JPH04223684A - Picture processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the photograph of required composition and to reduce printing cost by assigning an area to be printed arbitrarily and confirming a picture within the area by a monitor 14. CONSTITUTION:A mark generating part 51 generates a mark to indicate an area to be printed in a picture displayed in a monitor 14 and displays it in the monitor 14. The mark is moved by that an area moving button 52d is pressed. The picture within the printing area mark is printed by a printer 18.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing system that electrically photographs a subject and prints the photographed image.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional photo booth system uses optical silver salt photography technology, and as shown in FIG.
, a flash 85, a coin slot 86, and a shooting start button 87, into which a coin can be inserted.
When the shooting start button 87 is pressed, the flash 85 emits light, the shutter of the camera 82 is operated at the same time, the photosensitive paper exposed by the camera 82 is chemically processed in the developing section 83, and the developed photograph is sent to the takeout port 84. It is configured to discharge.

0003

However, since the conventional photo booth system uses optical silver halide photography as described above, it has the following problems. (1) Chemical processing is required for development, which poses problems in terms of pollution and maintenance. (2) Development processing takes time. (3) The photograph is developed without being able to confirm the photographic result.

[0004] In view of the above points, the present invention is effective in preventing pollution without using optical silver salt photography technology, can obtain photographs in a short time, and can confirm the photographic results before the photographs are completed. The purpose is to provide an image processing system that can perform the following tasks.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an imaging means for taking an image of a subject, a storage means for storing the taken image as a still image, and a storage means for storing the taken image as a still image. The image forming apparatus includes a display means for displaying an area to be printed, a printing means for printing the stored image, and a control means for controlling printing of the printing area in the stored image.

[0006]

[Operation] In the above configuration, the imaging means photographs a subject, the storage means stores the photographed image as a still image,
The display means displays the captured image and the print area, and the print means prints the image within the print area in the stored image.

[0007]

[Example] 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 11 denotes an image capturing section consisting of a video camera, and 12 an image storage section composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory capable of reading and writing subject information from the video camera 11. The image storage section has 640 points in the X direction and 480 points in the Y direction. pixels can be memorized. Also, the readout area for printing is point S (XS, YS), point E (XE, YE).
) is represented by a rectangle with diagonals. XS, YS, XE
, YE each represent an address in the image storage unit. 13 is a monitor output screen changeover switch, 14 is a monitor, 1
5 is a power supply section that supplies power to each section. 16 is a system control unit that controls the operation of each part, including the CPU, RAM, R
It consists of an OM (not shown). The RAM is used as a work area for the CPU, and the ROM stores the contents of control operations and message data to be displayed on the monitor. Reference numeral 18 denotes a video printer, such as a thermal printer or a bubble jet printer that generates bubbles using heat and ejects ink using the pressure of the bubbles. 19 is a detection unit that detects coin insertion. Reference numeral 51 denotes a mark generation unit that generates a mark indicating the area to be printed and displays it on the monitor. 52 is an operation unit, 52a is a shutter button that starts storing the captured image captured by the imaging unit 11, and 52b
Reference numeral 52c is a print button that starts printing the stored image stored in the image storage unit 12, 52c is a cancel button that waits for input of the shutter button again, and 52d is an area movement button that moves the print area in the image. By pressing the area button, the above-mentioned XS, YS, XE, and YE can be increased or decreased. XS, YS, XE, and YE are given initial values when the power is turned on. XS and XE increase by 1 when the right side of the area movement button 52d is pressed, and increase by 1 when the left side is pressed.
decrease by YS and YE decrease by 1 when the upper direction of the area movement button 52d is pressed, and by 1 when the lower direction is pressed.
Increase by increments.

