Image processing apparatus and method

• US 7,304,763 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2003
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Masaki, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon; King Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ALLEN H
• Application Number:
  US10/442,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20030218774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 358/505, 358/1.18, 358/2.1, 358/3.13, 358/3.28, 358/535, 358/539, 358/1.15, 358/451, 358/1.16, 345/204, 345/212, 345/213, 382/260, 382/274, 382/300, 382/47, 395/102
• US Class Current: 358/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/18 Conditioning data for presenting it to the physical printing elements for data conditioning specific to a type of printer see subgroups G06K15/028 - G06K15/14; print job translation or parsing G06F3/1244
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1817 Buffers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1822 Analysing the received data before processing

Abstract

Sets of pixel data obtained by dividing entered image data into a predetermined number of items of data are stored in storage means in a predetermined order, and conversion processing is executed for obtaining individual items of pixel data of an output image by applying predetermined processing to the stored pixel data. When the conversion processing is executed, it is determined whether a set of pixel data to be stored in the storage means next is used in conversion processing, and control is carried out in such a manner that a set of pixel data determined not to be used in conversion processing will not be stored in the storage means. As a result, processing for storing unnecessary data not used in conversion processing can be eliminated, thereby making it possible to raise the overall speed of image processing.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for applying image processing to image data entered from image input means, and outputting processed image data to printing means, said apparatus comprising:

masking means for correcting data input by said image input means;

first storage means having r-number of line memories;

first storage control means for storing data corrected by said masking means in said first storage means, and outputting a start instruction to filter means at every data storing operation to said first storage means;

filter means for executing a filter processing using the data stored in said first storage means in accordance with the start instruction;

second storage means having s-number of line memories for storing data that has undergone the filter processing by said filter means;

second storage control means for storing data in said s-number of line memories in order whenever the filter processing is executed by said filter means; and

scaling means for applying scaling processing to data read out pixel by pixel from said second storage means in accordance with a command from said filter means,

wherein said scaling means determines whether data of next one line is necessary or unnecessary based on a scaling ratio in a case reduction scaling is executed and outputs necessary notification or unnecessary notification to said filter means based on the determination result, and

wherein said filter means does not execute the filter processing when said filter means received the unnecessary notification.

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

third storage means having t-number of line memories; and

output means for outputting data, which has been stored in the t-number of line memories, to the printing means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing means is a printing unit for printing on a print medium by scanning a printhead that ejects ink.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scaling means output the unnecessary notification before said first storage control means output the start instruction to said filter means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scaling means output a busy signal to said filter means until the scaling processing is finished.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said filter means executes at least edge emphasis processing or smoothing processing.