JPH03212771A - General purpose image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable an unskilled person also to easily execute general purpose image processing by hierarchically displaying respective processing/control items on a display part as a menu, conversationally executing a selected item in accordance with the displayed result and outputting the image processing result. CONSTITUTION:A multiplexer part 74 selects one of contents of a memory 78 storing image information processed by matrix parts 68, 72 or an image processing part 58 and inputs the selected result to the image processing part 58. The processing part 58 executes processing in accordance with an execution instruction inputted through an interface 52 and stores its output in the memory 78. Respective processing/control items are hierarchically displayed on the dis play part 40 as a menu. In accordance with the displayed menu, a selected item is conversationally executed, so that an operator can execute a processing item for obtaining a require processing result and process and output the image. Thereby, an unskilled person also can easily execute general purpose image processing.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field 1] The present invention relates to a general-purpose image processing device, and in particular, the present invention relates to a general-purpose image processing device, and in particular, allows an operator to obtain desired information by trial and error using a menu-based interactive method, even if the operator does not have specialized knowledge regarding image processing. The present invention relates to a general-purpose image processing device that can perform extraction. [Background Art] For example, image characteristics are quantified by improving image quality such as improving image contrast, sharpening blurred images, emphasizing outlines, and extracting granular objects, such as the number of granular objects. , image processing devices for measuring shape, size, area, coordinate position, distance, distribution status, etc. have been put into practical use. When performing image processing using such an image processing device,
Traditionally, engineers with specialized knowledge of image processing have used hardware or software with various image processing algorithms that are publicly available and available to implement each method to perform the desired processing. In the past, complex image processing commands were combined and sent directly to the image processing device for processing. Therefore, conventionally, operators had to be familiar with each image processing technique and memorize image processing commands.
Moreover, in order to provide versatility to each of these processes, control by software has become essential.

[Question B that the invention attempts to solve]

However, these software operations are very difficult to operate, such as the complexity and long operation time, and as mentioned above, only engineers with specialized knowledge in image processing can use them. Because its operations are limited to 100%, it is unsuitable for general researchers and engineers who use it in a non-routine, non-routine, trial-and-error manner. was. Furthermore, in the world of engineers, the use of so-called engineering workstations (EWS) is becoming increasingly contradictory. From the perspective of general researchers and engineers, image processing is a part of the overall business, can coexist with other technical tasks, and has standardized network functions. Despite the fact that it is much more user-friendly than EWS, no image processing device that makes full use of EWSll functionality has been put into practical use, and it has not been possible to coexist with other technical work. I can't. The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is highly versatile, allowing even operators without specialized knowledge of image processing to easily obtain desired processing results. An object of the present invention is to provide a general-purpose image processing device.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention provides a general-purpose image processing device that includes a display section for displaying a menu of items that can be processed and controlled, an input section for selecting processing items for obtaining a desired processing result, and a display section for each processing and controllable item. A main controller that displays control items hierarchically in a menu, decodes a processing item selected interactively by the input unit according to the menu display, and generates an execution command; and an execution command generated by the main controller. It is activated by a command to perform image processing,
The above object has been achieved by including an image processing section that outputs the processing results and a memory that stores the instructions executed by the image processing section together with the procedures.

[Action and effect]

In the present invention, each process and control item is hierarchically displayed as a menu on the display unit, and the main controller decodes the process item selected interactively through the input unit according to the menu display and generates an execution command. , the execution command activates the image processing unit, executes image processing, and outputs the processing result, so it is easy for users who do not have specialized knowledge about image processing and are unable to generate execution commands by themselves. Even an operator can operate the image processing section by selecting a processing item displayed on the menu on the display section, without the operator specifying the specific details of the processing (technical processing method). It becomes possible. In addition, if related processing is already being performed, the instructions executed by the image processing unit are stored in the memory together with the procedure, so the instructions stored in the memory can be called up and executed as necessary. By modifying and using it, even operators without specialized knowledge can easily perform the trial-and-error process that is often involved in image processing. Furthermore, it is divided into an image processing section, a display section, an input section, and a main controller, and the main controller before the image processing section generates an execution command according to the selected processing command, which increases versatility. expensive. In addition, the display section, input section and main controller are
It is possible to realize this using S, and it is also possible to make full use of the EWS function to improve usability and coexist with other technical operations.

