JPH09284562A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely store the image data with no discontinuance. SOLUTION: An image processor includes a CCD which inputs the image data, the compression circuits 150 and 153 which compress the image data, the DRAM 151 and 154 which store the image data which are compressed by the circuits 150 and 153, the detection circuits 157 and 158 which detects the remaining capacity of the DRAM 151 and 154, and a compressibility estimation circuit which estimates the compressibility of both circuits 150 and 153. When it is decided that the storage remaining capacity of the DRAM 151 and 154 are smaller than the estimated and compressed capacity based on the detection results of both circuits 157 and 158 and the result of the compressibility estimation circuit, the images are processed so as to improve the compressibility of image data in response to the remaining storage capacity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having a memory for accumulating an image from an image input device such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a scanner, a PC and a WS.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, sorting and grouping in a copying machine have been performed by using a device for physically sorting output sheets or by circulating a document many times. Therefore, it takes a long time to read the original and causes the original to be damaged.

Therefore, an electronic sorter has been proposed which reads a document image and sorts it electrically. This electronic sorter uses a memory that stores a plurality of pages of image information.
This memory uses a low-speed or large-capacity hard disk or a high-speed small-capacity semiconductor memory, and an image from the input side has been in a long waiting state or a prohibited state due to restrictions on the storage speed and storage capacity. In addition, various job schedulings have been proposed to give priority to users who bring originals in front of the main body of the digital copying machine. However, in today's large-capacity copying or large-capacity output from a personal computer, immediacy and processing are required. Speed is becoming more demanding.

[0004]

Therefore, although a large-capacity image storage means using a semiconductor memory is used to improve the immediacy and processing speed, this large-capacity semiconductor memory also has a limit of storage capacity. Controlling the equipment at the limit of its storage capacity has been a problem. Specifically, when various image processing such as scaling, decoration, and editing is executed before the image is stored in the image storage unit, the amount of data of the stored image becomes indefinite, and such image data is surely stored. It was difficult to guarantee that it would do.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its object is to reliably store an image without interrupting the storage of the image in the image storage means. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing device that enables accumulation.

[0006]

That is, according to the present invention, an input means for inputting image data, an image data compression means for compressing the image data input by the input means, and an image data compression means for compressing the image data are compressed. Storage means for storing the compressed data, remaining storage capacity detection means for detecting the remaining capacity of the storage means, image compression rate prediction means for predicting the compression rate of the image data compression means, and remaining storage capacity detection means If the remaining storage capacity of the storage means is smaller than the predicted capacity after compression, the compression rate of the image data is improved according to the remaining storage capacity according to the detection result of the above and the prediction result of the image compression rate prediction means. The present invention provides an image processing device characterized by having image processing means for processing an image.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus (copier) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an image recording unit (hereinafter referred to as a printer unit), 2 denotes an image reading unit (hereinafter referred to as a reader unit), and 3 denotes an operation unit (hereinafter referred to as an operator control unit: OCU). Reference numeral 4 denotes a finishing device.

The reader unit 2 comprises an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF) 200 for automatically feeding a document to a reading position, and a scanner unit 250 for optically reading a document image. There is. The specific operation of the reader unit 2 will be described later with reference to FIG.
The printer unit 1 visualizes an image read by the reader unit 2 or an image sent from a computer terminal, various external devices (not shown) such as a facsimile, and prints it on a recording medium such as transfer paper. To do. This printer unit 1 is shown in FIG.
Large print buffer memory as shown in
It stores an image input from the ADF 200 or an image sent from the external device, and performs a sorting process such as page switching after the accumulation. A specific operation description of the printer unit 1 will also be described later.

The OCU 3 is composed of a display and an operation keyboard (or a touch panel type display), and is used to input various settings made by the user such as setting the number of copies, setting the number of copies, editing and processing images, etc. Information indicating modes and device states is displayed. The finishing device 4 is a part that performs post-process processing on output paper recorded on a recording medium by the printer unit 1, and performs processing such as sorting, stapling or bookbinding.

Next, the basic operation of the image processing apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The user sets a plurality of originals on the ADF 200 of the reader unit 2 and the OC
If you set the mode and start copying in U3, ADF
200 is a scanner unit 25 while feeding the originals one by one.
Read at 0. In the scanner section 250, the reflected light 110 from the exposed document is photoelectrically converted by the CCD line sensor 111 (see FIG. 2) and read as an electric signal. The read image signal is subjected to various kinds of processing in an image processing unit 11 described later, and then is subjected to a compression process to the PB of the printer unit 1.
Transferred to M15. In the printer unit 1, the OCU described above is used.
The images are sequentially read from the PBM 15 in accordance with the user setting from No. 3, and the read images are converted into optical signals for photoconductor exposure.

Thereafter, the image is recorded on a recording medium through the steps of charging, exposure, latent image, development, transfer, separation and fixing in a usual electrophotographic process.

The basic operation of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has been described.

Next, the basic operation of the ADF 200 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the ADF 20 described above.
3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the configurations of 0 and the scanner unit 250. FIG. In the figure, 201 is a document tray on which a document is stacked, 202 is a first mirror that guides the reflected light from the document to the CCD 111, 203 is a flow reading document reading position, 204 is a book mode scan reading position, and 205 is a paper feeding unit. 206
Denotes a transport path to the original reading position 203, 207 denotes a transport path for discharging the one-sided original read at the original reading position 203, and 208 denotes the reverse side of the original read at the original reading position 203 again. Document reading position 2
Reference numeral 209 denotes a transport path for transporting the document to the original reading position 209, and reading the original at the original reading position 203 and then discharging the original.

Here, the scanning original scanning is performed by moving the original sent from the original tray 201 over the scanning original reading position 203 while the mirror 202 is fixed at the scanning original reading position 203 to scan the original. It is a method. The flow of originals is conveyed along the direction of the arrow attached to the conveying path. When the back side of the document is read here, the image is read as a mirror image of the image obtained by reading the front side of the document. Processing for converting the mirror image into a normal image will be described later in the image processing unit 11. In the drawing, solid arrows indicate the flow reading of a one-sided original, and dotted arrows indicate the flow reading and conveying direction of a double-sided original.