FIG. 2 is an external view of this embodiment. Reference numeral 20 denotes a light for illuminating the subject, such as a fluorescent lamp. 21
is the coin slot.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the operation of the system control section 16 of the electronic photo system having the above configuration. When the coin detection section 19 detects a coin, it sends a coin insertion signal to the system control section 16 (step S1). Upon receiving the coin insertion signal, the system control unit 16 sends a signal to the power supply unit 15 and starts supplying power to each unit (step S
2). When power supply is started, the switch 13 is switched to the camera side, and the image currently captured by the video camera 11 and the mark 61 generated by the mark generation section 51 are combined and displayed on the monitor 14 (step S3 ). At this time, the mark generation section receives data (XS, YS, XE, YE) representing the print area from the system control section 16 described above and generates a mark 61 indicating the area as shown in FIG. The position of the mark at the start of power supply is determined by the initial value stored in the ROM of the system control unit 16. The photographer presses the area movement button 5 while looking at the monitor 14.
2d to move the mark 61 to a position that provides a preferred composition. The system control unit 16 has a region movement button 52
When d is pressed (step S4), the position data (XS, YS, XE, YE) is increased or decreased depending on the direction and amount (step S5). The data changed in step S5 is sent to the mark generation unit 51 to generate a mark according to the data, and the process advances to step S3, where the image currently being captured by the video camera 11 and the mark 61 generated by the mark generation unit 51 are The images are synthesized and displayed on the monitor 14. Step S
If the area movement button 52d is not pressed in step 4, the process advances to the next step. When the shutter button 17a of the operation unit 17 is pressed (step S8), the image being captured at that time is stored in the image storage unit 12 (step S9). Next, the switch 13 is switched to the storage side, and the stored image is displayed on the monitor 14 so that the photographer can confirm the image to be printed.
(Step S10). Then, when the print button 17b of the operation unit 17 is pressed (step S11),
Printing is performed within the print area (step S12).

The printing in step S12 will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. x and y represent addresses from which image data is read from the image storage section 12. First, let x be XS and y be YS (steps S21, S22). Next, the image data at address (x, y) is sent to the video printer 18 and printed (step S2
3). Then, x is increased by 1 (step S24), and x
>XE (step S25). If x≦XE in step S25, proceed to step S23 x
increase. When x>XE, a line feed signal is sent to the video printer 18 (step S26), and y is increased by 1 (
Step S27). Then, it is checked whether y>YE (step S28). If y≦YE in step S28, proceed to step S21, reset x to XS,
Continue printing. When y>YE, a printing end signal is sent to the video printer 18 to end printing. As a result of printing,
An image as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.

After printing is completed, the video printer 18 sends a print completion signal to the system control section 17, and then the power supply section 1
Send a signal to 5 and stop the power supply to each part (
Step S13) End. If the print button 17b is not pressed and the cancel button 17c is pressed in step S11, the process proceeds to step S3, where the image of the video camera 11 and the mark 61 are displayed in a composite manner, and if the cancel button 17c is not pressed, the process proceeds to step S10. The process advances to a print operation waiting state (step S14).

[0012] As explained above, since no chemical treatment is required, it is effective as a countermeasure against pollution, maintenance is facilitated, and the time required to complete a photograph is shortened. Furthermore, since the user can check the photographic results before the photograph is printed, there is an effect that there is no need to waste photographic fees or printing paper, and that the user can obtain a photograph that he or she likes. Furthermore, since a movable print area mark is displayed on the monitor, the composition of the photograph can be checked and the composition of the photograph can be changed without moving the subject.

Note that the mark generation section 51 and the area movement button 52d are not used, the position data of the print area is fixed, and fixed marks indicating the print area of each print size are written on the surface of the screen of the monitor 14. , it is also possible to have a simple configuration so that the composition of the photograph can be confirmed.

Furthermore, when the shutter button 17 of the operation section 17 is pressed during photographing, a counter in the system control section 16 counts and when a predetermined value is reached, a storage start signal is generated, and after a certain period of time, the current The system control unit 16 may control the image being captured to be stored so that the image can be captured in the correct posture.

[0015] Furthermore, size data may be input in addition to the print area position data to change the print size.

Further, the shutter button 17a of the operation unit 17 may be placed at the photographer's feet so that the photographer can take pictures in the correct posture.

Furthermore, the illumination 20 is a flash lamp,
It may also be possible to enable flash photography.

[0018]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention has the following effects.

[0019] Since no chemical treatment is required, (1) anti-pollution measures can be taken; (2) Maintenance becomes easier. (3) The time it takes to complete a photo is shortened.

Furthermore, since the image and composition to be printed can be checked before printing, (4) printing costs and printing paper can be saved. (5) You can get the photo you want.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

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

FIG. 2 is an external view of an image processing system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the system control unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing marks in a print area.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the result of printing with the area designation shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of printing.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional photo booth system.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Video camera 12 Image storage unit 13 Monitor output screen changeover switch 14 Monitor 15 Power supply section 16 System control section

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject;
storage means for storing the captured image as a still image; display means for displaying the captured image and the area to be printed in the image; printing means for printing the stored image; An image processing system having a control means for controlling printing. 2. A position specifying means for specifying the position of the print area, and a mark generating means for generating a mark indicating the print area to be displayed on the display means, the control means controlling the position specifying means of the position specifying means. 2. The image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising control for displaying the mark at a specified position and printing an image within the printing area.