JP2831998B2 - Image processing method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an image processing method for processing an image signal from, for example, an imaging unit that can be remotely controlled by a plurality of control elements, and controlling the imaging unit. [Prior art] Conventionally, high-performance document editing devices have been developed to edit codes and data such as documents, figures, tables, and graphs, and to display and edit a comprehensive document obtained by combining them. It has become possible to edit images including image data from a scanner that reads flat images such as line drawings, documents, and photographs. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when an attempt is made to insert a three-dimensional object into a document as a still image, it is necessary to determine an imaging condition while confirming the image on a monitor of a conventional imaging device, and capture the image as a still image was there. On the other hand, in general, the monitor on the imaging device side
Since the display area is small, it is inconvenient to determine the imaging conditions. On the other hand, when such a three-dimensional object is photographed by a television camera or the like, the control elements of the camera, such as the image density, contrast, angle of view, etc. are freely controlled while checking the image. Tokiko Sho 59-
A large-scale configuration used in a broadcasting station as described in No. 47514 has to be taken, and there is a problem in the configuration. Furthermore, the conventional method requires a number of operation members corresponding to the number of control elements of the camera, and there has been a problem that the reliability of the device is reduced due to failure of such members, for example, poor contact. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing method which is easy to use and has a simple configuration and is suitable for increasing reliability. <Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, an image processing method according to the present invention comprises:
An image processing method for processing an image signal from an imaging unit that can be controlled by a plurality of control elements and controlling the imaging unit, wherein a symbol independently representing the plurality of control elements that can be controlled by the imaging unit And generates control image information corresponding to the plurality of control elements (in one embodiment of the present invention, the area 70 in FIG. 15).
16), and the generated control image information and the image signal from the imaging unit can be visually recognized simultaneously without overlapping on the screen. (Also shown in FIG. 15) so that the input image 69 from the camera and the image 70 of the command group shown in FIG. 16 do not overlap as shown in FIG. , Simultaneously displaying the information on the CRT 16), and transmitting information corresponding to an instruction to the control element selected by a pointing device with respect to the monitor screen as information for controlling the imaging means (see also FIG. 13-3). Perform steps 40, 41 and 43 shown in
It is characterized by. EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system structural diagram of an image processing system to which the present invention is applied. Here, 1-1, 1-2, ..., 2-1 and 2-2 are leak stations (hereinafter referred to as 2) which can edit and display a binary image.
3-1, 3-2,... Are image readers (hereinafter, referred to as binary RDs) for binarizing and reading an image, and 4-1, 4-2,. .. is an image printer for printing binarized image data (hereinafter referred to as binarized PR)
). The binary WS2-1, 2-2, ... are each 2
By connecting the values RD3-1, 3-2,... And the binary values PR4-1, 4-2, a stand-alone binary image processing system is configured. The binary WS1-1, 1-2,..., 2-1 and 2-2 are connected to a binary image reader and a binary image printer via a network (hereinafter referred to as LAN) 12. Leader consisting of
Image data can be transmitted / received to / from a printer system (hereinafter referred to as a binary RD / 2-value PR system) 5-1, 5-2,... Note that the reader / printer system can be configured as a binary RD alone system or a binary PR alone system. In this configuration, the binary WS1-1, 1-2,... Receives image data from any of the binary RD / binary PR systems 5-1, 5-2,. , Cut image data, enlarge / reduce the cut part, rotate, move,
Furthermore, edits such as synthesis are performed while displaying on the display, and the finally obtained image data is
Can be transferred to any of the binary RD / 2-value PR systems 5-1, 5-2,... Via the printer 2 and the image data can be transferred to a binary WS external storage device or LAN12. Via file server (hereinafter referred to as FS) 6-1, 6-2, ...
-Can be stored in either. The binary WS2-1, 2-2 ... is the binary RD of the network.
It can send and receive images to / from a binary PR system, read image data from directly connected values RD3-1, 3-2, ..., and read binary PR4-1, 4-2, ... Can be used to print image data. In FIG. 1, 7-1, 7-2, ..., 8-1, 8-2,
... is a workstation (hereinafter referred to as a multi-value WS) that can edit and display a multi-value image, and 9-1, 9-2,.