【Example】

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The general configuration of this embodiment is as shown in Fig. 1, in which the processing menu of this system is displayed, the operator inputs
Furthermore, by decoding this and generating an execution instruction,
A display section 10, an input section 12, an interface for MMI (MII/F) 14, and a main controller 16 for realizing a man-machine interface (MMI) function.
and an image processing device 20 that is activated by an execution command generated by the main controller 16 of the MMI to execute image processing and output the processing results. The display unit 10 displays a menu of items that can be processed and controlled by the image processing device 20, and informs the operator what kind of processing the image processing device 20 is capable of. The input unit 12 is for an operator to select a processing item to obtain a desired processing result, and is composed of, for example, a mouse or a keyboard. The main controller 16 is the MM117F14
connected to the display unit 10 and input unit 12 via
The display section 10 displays each processing and control item in a hierarchical menu, and the input section 12 displays the menu in accordance with the menu display.
The process item selected in an interactive manner is decoded to generate an execution command. The image processing device 20 includes the main controller 16
an interface (1/F) 21 for transferring and storing the execution instructions generated by the I/F 21; and a controller section 22 for giving control instructions to each processing section according to the execution instructions inputted via the I/F 21. and video signal input terminal 2
The video input signal input from 3 is sent to a post-output coder (CO
an analog/digital (A/D) converter 24 for converting data into data that can be processed by the DER section 28; A multiplexer (MUX) unit 26 for selecting one of the D conversion units 24, a coder unit 28 that executes processing based on image processing information provided from the controller unit 22, and processing from the coder unit 28. A memory 30 for storing data, and a switching section for switching between storing the output of the coder section 28 in the memory 3o or outputting the data stored in the memory 30 to the MUX section 26. 32, and a digital/analog <D/A) converter 34 for converting the final processed data stored in the memory 30 into a displayable video output signal and outputting it to the video signal output terminal 36. ing. Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a configuration example embodying the embodiment will be described in detail. In FIG. 2, 40 is an engineering workstation (EWS), which includes the display section 10 and the input section 12.
, MMI I/F 14, and main controller 16 functions, and exchange of MMI information is performed here. For example, a VME bus 42 is used as an external interface, and the image processing device 50 is interfaced by the VME bus 42. A programmable image processing device 50 corresponding to the image processing device 20 in FIG.
SYSTEM C0NTR0■, ) unit 54 and a graphic output (GSP) unit 56 that performs drawing processing using GSP, for example.
and an image processing (CORE') unit 58 that executes image processing using CORE, for example. The system control section 54 outputs control signals to each functional section, and at the same time outputs an external synchronization output that notifies the outside of the image information input timing. The image processing device 50 further includes each of the GSPs 56
The image processing device 50 is provided with a read-only memory (ROM>60) and a random access memory (RAM) 62 which function as a program storage unit and a work area.The image processing device 50 is further provided with a non-separated composite video signal. A composite video signal input terminal 64 for converting the output of the A/D converter 66 to the A/D converter 24 in FIG. C) Matrix section 68 that separates YC into components, red (R) and green (G)
, an RGB video signal input terminal 70 for inputting an RGB video signal separated into each component of blue (B);
A matrix unit 72 that performs YC conversion on the RGB video input signal input from the B video signal input terminal 70, and selects either the signal processed by the matrix unit 68 or 72, or the image information stored in the later memory 78. a multiplexer (MtJX) section 74 for processing the image information inputted through the MUX section 74, the image processing section 58 for processing the image information inputted through the MUX section 74, and a multiplexer (MtJX) section 74 for processing the image information input through the MUX section 74; Delay (DLY) section 76
, a memory 78 for storing data processed by the image processing section 58, a memory 80 for storing final processed data, and converting the data written in the memory 80 into a composite video signal or an RGB video signal. a matrix unit 82 for converting the data, a digital/analog (D/A) converter 84 for converting the data converted by the matrix unit 82 into an analog signal, and a video output signal obtained by the D/A converter 84; A video output terminal 86 for output is provided. The operation of the image processing device 50 will be explained below. If the video signal to be image processed is a composite video signal, it is input to the composite video signal input terminal 64, and if it is an RGB video signal, it is input to the RG input terminal 64.
The signal is input to the B video signal input terminal 70. The composite image signal input to the composite video signal input terminal 64 is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter 66,
Furthermore, YC separation is performed in the matrix section 68. On the other hand, the RGB image signal input from the RGB video signal input terminal 70 is subjected to YC conversion in the matrix section 72. The multiplexer section 74 is connected to the matrix section 68.
．． 72 or the memory 78 in which the image information processed by the image processing section 58 is stored is selected and inputted to the image processing section 58. Furthermore, this multiplexer section 74 sequentially selects each piece of YC data and inputs it to the image processing section 58 . The image processing unit 58 receives E via the interface 52.
