JPS627289A - Picture input and storing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain high gradient or averaged picture input value by allowing initial pictures to be stored in the first picture memory and a difference between the first and subsequent pictures following from the second picture to be input memorywise in the third picture memory when a picture is at a still state. CONSTITUTION:The initial picture regarding the still picture taken by ITV camera 4 is stored in the first picture memory mounting in a picture memory 6. Subsequent pictures following from the second picture are inputted in the second picture memory in the memory 6 and are stored after updating in sequence. Then the values of the second picture memory are subtracted from the first picture memory values by an arithmetic unit 5 and are added and stored in the third picture memory in the picture memory 6. This step is repeated until the number of picture input times (i) reach specified number (n). If the first picture memory values by (n) are subtracted by the third picture memory values, highly gradient added pictures are obtained. Thus once high gradient values are obtained, minute density variations are also recognized and measured. And if the third picture memory values divided by (n) are subtracted from those of the first picture memory, the average values corresponding to each picture element can be obtained.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention provides a method for inputting a still image from an image input device such as an ITV camera multiple times to obtain a grayscale image to be processed, recognized, measured, etc. by a computer. The invention also relates to a method for inputting and storing images obtained by storing them.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Random noise generated from an illumination light source, photoelectric converter, amplifier, etc. is superimposed on an image input from an ITV camera or the like. A method to reduce this random noise is to input and add the same image multiple times to increase the gradation, and then calculate the average value of the corresponding pixels by increasing the number of gradations and dividing by the number of inputs. method is known. This is based on the principle that the SN ratio of the added value of the observation target containing a certain amount of noise t increases six times as the number of observations n increases.

(References, Hiroshi Ozaki, Keiji Taniguchi, Hideo Ogawa: Image processing-
From its basics to applications, Kyoritsu Shuppan High gradation is also necessary to recognize and measure subtle density changes.

In order to achieve this high gradation, for example, when the input from the ITV camera - gradation is 8 bits, it is necessary to input twice.
One extra pit is required to add, and two extra pits are required to input and add three or four times. Generally, 1
To input and add times (logn)/(1og2)
Since the integer N rounded up requires an extra number of bits, it ends up being 8.
A capacity of +N bits is required. However, since the gradation of the ITV camera and the gradation of the image memory are usually the same, it is not possible to increase the gradation by the above-mentioned addition. In particular, there is a method of using a large-capacity image memory for only one side in order to realize the addition. However, in this case, only a portion of the memory is special, which makes it uneconomical to design and manufacture the image processing device.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to solve the uneconomical design and manufacturing problem caused by using a large-capacity image memory on one side to input and store addition values, and to make the gradation of each image memory match the gradation of an ITV camera. In a commonly used image processing device, which is given approximately the same amount, a high gradation added image is input.
The goal is to make it economical by providing a way to store information.

[Summary of the invention]

The main feature of the present invention is to input and store an initial image in a first image memory when the image is still, and to input and store an added value of the difference between the initial image and the second and subsequent images in a third image memory. This type of method has not been found in the prior art.

[Embodiments of the invention]

First, FIG. 1 shows the system configuration of an image processing apparatus that has been widely used in the past and to which the method of the present invention is applied. A system processor 2 that controls the entire system to which a console CRT 1 is connected, a main memory 3, and an ITV camera 4 as an example of an image input device are connected to perform image calculations that can perform weighted addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. An image processing processor 7 including a grayscale image memory 6 capable of inputting and storing gradation information for at least three planes is connected to a data bus 8.
connected via. To briefly describe the operation of this apparatus, the system configuration section 2 controls the image processing processor 7 according to a program input from the console CRT 1. The image processing processor 7 inputs images from the ITV camera 4 and stores them in the image memory 6, or performs weighted addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division between the images in the image memory 6 using the inter-image arithmetic unit 5. Using such a device, we invented the following image input/storage method.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention.

First, regarding the still image, in Step 9, the initial image ft (
x, y) are input and stored in the first image memory. Next, in Stella fxo, the second and subsequent images (i-th image f1
(x-y)) is input into the second image memory and sequentially updated and stored.

Next, in step 11, the second image memory is
Subtract the image memory value (fx (x, y) - fl (x
-y)) is added and stored in the third image memory. Steps 10 and 11 are repeated until the condition i=n in step 120 is satisfied, that is, until the number of image inputs l reaches a predetermined number n.

On the other hand, in the first input image, position (X.

If the input value to the pixel of y) is expressed as fl (x a )'), then from the first input value ft(x-y) and 1=1, i
= The added value of the difference from the input value f1 (x, y) up to n is Σ(ft(x-y) - fl(x-y)) (1)
1=1. Next, by subtracting equation (1) from n times fs (X # y), we get nfs(x-y)-Σ(8(x-y)-fi(x-y
)) 1=1 = [1 stone, f, (X・y)] (2). This value is nothing but the added value of the images input once. here,
fl(x, y) is stored in the first image memory. Therefore, by performing the calculation of equation (2) between the first and third image memories, it is possible to obtain a high-gradation added image.

Moreover, if a value with a higher gradation level can be obtained, there is an advantage that even subtle changes in density can be recognized and measured.

Also, if both sides of equation (2) are divided by n, that is, the first
When the value obtained by dividing the value of the third image memory by - is subtracted from the image memory, the following is obtained. This value is nothing but the average value corresponding to each pixel.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, by focusing on image differences and inputting and storing still images multiple times, high gradation can be achieved using normal image memory without using special image memory. Alternatively, since an averaged image input value can be obtained, there is an advantage that it is economical.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an image processing apparatus used in the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the method of the present invention. 1...Console CRT! ...System Zorose. 3... Main memory, 4... ITV camera, 5...
- Inter-image arithmetic unit, 6... image memory, 7... image processing process, 8... data bus.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The image from the image input device is input and stored in a gradation image memory that can input and store gradation information for at least three planes, or an inter-image arithmetic unit performs weighted addition, subtraction, and multiplication between images in the image memory. - Using an image processing device that has an image processing processor that performs division and controls this image processing processor according to a program by a system processor, in the first step, the initial image from the image input device is
Then, in a second step, the second and subsequent images from the image input device are inputted into the second image memory, sequentially updated and stored, and in a third step, an inter-image calculator The value in the second image memory is subtracted from the value in the first image memory, the difference is inputted to a third image memory, and sequentially added and stored.
An image input and storage method characterized in that steps up to step 1 are repeated until the number of image inputs reaches a predetermined number of times.