Processor for extracting and memorizing cell images, and method of practicing same

• US 5,163,095 A
• Filed: 02/26/1991
• Issued: 11/10/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kosaka, Tokihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Application Number:
  US07/661,355
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 382/69, 382/48, 382/16, 382/48, 364/413.08, 356/39
• US Class Current: 382/133
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition

Abstract

In an apparatus for extracting individual cell images in an original imaged frame by means of windows and storing the extracted individual cell images in an editing memory, a window setting memory is constituted by a plurality of bits corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of the cell images. Coordinates of each pixel in the imaged frame are used as addressed of the window setting memory.

Claims

1. In an image processing apparatus for extracting and storing cell images, said image processing apparatus including image capture means for forming an original cell image field, first memory means for storing said original cell image field captured by said image capture means, edge tracing means for tracing an edge of each cell image in said original cell image field stored in said first memory means, window assignment means for assigning to each cell image a window having X and Y coordinate starting and ending values, window means for extracting individual cell images from said original cell image field and editing memory means for storing said individual cell images extracted from said original cell image field by said window means, an improved image extraction means comprising:

second memory means for storing X coordinate values of a plurality of windows, said second memory means comprising a plurality of addressable locations each corresponding to X coordinate values indicating a horizontal position on said original cell image field stored in said first memory means and each of said addressable locations comprises a plurality of bit positions each of which corresponds to one window assigned by said window assignment means;

third memory means for storing Y coordinate values of a plurality of windows, said third memory means comprising a plurality of addressable locations each corresponding to Y coordinate values indicating a vertical position on said original cell image field stored in said first memory means and each of said addressable locations of the third memory means comprises a plurality of bit positions each of which corresponds to one window assigned by said window assignment means;

window setting means, operative when windows are to be set, for writing window setting data into the addressable locations of said second memory means corresponding to X coordinate values of the starting and the ending points of each window assigned by the window assignment means and for writing window setting data into the addressable storage locations of said third memory means corresponding to Y coordinate values of the starting and the ending points of each window assigned by the window assignment means;

an addressing circuit for designating storage addresses in said editing memory means for storage of said individual cell images in each of said assigned windows; and

control means responsive to window setting data stored in said second and third memory means for sequentially extracting, in synchronism with a scanning of said original cell image field, individual cell images in each window assigned by said window assignment means and for sequentially storing cell images extracted from said original cell image field into storage areas designated by addresses from said addressing circuit during one scanning.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each cell image field comprises a plurality of successive horizontal rows of pixels and each said scanning includes a vertical blanking period before the scanning and a horizontal synchronizing pulse at the end of scanning for each of said horizontal rows of pixels and wherein said window setting means writes the window setting data during the vertical blanking period and the apparatus comprises an X timing counter for counting pixel clock signals occurring in synchronism with the scanning of said pixels, to supply addresses to said second memory means, said X timing counter being reset by each horizontal synchronizing pulse, and a Y timing counter for counting said horizontal synchronizing pulses to supply addresses to said third memory means, said Y timing counter being reset at each vertical blanking period.

3. In an image processing apparatus for extracting and storing cell images during a cell image scanning period beginning with a vertical blanking period and comprising a plurality of horizontal synchronizing pulses, said image processing apparatus including image capture means for forming an original cell image field comprising a plurality of successive horizontal rows of pixels, first memory means for storing said original cell image field captured by said image capture means, edge tracing means for tracing an edge of each cell image in said original cell image field stored in said first memory means, window assignment means for assigning to each cell image a window having X and Y coordinate starting and ending values, window means for extracting individual cell images from said original cell image field and editing memory means for storing said individual cell images extracted from said original cell image field by said window means, an improved image extraction means comprising:

second memory means for storing X coordinate values of a plurality of windows, said second memory means comprising a plurality of addressable locations each corresponding to X coordinate values indicating a horizontal position on said original cell image field stored in said first memory means and each of said addressable locations comprises a plurality of bit positions each of which corresponds to one window assigned by said window assignment means;

third memory means for storing Y coordinate values of a plurality of windows, said third memory means comprising a plurality of addressable locations each corresponding to Y coordinate values indicating a vertical position on said original cell image field stored in said first memory means and each of said addressable locations of the third memory means comprises a plurality of bit positions each of which corresponds to one window assigned by said window assignment means;

an X timing counter, which is reset by the horizontal synchronizing pulses, for counting up in response to a pixel clock occurring in synchronism with the scanning of said cell image pixels and for supplying outputs thereof as addresses to said second memory means;

a Y timing counter, which is reset during the vertical blanking period, for counting up in response to the horizontal synchronizing pulses and for supplying outputs thereof as addresses to said third memory means;

window setting means, operative when windows are to be set, for writing window setting data into the addressable locations of said second memory means corresponding to X coordinate values of the starting and the ending points of each window assigned by the window assignment means and for writing window setting data into the addressable storage locations of said third memory means corresponding to Y coordinate values of the starting and the ending points of each window assigned by the window assignment means, both said X and Y coordinate value writing operations being carried out in the vertical blanking period;

an addressing circuit for designating storage addresses in said editing memory means for storage of said individual cell images in each of said assigned windows; and

control means responsive to window setting data stored in said second and third memory means for sequentially extracting, in synchronism with the scanning of said original cell image field, individual cell images in each window assigned by said window assignment means and for sequentially storing cell images extracted from said original cell image field into storage areas designated by addresses from said addressing circuit during one scanning.

