiation with the receiving apparatus is performed in the same manner as in step S202, and the maximum resolution receivable by the receiving apparatus is recognized.
In step 13, a conversion destination resolution is set. First, in S212, the resolution of the selected image plane (including the shape of the character and line drawing) generated on the transmission side is set to 1 / ns of the maximum resolution receivable on the reception side. Here, ns is a natural number. In S213, the resolutions of the first image plane and the second image plane generated on the transmission side are respectively set to 1 / n ₁ and 1 / n ₂ of the resolution of the selected image plane. Here, n ₁ and n ₂ are natural numbers. Note that n ₁ = n ₂ may be satisfied.

For example, in S212, if the maximum resolution that can be output on the receiving side is 200 dpi and ns = 1, then
The resolution of the selected image plane is equivalent to the highest receivable resolution of the receiving device, that is, the selected image plane is generated at 200 dpi, and the character and line drawing section is transmitted at a resolution that makes full use of the capability of the receiving device. It becomes possible. Further, under this condition, in S213, n
_{If 1} = n ₂ = 2, the resolution of the selected image plane is 20
1/2 of 0 dpi, that is, 100 dpi is the resolution of the first image plane and the second image plane.

As described above, basically, ns is determined in consideration of the image quality of the character and line drawing part, and the resolution of the first image plane and the second image plane is determined more than the resolution of the selected image plane determined by ns. N ₁ , so that the resolution is equal to or less than
It is desirable to determine n ₂ , but not exclusively,
The values of ns and n ₁ and n ₂ may be set arbitrarily. In particular, n
By setting the values of s, n ₁ , and n ₂ in accordance with the line capacity limitation and device limitation, the properties of each image plane, etc., it is possible to set a resolution suitable for an environment in which image data is transmitted.

As described above, the performance of the receiving resolution of the partner receiving apparatus is recognized in advance by negotiation, and the first
In addition, if the conversion resolution of each image plane when the resolution conversion processing is performed by the third resolution conversion units 12 to 14 is determined, the transmission processing without waste can be performed in accordance with the performance of the receiving apparatus. It is possible to perform efficient image transmission without deterioration.

Returning to FIG. 20, the description will be continued.
The processing after step 04 is the same as the above-described example of the operation of the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, and thus will be described only briefly. First to third resolution conversion units 12 to 14
After the conversion destination resolution is set in step S204, in step S204, the image separation unit 11 separates the input image information into three image planes. In S205, S206, and S207, the three image planes obtained in S204 are resolution-converted to the conversion destination resolution set in S203. Further, in S208, S209, and S210, the first compression unit 15, the second compression unit 16, and the third compression unit 17 individually perform compression processing. Finally, in step S211, the image format unit 58 wraps the three compressed image planes into one data format. The image data in the multilayer data format generated in this way is stored in the memory once or transmitted directly to the receiving device in S212.

As described above, in this embodiment of the image transmitting apparatus, for example, in the transmission system as shown in the first and second application examples, the receivable resolution of the receiving side is first negotiated. , And the resolution of each image plane can be set based on the recognized resolution, so that the quality of characters and the quality of pictures can always be matched to the capability of the receiving side. Thereby, transmission according to the performance of the receiving side can be performed.

