Abstract: An image forming apparatus to save toner, which can increase the sharpness of printed data (for example, images or characters) on a printing medium while achieving toner saving, and a method to control the same. The image forming apparatus includes a determinator, a storage unit, and a halftoning processor. The determinator receives a command signal to print and then determines whether or not the received command signal is a command signal for a toner saving mode. The storage unit stores a halftone table in which an LPI higher than a normal LPI is set. If the received command signal is a command signal for the toner saving mode, the halftoning processor generates and outputs halftoning result by comparing gray level values corresponding to pixels of received input image data with grayscale values of the stored halftone table.

Abstract: A virtual image is synthesized from a reduced resolution depth image storing depth values at each pixel location. The reduced resolution depth image is scaled up to produce an up-scaled depth image. Then, at least one filter is applied to the up-scaled depth image to produce a reconstructed depth image, and the virtual image is synthesized using the reconstructed depth image.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for reducing motion blur in a video signal, comprising an analysing means for determining edge characteristics of an input video signal and for providing motion estimation of an edge within said input video signal, generation means for generating a synthetic detail signal dependent on said edge characteristics and said motion estimation, and an adding means for adding the detail signal to the edge within the input video signal and outputting an output video signal. The present invention further relates to a method for reducing motion blur in a video signal.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media for automatically modifying digital image data in accordance with preferences of a user. When a user accesses a set of digital image data over a network using a computer system, the computer system automatically reads an identifier associated with the set of digital image data and applies at least one digital image filter to the set of digital image data, where the at least one digital image filter is correlated with or mapped to the associated identifier. The user is able to define the identifiers, the filters, and the mapping (correlation) between the identifiers and the filters, thus establishing image display preferences for the user.

Abstract: In a method of registering three-dimensional brain images, a reference slice for a midsagittal plane of each image is constructed. The reference slice comprises image points forming a cortical edge. Edge points are selected from these image points such that an ellipse fit to the edge points approximates the cortical edge. The reference ellipse in each image that fits the edge points is determined. The images are registered in a same coordinate system such that the reference ellipses in the images are aligned with one another.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a face tracking method for electronic camera devices. The method is applied to an electronic camera device having a face database and a face classifier, and the face database is provided for storing data such as a position, a size and a skin color prototype of a face in a previously stored preview image, and the method includes the steps of: obtaining a current preview image; determining whether or not a known face exists in the face database; defining a searching space on the current preview image; and using the face classifier to detect the searching space in the current preview image, and determining whether or not a face exists in the searching space.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for filtering noise in an image signal are provided. The apparatus includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a first filter, and a second filter. The ADC receives the image signal and converts the image signal into a digital signal. The first filter receives the digital signal and filters a first noise portion of the digital signal to generate a first signal. The second filter coupled to the first filter receives the first signal and filters a second noise portion of the first signal, wherein the first noise portion is a sampled-based impulse noise, and the second noise portion is a line-based impulse noise.

Abstract: The invention relates to a medical system comprising a detection device for detecting an object in at least two dimensions by x-rays. The detection device is constructed to detect the object and to produce data comprising a 2D data record or a sequence of 2D data records over time representing the object in a projection through the object in two dimensions and to output the data. The medical system comprises at least one storage device with a data input actively connected to the detection device and which is constructed to receive the data at the input side and to write on a storage medium, in particular a portable storage medium, in such a way that the storage medium represents the data so it can be read out again. The medical system is constructed to digitally transmit the data from the detection device through to the storage device.

Abstract: A method for increasing dynamic range of original image data representing an image comprises applying an expansion function to generate from the original image data expanded data having a dynamic range greater than that of the original image data and, obtaining an expand map comprising data indicative of a degree of luminance of regions associated with pixels in the image. The method then combines the original image data and the expanded data according to the expand map to yield enhanced image data. Apparatus for boosting the dynamic range of image data comprises a dynamic range expander that produces expanded data, a luminance analyzer that produces an expand map and a combiner that combines the original and expanded data according to a variable weighting provided by the expand map.