4. In an image processing apparatus for extracting and storing cell images, said image processing apparatus including image capture means for forming an original cell image field, first memory means for storing said original cell image field captured by said image capture means, edge tracing means for tracing an edge of each cell image in said original cell image field stored in said first memory means, window assignment means for assigning to each cell image a window having X and Y coordinate starting and ending values, window means for extracting individual cell images from said original cell image field, editing memory means for storing said individual cell images extracted from said original cell image field by said window means, and master controller means for controlling said storing of said individual cell images in said editing memory, the improvement comprising:

(a) window setting means comprising second memory means for storing X coordinate values of a plurality of windows, said second memory means comprising a plurality of addressable locations each corresponding to X coordinate values indicating a horizontal position on said original cell image field stored in said first memory means and each of said addressable locations comprises a plurality of bit positions each of which corresponds to one window assigned by said window assignment means and third memory means for storing Y coordinate values of a plurality of windows, said third memory means comprising a plurality of addressable locations each corresponding to Y coordinate values indicating a vertical position on said original cell image field stored in said first memory means and each of said addressable locations of the third memory means comprises a plurality of bit positions each of which corresponds to one window assigned by said window assignment means, said window setting means being operative when windows are to be set, for writing window setting data into addressable locations of said second memory means corresponding to X coordinate values of the starting and the ending points of each window assigned by the window assignment means and for writing window setting data into addressable storage locations of said third memory means corresponding to Y coordinate values of the starting and the ending points each window assigned by the window assignment means;

(b) a window extraction timing control circuit for generating, in synchronism with a scanning of the image field, extraction timing signals for each of said assigned windows based on data from said second memory means identifying X coordinate values of said assigned windows and based on data from said third memory means identifying Y coordinate values of said assigned windows;

(c) an addressing circuit for designating storage addresses in said editing memory means for storage of said individual cell images in each of said assigned windows; and

(d) control means responsive to said extraction timing signals for sequentially extracting, in synchronism with a scanning of said original cell image field, individual cell images in each window assigned by said window assignment means and for sequentially storing cell images extracted from said original cell image field into storage areas designated by addresses from said addressing circuit during one scanning.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each cell image field comprises a plurality of successive horizontal rows of pixels and each said scanning includes a vertical blanking period before the scanning and a horizontal synchronizing pulse at the end of scanning for each of said horizontal rows of pixels and wherein said window setting means writes the window setting data during the vertical blanking period and the apparatus comprises an X timing counter for counting pixel clock signals occurring in synchronism with the scanning of said pixels to supply addresses to said second memory means, said X timing counter being reset by each horizontal synchronizing pulse and a Y timing counter for counting said horizontal synchronizing pulses to supply addresses to said third memory means, said Y timing counter being reset at each vertical blanking period.

6. In an image processing apparatus for extracting and storing cell images during a cell image scanning period beginning with a vertical blanking period and comprising a plurality of horizontal synchronizing pulses, said image processing apparatus including image capture means for forming an original cell image field comprising a plurality of successive horizontal rows of pixels, first memory means for storing said original cell image field captured by said image capture means, edge tracing means for tracing an edge of each cell image in said original cell image field stored in said first memory means, window assignment means for assigning to each cell image a window having X and Y coordinate starting and ending values, window means for extracting individual cell images from said original cell image field, editing memory means for storing said individual cell images extracted from said original cell image field by said window means, and master controller means for controlling said storing of said individual cell images in said editing memory, the improvement comprising:

(a) window setting means comprising second memory means for storing X coordinate values of a plurality of windows, said second memory means comprising a plurality of addressable locations each corresponding to X coordinate values indicating a horizontal position on said original cell image field stored in said first memory means and each of said addressable locations comprises a plurality of bit positions each of which corresponds to one window assigned by said window assignment means and third memory means for storing Y coordinate values of a plurality of windows, said third memory means comprising a plurality of addressable locations each corresponding to Y coordinate values indicating a vertical position on said original cell image field stored in said first memory means and each of said addressable locations of the third memory means comprises a plurality of bit positions each of which corresponds to one window assigned by said window assignment means, said window setting means being operative when windows are to be set, for writing window setting data into addressable locations of said second memory means corresponding to X coordinate values of the starting and the ending points of each window assigned by the window assignment means and for writing window setting data into addressable storage locations of said third memory means corresponding to Y coordinate values of the starting and the ending points each window assigned by the window assignment means, both said X and Y coordinate value writing operations being carried out in the vertical blanking period, said window setting means further comprising an X timing counter, which is reset by the horizontal synchronizing pulses, for counting up in response to a pixel clock occurring in synchronism with the scanning of said cell image pixels and for supplying outputs thereof as addresses to said second memory means and a Y timing counter, which is reset during the vertical blanking period, for counting up in response to the horizontal synchronizing pulses and for supplying outputs thereof as addresses to said third memory means;

(b) a window extraction timing control circuit for generating, in synchronism with a scanning signal for scanning the image field, extraction timing signals for each of said assigned windows based on data from said second memory means identifying X coordinate values of said assigned windows and based on data from said third memory means identifying Y coordinate values of said assigned windows;

(c) an addressing circuit for designating storage addresses in said editing memory means for storage of said individual cell images in each of said assigned windows; and

(d) control means responsive to said extraction timing signals for sequentially extracting, in synchronism with a scanning of said original cell image field, individual cell images in each window assigned by said window assignment means and for sequentially storing cell images extracted from said original cell image field into storage areas designated by addresses from said addressing circuit during one scanning.