[0108]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the image quality, original type,
Depending on the device environment such as memory capacity, the transmission capacity environment of the line when transmitting images, the receiving capacity of the receiving device, etc.
The resolution can be optimally set and the image data can be converted into image data in a multilayer data format. In particular, for image data in a multi-layer data format, the resolution can be set independently for each image plane, resulting in higher image quality than before, and
There is an effect that the data can be converted, transmitted, or stored in a manner suitable for the environment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of image separation in the first embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of another specific example of image separation in the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen when an image quality mode is specified in a user interface unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen when a document type is specified in a user interface unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a resolution setting process in an image quality mode according to the second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a resolution setting process based on a document type according to the second embodiment of the image processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a first application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of an image transmission device in a first application example of the image processing device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the image transmission device in the first application example of the image processing device of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram showing a second application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a transmission-side device in a second application example of the image processing device of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation in a second application example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an image transmission device according to the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the image transmission device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of determining a conversion destination resolution in an embodiment of the image transmission device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Scanner, 2 ... Memory, 3 ... Resolution control part, 4 ... Multilayer data format conversion part, 5 ... User interface part, 6
... Communication control unit, 7 Reception capability recognition unit, 11 Image separation unit, 12 First resolution conversion unit, 13 Second resolution conversion unit, 14 Third resolution conversion unit, 15 First compression unit, 16
... 2nd compression unit, 17 ... 3rd compression unit, 18 ... Image format unit, 21 ... First compressed data amount determination unit, 22 ... 2nd compressed data amount determination unit, 31 ... Image transmission device, 32 ... Image reception device , 33: Document image, 41: CPU, 42: Memory, 43: Communication control unit, 44: Image processing unit, 45: Scanner, 46: Interface unit, 47: Bus, 51 to 5
3: Host computer, 54: Digital camera, 55
... Scanner, 56 ... Transmission device, 57 ... Modem, 58 ...
Sender network, 61, 62 client computer, 63, 64 printer, 65 receiver network, 66 receiver device, 67 modem, 71 internal bus, 72 CPU, 73 memory, 74 network control Unit 75 communication control unit 76 image storage unit 77
Image processing unit 78 interface unit.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Shinichi Saito, 2274 Hongo, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture ) Inventor Kanako Hayashi 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F-Xerox Co., Ltd.F-term (reference) MP06 PP20 PP27 PP28 PP65 PP66 PQ08 RR11 RR21 SS05 5C078 CA03 CA34 DB04 DB06

