Image processing apparatus and image processing method

• US 20020154134A1
• Filed: 04/11/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsui, Nobuaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,119,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/582
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/20 Contour coding, e.g. using detection of edges

Abstract

The present invention concerns an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, in which an edge coordinates extraction circuit is used to extract edge coordinates information for an input bitmap. By converting the bitmap image into vector data the edge coordinates information so extracted reduces the time required for raster-vector conversion.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for processing an input bitmap image, the image processing apparatus comprising:

an edge coordinates extraction circuit for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image; and

conversion means for converting the bitmap image into vector data based on the edge coordinates information.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the converting of the bitmap image into vector data by the conversion means is a software process executed in parallel with a hardware process performed by the edge coordinates extraction circuit.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the edge coordinates information is edge position information and edge number information per each line.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the bitmap image is a binary bitmap image acquired by scanning an image with a scanner;

the edge coordinates extraction circuit extracts edge coordinates information of the binary bitmap image; and

the conversion means converts the binary bitmap image into vector data using the edge coordinates information.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an optical character recognition (OCR) means for OCR processing of the binary bitmap image.

6. An image processing apparatus for processing an input bitmap image, the image processing apparatus comprising:

an edge coordinates extraction circuit for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image; and

a CPU for converting the bitmap image into vector data based on the edge coordinates information,

wherein said edge coordinates extraction circuit executes a hardware process and said CPU executes a software process.

7. An image processing apparatus for processing an input bitmap image, the image processing apparatus comprising:

an edge coordinates extraction circuit for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image; and

a first generating means for generating edge information of a graphic object based on the edge coordinates information.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the generating of edge information by the first generating means is a software process executed in parallel with a hardware process performed by the edge coordinates extraction circuit.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the edge coordinates information is edge position information and edge number information per each line.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the bitmap image is a bitmap font obtained by analyzing print information;

the edge coordinates extraction circuit extracts edge coordinates information of the bitmap font; and

the first generating means generates edge information of the bitmap font using the edge coordinates information.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a second generating means for generating a final pixel for the print information from layer information expressing a vertical spacing relationship between graphic objects and from edge information generated by the first generating means.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the edge coordinates extraction circuit comprises:

extracting means for extracting consecutive n bits of data from the bitmap image input by the input means;

decoding means for simultaneously decoding edge position information and edge number information from the n bit data extracted by the extracting means; and

data gathering means for gathering the edge position information and edge number information for each bit data n extracted by the decoding means.

15. The edge coordinates extraction circuit according to claim 14, further comprising adjustment means for adjusting an edge position and an edge number between adjacent bit data n.

16. The edge coordinates extraction circuit according to claim 14, wherein the decoding means is a look-up table (LUT) for storing values indicating the bit data n extracted by the extracting means together with corresponding to edge position information and edge number information.

17. The edge coordinates extraction circuit according to claim 14, further comprising storage means for storing edge number information and edge position information for each line in different address memory regions.

18. The edge coordinates extraction circuit according to claim 17, wherein the storage means stores in the memory a first list that matches an image beginning edge and an image ending edge as edge position information, and a second list that matches an address where the edge position information where each line switches in the first list is stored with edge number information for each line.

19. The image processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the n bit data is 8-bit byte data.

20. The image processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising conversion means for converting the bitmap data to vector data using the edge position information and edge number information for each line, simultaneously with processing by the edge coordinates extraction circuit.

12. An image processing apparatus for processing an input bitmap image, the image processing apparatus comprising:

an edge coordinates extraction circuit for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image; and

a CPU for converting the bitmap image into vector data based on the edge coordinates information,

wherein said edge coordinates extraction circuit executes a hardware process and said CPU executes a software process.

13. An image processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting a bitmap image; and

an edge coordinates extraction circuit for extracting edge coordinates information of the bitmap image input by the input means.

21. An image processing method for processing an input bitmap image, the image processing method comprising:

an edge coordinate extraction step for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image using an edge coordinates extraction circuit; and

a conversion step for converting the bitmap image into vector data based on the edge coordinates information.

22. An image processing method for processing an input bitmap image, the image processing method comprising:

an edge coordinate extraction step for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image using an edge coordinates extraction circuit; and

a conversion step for converting the bitmap image into vector data based on the edge coordinates information in a CPU,

wherein said edge coordinates extraction circuit executes a hardware process and said CPU executes a software process.

23. An image processing method for processing an input bitmap image, the image processing method comprising:

an edge coordinate extraction step for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image using an edge coordinates extraction circuit; and

a first generating means for generating edge information of a graphic object based on the edge coordinates information.

24. An image processing method for processing an input bitmap image, the image processing method comprising:

an edge coordinate extraction step for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image using an edge coordinates extraction circuit; and

a first generating means for generating edge information of a graphic object based on the edge coordinates information in a CPU,

said edge coordinates extraction circuit executes a hardware process and said CPU executes a software process.

25. An image processing method comprising:

an input step for inputting a bitmap image; and

an edge coordinate extraction step for extracting edge coordinates information of the input bitmap image using an edge coordinates extraction circuit.