Processing is executed according to execution instructions input from the WS 40. Note that when performing filter processing, data is fed back via the delay section 76 to continue the processing. The data processed by this image processing section 58 is stored in the memory 78. Note that since it is necessary to perform various image processing independently, this memory 78 includes a plurality of frame storage areas. Similarly, the process of memory 78→multiplexer section 74→image processing section 58→memory 78 is repeated, and the final processed data obtained is subjected to pixel arrangement by the graphic output section 56, and finally stored in the memory 80. is stored in This memory 80 is directly connected to the D/A converter 84, and D/A conversion is executed at the same time as data is written. On the other hand, before performing this D/A conversion, the matrix section 82 converts it into a composite video signal or an RGB video signal as necessary, and this converted data is input to the D/A conversion section 84, and the video signal is Signal output terminal 8
A video output signal is obtained from 6. FIG. 3 shows the MMI processing procedure in the EWS 40. The MMI of this system is the display section (monitor) of EWS40.
A hierarchical menu (the overall menu structure is shown in Figure 4) and a pointing device (mouse) are used. The menu program is displayed as one window on the monitor. The inside of the window is divided into sub-windows (panels) in a panel pasting format, and each panel is associated with a menu hierarchy. Therefore,
Panels also have a hierarchical structure, and when you select an item within a panel, lower-level panels related to that item are displayed. Since the panel is displayed at the required timing, you can concentrate on only the operations required at that time.0 An execution command to the image processing section is generated when an item on the bottom panel is selected, and executed by the image processing section. In this embodiment, when the menu program is started, items that can be processed and controlled are displayed in the menu on the display of the EWS 40, so the operator can perform the desired processing by giving necessary instructions using the mouse or keyboard, for example. Processing items for obtaining results can be easily selected. At this time, since there is no need for the operator to specify the specific details of the processing (technical processing method), even a person who is not an expert in image processing can easily operate the system. In other words, the conversion from processing items to execution instructions is automatically performed by the main controller built into the EWS40.
Operators don't need to know. In addition, when displaying the menu, the display of the EWS 40 first displays a first menu for selecting basic functions of the system, including, for example, application management, sample management, file management, history management, image memory management, and image processing operation management. A hierarchy is displayed, and then a second hierarchy and/or a third hierarchy are displayed as necessary in order to narrow down II abilities according to the basic WIi ability selected in the first hierarchy, and further, The fourth and final layer for selecting execution W1 functions is systematically displayed hierarchically, and as shown in Figure 4, in a top-down format divided from large items to small items up to a maximum of 4 levels. Since the processing items corresponding to the execution level are selected, the operator can easily select from a wide variety of processing items. Therefore, even inexperienced operators who find it difficult to suddenly select processing items at the execution level of the 4th IW layer can easily select processing items at the execution level without referring to the manual. can. Note that the number of layers is not limited to four, and may be any layer that includes an intermediate layer between the first layer and the final layer. In addition, since the instructions executed by the image processing device are stored as a history along with their procedures, when performing similar image processing, past execution instructions can be recalled and modified as necessary. can be used to efficiently perform complex processing. Furthermore, by storing general-purpose image processing processing procedures in advance as samples in accordance with images to be processed, even an inexperienced operator can easily select 1M or other execution commands. In this embodiment, a display section 10, an input section 12, an MMI
The functions of I/F 14 and main controller 16 are
Since it is implemented in WS40, it is possible to make full use of the EWS function, improve usability, and coexist with other technical operations. Note that the display section 10, input section 12, MMI
The method of realizing the functions of the I/F 14 and the main controller 16 is not limited to this, and a dedicated machine may be used.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a general-purpose image processing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration example of an actual example, and FIG. Flowchart showing the processing procedure in the main controller of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the hierarchical display system of the embodiment. 10...Display section, 12...Input section, 14...Man-machine interface<MMI I
/F) section, 16... Main controller, 20.50... Image processing device, 21... Interface (I/F), 22... Controller section, 23... Video signal input terminal, 24 .66... Analog/digital (A/D) conversion section, 26.74... Multiplexer (MUX) section, 28-
Near-goo (CODER) section, 30.78.80...Memory, 32...Switching section, 34.84...Digital/analog (D/A) conversion section, 36.86...Video signal Output terminal, 40... Engineering workstation (EWS), 54... System control section, 56... Graphic output (GSP) section, 58... Image processing (CORE) section, 64... Composite video Signal input terminal, 70...
・RGB video signal input terminal.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A display section for displaying a menu of processing and controllable items, an input section for selecting a processing item to obtain a desired processing result, and a hierarchical menu displaying each processing and control item using the display section. a main controller that displays a menu and decodes a processing item selected interactively by the input unit according to the menu display and generates an execution command; and a main controller that is activated by the execution command generated by the main controller to perform image processing. A general-purpose image processing device comprising: an image processing unit that executes the process and outputs the processing result; and a memory that stores instructions executed by the image processing unit together with the procedures. .