[0015] In contrast to the document flow reading method, book mode scanning refers to a method in which a document placed on a book mode scan reading position 204 is not moved and a mirror 202 is moved.
And a method of scanning while moving an optical device such as the lamp 213.

In any case, the reading is performed by scanning the original as the reading unit moves relative to the original.

The light reflected by the document exposure passes through a lens 210 and is projected onto a CCD line sensor (hereinafter referred to as a CCD) 111 for photoelectric conversion. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the transport path 206 is configured to have a length that accommodates two A4 size originals in the case of vertical feed (portrait feed). Similarly, the transport path 208 is also configured to have a length that accommodates two A4 size originals in the case of vertical feeding (portrait feeding) in the direction of the shorter side of the original. In the case of horizontal feeding (landscape feeding) in which both of the conveyance paths 206 and 208 are fed in the direction of the long side of the document, A
The length is such that one 3-size document can be accommodated.

The original placed on the paper feed tray 201 is
This is face-up top page processing in which the front side of the original is placed on top and the top page is placed on top. In the case of single-sided original reading, the originals are sequentially read along the solid line arrows in the figure. However, in the case of double-sided original reading, half-size originals (A4 portrait, B5 portrait, A5 portrait) have different paper feed sequences. I take the. Two half-size originals are fed, and two originals read at the flow reading original reading position 203 are
The back side is read via the transport path 208. Then, at the same time when the reading of the second original for the back side reading is completed, the sequence for starting the front side reading of the next two originals is taken. That is, the first, second, first, second, third, and third pages of the document are read in the following order: first, fourth, third, and so on. It is being done.

Such a double-sided document reading operation is described in FIG.
As shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numerals 1A and 2A denote original images of the first and second tables, respectively.
B is the original image of the back of the first sheet, the original image of the back of the second sheet, and 3A,
4A is a document image of the third table and the document table of the fourth sheet, respectively, and 3B and 4B are document images of the back of the third sheet and the back of the fourth sheet, respectively.

The ADF 200 shown in FIG. 2 is a non-circulating type document feeder which returns the original placed on the original tray 201 to the return tray 231 without returning to the original tray 201 again. Further, the paper feeding unit 205 and the transport paths 206, 207, 208, and 209 in FIG. 2 are configured to be independently drivable, and can be individually driven, stopped, and controlled in speed. The document transport control in the ADF 200 is
Based on the designation from the CU 3 and the state of a PBM (print buffer memory) 15 described later, the controller 12
3 (see FIG. 4) by controlling the ADF 200.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 211 denotes a standby position in the transport path 206, and reference numeral 212 denotes a standby position in the transport path 208. These are the positions when the document is stopped in the conveyance path according to the state of the PBM 15 described later, and the position control is performed based on the paper detection sensor passage time and the conveyance speed. Also, in FIG.
31 is a conveyance path for returning to the top.

Next, the image processing section 11 for performing image processing on the read image data will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image processing unit 11. In FIG. 4, the reflected light 110 of the document that has reached the document reading position is received by the CCD 111 and photoelectrically converted, so that RGB (red, green, (Blue) electrical signal. The image signal created here is A (analog) /
After being amplified by the D (digital) conversion circuit 112, it is converted into a digital image signal. The digitized RGB signals are normalized and standardized by performing black correction, white correction (shading correction), and color correction (masking) in the shading / color space conversion circuit 113. The standardized RGB signal is subjected to luminance / density conversion and black / red two-color separation processing in a two-color separation circuit 114, and a black image data signal 115
And a red image data signal 116 is produced.

The subsequent processes have independent circuit configurations for the black image data signal and the red image data signal, respectively, and are performed in parallel. Selector circuit 165, 1
66, image data 115 and 1 input from the CCD 111;
16 and image data 167, 16 externally input from a PC or the like.
Select one of 8 This selection is based on the setting of OCU3.

The following filter circuits 117 and 118 perform filtering for recovering the decrease in MTF at the time of reading an image and for weakening the moire pattern generated at the time of reading a halftone dot original. Page memory 119, 120
Has a capacity enough to store one page of images up to A3 size. The image read by the bidirectional document feeder is read as the mirror image image while the image read in the reverse direction is read as the image in the forward direction. By further performing mirror image processing on the image read as a mirror image,
The page memory 11 controls the conversion into a normal image.
9, 120. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5A, the specific area of the document image 610 is moved to another place, and then the image shown in FIG.
Cut & Pa for obtaining an image 611 as shown in FIG.
The processing for realizing the stee function, and the processing in which a plurality of input original images are processed by the next-stage scaling / resolution conversion circuits 125 and 126
A reduced layout function or the like for obtaining an image 611 as shown in FIG. 6B in which four original images 610 as shown in FIG. Is performed on the page memories 119 and 120 by the memory control signal 124 from the controller 123. The scaling / resolution conversion circuits 125 and 126 perform normal image size conversion not only when the above-described reduced layout function is realized. In the image decoration circuits 127 and 128, a negative / positive inversion process is performed by designating an area on the original image 620 as shown in FIG. A function of obtaining an image 622, an image 623 in which an image portion is screened, and the like are realized.

The density conversion circuits 129 and 130 perform gamma conversion for correcting the linearity characteristic of the printer unit 1 and processing for reflecting the density adjustment level input by the user from the OCU 3 on the image data. The image data up to this point is an 8-bit 256 gradation signal, but in the gradation number conversion (error diffusion) circuits 131 and 132, the printer unit 1
Is converted into an image signal of 4 bits and 16 gradations that can be expressed by.
The error due to the gradation conversion is diffused in order to cancel the density unevenness generated at the time of the gradation number conversion when viewed in a certain area.

The image signal processing operation performed by the image processing section 11 has been described above.

