Image processing device and image processing method

Abstract

An image processing device includes a plurality of mixer units, a plurality of scale processing units, and an enable signal processing unit. A mixer unit of the plurality of the plurality of mixer units selects one of an output of another mixer unit of the plurality of mixer units, and an output image of a scale processing unit of the plurality of scale processing units to generate a composite image.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An image processing device comprising:
 a first mixer unit;   a first scale processing unit which processes first image data, generates a first output image and a first enable signal, and supplies the first output image and the first enable signal to the first mixer unit;   a second mixer unit which receives an output of the first mixer unit;   a second scale processing unit which processes second image data, generates a second output image and a second enable signal, and supplies the second output image to the second mixer unit;   a third scale processing unit which processes mask information, and generates a third output image and a third enable signal;   an enable signal processing unit which receives the second enable signal, the third output image and the third enable signal, and generates a fourth enable signal and supplies the fourth enable signal to the second mixer unit;   a fourth scale processing unit which processes text/image data, and generates a fourth output image and a fifth enable signal; and   a third mixer unit which receives the output of the second mixer unit, the fourth output image and the fifth enable signal, and selects one of the output of the second mixer unit and the fourth output image to generate a composite image.   
     
     
         2 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the first scale processing unit processes the first image data by cutting out a rectangular portion from the first image data, and enlarging or reducing the rectangular portion to a predetermined size, the first output image comprising the enlarged or reduced rectangular portion of the first image data. 
     
     
         3 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the second scale processing unit processes the second image data by cutting out a rectangular portion from the second image data, and enlarging or reducing the rectangular portion to a predetermined size, the second output image comprising the enlarged or reduced rectangular portion of the second image data. 
     
     
         4 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the third scale processing unit processes the mask information by cutting out a rectangular portion from the mask information, and enlarging or reducing the rectangular portion to a predetermined size, the third output image comprising the enlarged or reduced rectangular portion of the mask information. 
     
     
         5 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the fourth scale processing unit processes the text/image data by cutting out a rectangular portion from the text/image data, and enlarging or reducing the rectangular portion to a predetermined size, the fourth output image comprising the enlarged or reduced rectangular portion of the text/image data. 
     
     
         6 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the composite image is obtained by placing the first and second image data in the background and placing the text/image data in the foreground. 
     
     
         7 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the first scale processing unit comprises:
 a cutting unit which reads data selection information which indicates pixels which are to be cut out from the first image data, and cuts out an image defined by the data selection information from the first image data; and   an enlarging/reducing unit which:
 receives the cut-out image from the cutting unit, reads display position information indicating a display region within the first output image in which the cut-out image is to be displayed, and enlarges or reduces the cut-out image in accordance with the display position information to generate the first output image; and 
 generates the first enable signal which indicates an effective region of the first output image. 
   
     
     
         8 . The image processing device of  claim 7 , wherein a bit value “0” or a bit value “1” is set for each pixel in the data selection information. 
     
     
         9 . The image processing device of  claim 7 , wherein the first enable signal has the same bit pattern as the display position information. 
     
     
         10 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein a bit value of each pixel in the first enable signal is used for pixel value selection in the first, second and third mixer units. 
     
     
         11 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the enable signal processing unit comprises:
 a NAND gate having the third output image and the third enable signal as inputs; and   an AND gate having an output of the NAND gate and the second enable signal as inputs, and supplying a logical sum of the output of the NAND gate and the second enable signal as the fourth enable signal to the second mixer unit.   
     
     
         12 . The image processing device of  claim 11 , wherein if a bit value of the third enable signal is “0”, then a bit value of the second enable signal is output as the fourth enable signal without regard to the bit value of the third output image, and
 wherein if a bit value of the third enable signal is “1”, then a bit value of the third output image is output as the fourth enable signal. 
 
     
     
         13 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein background information is input to the first mixer unit, the background information comprising image data for which a predetermined plain color is designated. 
     
     
         14 . The image processing device of  claim 13 , wherein if a bit value of the first enable signal is “0”, then the first mixer unit outputs a pixel value at relevant coordinates of the background information as the pixel value at the relevant coordinates, and
 wherein if a bit value of the first enable signal is “1”, then the first mixer unit outputs a pixel value at relevant coordinates of the first output image as the pixel value at the relevant coordinates. 
 
     
     
         15 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein in accordance with the fourth enable signal output from the enable signal processing unit, the second mixer unit selects and outputs either a pixel value output from the first mixer unit or a pixel value output from the second scale processing unit. 
     
     
         16 . The image processing device of  claim 15 , wherein if the fourth enable signal is “0”, then the second mixer unit selects a pixel value output from the first mixer unit and outputs the selected pixel value to the third mixer unit, and
 wherein if the fourth enable signal is “1”, then the second mixer unit selects a pixel value output from the second scale processing unit and outputs the selected pixel value to the third mixer unit. 
 
     
     
         17 . The image processing device of  claim 1 , wherein if a bit value of the fifth enable signal is “0”, then the third mixer unit selects a pixel value output from the second mixer unit and sets the selected pixel value as the pixel value of a relevant pixel of the composite image, and
 wherein if a bit value of the fifth enable signal is “1”, then the third mixer unit selects a pixel value output from the fourth scale processing unit and sets the selected pixel value as the pixel value of the relevant pixel of the composite image.