Abstract: A method filters a depth image, wherein each depth image includes an array of pixels at locations (x, y), and wherein each pixel has a depth. A moving window is applied to the pixels in the depth image, wherein a size of the window covers a set of pixels centered at each pixel. A single representative depth from the set of pixel in the window is assigned to the pixel to produce a processed depth image. Then, each pixel in the processed depth image is filtered to correct outlier depths without blurring depth discontinuities to produce a filtered depth image.

Abstract: A method of filtering and a degraining filter employ lowest edge activity (LEA) to assign a pixel value in a filtered image. A method of filtering includes selecting a set of pixels that includes a central pixel and pixels surrounding the central pixel from a digital image. The set has a plurality of subsets of pixels where at least one subset includes the central pixel. The method of filtering further includes assigning a value of a corresponding central pixel in a filtered image. The assigned value is a mean value of pixels in an identified subset of the plurality having the LEA. A degraining filter includes a processor, a memory and a computer program having instruction that implement selecting the set, identifying the subset with LEA and assigning the value.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus and/or a system of model-independent generation of an enhanced resolution of image from a number of low resolution images is disclosed. A method includes capturing a number of low resolution images through a first sensor (e.g., first plurality of low resolution images) and a number of low resolution images through a second sensor (e.g., second plurality of low resolution images). The first sensor has a higher resolution than the second sensor. The method also includes estimating expansion coefficients of polyphase components of an enhanced resolution image based on the number of low resolution images through a second sensor (e.g., second plurality of low resolution images) through a processor. The expansion coefficients are expressed in terms of the number of low resolution images through a first sensor (e.g., first plurality of low resolution images).

Abstract: System, method, and computer program product to adaptively blend the interpolation results from an 8-tap Lanczos filter and the interpolation results from a bilinear filter, according to the local transitions of the input content. Artifacts may occur, which may be identified as such and corrected. Pixels that represent artifacts in the blended image may be replaced with the pixel for that location taken from the bilinear interpolation.

Abstract: Input image data is converted into vector data. The type of the input image data is determined. If it is determined that the input image data is of a first data type, information usable for a search is extracted from the input image data in processing of converting the input image data into the vector data, and information usable for a search is further extracted from the vector data later in the idle time of the image processing apparatus. If it is determined that the input image data is of a second data type, information usable for a search is extracted by performing region segmentation of the input image data. The extracted information is held in association with the vector data as additional information.

Abstract: A method for deinterlacing a picture is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating a plurality of primary scores by searching along a plurality of primary angles for an edge in the picture proximate a location interlaced with a field of the picture, (B) generating a plurality of neighbor scores by searching for the edge along a plurality of neighbor angles proximate a particular angle of the primary angles corresponding to a particular score of the primary scores having a best value and (C) identifying a best score from a group of scores consisting of the particular score and the neighbor scores to generate an interpolated sample at the location.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a gradient calculator that calculates a direction and a magnitude of a gradient of each pixel in an input image using neighboring pixel values; a histogram calculator that calculates a Histogram of Oriented Gradients containing plural sampled directions from the directions and the magnitudes of the gradients calculated for the pixels in a region including the pixel being processed; a storing unit that stores plural smoothing filters and associated Histograms of Oriented Gradients; a search unit that calculates errors between Histogram of Oriented Gradients calculated for the pixel being processed and the Histograms of Oriented Gradients stored in the storing unit and searches the Histogram of Oriented Gradients that has the minimum error; and a filter processing unit that acquires one of the smoothing filters stored in association with the Histogram of Oriented Gradients having the minimum error and determines a corrected pixel value of the pixel being processed by filte

Abstract: An image processing method of the invention includes changing tone values of peripheral pixels by performing a filtering process in respect to the peripheral pixels around a pixel of interest, after determining the pixel of interest; and changing a tone value of the pixel of interest, based on the peripheral pixels that have been filter processed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for filling Doppler signal gaps. The method comprises steps of: storing Doppler signals before and after a gap; analyzing spectral characteristics of the Doppler signals to be filled; judging whether the Doppler signals are to be frequency compensated according to the spectral parameters; compensating the Doppler signals; and filling the gap by means of weighting and superposing the frequency compensated Doppler signals to be filled and the original Doppler signals before and after the gap based on the judging result. According to the method of the present invention, the Doppler signals before and after the gap are first subjected to frequency compensation, and then weighted and superposed with the acquired Doppler signals, thus obtaining a continuous spectrogram and audio output and maintaining the original spectral characteristics of the Doppler signal.