Next, a PBM (print buffer memory) 15 for storing a large number of pages of images to be printed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the PBM 15. In the figure, the black image data signal 1 input from the image processing unit 11 to the PBM 15
33, the red image data signal 134 is supplied to the compression circuits 150, 1
It is coded by the variable length lossless compression method 53. Variable length lossless means that the amount of data at the time of compression differs depending on the input image, but it has the property of being able to restore exactly the same as the input image after decompression processing, and is comparable to fixed length lossy compression methods such as JPEG. Is. The variable length lossless compression method is MH, Q-CODER, Lempel Zi
There are methods such as v, but any method is acceptable. DRAM 15
Reference numerals 1 and 154 denote a memory unit in the PBM 15, which is composed of a semiconductor memory or a hard disk and a control unit for addressing them. In the case of performing the page switching in the above-described brochure mode (1 page / N pages are recorded on the front surface, 2 pages and N-1 pages are recorded on the back surface, and other pages are arranged in the same manner), the DRAM 151 is used. , 154 by controlling the addressing. Then, the image to be printed out is read from the DRAMs 151 and 154,
The original image data is restored again by the expansion processing circuits 152 and 153. The readout timing here is such that the black image data signal 135 is read out independently of the timing required for black image formation, and the red image data signal 136 is read out independently of the timing required for red image formation. This DRAM 151,
Reference numeral 154 stores image data basically related to all jobs. The remaining amount detection circuits 157 and 158 are DRAMs, respectively.
151 and 154 are detected, and the detection results are output as a black memory remaining amount detection signal 198 and a red memory remaining amount detection signal 199.

The operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of the PBM 15. In FIG. 9A, reference numeral 5002 denotes a copy job (CCD) currently being printed.
A job for performing recording according to the image read by 111)
Thus, 100 copies of an original of 150 pages are copied. After the pages 1 to 150 are read out one by one in order, they are printed out, and then the finishing process is performed. Reference numeral 5003 denotes a standby job as a next job, which is a printer job requested from an external device such as a PC (a job for performing recording in accordance with image data input from a PC or the like) and finishes 60 pages of 50 pages. It is a job. Further, reference numeral 5004 denotes a copy job of 50 pages of 200 pages, which is in the process of reading an image of 200 pages. Here, the PBM 15 becomes full before the storage of the image data for 200 pages is completed, and the reading operation is temporarily interrupted. Job 50
02 is performed continuously during this time, and the 100th copy of the last copy is printed from page 1 to page 150. At the same time, the output image need not be stored, and is sequentially replaced with the image of the waiting job 5004. Go. Job 5
At the time when 002 ends, the job 50 waiting for the turn
03 is started.

In FIG. 9B, reference numeral 5005 denotes a PBM1.
5 shows an empty portion, and other jobs can be input (stored) as long as the memory capacity permits.

Hereinafter, the compression ratio prediction will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The image data stored in the DRAMs 151 and 154 of the PBM 15 is compressed by the compression circuits 150 and 153, and the compression ratio varies depending on the amount and content of the image data and various processes for the image data. Therefore,
In the compression ratio prediction circuit 160, decoration information (shading in FIG. 7B, partial movement in FIG. 5, etc.) of the image obtained from the controller 123 via the bus 161 and scaling information (reduced layout in FIG. 6) Etc.), and the selected density conversion circuit 1
Based on the gradation conversion circuits 29 and 130 and the gradation conversion circuits 131 and 132, the compression ratio of the image stored in the page memories 119 and 120 to be stored in the PBM 15 is predicted. That is, the compression rate prediction circuit 160 performs a simple calculation on the statistic amount of image information (an average density value of an image having a high correlation with the compression rate, entropy, etc.) to obtain a prediction value. The calculation or the coefficient used here is changed according to the processing information indicating the contents of various kinds of processing performed on the image data. For example, the average value of image densities is used for prediction, and the following equation (1) is used to further convert the density values into prediction values.

Compressed prediction value = average density value of image * a + b (1) where a and b are determined according to the processing content of the image. By referring to a RAM table (not shown), a and b are determined, and the compression ratio predicting circuit 160 is determined via the bus 161.
Tell As an example, the density average value of the image area is 40,
Assuming that the coefficient a according to the processing is 0.01 and b is 0.1, the predicted value is obtained by the following equation (2).

Compressed prediction value = 40 * 0.01 + 0.1 = 0.5 (2) This represents a prediction that the data amount after compression is ２ of the data amount before compression.

In this way, the compression rate prediction circuit 160 predicts the compression rate of the image data stored in the page memories 119 and 120.

Next, the operation of the ADF 200 in the image processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a STD (state transition diagram) showing the state transition of the ADF 200 in the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the figure, after the power is turned on and initialization is performed in step S1001, the present apparatus operates in step S1.
At 002, the normal operation mode is set. In this normal operation mode, the PBM is determined based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199 (see FIG. 8), the predicted value of the compression ratio prediction circuit 160, and the image data amount.
Although there is a little free area in 15, if it is determined that there is no room to store the image data whose compression rate is predicted, a status of Almost Full to be described later is set in step S1003. In this Almost Full state, PBM is performed based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199.
If it is determined that there is no free space in No. 15, the status is set to PBM Full described later in step S1004. If it is determined in this PBM Full state that the PBM 15 is free based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199, the process proceeds to step S1003.
Return to st Full. If it is determined that the Almost Full has enough room for storing the image data whose compression ratio is predicted in the PBM 15 based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199, the process returns to the normal operation mode in step S1002.

The operation in each status will be described in detail below.

[Normal Operation Mode] First, the case of the normal operation mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the normal operation mode in step S1002 in FIG. 10, in step S1101 in FIG. 11, a determination process is performed to determine whether there is enough room to store the image data whose compression ratio has been predicted in the PBM 15 based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199. . And if you can't afford it, Almost Fu
The process proceeds to the state 11 (step S1003 in FIG. 10). If there is room in the step S1101, the normal operation mode is maintained and the step S1101 is repeated.
1 is performed. In a state where the PBM 15 has room to store the compressed and predicted image data, the apparatus repeatedly executes the determination processing in step S1101.

