Minimize Jaggedness In Edges (e.g., Anti-aliasing) Patents (Class 382/269)
  • Patent number: 6697540
    Abstract: The invention disclosed a method for digital image interpolation and sharpness enhancement, said method includes the following steps: 1) Inputting an image signal Xij to a first interpolation low pass filter FIR 1, said FIR 1 is a cubic interpolation filter having filter coefficient hi(n); 2) inputting an image signal Xij to at least one of second interpolation low pass filters FIR 2, said FIR 2 is an interpolation filter having filter coefficient hi′(n), wherein said FIR 2 has a cut-off frequency lower than that of said FIR 1; 3) making FIR 1 outputted via a band pass filter to obtain an image signal tij; 4) making FIR 2 outputted via a delay buffer to obtain an image signal tij′; 5) inputting said image signal tij and tij′ to a subtractor to get a differential signal tij−tij′; and 6) obtaining an output of image signal Yij by means of the following equation: Yij=tij+S·(tij−tij′), where S is a sharpness level control coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Media Scope Technologies Corp.
    Inventor: Wen-Hen Chen
  • Patent number: 6681055
    Abstract: A formation method of a two-dimensional code is characterized by including the steps of: storing each cell having a bright pattern or a dark pattern as 0 or 1 in a two-dimensional array after reading a bit map file; calculating a number of round dots contained in a cell from the size of one cell to be laser-marked and a processed diameter of a round dot formed by a laser beam according to material processed; obtaining a processed area from the two-dimensional array stored and the size of one cell; setting a plurality of cell frames in a checked pattern with this center point as a base; arranging the round dots in equal intervals in the cell frames; storing in memory the coordinates of beam spots corresponding to the respective round dots arranged; and outputting process data stored in this memory to a laser marker and performing laser-marking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Inventor: Kazuo Sato
  • Patent number: 6674903
    Abstract: A method in the field of image enhancement is described for smoothing the staircase effect in electronic images. These staircases may be introduced by electronic zooming of an original image having a low spatial resolution or by the application of a lossy compression algorithm, such as JPEG, to the image data. According to one example, for each pixel of the image local gradients are computed according to four directions. A first direction associated with the highest local gradient is selected. In order to smooth the image in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction, the pixel value is changed according to the values of pixels situated along the second direction in the neighborhood of the pixel. Optionally, the smoothed image data may be subsequently sharpened by a method including the use of gradients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: AGFA-Gevaert
    Inventor: Wim Cliquet
  • Patent number: 6636230
    Abstract: Starting and ending caps of smooth line segments may be drawn on a computer display without complicated calculations and avoiding the use of inverse square root calculations by drawing the caps using rectangles. The direction of the line segment may be determined, and using the direction certain pixels in a four-pixel grouping may be selectively illuminated. The normalized intensity values of the illuminated pixels may be determined by computing an x-fraction and a y-fraction, representing the distance in the x-direction and y-direction between a sample origin point in a corner of the four-pixel grouping and the closest corner of a region covered by the mathematical origin or endpoint corrected for the thickness of the line segment. It is generally preferable for only two pixels to be illuminated for each cap, the pixels chosen according to a formula ensuring that there are no perception problems when two smooth line segments share a common mathematical origin or endpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Gunawan Ali-Santosa
  • Patent number: 6636231
    Abstract: Starting and ending caps of smooth line segments may be drawn on a computer display without complicated calculations and avoiding the use of inverse square root calculations by drawing the caps using rectangles. The direction of the line segment may be determined, and using the direction certain pixels in a four-pixel grouping may be selectively illuminated. The normalized intensity values of the illuminated pixels may be determined by computing an x-fraction and a y-fraction, representing the distance in the x-direction and y-direction between a sample origin point in a corner of the four-pixel grouping and the closest corner of a region covered by the mathematical origin or endpoint corrected for the thickness of the line segment. It is generally preferable for only two pixels to be illuminated for each cap, the pixels chosen according to a formula ensuring that there are no perception problems when two smooth line segments share a common mathematical origin or endpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Gunawan Ali-Santosa
  • Patent number: 6608932
    Abstract: This invention specifically covers one of the many image quality (IQ) metrics that can be part of an overall image quality (IQ) analysis engine. The specific problem with image quality addressed with this metric is that of printed text. Analytical outline font characters are used to represent certain traits of existing text characters, allowing proper image quality analysis while simplifying image processing. Preferably, a set of analytical outline font characters are used, with each representing a different trait.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: D. Rene Rasmussen, Edul N. Dalal
  • Patent number: 6606420
