IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20130077867A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Hisashi, Ito, Tadayuki, Shoami, Koji
• Application Number:
  US13/552,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20130077867A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/195
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3872 Repositioning or masking

Abstract

When the processed pixel value is the last pixel value to be output for a unit region of interest, the apparatus stands by to output this pixel value until all pixels in the unit region of interest are input, and enables output of the pixel value on standby when all the pixels in the unit region of interest have been input.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an input unit that sequentially inputs pixel data included in partial image data;

a processing unit that processes the pixel data input from said input unit, and outputs the processed pixel data; and

an output control unit that outputs output pixel of interest data, which serves for synchronization with a latter block, of the processed pixel data as said input unit inputs input pixel of interest data included in the partial image data to said processing unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the partial image data is a band image obtained by dividing an image to be processed in a band shape,

the input pixel of interest data is the last pixel data, input to said input unit, of pixel data included in the band image input via said input unit, and

the output pixel of interest data is the last output pixel data of processed pixel data output for the band image from said processing unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the input pixel of interest data is the last pixel data, input to said input unit, of pixel data included in partial image data input via said input unit, and

the output pixel of interest data is the last output pixel data of processed pixel data output for the partial image data from said processing unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the input pixel of interest data is pixel data, which serves to identify one of a specific region and a specific pixel, of pixel data included in partial image data input via said input unit, and

the output pixel of interest data is pixel data, which serves to identify one of a specific region and a specific pixel, of processed pixel data output for the partial image data from said processing unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit performs image processing which uses different numbers of input pixels and output pixels.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in outputting the output pixel of interest data, said output control unit outputs a synchronizing signal indicating that the output pixel of interest data has been output.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the synchronizing signal is transmitted using a side band signal.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input unit sequentially inputs data packets which store a plurality of pixel data included in partial image data, and said output control unit outputs a data packet including output pixel of interest data, which serves for synchronization with a latter block, of pixel data processed by said processing unit, as said input unit inputs a data packet including the input pixel of interest data.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said output control unit stores, in the data packet including the output pixel of interest data, a flag indicating that the output pixel of interest data is to be included, and outputs the data packet.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said output control unit comprises a holding unit that holds the pixel data processed by said processing unit, and

a two-line handshake with the latter block is performed until the output pixel of interest data is held in said holding unit, and a valid signal to be sent to the latter block is invalidated after the output pixel of interest data is held in said holding unit.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit performs trimming processing.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit performs filter processing.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit performs scaling processing.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an output unit serving as the latter block, that receives and outputs the output pixel of interest data from said output control unit; and

a processor that controls said input unit to input pixel data included in the next partial image data as said output unit receives the output pixel of interest data.

15. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an input unit that reads out for each specific unit region an image to be processed, and sequentially inputs pixels in the readout unit regions; and

an image processing unit that processes an image in a unit region of interest using a pixel value of at least one pixel input via said input unit from the unit region of interest to determine a pixel value of each pixel in the image in the unit region of interest, and sequentially outputs the determined pixel values to a specific output destination,

said image processing unit comprising;

a processing unit that processes an input pixel value and determines the processed pixel value;

a determination unit that determines whether the pixel value determined by said processing unit is a pixel value of a pixel of interest to be output for the unit region of interest; and

a control unit that, when said determination unit determines that the pixel value determined by said processing unit is the pixel value of the pixel of interest to be output for the unit region of interest, stands by to output the determined pixel value until said input unit inputs all pixels in the unit region of interest, and enables output of the determined pixel value on standby after said input unit inputs all the pixels in the unit region of interest.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the specific output destination outputs the pixel value output from said image processing unit to an external equipment, and then issues an instruction to said input unit to read out an image in a unit region subsequent to the unit region of interest.

17. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus including an input unit that sequentially inputs pixel data included in partial image data, and a processing unit that processes the pixel data input from the input unit, and outputs the processed pixel data, comprising:

outputting output pixel of interest data, which serves for synchronization with a latter block, of the processed pixel data as the input unit inputs input pixel of interest data included in the partial image data to the processing unit.

18. An image processing method executed by an image processing apparatus, comprising:

an input step of reading out for each specific unit region an image to be processed, and sequentially inputting pixels in the readout unit regions; and

an image processing step of processing an image in a unit region of interest using a pixel value of at least one pixel input in the input step from the unit region of interest to determine a pixel value of each pixel in the image in the unit region of interest, and sequentially outputting the determined pixel values to a specific output destination,

the image processing step comprising;

a processing step of processing an input pixel value and determining the processed pixel value;

a determination step of determining whether the pixel value determined in the processing step is a pixel value of a pixel of interest to be output for the unit region of interest; and

a control step of, when it is determined in the determination step that the pixel value determined in the processing step is the pixel value of the pixel of interest to be output for the unit region of interest, standing by to output the determined pixel value until all pixels in the unit region of interest are input in the input step, and enabling output of the determined pixel value on standby when all the pixels in the unit region of interest have been input in the input step.