The image input signal 1405 input to the page memory 119 and the page memory 120 in the normal operation mode, and the page memory 119 and the page memory 1
The operation timing of the image output signal 1406 output from 20 will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. The image input signal 1405 is linked with document feeding. In FIG. 14, 1, 2, n-1, n, n + 1, etc. indicate the order of the read originals. From the original scan start (1407), as described above, ADF2
The originals fed one by one by
The image signals from the CCD 111 are sequentially read by 0, pass through the filter 117 or 118, and pass through the page memory 1
Storing is started in 19 or 120. Then, the storage for one page is completed (1401). FIG. 19 shows the page memory 119 or 120 in this state. As shown in the figure, when the document is A3 size, the page memory 1 is used.
Document data of the first page occupies the entire area of 19 or 120.

The completion of image input for one page (1
408), the controller 123 starts outputting an image signal from the page memory 119 or 120 to the PBM 15. The start of this image output (14
09), the controller 123 instructs the ADF 200 to convey the next document to the scanning reading position 203. Thus, the storage of the document data of the second page in the page memory 119 or 200 is started (140).
3). FIG. 20 shows the page memory 119 or 120 in this state. As shown in the figure, the image output area of the page memory 119 or 120 is sequentially opened as an open area 2001.

Further, the original data of the second page is written into the open area 2001, and the page memory 119 or 120 becomes as shown in FIG. 21 at 1404 in FIG. Generally, in the output of the (n-1) th page, n
While the page is being input (1405), the page memory 11
In 9 or 120, image data of two pages coexist as shown in FIG.

[Transition from Normal Operation to Almost Full Mode] As described above, the controller 123 is configured as shown in FIG.
In step S1101 of FIG. 1, P
If it is determined that there is a possibility of the BMF Full state, the state becomes Almost Full in step S1003 in FIG.

The operation of this transition will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. In the figure, n-1, n, n
+1 and n + 2 indicate the order of the read originals. Further, reference numerals 1501 and 1502 denote input and output of original data to the page memory 119 or 120, respectively. In FIG. 15, the manuscript 1 is placed on the PBM 15.
Until there is no room for the page (1504), the normal operation mode of step S1002 in FIG. After (1504) in FIG.
Since there is no room to store one page of image data in
Whether or not the image data currently stored in the page memories 119 and 120 can be stored in the PBM 15 can be known only by actually storing the image data in the PBM 15. This state will be referred to as Almost Full. In this state, since it is necessary to confirm whether or not the storage of the n-th image data in the PBM 15 has been actually completed, the image of the next page cannot be stored in the page memories 119 and 120 until the confirmation. Accordingly, the ADF 200 shown in FIG. 2 operates to limit the number of sheets fed in the sheet feeding unit 205 per time. That is, the document interval is set longer than the document interval in the normal operation mode (referred to as skip operation or step feed), so that the document can be stopped at any time. At the time of transition to the Almost Full state,
The controller 123 in FIG. 4 instructs the ADF 200 to perform this sequence operation, and continues this skip operation sequence until the AlmostFull state is released.

The sequence in the Almost Full state is not limited to the method of controlling the number of sheets to be fed per hour of the sheet feeding section 205 of the ADF 200 shown in FIG. It can also be realized by a method of controlling the transport speed.

[Almost Full] Next, Alm
The operation in the case of the ost Full will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. Step S10 in FIG.
In the Almost Full of 03, it is monitored whether or not there is enough room to store the image data compressed and predicted in the PBM 15 based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199, and if there is enough room, the operation mode shifts to the normal operation mode. PBM
15 to monitor whether there is any free space, and if there is no free space, as described above, P
Take BM Full state.

That is, from the normal operation mode to Almost
When the state shifts to the Full state, it is monitored whether there is room for storing the image data compressed and predicted in step S1202,
If there is a margin, the process shifts to the normal operation mode. If there is no margin, the process proceeds to step S1201. In step S1201, P
It is determined whether or not there is a free space in the BM 15, and if there is a free space, the process proceeds to step S1202.
Transition to "ull".

Al in step S1003 of FIG.
In the most full state, the apparatus alternately repeats the transition between step S1201 and step S1202 in FIG.

Next, the operation in Almost Full will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. In the normal operation mode in step S1002 in FIG. 10, the image data of the previous document n has started to be output from the page memories 119 and 120 as described in the section on the normal operation based on FIG. 14 (1408 in FIG. 14). ), The next original n + 1 is transported to the reading / reading position 203. However, in the step S1003 in FIG.
In the Full state, the n image data may not be stored in the PBM 15, so the next n + 1 cannot be read unless it is confirmed that the already read n image data has been stored in the PBM 15 without fail. . Therefore, in the Almost Full state, even if the output of the n-th image data is started, the conveyance of the (n + 1) -th original is not started. That is, in response to the completion of the input of the image of the n page (1509), the controller 123 transfers the image of the n page from the page memory 119 or 120 to the PBM1.
Output starts toward 5. Only when the image output is completed (1510), the controller 123 releases the areas of the page memories 119 and 120 and
The next document n + 1 is fed to the DF 200 and the reading position 203 is read.
To transport to In this manner, the storage of the document data of the (n + 1) th page in the page memory 119 or 120 is started. Thereafter, the end of the reading of the original and the wait for the completion of the output of the image data are alternately repeated. Therefore, in the Almost Full in step S1003 in FIG. A
The document spacing in the DF 200 is vacant, and the productivity is about half of the normal operation mode in step S1002 in FIG. 10; however, after the output of the image data is completed, the areas of the page memories 119 and 120 are released. It does not destroy image data.