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for the control of darkness/lightness in a digital image rendered by a printing system. An original image containing antialiased edges is initially thresholded and filtered to determine an edge map. With knowledge of the edge via the edge map, darkness adjustment is applies to the digital image. Gray-edge compaction is applied thereafter to adjust the position of the edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Loce, Clara Cuciurean-Zapan, Yeqing Zhang
  • Publication number: 20030142878
    Abstract: The present invention is directed towards detecting contouring artifacts in a received video signal and reducing the detected artifacts by dithering and/or by adding least significant bits to selected pixels in the video signal. The contouring artifacts are detected by applying a magnitude difference test and/or an averaging test to a predetermined pixel span. The artifacts are reduced by substituting a replacement pixel for a selected pixel in the pixel span. A replacement pixel is generated by calculating an average pixel value for the predetermined pixel span, by reducing (e.g., rounding or truncated) the average pixel value to a bit resolution that is greater than the bit resolution of the pixels in the predetermined pixel span, or by adding a dither signal to the average pixel value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventors: Donald Henry Willis, John Alan Hague
  • Patent number: 6597365
    Abstract: The invention concerns an indicating device for the optical reproduction of graphics, with a data-processing installation for the graphic processing of the information to be represented, and an indicating unit for the visualization of the processed information, wherein[, among others,] the data-processing installation uses antialiasing procedures in the graphical processing. In generating an image, the data-processing installation uses, for the graphical processing of at least two image areas or image objects, different antialiasing procedures, or else represents one of these image areas or one of these image objects without an antialiasing procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Valeo Borg Instruments GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Thomas Baecke, Peter Hartmann
  • Patent number: 6591020
    Abstract: A system processes a color image. A high-resolution cache stores high-resolution data. A low-resolution memory, electrically connected to the high-resolution cache, stores low-resolution data. The low-resolution memory is capable of storing at least as much data as the high-resolution cache. An image processor, connected to both the high-resolution cache and the low-resolution memory, receives sequential segments of low-resolution and antialiased image data. As the image processor receives a current segment of the image data, the image processor either 1) transmits the current segment of image data to the low-resolution memory or 2) transforms the current segment to high-resolution data and transmits the high-resolution data to the high-resolution cache.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: R. Victor Klassen
  • Patent number: 6590617
    Abstract: This invention can suppress overshoot/undershoot, and can maintain the improvement effect of the leading edge of an edge portion. For this purpose, a second derivative signal generator (1) generates a second derivative signal (s5) on the basis of time-serially input three successive pixels. A second derivative signal suppression unit (2) generates a signal (s8) obtained by suppressing the second derivative signal, and a signal (s9) indicating the sign of the second derivative signal. The absolute values of the differences between the pixel of interest, and its neighboring pixels are computed, and a smaller one of the absolute values is selected as a signal (s14) by a minimum value selection circuit (18). By multiplying the obtained signals (s8, s9, s14) by a multiplier (19), an edge-emphasizing signal (s15) is generated. The edge-emphasizing signal (s15) is added to the signal of the pixel of interest by an adder (20), thus obtaining an edge-emphasized signal s16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Izumi Kanai, Yukio Hiraki, Kohei Inamura
  • Publication number: 20030123094
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided to smooth a jagged outline of a reconstructed text generated through any of a variety of systems, such as, for example, an image scanner. Given the reconstructed text with a jagged outline, the methods smooth the outline of the text first through location of horizontal and vertical edges, and subsequent gray scale reconstruction of the edge ink level from a one-bit or a low number of bits edge pattern. The methods then provide identification of the local text outline pattern and corresponding ink level adjustment of the center pixel. The methods produce text having very smooth horizontal and vertical edges. The methods then smooth slanted edges, mend holes in the text, and remove isolated pixels of ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Publication date: July 3, 2003
    Inventors: Ron J. Karidi, Lai Chee Man
  • Patent number: 6583897
    Abstract: A method of smoothing edges of an input image is provided for use in connection with an image rendering engine that supports two opposing intensity levels and a range of intermediate intensity levels there between. The method includes sampling scan lines from the input image. Each scan line includes an array of pixels, and each pixel possesses one of the two opposing intensity levels. Simultaneously a plurality of the scan lines are buffered. Thereafter, the method includes detecting defined patterns in an unbounded region within the buffered scan lines. Finally, intensity levels of selected pixels are adjusted to intermediate intensity levels in response to the defined patterns detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Steven J. Harrington
  • Publication number: 20030053710
