IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20070229888A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsui, Nobuaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3333 during transmission, input or output of the picture signal; within a single document or page
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40062 Discrimination between different image types, e.g. two-tone, continuous tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6072 adapting to different types of images, e.g. characters, graphs, black and white image portions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33378 Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data

Abstract

When rasterized text is pasted on a picture image included in a print image, image processing for a picture region is applied to the print image, thus deteriorating the image quality of a text region. Print data is input from the exterior, and objects included in the print data are rendered to generate image data for print. Attribute information of each object is appended to the image data for print, and the image data appended with the attribute information is stored in a memory. Image data indicating a picture attribute is extracted from the rendered image data for print. The extracted image data is segmented into region. Attribute information of image data of a region of a text attribute, which is divided in the segmentation, is rewritten to a text attribute.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an input section, arranged to input print data from the exterior;

a rendering section, arranged to render objects included in the print data to generate image data for print, wherein said rendering section appends attribute information indicating attributes of the objects to the image data for print of the objects, and stores the image data for print appended with the attribute information in a memory;

an extractor, arranged to extract image data indicating a picture attribute from the image data for print output from said rendering section;

a segmentation section, arranged to segment the image data extracted by said extractor into regions; and

a rewriting section arranged to rewrite attribute information of image data of a region of a text attribute, which is divided by said segmentation section, to a text attribute.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rewriting section overwrites the image data stored in the memory by the image data whose the attribute information is rewritten.

3. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an input section, arranged to input print data from the exterior;

an extractor, arranged to extract an object of a picture attribute from the print data;

a segmentation section, arranged to segment the object extracted by said extractor into regions, and to generate an attribute information map of the object; and

a rendering section, arranged to render objects included in the print data to generate image data for print, wherein when an object has an attribute other than a picture attribute, said rendering section appends attribute information indicating the attribute of the object to the image data for print of the object, and when an object has the picture attribute, said rendering section appends attribute information according to the attribute information map to the image data for print of the object.

4. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an input section, arranged to input graphics commands;

a determiner, arranged to determine an attribute of an object whose rendering is designated by the graphics commands;

a segmentation section, arranged to segment the object, for which a determination result of said determiner indicates a picture attribute, into regions, to generate an attribute information map of the object, and to associate the attribute information map and the object; and

a generator, arranged to generate print data including the object whose rendering is designated by the graphics commands and the attribute information map.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an output section arranged to output the print data to a printing device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a rendering section, arranged to render objects included in the print data to generate image data for print, wherein said rendering section appends attribute information indicating attributes of the objects to the image data for print of the objects; and

an image processor, arranged to apply image processing corresponding to the attribute information to the image data for print, wherein said image processor applies image processing according to attribute information indicated by the attribute information map to a pixel whose attribute information indicates a picture attribute.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an output section arranged to output the image data for print to a printing device.

8. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting print data from the exterior;

rendering objects included in the print data to generate image data for print;

appending attribute information indicating attributes of the objects to the image data for print of the objects, and storing the image data for print appended with the attribute information in a memory;

extracting image data indicating a picture attribute from the rendered image data for print;

segmenting the image data extracted in the extracting step into regions; and

rewriting attribute information of image data of a region of a text attribute, which is divided in the segmenting step, to a text attribute.

9. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting print data from the exterior;

extracting an object of a picture attribute from the print data;

segmenting the object extracted by said extractor into regions, and generating an attribute information map of the object;

rendering objects included in the print data to generate image data for print; and

appending, when an object has an attribute other than a picture attribute, attribute information indicating the attribute of the object to the image data for print of the object, and appending, when an object has the picture attribute, attribute information according to the attribute information map to the image data for print of the object.

10. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting graphics commands;

determining an attribute of an object whose rendering is designated by the graphics commands;

segmenting the object, for which the determination result indicates a picture attribute, into regions, generating an attribute information map of the object, and associating the attribute information map and the object; and

generating print data including the object whose rendering is designated by the graphics commands and the attribute information map.

11. A computer-executable program stored on a computer-readable storage medium comprising program code causing a computer to perform an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting print data from the exterior;

rendering objects included in the print data to generate image data for print;

appending attribute information indicating attributes of the objects to the image data for print of the objects, and storing the image data for print appended with the attribute information in a memory;

extracting image data indicating a picture attribute from the rendered image data for print;

segmenting the image data extracted in the extracting step into regions; and

rewriting attribute information of image data of a region of a text attribute, which is divided in the segmenting step, to a text attribute.

12. A computer-executable program stored on a computer-readable storage medium comprising program code causing a computer to perform an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting print data from the exterior;

extracting an object of a picture attribute from the print data;

segmenting the object extracted by said extractor into regions, and generating an attribute information map of the object;

rendering objects included in the print data to generate image data for print; and

appending, when an object has an attribute other than a picture attribute, attribute information indicating the attribute of the object to the image data for print of the object, and appending, when an object has the picture attribute, attribute information according to the attribute information map to the image data for print of the object.

13. A computer-executable program stored on a computer-readable storage medium comprising program code causing a computer to perform an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting graphics commands;

determining an attribute of an object whose rendering is designated by the graphics commands;

segmenting the object, for which the determination result indicates a picture attribute, into regions, generating an attribute information map of the object, and associating the attribute information map and the object; and

generating print data including the object whose rendering is designated by the graphics commands and the attribute information map.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program causing a computer to perform an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting print data from the exterior;

rendering objects included in the print data to generate image data for print;

appending attribute information indicating attributes of the objects to the image data for print of the objects, and storing the image data for print appended with the attribute information in a memory;

extracting image data indicating a picture attribute from the rendered image data for print;

segmenting the image data extracted in the extracting step into regions; and

rewriting attribute information of image data of a region of a text attribute, which is divided in the segmenting step, to a text attribute.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program causing a computer to perform an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting print data from the exterior;

extracting an object of a picture attribute from the print data;

segmenting the object extracted by said extractor into regions, and generating an attribute information map of the object;

rendering objects included in the print data to generate image data for print; and

appending, when an object has an attribute other than a picture attribute, attribute information indicating the attribute of the object to the image data for print of the object, and appending, when an object has the picture attribute, attribute information according to the attribute information map to the image data for print of the object.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program causing a computer to perform an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting graphics commands;

determining an attribute of an object whose rendering is designated by the graphics commands;

segmenting the object, for which the determination result indicates a picture attribute, into regions, generating an attribute information map of the object, and associating the attribute information map and the object; and

generating print data including the object whose rendering is designated by the graphics commands and the attribute information map.