EP0920221A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Image processing apparatus and method
Assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
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Filing: 1998-11-23
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-11-23
Abstract
Abstract Conventionally, in image processing using a smoothing filter, the large amount of calculation for 25 × the number of pixels takes much processing time. A computer 21 as the nucleus of image processing determines whether or not a pixel of interest is a color blur pixel, based on the intensity of a low-density element color, at steps S130 and S140. If the pixel is a color blur pixel, the computer 21 determines whether or not the color blur pixel is an edge pixel at step S150. If the pixel is not an edge pixel, the computer 21 uses a smoothing filter at step S152, while if the pixel is an edge pixel, the computer 21 uses a median filter at step S154, in image processing to reduce the color blur. This reduces the amount of calculation and realizes high-speed image processing.
Inventors
- 👤 Naoki Kuwata
- 👤 Yoshihiro Nakami
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 13:20
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/80; H04N23/84; H04N23/843; H04N25/00; H04N25/10; H04N25/11; H04N25/13; H04N25/134; H04N2209/00; H04N2209/04; H04N2209/041; H04N2209/042; H04N2209/045; H04N2209/046
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
An image processing apparatus which performs image processing on
image data consisting of dot-matrixed pixels, generated by obtaining
image data by a single-plate solid image pickup device where a plurality
of color filters of element color components are arranged in mosaic in
a nonuniform densities and supplementing the image data by calculation
to change the nonuniform densities to uniform densities, said apparatus
comprising: a color-blur pixel detection unit which detects a color blur
pixel in said image data; and an image processing unit which performs image processing on
pixels within a predetermined range having said detected color blur
pixel as a reference pixel, so as to reduce a color blur.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
36 words
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said
color-blur pixel detection unit detects said color blur pixel based on
change rate of element color intensity for a low-density color filter,
between closely adjacent pixels.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said
color-blur pixel detection unit detects said color blur pixel based on
the change rate of difference between a reference element color
intensity and the element color intensity for a low-density color filter,
between adjacent pixels.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein if
there are a plurality of low-density color filters, said color-blur
pixel detection unit detects said color blur pixel based on the change
rate of difference between element color intensities for the low-density
color filters between adjacent pixels.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to
4, wherein said color-blur pixel detection unit detects said color blur
pixel based on said change rate between adjacent low-density pixels.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
62 words
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims
1 to 5, wherein said image processing unit performs smoothing processing
on color difference components, obtained by subtracting luminance
components from element color components of the pixels within the
predetermined range having said color blur pixel as the reference pixel,
and returns the smoothing processed components to the initial element
color components.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said
image processing unit performs edge enhancement processing.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said
image processing unit performs edge enhancement processing on pixels
within a range subjected to the smoothing processing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
83 words
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to
8, wherein when said image processing unit performs the smoothing
processing on the pixels within the predetermined range having said
detected color blur pixel as the reference pixel, if the size of a
processing object image is large, said image processing unit increases
the range subjected to the smoothing processing, while if the size of
the image is small, said image processing unit reduces the range
subjected to the smoothing processing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
78 words
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1
to 5, wherein said image processing unit replaces a color difference
component having a central value of color difference components,
obtained by subtracting luminance components from element color
components of the pixels within the predetermined range having said
color blur pixel as the reference pixel, with a color difference
component of said color blur pixel, and returns the color difference
components to the initial element color components.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
159 words
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1
to 5, wherein said image processing unit determines whether or not said
color blur pixel is an edge pixel, and if said image processing unit
determines that said color blur pixel is an edge pixel, replaces a color
difference component having a central value of color difference
components, obtained by subtracting luminance components from element
color components of the pixels within the predetermined range having
said color blur pixel as the reference pixel, with a color difference
component of said color blur pixel, while if said image processing unit
determines that said color blur pixel is not an edge pixel, performs
the smoothing processing on the color difference components, obtained
by subtracting the luminance components from the element color
components of the pixels within the predetermined range having said
color blur pixel as a reference pixel, and returns the color difference
components to the initial element color components.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
162 words
An image processing apparatus which performs image processing
on image data consisting of dot-matrixed pixels, generated by obtaining
image data by a single-plate solid image pickup device where a plurality
of color filters of element color components are arranged in mosaic in
nonuniform densities and supplementing the image data by calculation
to change the nonuniform densities to uniform densities, said apparatus
comprising: a memory in which said image data is stored; a color-blur pixel detection circuit which accesses said memory
and detects a position of a color blur pixel based on the difference
between a pixel of interest and its peripheral pixel while sequentially
moving the pixel of interest; and a color-blur reduction processing circuit which reads data of
pixels within a predetermined range having the pixel of interest,
detected as the color blur pixel, as a reference pixel, then performs
calculation to reduce a color blur, and updates data of the pixel of
interest stored in said memory with calculated data.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
100 words
An image processing method for performing image processing on image
data consisting of dot-matrixed pixels, generated by obtaining image
data by a single-plate solid image pickup device where a plurality of
color filters of element color components are arranged in mosaic in
nonuniform densities and supplementing the image data by calculation
to change the nonuniform densities to uniform densities, said method
comprising the steps of: detecting a color blur pixel in said image data; and performing image processing on pixels within a predetermined
range having said color blur pixel as a reference pixel so as to reduce
a color blur.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5552827A
Cited
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