Abstract: A method for simultaneously optimizing a digital image taken in or through a scattering medium and obtaining information regarding optical properties of the scattering medium is provided. Data of the digital image is received by a computer. The digital image is evaluated according to an objective image quality metric and a resulting image quality value is compared to a previously stored image quality value for the image. A revised optical transfer function is derived by modeling the optical properties of the medium to be used to generate a restored digital image, which is derived from the original image and the revised optical transfer function. The restored digital image is evaluated according to the objective image quality metric and an optimized restored image is identified. The optical properties associated with the optical transfer function producing the optimized restored image are retrieved and represent a close approximation of the true optical properties of the medium.

Abstract: In a device and a method for detecting a letter box for an MPEG decoder, the method includes performing processing area filtering for selecting a processing area of an image used to detect the letter box; performing intra-macroblock filtering for determining the letter box area based on a change level of pixels in macroblocks in one line of the image from the processing area; performing impulse data filtering for excluding the line being detected a high frequency component from the determined letter box area; performing inter-macroblock filtering for determining the letter box area based on a change level of lines between macroblocks of the image; performing inter-line filtering for determining a boundary of the letter box based on an average of the pixel values of the lines; and performing inter-picture filtering for outputting a boundary value of the letter box that has the highest frequency number as the boundary of the letter box in successive images.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus to save toner, which can increase the sharpness of printed data (for example, images or characters) on a printing medium while achieving toner saving, and a method to control the same. The image forming apparatus includes a determinator, a storage unit, and a halftoning processor. The determinator receives a command signal to print and then determines whether or not the received command signal is a command signal for a toner saving mode. The storage unit stores a halftone table in which an LPI higher than a normal LPI is set. If the received command signal is a command signal for the toner saving mode, the halftoning processor generates and outputs halftoning result by comparing gray level values corresponding to pixels of received input image data with grayscale values of the stored halftone table.

Abstract: In accordance with a method of filtering an image of image forming elements, a respective weighted average value is determined for each of selected ones of the image forming elements. The respective weighted average value is composed of equally weighted contributions of values that are associated with neighboring ones of the image forming elements in a neighborhood of the selected image forming element and are within a threshold photometric distance of the selected image forming element. The respective weighted average value is free of contributions from any of the image forming elements outside the neighborhood and is free of contributions from any of the image forming elements beyond the threshold photometric distance of the selected image forming element. An output image is produced from the determined weighted average values.

Abstract: A method for reducing image noise includes calculating a first pixel amount of pixels that are similar to each other in a first number neighbor of a center pixel in a motion window, determining whether the first pixel amount of pixels that are similar to each other in the first number neighbor is greater than a first predetermined value, and using a mean of those pixels of the first pixel amount of pixels that are similar to each other in the first number neighbor to restore the center pixel of the motion window if the first pixel amount of pixels is greater than the first predetermined value. The method includes determining whether a second pixel amount of pixels that are similar to the center pixel is greater than a second predetermined value if the first pixel amount of pixels is not greater than the first predetermined value.

Abstract: A method up-samples images in a reduced resolution video, wherein each image I(x, y) stores depths d at pixel locations (x, y). each depth image is scaled up to produce a corresponding up-scaled image. Then, image dilation, a median filter, image erosion, and a min-max filter are applied in order to produce a corresponding up-sampled image.