[Almost Full to PBM F
Transition to Full State] Next, a transition operation from Almost Full state to PBM Full state will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of. Controller 12
3 is the PBM 15 based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199 in the monitoring in step S1201 of FIG.
Is determined to be FULL, the PBM 15 is instructed to discard the image data of the page that was finally stored in the PBM 15 and its management information from the PBM 15, and then the PBM F in step S1004 in FIG.
Transition to the full state.

This transition operation will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. In the figure, n-1,
n represents the order (page) of the read originals. Reference numerals 1601 and 1602 indicate input and output of document data to and from the page memories 119 and 120, respectively. In FIG. 16, reference numeral 1603 denotes a document n
5 shows a point in time when the PBM 15 has no more available space while the image data is being output to the PBM 15. Until the PBM 15 is completely empty (1603), the already described FIG.
Almost Full in step S1003
Of operation. In addition, (160) in FIG.
3) Thereafter, since there is no space in the PBM 15 for storing the document data, the output of the image to the PBM 15 is interrupted. This state is called PBM Full. The image of the document n in the page memories 119 and 120 is held.

In this state, the reading of the original is stopped until there is free space to actually store in the PBM 15. Therefore, the ADF 200 shown in FIG.
At 05, the paper supply is stopped, and a start command from the controller 123 in FIG. 4 is waited. That is, at the time of transition to the PBM Full state, the controller 123 of FIG.
00 is instructed to stop the flow reading image reading sequence operation.

At the time of shifting to the PBM Full sequence, the original n + 1 in the transport path is stopped in the state before it reaches the flow-read image reading position 203.

Further, even if a document is being conveyed on the conveying path,
If scanning is complete and the paper is in a position where it can be ejected, it is ejected without stopping. That is, in FIG. 2, in the single-sided reading mode, the document is put on standby by the paper feeding unit 205 and the transport path 206. The document on the transport path 207 is discharged. In the duplex reading mode, the sheet feeding unit 205 and the conveyance paths 206 and 208
The document is put on standby at, and the document on the transport path 209 is discharged.

As described above, each transport path can be independently driven, stopped and speed controlled. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the paper supply unit 205 or the conveyance paths 206 and 208 have independent standby positions 211 and 212, respectively.
Achieve document standby in PBM Full mode.

[PBM Full] Next, PBM Full
The operation in the 1 state will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 13 and the timing chart in FIG. In step S1004 of FIG. 10, whether or not there is free space in the PBM 15 is constantly monitored based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199.
The process returns to step S1301 to monitor whether or not there is free space in the PBM 15 again. And PBM1
If it is determined that there is free space, the process goes to Almost Full in step S1003 in FIG. 10, and if it is determined that there is no free space, the process proceeds to step S13.
Returning to 01, monitoring is performed again. In addition, in the PBM Full of step S1004 in FIG. 10, the process waits for the occurrence of free space in the PBM 15 (the period from 1603 to 1604 in FIG. 16).

The operation of the ADF 200 shown in FIG. 2 is in a stopped state and waits for a restart command from the controller 123.

[Recovery of PBM Full] Next, PBM
Recovery from Full will be described again with reference to the timing chart of FIG. Step S1301 of FIG.
When it is determined that free space has occurred in the PBM 15 based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199, the controller 12
Reference numeral 3 indicates that output is started from the top of the image data (the document image n output to the PBM 15 when the PBM Full occurs) stored in the page memories 119 and 120. As described above, the controller 123 starts outputting the image.
Is Almost Full in step S1003 in FIG. If the free space of the PBM 15 generated at this time is less than one page of the document and the PBM 15 is completely free again, the PBM F in step S1004 of FIG.
It becomes “ull” and waits until the free space in the PBM 15 further increases.

The controller 123 of FIG. 4 is the PBM1
There is free space in 5, and it becomes Almost Full state,
Further, when the image output storage from the page memories 119 and 120 to the PBM 15 is completed, the ADF 200 shown in FIG.
Issue operation restart command. In response to this command, the ADF 200 restarts feeding of the document n + 1 and the document on the document tray waiting at the standby positions 211 and 212 in FIG. 2 and restarts reading at the drift reading image reading position 203.

[Recovery from Almost Full] As described above, the normal operation mode in step S1002 of FIG. 10 or the PBM Full to step S1 is selected.
The apparatus that has transited to Almost Full in 003 determines that the image data predicted to be compressed can be stored in the PBM 15 based on the remaining amount detection signals 198 and 199 in step S1202 in FIG. The normal operation mode of S1002 is taken.

Next, the recovery operation from this Almost Full will be described with reference to the timing charts of FIGS. 17 and 18.

FIG. 17 shows P reading of the nth document.
This illustrates a state in which a storage space for an n-th document image has been created in the PBM 15 due to image reading from the BM 15 or the like. In the figure, n-1, n, n + 1, n + 2 represent the order of the read originals. 1701 and 1702
Indicates input and output of document data to and from the page memories 119 and 120, respectively. In the state where the PBM 15 has no free space capable of storing the image data of one page predicted by compression, step S1 of FIG.
The operation of Almost Full at 003 is performed. While reading the n-th original, large image data of another job is predicted, for example, because all the output for that image is completed, or another job coexisting in the PBM 15 is discarded. After 1703, when it is determined that the PBM 15 has a larger free space than that, the Almost Full state is resolved, and the n + 1th original is read without waiting for the output of the nth image data to be completed. It becomes possible.

FIG. 18 shows a state in which the Almost Full is eliminated while the n-th image data is being output. n-1, n, n + 1, n + 2 indicate the order of the read originals. Reference numerals 1801 and 1802 represent input and output of document data to and from the page memories 119 and 120, respectively.

FIG. 23 shows a conceptual diagram of OCU3. In the figure, reference numeral 2301 denotes a CRT screen on which a user's designation is input by touch input. CRT screen 2301
Is the same for LCD and FLC. In addition to the touch input, there is a configuration in which input is performed using a pointing device such as a mouse or an input pen. 2302 is a keypad,
2303 is a numeric keypad, 2304 is a clear key, 2
305 is an enter key, 2306 is a stop key, 23
07 is a reset key, 2308 is a start key.

