Image Processing Software Development Method, Image Processing Software Development Device, and Image Processing Software Development Program

• US 20140196003A1
• Filed: 08/03/2011
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakimura, Shigetoshi, Miyoshi, Masanori
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven

Abstract

The present invention includes four types of component diagrams, namely, an input/output data memory management component diagram, an input data value setup component diagram, a library execution component diagram, and an output data value acquisition component diagram, with respect to image processing library functions for a programming language and to an input/output data structure for the image processing library functions. The present invention also includes upper-level component diagrams, which are prepared by connecting the four types of component diagrams as lower-level component diagrams in the order of use, writes an algorithm by combining the lower- and upper-level component diagrams, and executes the written algorithm. From the written algorithm, the present invention generates a programming language source code for calling an image processing library.

Claims

1. An image processing software development method that assists the development of software using a programming language library for an image processing device and is executed on an image processing software development device,

wherein the image processing software development device includes a storage device and a control device for configuring a model diagram editing section,

wherein the storage device includes a component diagram definition section to store an input/output data memory management component diagram, an input data value setup component diagram, a library execution component diagram, and an output data value acquisition component diagram as four types of lower-level component diagrams, which are elements of a model diagram descriptive of software;

wherein the lower-level component diagrams include a function of the programming language library and connection terminals for specifying the input/output data for executing the function,

wherein the storage device further stores upper-level component diagrams that are obtained by grouping the four types of lower-level component diagrams, which are connected through the connection terminals, and

wherein the model diagram editing section prepares the model diagram by, upon receipt of an operation for adding the lower-level component diagrams or the upper-level component diagrams to the model diagram, adding the associated lower-level component diagrams or the associated upper-level component diagrams to the model diagram, and by, upon receipt of an operation for connecting the connection terminals of the lower-level component diagrams, connecting the associated connection terminals with a directional link.

2. The image processing software development method according to claim 1, the control device for the image processing software development device further configuring a model execution section, the method comprising:

causing the model execution section to identify the order of processing of the component diagrams from connection relations between the component diagrams in the prepared model diagram and select, one by one, the lower-level component diagrams in the prepared model diagram in the order of processing;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the input/output data memory management component diagram, causing the model execution section to allocate and deallocate memory for a data structure to be input to or output from a library function in the programming language library;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the input data value setup component diagram, causing the model execution section to set a value of a data structure to be input to or output from the library function with respect to the allocated memory;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the library execution component diagram, causing the model execution section to reference the value of a data structure to be input to or output from the library function and call the programming language library; and

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the output data value acquisition component diagram, causing the model execution section to read the result of execution from a data structure storing the result of execution that is obtained when the programming language library is called.

3. The image processing software development method according to claim 1, the control device for the image processing software development device further configuring a code generation section, the method comprising:

causing the code generation section to identify the order of processing of the component diagrams from connection relations between the component diagrams in the prepared model diagram and select, one by one, the lower-level component diagrams in the prepared model diagram in the order of processing;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the input/output data memory management component diagram, causing the code generation section to output the programming language source code for allocating and deallocating memory for a data structure to be input to or output from a library function in the programming language library from memory in the image processing device;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the input data value setup component diagram, causing the code generation section to output the programming language source code for setting a value of a data structure to be input to or output from the library function with respect to the memory allocated in the image processing device;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the library execution component diagram, causing the code generation section to reference the value of a data structure to be input to or output from the library function and output the programming language source code for calling the programming language library in the image processing device; and

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the output data value acquisition component diagram, causing the code generation section to output the programming language source code for reading the result of execution from a data structure storing the result of execution that is obtained when the programming language library is called in the image processing device.

4. The image processing software development method according to claim 1, wherein, upon receipt of an operation for connecting the connection terminals of the input/output data memory management component diagram in a first one of the upper-level component diagrams in the model diagram to the connection terminals of the library execution component diagram in a second one of the upper-level component diagrams in the model diagram, the model diagram editing section adds to the model diagram a directional link from the connection terminals of the input/output data memory management component diagram to the connection terminals of the library execution component diagram in accordance with the received connecting operation.

5. The image processing software development method according to claim 1, comprising:

when the data structure to be input to or output from the library function is a structure of image data, connecting the associated connection terminals to the connection terminals of the lower-level component diagrams for inputting or outputting management information about the image data, and managing pixel data included in the image data within an image processing library.

9. An image processing software development program for causing the image processing software development device, which is a computer, to execute the image processing software development method according to claim 1.