.. Is an image reader (hereinafter referred to as a multi-valued RD) for reading an image as multi-valued digital information, and 10-1, 10-2,
.. Are image printers (hereinafter referred to as multi-value PRs) that can reproduce multi-valued image data by reproducing halftones. Multi-value WS7-1,7-2, ..., 8-1,8-2,
Can receive image data from any of the multi-valued RDs, edit and display them, and transfer the image data to any of the multi-valued PRs for printing, as in the case of the binary WS. FS
Can be stored in either. The editing of the multi-valued image data can be performed in addition to cutting, enlarging / reducing the cut portion, rotating, moving, and synthesizing them, as well as gradation conversion, engine emphasis, and cutting out an object. . The multi-level WS8-2 is connected to one of a TV camera, a VTR, and a TV tuner via a VTR. In order to identify such a binary image and a multi-valued image and to identify transfer between various devices, data formation on the LAN can be realized as shown in FIG. Where 47,48
Are identification numbers indicating the transmitting side and the receiving side, respectively, and are added by the transmitting side. 49 is an identification number indicating the content of the data.
The RD connected binary WS or binary RD / 2 binary PR system adds a number indicating the binary image, and the multi-level RD connected multi-level WS or multi-level RD / multi-value PR system A number indicating a multi-valued image is added. Then, in accordance with the data iD49, 50 stores a binary image or a multivalued image. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the binary WS1-1, 1-2,..., 2-1, 2-2,. Basic workstation components include CPU 22, program memory 23 including MMU, interface 24 for hard disk and floppy disk, disk drive 25, floppy disk drive 26, bit map display 16, Video RAM (hereinafter referred to as binary VRAM) for that 1
Have seven. Reference numeral 18 denotes a bit management unit (hereinafter referred to as a BMU) which transfers a large amount of data in word units and bit units between a program memory, a video RAM, an input / output device, etc. without using the CPU 22 at a high speed. be able to. The BMU 18 further has a logical operation function of the source data and the destination data, a rotation function, and a scaling function. As for the scaling function, it is possible to perform scaling by distinguishing between binary data such as a line drawing and binary data such as a tethered photograph. It has MMR19 and LAN-i / F20 which wait for the companding function. If a large capacity file is needed, an optical disk (hereinafter referred to as OD)
29, has an interface 28 for that. An interface (hereinafter referred to as a binary LC-i / F) 27 is used to directly connect either the binary RD or the binary PR, or both. Although the internal structure of the LC-i / F27 is well known, it is not shown. However, there is a buffer that can store a binary image, and the data read from the binary RD is directly transferred to the binary PR for local copying. There is a function to realize. The binary WS1-1, 1-2,... Receive binary image data via the LAN 12 by the LAN-i / F, decompress by the MMR19, and perform binary buffering of the PMEM23 or the binary LC-i / F27. Transfer the image to This can be edited using the function of the BMU and transferred to the binary VRAM 17 to be displayed on the CRT 16. The edited binary image is HD25, F
It can be stored in D26 and OD29 and can be stored in binary P via LAN12.
Can be transferred to R or FS. 3 and 4 show the binary RD / 2-value PR system 5 respectively.
1, 5-2,... FS6-1, 6-2,. With this configuration, a binary RD / 2-value PR system 5-1, 5-2,
Can read and send binary images to LAN 12, receive and print binary images from LAN 12, and copy locally. The FSs 6-1, 6-2,... Perform normal file management and have a function of storing binary and multi-valued image data in the HD 25, FD 26, and OD 29. 5 and 6 show the multi-valued WS7-1, 7-2,.
FIG. 8-2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the multi-valued RD / multi-valued PR system 11-1, 11-2,. LC-i / F. A multi-value LC-i / F34 is required to connect the multi-value RD9 and the multi-value PR10, and a multi-value VRAM 32 is required to display a multi-value image. The multi-value LC-i / F34 has a configuration as shown in FIG.
There is a function to read multi-valued images from multi-valued RD9 to multi-valued BUF39, and a function to separate the image area into binary images such as line drawings and characters and multi-valued images with halftones such as photographs as necessary. is there. The information of this image area separation is read into the image area BUF40, and the line drawings and characters are binarized to form a binary BUF38.
Is read in. Conversely, the multi-value image of multi-value BUF39 is multi-value PR1
Transferred to 0 and printed. Also, the binary image of the binary BUF38 is converted to a multi-valued image, and the
It can be transferred to 0, and can be transferred while being superimposed on the multi-valued image. The multi-value VRAM 32 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 8, and the multi-value image can be stored in the multi-value BUF 53 and displayed on the CRT 16.