The basic equipment configuration of the OCU 3 has been described above, and the display of the display unit, the selection menu, and the settings are shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 2401 is a standard menu screen in the CRT screen 2301 of FIG. Reference numeral 2403 designates a designated portion of a book mode (a mode in which a document is set on the platen and the document is read by moving the optical system).
Single-sided copy mode designation part for non-scanning image reading,
Reference numeral 2404 designates a double-sided copy mode designation portion for similarly scanning the scanned image, 2405 designates a copy number designation portion, 240
Numeral 6 designates a copy magnification designation portion, 2407 designates a designation portion for selecting a functional device (paper feeder, stapler, saddle stitcher, glue binder, mailbox sorter, etc.) attached to the main body of the copying machine, and 2408 designates more detailed in the copy mode. This is a detailed copy mode selection designation portion for setting.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a screen display state when the device select is designated in the designation portion 2407 for selecting the functional device in FIG. In the figure, 25
01 is a screen. Here, the main body of the copying machine and all accessories attached to the main body are displayed, and a function to be used can be selected. In addition, in FIG.
Reference numeral 2502 denotes a proof tray that discharges a test-printed sheet to test-print the finish of an image after copying on an actual transfer sheet, 2503 a stapler, 2504 a stacker that stores staple-processed output paper, 2505
Is a saddle stitcher, 2506 is a stacker for storing the output paper saddle stitched by the saddle stitcher 2505, 2514 is a glue binder, 250
7 and 2508 are stackers for binding processed by the glue binder 2514, 2509 is a mailbox sorter, 2510 is an output sorting bin for sorting by the mailbox sorter 2509, and 2511 is a designation portion for returning to the screen 2501. 2512, 2513, 2517, 25
Reference numeral 15 denotes paper feed stages 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Paper feed stage 1
Transfer papers set by the user are included in the printers 1 to 4, respectively. Reference numeral 2516 denotes a display portion for displaying the flow of output paper sent to each functional device in real time.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a screen display state when the detailed copy mode selection designation portion 2408 of FIG. 24 is designated as the detailed copy mode selection. Here, a copy function is designated in image processing such as the number of gradations, resolution, continuous shooting, and twin color.

Next, FIG. 27 shows that the mostmost (Al
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen display state in a (most Full) mode. In this state, as described above, the image is transferred to the PBM 15 while checking the free space of the PBM 15, so that the processing speed of reading the original document decreases. 270 of FIG.
1 is display information for informing the user of the state,
Reference numeral 2702 denotes a designated portion for canceling the job set by the user in that state.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a screen display state in the PBM full mode. In this case, as described above, the image reading is temporarily stopped, and the reading process is suspended until the PBM full mode is not set. In FIG. 28, reference numeral 2801 is display information notifying the state,
804 is a display of the waiting time, 2802 is a designated portion for canceling the job set by the user in that state, 2
Reference numeral 803 is a designated portion for waiting for the start of document reading in the PBM full state.

Next, the compression rate improvement processing will be described.

As described above, as the state of the apparatus, there are three states of normal operation, Almost Full, and PBM Full.
There is a state.

In normal operation, the compression rate prediction circuit 160
If there is no room to store the predicted data amount after compression, which can be stored in the PBM 15, the state transitions to the Almost Full state. As mentioned above, Almost Full
In this state, the operation of the device becomes slower than the normal operation.

Therefore, when the remaining capacity of the PBM 15 is smaller than the predicted data amount after compression calculated by the compression ratio prediction circuit 160, a process for improving the compression ratio of the image data is performed and stored in the PBM 15. Alm
The transition to the ost Full state is avoided and the state of the device is kept in normal operation.

The specific operation will be described with reference to FIG. First,
In step S2901, flg indicating whether or not the image data has been processed is initialized. Then, in step S2902, the remaining capacity of the PBM 15 is detected.

Next, the compression rate of the image data is predicted in step S2903, and further in step S2904.
The amount of data after compression based on the predicted compression ratio and the remaining capacity of the PBM 15 are compared. The predicted amount of compressed data is PBM1
If the remaining capacity is less than 5, the compressed data is converted to PBM.
The normal operation of storing in 15 continues. On the other hand, if the predicted amount of data after compression is larger than the remaining capacity of the PBM 15, the flg indicating whether or not the image data has been processed is checked, and if the image has not been processed, step S
2907, and if not, it proceeds to step S2909.

In step S2907, the image data is processed. The method of processing the image data will be described later.
The parameters for processing the image data are set so that the deterioration of the image is within the allowable range.

In step S2908, it is determined that the image data has been processed, and flg is turned on. On the other hand, if the image data processing has already been performed, the process advances to step S2909 to shift to the Almost Full state.

Next, the method of image data processing executed in step S2907 will be described with an example.

As a first example of image data processing, the density conversion table in the density conversion circuits 129 and 130 in FIG. 4 is changed from a normal table to a table for improving the compression rate to improve the compression rate. This is a process of erasing an image.

FIG. 30 shows a density conversion table. Figure 30
(A) is a normal density conversion table. FIG.
(B) is a density conversion table for improving the compression rate. The table of FIG. 30B has a conversion characteristic for forcibly converting image data of level X ₁ or lower to “0” level and image data of level X ₂ or higher to “255” level. By performing the density conversion using the table of FIG. 30B, the frequency of switching the lower bits 0 and 1 of the non-image part data is particularly reduced, so that the compression efficiency can be improved. The density conversion information is reflected in the compression rate prediction circuit 160 through the controller 123 and used for prediction of the compression rate.

A second example of image data processing is to reduce the number of gradations of an image. In the gradation number conversion circuits 131 and 132 for performing the error diffusion processing of FIG.
It is possible to reduce the total data amount of the image by converting the image signal of gradation or 1 bit and 2 gradations. Usually, switching of the number of output gradations in the error diffusion processing can be easily performed by changing the conversion table of the error diffusion processing. The gradation information of the error diffusion processing is reflected on the compression rate prediction circuit 160 via the controller 123.