10. The image processing software development method according to claim 2, wherein, upon receipt of an operation for connecting the connection terminals of the input/output data memory management component diagram in a first one of the upper-level component diagrams in the model diagram to the connection terminals of the library execution component diagram in a second one of the upper-level component diagrams in the model diagram, the model diagram editing section adds to the model diagram a directional link from the connection terminals of the input/output data memory management component diagram to the connection terminals of the library execution component diagram in accordance with the received connecting operation.

11. The image processing software development method according to claim 3, wherein, upon receipt of an operation for connecting the connection terminals of the input/output data memory management component diagram in a first one of the upper-level component diagrams in the model diagram to the connection terminals of the library execution component diagram in a second one of the upper-level component diagrams in the model diagram, the model diagram editing section adds to the model diagram a directional link from the connection terminals of the input/output data memory management component diagram to the connection terminals of the library execution component diagram in accordance with the received connecting operation.

12. The image processing software development method according to claim 2, comprising:

when the data structure to be input to or output from the library function is a structure of image data, connecting the associated connection terminals to the connection terminals of the lower-level component diagrams for inputting or outputting management information about the image data, and managing pixel data included in the image data within an image processing library.

13. The image processing software development method according to claim 3, comprising:

when the data structure to be input to or output from the library function is a structure of image data, connecting the associated connection terminals to the connection terminals of the lower-level component diagrams for inputting or outputting management information about the image data, and managing pixel data included in the image data within an image processing library.

14. An image processing software development program for causing the image processing software development device, which is a computer, to execute the image processing software development method according to claim 2.

15. An image processing software development program for causing the image processing software development device, which is a computer, to execute the image processing software development method according to claim 3.

16. An image processing software development program for causing the image processing software development device, which is a computer, to execute the image processing software development method according to claim 4.

17. An image processing software development program for causing the image processing software development device, which is a computer, to execute the image processing software development method according to claim 5.

6. An image processing software development device that assists the development of software using a programming language library for an image processing device, the image processing software development device comprising:

a storage device; and

a control device for configuring a model diagram editing section,

wherein the storage device includes a component diagram definition section that stores an input/output data memory management component diagram, an input data value setup component diagram, a library execution component diagram, and an output data value acquisition component diagram as four types of lower-level component diagrams, which are elements of a model diagram descriptive of software,

wherein the lower-level component diagrams include a function of the programming language library and connection terminals for specifying the input/output data for executing the function,

wherein the storage device further stores upper-level component diagrams that are obtained by grouping the four types of lower-level component diagrams, which are connected through the connection terminals, and

wherein the model diagram editing section prepares the model diagram by, upon receipt of an operation for adding the lower-level component diagrams or the upper-level component diagrams to the model diagram, adding the associated lower-level component diagrams or the associated upper-level component diagrams to the model diagram, and by, upon receipt of an operation for connecting the connection terminals of the lower-level component diagrams, connecting the associated connection terminals with a directional link.

7. The image processing software development device according to claim 6, wherein the control device for the image processing software development device further configures a model execution section, and wherein the model execution section performs:

identifying the order of processing of the component diagrams from connection relations between the component diagrams in the prepared model diagram and selecting, one by one, the lower-level component diagrams in the prepared model diagram in the order of processing;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the input/output data memory management component diagram, allocating and deallocating memory for a data structure to be input to or output from a library function in the programming language library;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the input data value setup component diagram, setting a value of a data structure to be input to or output from the library function with respect to the allocated memory;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the library execution component diagram, referencing the value of a data structure to be input to or output from the library function and calling the programming language library; and

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the output data value acquisition component diagram, reading the result of execution from a data structure storing the result of execution that is obtained when the programming language library is called.

8. The image processing software development device according to claim 6, wherein the control device for the image processing software development device further configures a code generation section, and wherein the code generation section performs:

identifying the order of processing of the component diagrams from connection relations between the component diagrams in the prepared model diagram and selecting, one by one, the lower-level component diagrams in the prepared model diagram in the order of processing;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the input/output data memory management component diagram, outputting the programming language source code for allocating and deallocating memory for a data structure to be input to or output from a library function in the programming language library from memory in the image processing device;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the input data value setup component diagram, outputting the programming language source code for setting a value of a data structure to be input to or output from the library function with respect to the memory allocated in the image processing device;

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the library execution component diagram, referencing the value of a data structure to be input to or output from the library function and outputting the programming language source code for calling the programming language library in the image processing device; and

when the selected lower-level component diagram is the output data value acquisition component diagram, outputting the programming language source code for reading the result of execution from a data structure storing the result of execution that is obtained when the programming language library is called in the image processing device.