Patent ID: 7015923

Claim:
An apparatus for paint processing an image, comprising: a painting coordinate generating section for generating a painting coordinate for paint processing an image, a painting information generating section for generating painting information for a region generated from the painting coordinate generating section; a buffer section having only two buffers for storing painting information generated in the painting information generating section; an external memory section; and an address generating section for generating an address for storing painting information to the external memory section, wherein the address generating section includes address information storing sections corresponding to the two buffers of the buffer section, wherein the painting information generating section is for writing data to and reading data from a first of the two buffers and the buffer section is for outputting data from a second of the two buffers to the external memory section, said writing and reading data and said outputting data being performed in parallel, wherein said buffer section is for outputting data comprising data written during a previous processing to the external memory section, and inputting data for next processing from the external memory section, wherein each buffer comprises a capacity and a filling amount, and the address generating section is for comparing the capacity with the filling amount, and the apparatus further comprises at least one address dividing section for dividing a filling operation for the memory section when the filling amount exceeds the capacity of each buffer by filling each buffer to said capacity and deferring any overflow data for said next processing, wherein the address dividing section is for performing a dividing operation when the address generating section, the painting information generating section, and the buffer section generate painting information, and is for determining any data interference by referring to previous results of said dividing operation, said data interference occurring at the time of the dividing operation when data stored in an address of the external memory is divided and outputted into two buffers, and further comprising a data load line for loading in one of the two buffers part of data of said determined data interference which has been previously processed and stored in the other of the two buffers for the next processing, wherein the painting information generation section is for processing such loaded data along with data stored in said one buffer.