A third example of image data processing is a process of reducing the resolution of image data. The resolution conversion is performed by the memory control signal 124 from the controller 123.
Is performed by arranging the page memory circuits 119 and 120 or the resolution conversion circuit in the subsequent stage of the memory circuit. For example, when the resolution is halved, the amount of data is ¼ of the original image. That is, in the standard state, the CCD
Image transfer is performed at a resolution of 600 dpi of the line sensor, but resolution conversion using linear interpolation calculation is performed according to the required reduction ratio. As the image reduction rate, up to 25% is set as the maximum reduction rate as a value that allows image deterioration. The user may arbitrarily set the limiter value of the reduction rate. When this resolution conversion is executed, resolution reverse conversion circuits 1590 and 1600 are provided at the subsequent stage of the PBM 15 as shown in FIG. 31, and the image data output from the PBM 15 is returned to the original resolution and transferred to the printer unit. The resolution information is reflected in the compression rate prediction circuit 160 through the controller 123.

By the way, generally, an image processing apparatus having a large-capacity print memory often processes a large number of text originals in plural sets.

Further, since the density distribution of the text image is biased, the deterioration of the image quality can be minimized even if the above-described processing for improving the compression rate is performed. However, in the case of a continuous tone image such as a photographic image, the deterioration of the image quality may exceed the allowable range when the above-mentioned processing is performed.

Therefore, as a fourth example for improving the compression ratio, switching the compression method from the variable length lossless compression method to the fixed length lossy compression method can be mentioned. This can be realized by configuring the image compression circuits 150 and 153 of FIG. 8 so that the variable length lossless compression method and the fixed length lossy compression method can be switched.

In the case of the variable length reversible compression method, generally, the compression rate is high for a text image having a large area of a white background and low for a continuous tone image such as a photographic image.
On the other hand, when the fixed-length lossy compression method, especially the block coding method is used, the compression rate is constant and the image deterioration of the text image is severe, but the deterioration of the photographic image is not noticeable. However, for continuous tone images such as photographic images, the fixed length compression method may have a higher compression rate than the variable length compression method. Therefore, for continuous tone images, by switching the compression method from the variable length lossless compression method to the fixed length lossy compression method,
It is possible to improve the compression rate of the image while keeping the image quality within the allowable range. Further, when the compression is performed by the fixed length compression method, the compression rate becomes constant or becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, and it can be easily determined whether the compressed data can be accumulated in the remaining capacity of the PBM 15.

By performing any one or more of the above various processes, it becomes possible to store image data even when the remaining amount of the PBM 15 is small. Further, when another job ends and there is a margin in the remaining amount of the PBM 15, the processing for improving the compression rate of the image data is canceled, and, for example, the normal processing (default value) with priority on image quality is returned. .

A mode for selecting whether or not to perform the processing for improving the compression rate as described above, and a mode for selecting some methods for improving the compression rate are provided, and are switched depending on the original. Alternatively, the user may select it. An example thereof is shown in FIGS.
Will be described.

FIG. 32 shows a screen 3401 for the user to select in advance a coping method when the capacity of the image data after compression becomes larger than the remaining capacity of the memory.
There are three types of coping methods. One is the ADF200 when it is determined that the remaining memory is insufficient during scanning.
This is a mode 3410 in which all the originals set in (1) are sent out (without reading) and once ended. When this mode is selected, the user needs to read the document again at another occasion if necessary. The other is a selection to permit the shift to the PBM Full operation described above, that is, a mode 3411 in which the memory is emptied. In this case, no further document reading is performed, and the document in the ADF path remains as it is.
This is a method of waiting until the BM 15 becomes empty and an image can be stored. Finally, if the predicted value after compression is larger than the remaining memory capacity of the PBM 15, a mode 341 for reducing the image data amount and storing the original image data in the PBM 15.
2. In this method, the image data amount is reduced by using the above-described image data processing method, so the image quality may deteriorate, but since the reading work is not interrupted, the user takes the document away from the place after the document reading is completed. It becomes possible.

FIG. 33 shows a screen 3501 for allowing the user to select the priority of the reduction method when the method of reducing the image data amount in the mode 3412 is selected on the screen of FIG. This is because when the reduction of the image data amount is not sufficient even if any one of the above-described image data processing is performed, the image data amount is reduced by changing or adding another method. This is to give a ranking when performing. That is, when the capacity of the image data after compression becomes larger than the remaining amount of the memory on this screen, the image data is processed by any one of the above-mentioned first to third processings to reduce the image data. Determine the priority of whether or not to allow it. A priority order is displayed in 3502, and in this case, it is shown that the priority order is the processing for removing the ground, the gradation number is changed, and the resolution is changed. The priority of the reduction method shown in FIG. 33 is ranked from the one with the smallest deterioration in image quality to the one with the largest deterioration. In some cases, the degree of image deterioration varies depending on the type of image to be read, or the image quality deterioration can be tolerated depending on the purpose of the final output image. Therefore, the priority order can be changed. To select another priority, use the NEXT key 35
Select by pressing 03. The selectable combinations are shown as 3511 to 3516 in FIG. NEXT
Every time the key 3503 is pressed, the indications 3511 to 3516 are cyclically displayed, and the priority order is selected using the display. When the priority of the image data processing method can be arbitrarily selected in this way, the characteristics of the image to be processed are selected from among the bypass, resolution, and the number of gradations that can be sacrificed or that are desired to be saved. For example, it can be selectively set according to whether it is a text original or a halftone image, and the user can obtain a desired output.

It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the apparatus learns a plurality of times of processing, and the priorities are automatically determined according to the learning, rather than the user selecting the priorities.

As described above, by performing the processing for improving the compression rate of the image data, even if it is judged by the compression rate prediction that the storage capacity cannot be compared with the remaining capacity of the storage device,
By improving the compression rate of the image, it is possible to store the image in the storage device without interrupting the data transfer.