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. Multi-layer data for outputting image information in a multi-layer data format including first image data, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. Format conversion means;
Image data, the second image data, and a resolution control unit that sets a resolution at the time of output for each of the selection data, the multilayer data format conversion unit includes the first image data, the second image data, An image processing apparatus, wherein a resolution conversion process is performed on the selected data according to a resolution set by the resolution control unit, as needed. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input unit configured to scan a document image according to a resolution of the selection data set by the resolution control unit and input the image information. . 3. An image quality designating means for designating an image quality at the time of outputting an image by a user, wherein the resolution control means, when high image quality is designated by the image quality designating means, outputs the selected data. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the resolution is set so as to output at a resolution higher than the standard resolution. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a type designation unit for designating a type of the image represented by the image information by a user, wherein the resolution control unit determines that the type of the image represented by the image information is a character in the type designation unit. If specified,
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a resolution is set so that the selection data is output at a resolution higher than a standard resolution. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a type designation unit for designating a type of an image represented by the image information by a user, wherein the resolution control unit determines that the type of the image represented by the image information is a pattern in the type designation unit. If specified,
The resolution is set so that the first image data or the second image data including a picture portion in the image information is output at a resolution higher than a standard resolution. Image processing device. 6. The multi-layer data format converter further performs a compression process on each of the first image data, the second image data, and the selected data. The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 7. Separating means for separating image information into first image data, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data, and the separating means Resolution converting means for performing a resolution conversion on the first image data, the second image data, and the selected data separated as necessary, the first image data output from the resolution conversion means, Compression means for compressing image data and selected data, and compressed data amount determining means for comparing the compressed data amounts of the first image data and the second image data compressed by the compression means with respective preset thresholds The compressed data amount determination means, for the data whose compressed data amount is determined to be greater than the threshold value, the resolution conversion means And recompressing the image. 8. Separating means for separating image information into first image data, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data, and the separating means Resolution converting means for performing a resolution conversion on the first image data, the second image data, and the selected data separated as necessary, the first image data output from the resolution conversion means, Compression means for compressing the image data and the selected data, and compressed data for calculating at least the sum of the compressed data amounts of the first image data and the second image data compressed by the compression means and comparing the sum with a preset threshold value The compressed data amount determining means, when it is determined that the sum of the compressed data amounts is larger than the threshold value, the resolution converting means outputs at least the first image An image processing apparatus wherein the data and the second image data are subjected to resolution conversion to a lower resolution and recompressed. 9. Multi-layer data for outputting image information in a multi-layer data format including first image data, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. A format conversion unit, a communication control unit that performs communication control between the reception device and at least information on a reception capability of the reception device, and receives image information in a multilayer data format output from the multilayer data format conversion unit. Receiving capability recognizing means for recognizing the receiving capability of the receiving device from the information on the receiving capability obtained by the communication control device, and determining the transmission resolution based on the receiving capability of the receiving device recognized by the receiving capability recognizing device. And setting the resolution of the selected data in the multi-layer data format conversion means to the transmission resolution and setting the resolution of the selected data to A resolution control unit for setting a resolution of the first image data and the second image data in correspondence with each other, wherein the multilayer data format conversion unit converts the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data into An image transmitting apparatus for performing a resolution conversion process as needed in accordance with a resolution set by the resolution control means. 10. An image transmitting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising input means for scanning a document image in accordance with the resolution of said selection data set by said resolution control means and inputting said image information. . 11. Multi-layer data for outputting image information in a multi-layer data format including first image data, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. A format conversion unit, a communication control unit that performs communication control between the reception device and at least information on a reception capability of the reception device, and receives image information in a multilayer data format output from the multilayer data format conversion unit. Receiving capability recognizing means for recognizing the highest receivable resolution of the receiving device to be obtained from the information on the receiving capability obtained by the communication control means, The first image is set to be equal to or less than the highest resolution of the recognized receiving device and corresponds to the resolution of the selected data. Resolution control means for setting the resolution of the data and the second image data, wherein the multi-layer data format conversion means comprises a resolution control means for each of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data. An image transmitting apparatus that performs resolution conversion processing as necessary according to the resolution set by the image transmission apparatus. 12. The resolution control means sets the resolution of the selected data to 1 / ns (n) of the highest resolution of the receiving device.
The image transmitting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein s is a natural number. 13. The resolution control means sets resolutions of the first image data and the second image data to 1 / n1, 1 / n2 (n1, n2 are natural numbers) of the selected data, respectively. The image transmission device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein 14. The multi-layer data format conversion unit further performs a compression process on each of the first image data, the second image data, and the selected data. The image transmission device according to any one of the above. 15. The resolution of the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data is set in advance in accordance with the image quality or the type of the image. In addition, the first image data, the second image data, and the selection data are required for each resolution corresponding to the image quality and the image type specified by the user in response to the instruction of the image quality and the image type by the user. An image processing method, wherein the conversion is performed according to the following. 16. Necessary for first image data obtained by separating image information, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. Is converted in accordance with, and the compressed data amounts of the compressed first image data and second image data are compared with respective preset threshold values, and it is determined that the compressed data amount is larger than the threshold value. An image processing method, comprising converting converted data to a lower resolution and recompressing the converted data. 17. Necessary for first image data obtained by separating image information, second image data, and selection data for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. Is converted in accordance with the following formulas, respectively compressed, and at least the sum of the compressed data amounts of the compressed first image data and the second image data is calculated, and the sum of the obtained compressed data amounts and a preset threshold value are calculated. And determining that the sum of the compressed data amounts is greater than the threshold value, converting at least the first image data and the second image data to a lower resolution and recompressing them. 18. A receiving apparatus comprising: first image data;
Second image data and the first image data or the second
An image transmission method for transmitting image information in a multi-layered data format including selection data for selecting any of image data, wherein information about the receiving capability of the receiving device is obtained,
A transmission resolution is determined from the acquired information on the reception capability, a document image is scanned according to the determined transmission resolution, image information is input, and the input image information is input to the first image data, the second image data, and the selected image information. An image transmission method characterized by separating data. 19. A receiving apparatus comprising: first image data;
A second image data, the first image data or the second image data;
An image transmission method for transmitting image information in a multi-layered data format including selection data for selecting any of image data, wherein information about the reception capability of the receiving device is obtained,
A transmission resolution is determined from the acquired information on the reception capability, and the first image data, the second image data, and the resolution of the selected data are determined from the transmission resolution, and the first image data is determined according to the determined resolution. An image transmission method, wherein resolution conversion is performed on the second image data and the selection data as needed.