Abstract: A tone adjustment method for a digital image and an electronic apparatus using the same are presented. A digital image is loaded. A detail image layer and a primary image layer are generated according to the digital image. A tone mapping procedure is performed on the primary image layer, for generating a tone mapping layer. A detail gain lookup table is loaded and then a corresponding gain is looked up according to each pixel value in the primary image layer, for generating a detail gain adjustment layer. A detail gain control procedure is performed and then a detail gain adjustment is performed on the detail gain adjustment layer and the detail image layer, for generating a gain correction layer. The gain correction layer and the tone mapping layer are combined, and then a combined layer is output, thereby completing the tone adjustment for the digital image.

Abstract: A first sigma filtering circuit sigma filters an image to produce a filtered image. An analysis circuit processes the sigma filtered image to produce an approximation part and a detail part. A second sigma filter circuit filters the approximation part to produce a sigma filtered approximation part. Another analysis circuit process the sigma filtered approximation part to produce a second approximation part and a second detail part. A third sigma filter circuit sigma filters the second approximation part to produce a sigma filtered second filtered approximation part. A first synthesizer synthesizes the sigma filtered second filtered approximation part and the second detailed part to produce a first reconstructed image, and a second synthesizer synthesizes the first reconstructed image and the first detail part to produce a final filtered image.

Abstract: An apparatus outputs an image signal for each frame, divides a frame into sub-frames, acquires a first signal of high frequency components and a second signal of low frequency components of a sub-frame, and generates a third signal by multiplying the second signal by K. If a fourth signal obtained by adding the third signal to the first signal falls within a predetermined range, the apparatus outputs the third signal, whereas if the fourth signal includes a portion exceeding the range, the apparatus outputs a signal obtained by correcting the third signal. The apparatus also generates a composition signal of the output signal and the first signal and a fifth signal by multiplying the third signal by a correction amount y of the third signal. As a sub-frame of interest, either the composition signal or the fifth signal is output.

Abstract: A median filtering apparatus and method for removing noise and improving an image quality with respect to all types of input images are provided. The median filtering apparatus may receive an input of N pieces of data, may form a data set including the N pieces of data, may calculate a difference array having an N×N size based on the N pieces of data in the data set, may sum component values for each column of the difference array, and may calculate an index of a column having a smallest value among sum values that are obtained by the summing operation and that are greater than or equal to a preset value.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an input image signal is passed through a plurality of first high pass filters having different passing frequency band to generate level histograms. High frequency component noise reduction processing is applied to the output of one of the first high pass filters selected based on one of the generated histograms that satisfies a predetermined threshold, low frequency component noise reduction processing is applied to a result obtained by subtracting the output of the selected first high pass filter from the input image signal, and outputs obtained by both the noise reduction processing are added.

Abstract: In a photograph and image compression system equipped with a camera, a low luminance noise cancellation algorithm is selectively applied to photographs and video images including a low luminance noise, by determining whether the low luminance noise is included in a portion of an input image, and if it is determined that low luminance noise is included, the low luminance noise cancellation algorithm is executed on the input image.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for image denoising based on medium filter is disclosed according to the present invention. Such method and apparatus may be used to remove linear noise and random noise for the sensor, as well as the bad points in the sensor image, and to prevent over-denoising. The technical solutions includes selecting three groups of pixels from neighboring pixels of a current pixel, calculating medians ?1, ?2 and ?3 for the pixels in each group; calculating a reference luminance Y: Y=?2+[?1+?3?2*?2]*h*[1?k*var], where var=?3??1; determining whether the current pixel (cur_pixel) is a bad pixel; letting a temporary variable (tmp_data) be ?1 if the current pixel is a bad pixel; letting a temporary variable (tmp_data) be the current pixel value (cur_pixel) if the current pixel is not a bad pixel; determining whether the current pixel is located on an edge.

Abstract: An image processing device includes: a peaking filter for performing peaking processing on an input image signal to generate a peaking image signal; a selection circuit, coupled to the peaking filter, for selecting a plurality of pixels within the peaking image signal; and a median filter, coupled to the selection circuit, for filtering the plurality of pixels within the peaking image signal to generate a filtered image signal.