Similarly, binary display is necessary, and binary image data can be stored in the binary BUF 52 and displayed by being superimposed on the multi-valued image. In such a configuration, the multi-value WS is used for the multi-value image,
The same function as the value WS can be realized, and the binary image can be included and processed if necessary. When a television tuner 68 is connected via the television camera input device 66 or the VTR 67 or the VTR, a multi-valued VRAM
In order to monitor these inputs, the 32 has a function of repeatedly writing and holding data at that time by an operation of cutting the shutter. It also has a function to send various monitor commands of the TV / camera. Reference numeral 33 in FIG. 5 has a function of converting an image from binary to multi-valued and from multi-valued to binary. Its internal configuration is as shown in FIG. Corresponding to the density pattern from the binarized pattern ROM
Transfer to value BUF. When the binary image is data expressing a halftone expression by a density pattern, the data is read from the binary BUF and converted from the multivalued pattern ROM into multivalued data expressing the corresponding one pixel gradation. , Transfer to multi-valued BUF. As a result, the multi-value WS can synthesize and edit the binary image and the multi-value image as the same image data.
It can also be forwarded to PR. Reference numeral 21 in FIG. 2 has a function of converting a multi-valued image into a binary image. The multi-valued image transferred via the LAN 12 is converted into a binary image and stored in a binary BUF. The internal configuration is as shown in FIG. 11, and the corresponding density pattern is transferred from the binarization pattern ROM to the binary BUF corresponding to one pixel of the multi-valued image. Thus, the binary WS can synthesize and edit the binary image and the multi-valued image as the same image data, and can transfer the result to the binary PR. With the above configuration, the multi-value WS7-1, 7-2,.
In -18-2, ..., a document as shown in FIG. 12 can be displayed and edited. Here, an integrated document 57 includes a sentence 58, a figure 59, a graph 60, a table 63, a multi-valued image 61, and a binary image 62. 64. This is a display area for an editing command that varies depending on the editing state. Where document 58,
The figures 59, 60, and 63 are bit-expanded from the code data to the binary BUF 52 in FIG. 8, and the binary image 62 is thinned out to the same binary BUF 52 by the scaling function of the BMU 18 in FIG. Has been transferred. The multi-valued image 61 is transferred to the multi-valued BUF 53 in FIG. 8 by the function of the BMU 18 and is superimposed and displayed on the CRT 16 in FIG. still,
Of course, the display data may be in only one data format. In such a display state, the editing operation is performed as shown in FIG.
-It is performed according to the flow as shown in FIG. This is CPU22
Is a program flow chart. First, in step S1, a binary image from a binary RD, a multi-valued
Multi-valued images from RD or TV camera, VTR, TV tuner, documents, figures, tables, graphs, binary images, multi-valued images stored in HD, their integrated documents or blank pages are selected and displayed. Next, in step S2, the process branches to the following process according to the type of the displayed document and the designated command. Print processing S4 as the following processing,
Text input editing S6, figure editing S8, table editing S10, graph creation S
There are 12, binary image editing S15, multi-valued image editing S16, data extraction S22, and data synthesis S24. If binary / multi-level conversion is designated for the binary image, the binary image is converted into a multi-level image in step S16, and the process proceeds to multi-level image editing in step S19. If the multi-valued / binary conversion is designated for the multi-valued image, the multi-valued image is converted into a binary image in step S20, and the process proceeds to the binary image editing in step S15. In the binary image editing, the functions of the BMU 18 shown in FIG. 5 can be used to cut, enlarge, reduce, rotate, move, and combine the cut portions. In addition to the above, the multi-value image editing can perform gradation conversion, edge enhancement, clipping of an object, and the like. The multi-valued data is data in which one pixel of digital data is represented by 8 bits, and is capable of reproducing 64 gradations. Therefore, the multi-valued memory requires a capacity of one page pixel × 8 bits. When the input image from the television camera is frozen in the WS buffer, the image is stored in the WS buffer in synchronization with the synchronization signal of one frame (= 1 page) of the television. If there is an input from the television camera in step S1, the display is as shown in FIG. That is, for example, when the comprehensive document 57 is displayed, a monitor screen from the camera is displayed thereon as shown at 69. This is multivalued
This is realized by repeatedly writing the input image from the television camera at predetermined time intervals in the area corresponding to the monitor screen of the BUF53. For example, in order to remotely operate the television camera in the multi-value WS8-2 of the WS displaying FIG. 15, a command group is displayed in the area 70 of FIG. The contents are as shown in Fig. 16, for example.