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a device and a method of sample rate conversion for digital image. With the present invention, the alias effect caused by shrinking the image and the blurred effect caused by enlarging the image will be eliminated. The device of the present invention comprises a ratio-adjustable expander used to receive image signal, increase the sample rate of the image M times based on the adjusting ratio for the image to generate a expanding signal; a low pass filter (LPF) used to receive the expanding signal from the expander, filter out the high rate and output the filtered signal; and a fix ratio decimator used to receive the filtered signal, low down the sample rate by N times and generate the output signal. The value of M will be changed with the adjusting ratio while the value of the N is fixed. The LPF includes the factor 1+z−1+ . . . +z−(N−1) and the factor 1+z−1+ . . . +z−(M−1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Publication date: March 20, 2003
    Inventors: Shih-Yu Ku, Wen-Chang Cheng
  • Patent number: 6535302
    Abstract: When pixels in a two-dimensional matrix are divided into lines A and B in the column (or row) direction (sub-scanning direction) and two neighboring pixels in the row (or column) direction are subjected to gradation correction respectively using characteristic curves for lines A and B, the characteristic curve for line B unpreferably has a stepwise characteristic portion having a step when it is stored in an LUT, due to quantization errors unique to digital values. Hence, the characteristic curve for line A is set to be decreased by the amount corresponding to the step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Ikeda, Nobuatsu Sasanuma, Tetsuya Atsumi, Yasuhiro Saito
  • Patent number: 6529637
    Abstract: In an image replication circuit, the improvement of replicating a given element at a certain location with the most similar of surrounding sets of image elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignees: Pixel Instruments Corporation, IP Innovation LLC
    Inventor: Carl Cooper
  • Publication number: 20030038952
    Abstract: By smoothing a full-color image, staircasing of characters even in a gradation image is removed. An area to be smoothed is detected from image data having a plurality of color components, and image data included in the detected area is smoothed in units of color components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yushi Matsukubo, Hiroyuki Tsuji, Yukihiko Shimizu
  • Patent number: 6501483
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for an anti-aliasing process that allows for super-sampling at a high subpixel resolution, but does not require the process and memory resources typically required for conventional super-sampling at this subpixel resolution. Each pixel is partitioned into an array that provides for a large number of subpixels, and a smaller set of super-samples from this set of subpixels are sampled and used to determine the resultant pixel values. Because the set of super-samples is substantially smaller in number (less than half) than the number of subpixels, the processing and memory requirements are substantially reduced. The set of super-samples are preferably determined so as to provide for a uniform sampling frequency in each of the major axes, and along each diagonal, even though the super-samples may not provide an uniform sampling of each pixel area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignee: ATI Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Wong, Milivoje M. Aleksic
  • Patent number: 6501565
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided to smooth a jagged outline of a reconstructed text generated through any of a variety of systems, such as, for example, an image scanner. Given the reconstructed text with a jagged outline, the methods smooth the outline of the text first through location of horizontal and vertical edges, and subsequent gray scale reconstruction of the edge ink level from a one-bit or a low number of bits edge pattern. The methods then provide identification of the local text outline pattern and corresponding ink level adjustment of the center pixel. The methods produce text having very smooth horizontal and vertical edges. The methods then smooth slanted edges, mend holes in the text, and remove isolated pixels of ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignee: Electronics for Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Ron J. Karidi, Lai Chee Man
  • Publication number: 20020196985
    Abstract: An original image including therein a predetermined periodic pattern is read out by sampling the original image at a frequency higher than a desired sampling frequency, and an initial image signal is thus obtained. The initial image signal is then re-sampled at the desired sampling frequency to generate a final image signal. The final image signal is generated so that the aliasing distortion components due to the predetermined periodic pattern come to be of a frequency not lower than a predetermined frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2002
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Applicant: FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ryoji Sasada
  • Publication number: 20020196984
    Abstract: A method of performing a lens effect to determine a realistic pixel content of a realistic pixel transformed by a virtual lens from a plurality of image pixels is disclosed. First, an offset mask having an offset value corresponding to a pixel point in the virtual lens is provided, and a plurality of weight masks respectively corresponding to the image pixels are also provided, each of the weight masks having a weight value corresponding to the pixel point. Then, a reference pixel position is calculated by adding a realistic pixel position to the offset value, and one of the image pixels with a position equal to the reference pixel position is selected as a reference pixel. Finally, a weighted process is performed on the addition of an adjacent pixel content and a reference pixel content according to the weight value in a first weight mask of the weight masks, thereby the realistic pixel content of the realistic pixel is acquired.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2001
