Image processor and image processing method

• US 20080007807A1
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Uchita, Jun, Yamada, Atsushi
• Application Number:
  US11/546,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20080007807A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/540
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals

Abstract

A line memory has a source image area and a decoration image area allocated thereto. The source image area sequentially retains partial source image data corresponding to at least one line of a screenful of a source image. The decoration image area retains decoration image data corresponding to a decoration image for decoration of the source image. An image superimposing circuit repeatedly performs superimposing processing to superimpose the partial source image data retained in the line memory with partial decoration image data corresponding to the partial source image data, until a screenful of the source image is superimposed. Thus, the source image data and the decoration image data can be superimposed without use of a system bus. This can prevent increase in system bus utilization.

Claims

1. An image processor, comprising:

a line memory having a source image area and a decoration image area allocated thereto, the source image area sequentially retaining therein partial source image data which corresponds to at least one line of a screenful of a source image, the decoration image area retaining therein decoration image data which corresponds to a decoration image for decoration of the source image; and

an image superimposing circuit which repeatedly performs superimposing processing to superimpose the partial source image data retained in said line memory with partial decoration image data, until the source image is superimposed, the partial decoration image data corresponding to partial source image data.

2. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein

said image superimposing circuit reads the partial source image data and the partial decoration image data from said line memory, superimposes the read partial image data with each other, and sequentially outputs superimposed image data.

3. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein

said image superimposing circuit reads the partial decoration image data from said line memory, and overwrites the partial source image data retained in said source image area with the read partial decoration image data, to thereby superimpose the partial decoration image data with the partial source image data.

4. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein

said image superimposing circuit superimposes a pixel of the partial decoration image data with the partial source image data, the pixel having a color different from a predetermined pixel color.

5. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising

a pixel map storing information indicating whether or not each pixel of the decoration image data is to be superimposed, wherein

said image superimposing circuit superimposes the partial source image data with the partial decoration image data based on the information stored in said pixel map.

6. The image processor according to claim 5, wherein:

said line memory retains, in said decoration image area, decoration image data which corresponds to a pixel to be superimposed indicated by the information in said pixel map; and

said image superimposing circuit superimposes the partial decoration image data retained in said decoration image area with the partial source image data when the information stored in said pixel map indicates that a pixel of the decoration image data is to be superimposed.

7. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein:

said line memory retains, in said decoration image area, reduced decoration image data which corresponds to a reduced decoration image; and

said image superimposing circuit partially reads the reduced decoration image data retained in said decoration image area, generates, from the read partial reduced decoration image data, partial decoration image data corresponding to a part of an original decoration image, and superimposes generated partial decoration image data with the partial source image data, the partial reduced decoration image data corresponding to the partial source image data.

8. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein:

the decoration image is generated by periodically arranging a second decoration image smaller in size than the source image;

said line memory retains, in said decoration image area, second decoration image data which corresponds to the second decoration image smaller in size than the source image; and

said image superimposing circuit reads the second decoration image data retained in said decoration image area, repeatedly uses the read second image data to generate the partial decoration image data, and superimposes generated partial decoration image data with the partial source image data.

9. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a system memory which retains encoded decoration data generated by encoding the decoration image data; and

an image decoder which decodes the encoded decoration data retained in said system memory to generate the decoration image data to be retained in said decoration image area.

10. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising

an image encoder which encodes superimposing image data superimposed by said image superimposing circuit.

11. The image processor according to claim 10, wherein

said image encoder encodes, as moving image data, superimposing image data superimposed by said image superimposing circuit.

12. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a system memory which retains basic data for generation of a decoration image; and

a decoration image generation controller which generates the decoration image data to be retained in said decoration image area from the basic data retained in said system memory.

13. An image processing method, comprising the steps of:

retaining decoration image data in a decoration image area allocated to a line memory, the decoration image data corresponding to a decoration image for decoration of a screenful of a source image;

sequentially retaining partial source image data in a source image area allocated to said line memory, the partial source image data corresponding to at least one line of the source image; and

repeatedly performing superimposing processing to superimpose the partial source image data retained sequentially in said line memory with partial decoration image data, until said source image is superimposed, the partial decoration image data corresponding to the partial source image data.

14. The image processing method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

reading the partial source image data and the partial decoration image data from said line memory;

superimposing the read partial image data with each other; and

sequentially outputting superimposed image data.

15. The image processing method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

reading the partial decoration image data from said line memory; and

overwriting the partial source image data retained in said source image area with the read partial decoration image data, to thereby superimpose the partial decoration image data with the partial source image data.

16. The image processing method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of

superimposing a pixel of the partial decoration image data with the partial source image data, the pixel having a color different from a predetermined pixel color.

17. The image processing method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

retaining, as pixel map information, information indicating whether or not each pixel of the decoration image data is to be superimposed; and

superimposing the partial source image data with the partial decoration image data based on the pixel map information.

18. The image processing method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

retaining, in the decoration image area of said line memory, decoration image data corresponding to a pixel to be superimposed indicated by the pixel map information; and

superimposing the partial decoration image data retained in said decoration image area with the partial source image data according to a pixel to be superimposed indicated by the pixel map information.

19. The image processing method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

retaining, in the decoration image area of said line memory, reduced decoration image data corresponding to a reduced decoration image; and

partially reading the reduced decoration image data retained in said decoration image area, generating, from the read partial reduced decoration image data, partial decoration image data corresponding to a part of an original decoration image, and superimposing generated partial decoration image data with the partial source image data, the partial reduced decoration image data corresponding to the partial source image data.

20. The image processing method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

retaining, in a system memory, encoded decoration data generated by encoding the decoration image data; and

decoding the encoded decoration data generated by encoding the decoration image data to generate the decoration image data to be retained in said decoration image area.