Color image processing apparatus

• US 5,270,807 A
• Filed: 02/26/1992
• Issued: 12/14/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohnishi, Tetsuya, Ikeda, Yoshinori, Shimizu, Masatomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US07/842,058
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 358/75, 358/80, 358/78, 358/79
• US Class Current: 358/500
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/58 Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression, e.g. colour misregistration correction H04N1/62 takes precedence

Abstract

A color image processing apparatus is disclosed wherein an edge portion of an achromatic area is detected to emphasize the edge portion and reduce the density of a chromatic area near the edge portion, and the reduced chromatic portion signal is further suppressed, such that the half tone area can be processed at high gradation and the black character and line image can be outputted in more black and with high resolution, resulting in less color bleeding.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

repeating means for repeatedly outputting an input color image signal;

generating means for generating an area signal; and

synthesizing means for synthesizing an output of said repeating means and the area signal generated by said generating means.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising input means for inputting an image signal from an external source, and wherein said synthesizing means further synthesizes the image signal input by said input means with an output of said repeating means and the area signal generated by said generating means.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generating means includes a bit map memory.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said repeating means includes a FIFO memory.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said synthesizing means performs a cutting-out operation according to the area signal.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising image signal generating means for generating said color image signal by reading an object image.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generating means includes means for inputting an image signal from an external source.

8. An image processing apparatus comprising:

first processing means for black-character processing an input color image signal; and

second processing means for performing an editing process on a color image signal processed by said first processing means.

9. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said editing process is a synthesizing process for synthesizing said color image signal processed by said first processing means and another image.

10. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said editing process is a repeating process.

11. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said first processing means includes:

detecting means for detecting a black character of the input color image signal; and

suppression means for suppressing a chromatic color signal of the black character detected by said detecting means.

12. An image processing method comprising:

repeatedly outputting an input color image signal;

generating an area signal; and

synthesizing an output of the repeatedly output input color image signal and the generated area signal.

13. An image processing method according to claim 12, wherein the synthesizing step, a cutting-out operation is performed according to the area signal.

14. An image processing method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of generating a color image signal by reading an object image.

15. An image processing method comprising:

a first processing step for black-character processing an input color image signal; and

a second processing step for performing an editing process on a color image signal processed in said first processing step.

16. An image processing method according to claim 15, wherein the editing process is a synthesizing process of synthesizing the color image signal processed in the first processing step and another image.

17. An image processing method according to claim 15, wherein the editing process is a repeating process.

18. An image processing method according to claim 15, wherein the first processing step includes:

detecting a black character of the input color image signal; and

suppressing a chromatic color signal of the black character detected in the detecting step.