Commands for UP, DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT movements of the contrast, focus, zoom, aperture, shutter, and TV camera tilt table are displayed. Here, when the brightness and the contrast are designated, the values are sent to the television camera 66. As for the focus, zoom, and aperture, while the corresponding FAR, NEAR, TELE, WIDE, OPEN, and CLOSE parts continue to be specified, the command (that is, the instruction corresponding to the control element selected from the plurality of control elements) is performed. (Corresponding to an example of control information) to the camera 66 for adjustment. UP, DOW
The same applies to N, LEFT, and RIGHT (step S2). When the shutter is designated, the monitor is stopped, and the data of the multi-value BUF53 at that time is determined (frozen) as input data (step S24). Hereinafter, the freeze data is edited as a multi-valued image as described above. If the area 70 is designated by the point device in step S2, it is determined (S40), and the command shown in FIG. 16 is displayed (S41). If this is further designated by the point device, the designated data is transferred to the memory RAM of the CPU. It is stored as control data such as zoom (S42). Then, the control data of the RAM is sent to the camera, and the servo motor of the camera is driven to change the size of the input image. Also focus monitor
The focus can be adjusted by controlling the focus data of the RAM. Since the transmission data from the CPU is digital, the D / A conversion is performed on the camera side, and the data is converted into a motor voltage or the number of pulses to control the motor. The size and position of the monitor area 69 can be changed within the capacity of the multi-value BUF53. An input image from the camera is input as multi-valued data of 64 gradations sampled by an A / D converter provided in the camera interface. In step S24, when the cut-out data is loaded, if the television camera input is possible, the television camera input can be performed here by designating the input. I.e.
Reference numeral 69 in FIG. 15 denotes an imaging area for which an area has been specified (blocked). The monitor screen is displayed at this position and size, and when input data is determined by a freeze command, the position and size remain unchanged in the document data at this position and size. The picture is incorporated. It should be noted that the WS for controlling the camera may be a WS other than the document displayed in FIG. <Effect of the Invention> As described above, according to the image processing method of the present invention, when operating the imaging unit, the plurality of control elements that can be controlled by the imaging unit include symbols that independently represent the control unit. Generates corresponding control image information, displays it on the monitor screen so that it can be visually recognized simultaneously without overlapping with the image signal from the imaging means, and displays information corresponding to an instruction to the control element selected by a pointing device. Is transmitted as control information of the imaging means, so that a plurality of control elements of the imaging means can be displayed easily and reliably in a manner easy to understand and select, and the control state of the selected control element can be set easily, Moreover, there is an effect that the reliability can be increased with a simple configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing system to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a binary WS, and FIG. 3 is a binary RD / 2-value PR system. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the FS, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the multi-value WS, and FIG. 6 is an internal diagram of the multi-value RD / multi-value PR system. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the multi-valued LC-i / F, FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the multi-valued VRAM, and FIG. 9 is a binary diagram on the network. Image, data format diagram including multi-valued image, Fig. 10 is the internal configuration diagram of the binary / multi-value conversion circuit, Fig. 11 is the internal configuration diagram of the multi-value / binary conversion circuit, Fig. 12 is the general document Example of display, Fig. 13-1, Fig. 13-2, Fig. 13-3 are schematic flow charts of comprehensive document editing, Fig. 14 is print image of comprehensive document Illustration of deployment to, FIG. 15 illustrates diagram of a screen when a television camera monitoring, Fig. 16 is a command group display example view television camera monitor.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An image processing method for processing an image signal from an imaging unit that can be controlled by a plurality of control elements and controlling the imaging unit, wherein a symbol independently representing the plurality of control elements that can be controlled by the imaging unit A monitor screen that generates control image information corresponding to the plurality of control elements, and that the generated control image information and the image signal from the imaging unit can be simultaneously viewed without overlapping on the screen. An image processing method comprising: displaying information corresponding to an instruction for the control element selected by a pointing device with respect to the monitor screen as control information of the imaging unit;