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Inventor: Casper Liu
  • Patent number: 6496605
    Abstract: A filter for removing block deformation that occurs in an image signal is disclosed. Detected are a plurality of differentials each between at least two pixel signal levels on block boundaries between pixel blocks and in the vicinity of the block boundaries in response to pixel signals included in a plurality of pixel blocks that form an image. The differentials are compared with each other to obtain the maximum differential absolute value. The maximum differential absolute value is compared with a reference value to determine whether block deformation occurs in a pixel signal in the vicinity of a position on the pixel blocks where the maximum differential absolute value is obtained. The block deformation is removed when it is determined that the block deformation occurs in the pixel signal in the vicinity of the position on the pixel blocks where the maximum differential absolute value is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: United Module Corporation
    Inventor: Kinya Osa
  • Patent number: 6473091
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method which can reduce the size of circuits for &agr;-blending and dithering and realize high speed processing which perform in parallel processing for finding an amount of update of present image data to be drawn with respect to image data already stored in a display buffer by using a blending coefficient in a subtractor and a multiplier and processing for adding noise data to the image data already stored in the display buffer in a first adder and adding the data obtained by the two processing at a second adder so as to find data comprised of noise data added to data obtained by linear interpolation of two colors, then extracting color valid values at a clamp circuit, thinning out the extracted data in a rounding-off circuit, and writing it back to the display buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ryohei Iida, Takashi Takemoto
  • Patent number: 6473525
    Abstract: A method for detecting an image edge within a dithered image. A pixel within a support region is selected for processing. The differences between pixel values in the region and the selected pixel are computed to form a current difference map. Whether the selected pixel in the region differ by no more than one resolution level from any other pixel of the region is determined from the current difference map. An edge is determined not to exist within the region if the difference map for a region contains no values differing by more than one resolution level. An edge is determined to exist within a region if the difference map for the selected pixel and region contain values differing by more than one resolution level. Alternatively, a difference map for the selected region of support is determined and compared to a table of all possible valid difference maps. If a corresponding difference map is found within the table then an edge does not exist within the presently processed region of support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Shiufun Cheung, Robert A. Ulichney, Robert MacNamara, Giridharan Iyengar
  • Patent number: 6466695
    Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus, and related method, for providing a procedure to analyze images based on two-dimensional shape primitives. In the procedure, an object representation is created automatically from an image and then this representation is applied to another image for the purpose of object recognition. The features used for the representation are the two type of two-dimensional shape primitives: local line segments and vertices. Furthermore, the creation of object representations is extended to sequences of images, which is especially needed for complex scenes in which, for example, the object is presented in front of a structured background.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Eyematic Interfaces, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Pötzsch, Norbert Krüger, Christoph von der Malsburg
  • Patent number: 6462840
    Abstract: A three-dimensional display system including a method of operating the display as a tactile scanner. A three dimensional display is formed from a number of moveable rods arranged in a matrix. Each rod has selectively illuminated pixels made from LEDs or similar devices. The rods can be moved independent to position the pixels into position to model a pre-defined object to present a three-dimensional model and overlaying image. The pixels can also be illuminated by an external lighting source such as a laser. Stationary embodiments of the monitor are also disclosed which are formed of a three dimensional grid of LEDs or other light sources which can be selectively illuminated to provide a true three dimensional display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Inventor: Grigory Kravtsov
  • Publication number: 20020122045
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating anti-aliased fonts for display on a graphics display comprising analyzing a subject font, calculating at least one alpha value to determine the translucency of the subject font edges, incorporating the alpha value in the subject font bit information, and rendering the subject font with translucent edges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 1998
    Publication date: September 5, 2002
    Inventors: MORGAN WOODSON, DENNIS FLEMING
  • Publication number: 20020097919