Abstract: An image processing method for removing noise contained in an image includes: inputting an original image constituted with a plurality of pixels; generating a plurality of band-limited images, resolution levels of which are lowered in sequence, by executing a specific type of band pass filter processing on the original image; extracting a high-frequency component from each of the band-limited images by executing high-pass filter processing on the band-limited images; extracting a noise component contained in each of the band-limited images by separating the noise component through nonlinear conversion processing executed on the extracted high-frequency component; and removing the noise in the original image based upon the extracted noise component in each band-limited image.

Abstract: A method for segmentation of locally-defined regions is provided. The input data obtained for the image region under investigation is separated into a foreground mask and a background mask, two different filter operations are applied to the input data to determine segmentation starting points, the resulting data sets are subtracted and the image regions viewed as segmentation starting points, a filter operation is applied to generate a less restrictive mask for the input data, the resulting data subjected to a threshold value reduction, the less restrictive mask subjected to a labeling with regard to determination of the local values for generation of a restrictive mask, the mean values determined, segmentation starting points not obtained in the less restrictive mask are removed, a growth into all regions of the restrictive mask is carried out and the regions obtained in the restrictive mask are viewed as the segmented brightness regions.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for increasing the resolution of a data sequence, such as for example a video data sequence. Between two data values of a given data sequence at least one intermediate value is interpolated by applying low-pass filtering and at least one first and one second high-pass filterings to data values of the data sequence, subjecting the filter values obtained by the high-pass filterings to rank-order filtering and combining the filter result so obtained with the filter result obtained by low-pass filtering.

Abstract: A rank order filter and instantiation thereof in programmable logic is described. A maximum filter core frequency is determined for an input sampling frequency, a filter window height, and a number of input samples. The maximum filter core frequency is greater than the sampling frequency. The maximum filter core frequency may be insufficient for a word serial instantiation of the rank order filter in the programmable logic. The size of a fully parallel instantiation of the rank order filter may be excessive in programmable logic. Thus, a partially parallel filter core is instantiated for the rank order filter with overclocking.

Abstract: An apparatus for scaling an input image is disclosed. The apparatus includes a resolution determining circuit and a scaler. The determining circuit determines the resolution of the input image. The scaler includes a scaling filter with an adjustable number of filter taps and scales the input image to output scaled pixels, wherein an amount of taps of scaling filter corresponds to the resolution of the input image.

Abstract: A method of obtaining a spatial low pass filtered images from the video output of a video camera operable to produce successive video frames in the form of pixelated 2D sensed images. Each of the sensed images has a first predetermined number of rows of pixels and a second predetermined number of columns of pixels. The method may include scanning the sensor array row by row, and deriving the value of each pixel of said low spatial frequency image in such a way that said low spatial frequency value of a pixel is dependent on at least all earlier scanned pixels of the current row and all earlier scanned rows, but is not dependent on the pixels of rows located below a pixel row which is a third predetermined number of rows below the current row, said third predetermined number being significantly less than said first predetermined number.

Abstract: The invention distinguishes not only character areas and halftone dot areas in an image, but also makes highly accurate decisions concerning characters present in halftone dot areas. A decision signal generating unit generates a decision signal having luminance as a main component from a signal indicating inputted image data, and supplies the decision signal to a character decision unit, a halftone dot decision unit, and a character-in-halftone dot decision unit. The character decision unit generates data indicating whether a pixel of interest is inside a character image area. The halftone dot decision unit generates data indicating whether a pixel of interest is inside a halftone dot area. The character-in-halftone dot decision unit generates data indicating whether there is a character image inside the halftone dot area. Based on these three signals, an attribute flag generating unit generates attribute data of the pixel of interest.

Abstract: A light compression method that error diffuses image data provided with luminance and chrominance channels. During error diffusion, a higher number of bits are allocated to the luminance channel. A decompression method for the image data based on sigma filtering is also provided. By manipulating the bits in the luminance and chrominance color spaces, the image output quality may be increased in reconstructed images.

Abstract: A noise reduction apparatus is presented that includes groups of one or more serially connected non-linear filter units. Each of the filter unit groups are driven by decimated input image data at a different level of decimation and the output of at least one of these groups serves as one of a plurality of inputs to another group driven at a different decimation level.