Further, by providing a mode for selecting whether or not to perform the above-mentioned processing, the above-mentioned processing is not performed for the image data whose image quality is prioritized over the speed, and the image quality can be processed without degrading the image quality. .

[0091]

As described above, according to the present invention, the input means for inputting the image data, the image data compression means for compressing the image data input by the input means,
Storage means for storing the compressed data compressed by the image data compression means, storage remaining capacity detection means for detecting the remaining capacity of the storage means, and image compression rate prediction means for predicting the compression rate of the image data compression means. According to the detection result of the storage remaining capacity detection unit and the prediction result of the image compression rate prediction unit, if the storage remaining capacity of the storage unit is smaller than the predicted capacity after compression, Since it has image processing means for processing the image so as to improve the compression rate of the image data, the image data can be stored even if the remaining storage capacity becomes small, and the image data can be stored without interruption. It is possible to store images in.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus including an image storage device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing a configuration of an automatic document feeder in the image processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a document feeding operation of the automatic document feeding apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of image processing in the image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of image processing in the image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

7 is a diagram showing another example of the image processing in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 which is different from FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a print buffer memory (PBM) in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the movement of a job in the print buffer memory.

FIG. 10 is a state transition diagram (ST) of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
D).

11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation control procedure in a normal operation mode of the image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 shows an Almost F of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.
It is a flowchart which shows the operation control procedure at the time of a full.

13 is a PBM Full of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.
It is a flowchart which shows the operation control procedure at the time.

14 is a time chart illustrating input / output timing of an image to / from a page memory in a normal operation mode of the image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a time chart showing input / output timing of an image to a page memory when the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 transitions from a normal operation mode to an Almost Full time.

FIG. 16 shows an Almost F of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.
9 is a time chart showing input / output timing of an image to and from a page memory at the time of transition between a full time and a PBM full time.

FIG. 17 shows an Almost F of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.
6 is a time chart showing an input / output timing of an image with respect to a page memory at the time of recovery from a null state.

FIG. 18 shows an Almost F of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.
6 is a time chart showing an input / output timing of an image with respect to a page memory at the time of recovery from a null state.

FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram showing a page memory in a case where an image 1 occupies a page memory in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

20 is a conceptual diagram showing a page memory when an image 1 starts to be output from the page memory in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

21 is a conceptual diagram showing a page memory when an image 1 and an image 2 coexist in the page memory in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is a conceptual diagram showing a page memory when an image n-1 and an image n coexist in the page memory in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 23 is a conceptual diagram showing an operation unit in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.

24 is a conceptual diagram showing an operation screen of an operation unit in the image processing device shown in FIG.

25 is a conceptual diagram showing an operation screen of an operation unit in the image processing device shown in FIG.

26 is a conceptual diagram showing an operation screen of an operation unit in the image processing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 27 illustrates an operation unit A in the image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG.
It is a figure showing the example of a display of the operation screen at the time of Imost Full.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a P of an operation unit in the image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;
It is a figure showing the example of a display of the operation screen at the time of BM Full.

29 is a flowchart showing an execution procedure of a compression rate improvement process in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.

30 is a diagram showing an example of density conversion characteristics in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.

31 is a block diagram showing a configuration for resolution conversion in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.

32 is a diagram showing a display example of an operation screen when the remaining memory capacity of the operation unit in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is insufficient.

33 is a diagram showing a display example of a priority order selection screen of image processing processing of the operation unit in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.

34 is a diagram showing a display example for changing the priority order of the operation unit in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 image processing device (copier) 2 image reading unit (reader unit) 3 operation unit (OCU) 7 finishing device 11 image processing unit 15 PBM (image storage unit) 111 CCD 112 A / D conversion circuit 113 shading / color space conversion Circuit 114 Two-color separation circuit 117 Filter 118 Filter 119 Page memory 120 Page memory 123 Controller (data capacity management means, control means) 125 Magnification / resolution conversion circuit 126 Magnification / resolution conversion circuit 127 Image decoration circuit 128 Image decoration circuit 129 Density conversion circuit 130 density conversion circuit 131 gradation number conversion circuit 132 gradation number conversion circuit 150 compression circuit 151 DRAM 152 expansion circuit 153 compression circuit 154 DRAM 156 expansion circuit 157 remaining amount detection circuit 158 remaining amount detection circuit 160 compression ratio Circuit 165 Selector 166 Selector 200 Automatic Document Feeder 201 Document Tray 202 First Mirror 203 Flow Reading Document Reading Position 204 Book Mode Scan Reading Position 205 Paper Feeding Unit 206 Transport Path 207 Transport Path 208 Transport Path 209 Transport Path 210 Lens 250 scanner

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyoshi Yoshida 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masatoshi Yaginuma 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Takiyama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Ryosuke Miyamoto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hideaki Shimizu 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Yaguchi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Invention Katsuya Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Tadashi Takahashi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Down in the Corporation

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An input unit for inputting image data, an image data compression unit for compressing the image data input by the input unit, and a storage unit for storing the compressed data compressed by the image data compression unit. Remaining storage capacity detection means for detecting the remaining capacity of the storage means, image compression rate prediction means for predicting the compression rate of the image data compression means, detection result of the remaining storage capacity detection means, and the image compression rate prediction means According to the prediction result of 1., when the remaining storage capacity of the storage means is smaller than the predicted capacity after compression, the image processing means for processing the image to improve the compression rate of the image data according to the remaining storage capacity is provided. An image processing device characterized by the above. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the density correction table of the image data is changed by the image processing means. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit reduces the number of gradations of the image. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing means reduces the resolution of the image. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing method changes the image compression method. 6. The image processing according to claim 1, wherein the image processing means is capable of processing an image by a plurality of processing methods, and selects a processing method to be executed according to the priority of the plurality of processing methods. apparatus. 7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the priority of the plurality of processing methods can be changed.