Image Processing Apparatus Memory Reduction via Rectangular Data Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image processing apparatuses require significant memory capacity to store white image data for all qualities and sampling rates, especially when compressing images in band units, which is inefficient and wasteful, especially when handling odd-numbered pages where some regions lack image data.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus divides document images into rectangular regions and stores compressed data efficiently, using a white image data storage unit that only stores frequently used quality and sampling rates, compressing data in rectangular units rather than band units, and uses white image data to complement missing regions, reducing memory requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If white image data is stored for all qualities and sampling rates in band units, then complete white image coverage is achieved, but memory capacity becomes excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the white image data storage into two levels: band-level segmentation for structural organization and rectangular region-level segmentation for actual data storage. By dividing the band into multiple rectangular regions and only storing compressed data for regions that actually contain white images, the system avoids storing redundant white image data for all regions, thereby reducing memory capacity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by storing white image data selectively based on the actual content of each rectangular region. Instead of uniformly storing white image data for all regions within a band, the system stores compressed white image data only for specific rectangular regions that contain white images, optimizing memory usage according to local requirements.
2Ease of manufacture
If images are compressed in band units, then processing follows conventional methods, but memory efficiency deteriorates due to redundant storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent further segments the band unit into multiple rectangular regions for independent compression and storage. Each rectangular region within a band is processed and stored separately, allowing the system to store only the necessary compressed data for regions containing white images, thereby improving memory efficiency while maintaining the conventional band-based processing framework.
3Reliability
If all rectangular region compressed data is stored, then complete image data is available, but memory capacity increases unnecessarily for odd-numbered pages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the necessary rectangular region compressed data based on actual image content. For odd-numbered pages where some regions lack image data, the system extracts and stores compressed data only for regions that contain images, excluding empty regions from storage, thereby reducing memory capacity while maintaining image data completeness for aggregation operations.
4Quantity of substance
If memory capacity is reduced by storing only frequently used white image data, then memory efficiency improves, but image processing completeness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary determination of which rectangular regions contain white images before the aggregation process. By identifying and storing compressed white image data for specific rectangular regions in advance, the system ensures that the necessary data is available when needed for aggregation, maintaining image processing completeness while reducing memory capacity through selective storage.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes an image compressing unit, and a print-data generating unit. The image compressing unit divides the image of one page's worth of the document into each band region by a predetermined width in the sub-scanning direction and sets a rectangular region by a further division of each band region by a predetermined width in the main-scanning direction to generate rectangular compressed data. When the print-data generating unit generates the print data where a plurality of pages of document image are aggregated in one sheet, and an region in which the image does not exist occurs in a last page after the aggregation, the storing control unit complements the region in which the image does not exist in the rectangular compressed data storage unit using the white image data stored in the white image data storage unit.