Abstract: A method and system for retouching digital images for a motion picture removes semi-transparent artifacts or ‘blotches’ caused by contaminates in the optical path of the camera. This approach provides the benefit of only having to retouch a single average image that is than automatically applied via a correction power map to the entire sequence of images for the affected scene. The formation of an average image tends to reinforce the artifacts making them easier to identify and reduce background detail making it easier to retouch the artifact.

Abstract: Apparatus and method of optically detecting click events are described. Images of a contact surface are captured at respective capture times. The captured images are convolved with a two-dimensional circularly symmetric spatial bandpass filter to produce corresponding filtered images each including a set of pixels with respective pixel value magnitudes. Based on the pixel value magnitudes of the corresponding filtered images, each of the capture times is assigned to one of an in-contact time class during which the contact surface is determined to be in-contact with a user's finger and an out-of-contact time class during which the contact surface is determined to be out-of-contact with the user's finger. A select signal indicating that the contact surface has been touched to make a selection is generated based on a click event predicate defining at least one condition on the time classes respectively assigned to successive ones of the capture times.

Abstract: A method for enhancing image quality includes: performing a peaking operation on an image signal to generate a peaking signal; selecting a plurality of pixels from the peaking signal and the image signal; and deciding a luminance value for a target pixel of the image signal according to luminance values of the plurality of pixels.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of obtaining a sharp image having less noise, comprising: a horizontal edge strength calculating unit 22 for calculating an edge strength along a horizontal direction of a concerned pixel; and a prefilter 24 for carrying out a filter processing based on the horizontal edge strength, and performing noise reduction and edge enhancement, a vertical edge strength calculating unit 23 for calculating an edge strength along a vertical direction of the concerned pixel; and a prefilter 25 for carrying out a filter processing based on the vertical edge strength, and performing noise reduction and edge enhancement, thereby enabling to sharpen image data in the vicinity of the concerned pixel respectively along horizontal and vertical directions, and obtain an image having less noises as well as sharp for edge directions.

Abstract: A system and method for determining a median value in a set of values in a digital processing circuit is provided. The method comprises the following steps—(a) for each value in the set, comparing the value to each other value in the set, (b) for each comparison, assigning an index based upon the comparison and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) for each value in the set. The method further comprises (d) performing an arithmetic operation based upon the indices for each value, (e) comparing the result of step (d) with a threshold and (f) selecting the median value based upon the comparison performed in step (e).

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and an image processing method for amplifying an image signal are provided without reducing an image size and without lowering a sense of resolution. An edge-direction detecting arithmetic section (2) detects an edge minimum direction from extracted Bayer data (BAY). An assigning arithmetic section (4) assigns a coefficient in which weighting is applied in the edge minimum direction of the extracted Bayer data (BAY) at a higher distribution ratio than other directions to a spatial filter kernel. In other words, the coefficient of the spatial filter kernel is changed in accordance with the edge minimum direction. A pixel adding arithmetic section (5) performs a sensitization process of extracted Bayer data (BAY). Therefore, it becomes possible to selectively perform a low-pass filtering process in the edge minimum direction.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, method and article to filter media signals are described. The apparatus may include a media processor. The media processor may include an image signal processor having multiple processing elements to concurrently process a pixel matrix by executing single instruction stream, multiple data streams instructions to determine a matrix median pixel value, and replace a pixel value from said pixel matrix with said matrix median pixel value. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: The identification of a specific object in a visual image compromised by the addition of noise, too little or too much light, cluttered with other objects that confuse the user, or having other image defects and using novel techniques that make the image appear more salient to a human operator. Novel techniques include representing both the object to be identified and an appropriate sample of the given data image that has been selected as matrices and comparing the two.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an interpolation method for enlarging a digital image or predicting a moving vector of a compressed image system as a sub-pixel unit when the image digitized through a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera ect. has a low resolution in a video phone or video conference or general digital video system, particularly the present invention can be adapted to a post processor of a compressed digital image in order to improve the image quality, and can be used for finding a moving vector of a moving picture compressed type, accordingly the present invention is capable of improving the image quality.