    Abstract: A post-filtering method is disclosed for eliminating jagged effects of computer graphic image before outputing graphic image in accordance with the characteristics of each of the pixels to determine if it needs to perform filtering to the pixel. The method includes the following steps: (a) judging if the pixel's Z-value is equal to zero, if it is, then not perform filtering to the pixel; (b) if the pixel's Z-value is not equal to zero, then judging if the pixel is located at the intersection of the Z-plane, if it is, then performs filtering to the pixel; (c) if the pixel is not located at the intersection of the Z-plane, then judging if the pixel is located at the constant-Z plane, if it is not, then not perform filtering to the pixel; and (d) if the pixel is located at the constant-Z plane, then judging if the pixel's color variation value is greater than the threshold value, if it is, then performs filtering to the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2001
    Publication date: July 25, 2002
    Inventor: Chung-Yen Lu
  • Publication number: 20020094123
    Abstract: It is intended to provide an image processing method, an image display unit, and a storage medium, capable of effecting an appropriate color reproduction even with a change in color of a projection plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2001
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Applicant: Nippon Kanzai Co., Ltd.,
    Inventor: Masashi Kanai
  • Patent number: 6377273
    Abstract: A pixel based method for the computation of sub-pixel area-coverage is implemented in an area-coverage hardware module, within a 3D computer graphics rendering engine. Unlike the prior art segment based method which requires an operating aperture of an entire segment, the present invention only requires an operating aperture of one pixel. Therefore, the overall system pixel yield rate is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Ruen-Rone Lee, Shin-Ping Robert Wang, Kuo-Chang Fu
  • Publication number: 20020033956
    Abstract: The image processing equipment produces an image of enhanced quality, having dots with higher density than in an original image, by collating an original image with templates. The present invention reduces required number of templates. Original image data in a collation window is either mirror-converted, flip-converted or flip-and-mirror-converted in an array converter (33) and selected on a time-division basis to collate with a single template pattern (34). The effect is equivalent to the collation with maximum four templates. Thus the number of template patterns to be prepared is greatly reduced. Also, by preparing additional patterns to be stored into an area that became vacant attributed to the reduction of patterns, more sophisticated image enhancement may be attained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2001
    Publication date: March 21, 2002
    Applicant: Fujitsu Limited, Kawasaki, Japan
    Inventor: Mikio Koga
  • Patent number: 6356278
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for utilizing an increased number of samples of image data, coupled with the separately controllable nature of RGB pixel sub-components, to generate images with increased resolution on a display device. such as a liquid crystal display. The methods include scaling, hinting, and scan conversion operations. The scaling operation involves scaling the image data by factors of one in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the RGB striping of the display device. Hinting includes placing the scaled image data on a grid that has grid points defined by the positions of the pixels of the display device, and rounding key points to the nearest full pixel boundary in the direction parallel to the striping and to the nearest fractional increment in the direction perpendicular to the striping. Scan conversion includes scaling the hinted image data by an overscaling factor in the direction perpendicular to the striping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Beat Stamm, Gregory C. Hitchcock, Claude Betrisey
  • Patent number: 6339451
    Abstract: A graphical on-screen display (OSD) system, includes a decoder for decoding graphical OSD image representative data from an auxiliary information component of a video signal. An edge detector is coupled to the decoder and processes the OSD image representative data to detect an edge in the graphical OSD image. An edge smoother is coupled to both the decoder and the edge detector and generates signals representing a reproduced OSD image having a smoothed edge when an edge is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.
    Inventor: Juri Tults
  • Patent number: 6339479
    Abstract: A video processing apparatus according to the present invention includes edge detecting means for detecting an edge direction of an image, coefficient selecting means for selecting a coefficient based on the edge direction detected by the edge detecting means, and filter means for filtering a frequency band by using a frequency characteristic corresponding to the coefficient selected by the coefficient selecting means, wherein the number of pixels of the image is enlarged twice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masaki Kishimoto
  • Patent number: 6333792
    Abstract: An image resolution conversion method which can cope with arbitrary magnifications including non-integer magnifications with simple operation and sequence, has an identical interface, and can be efficiently installed in a printer driver, and a resolution conversion module that implements the method. The resolution conversion module receives information representing the resolutions before and after conversion from an image processing program, and calculates the magnification or reduction value for each pixel of an original image before conversion on the basis of the received information. The module receives information of a processing region, which is segmented with reference to the image size after conversion, from the image processing program, and obtains that region on the original image before conversion, which corresponds to the segmented processing region, on the basis of the magnification or reduction values for pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeo Kimura
  • Patent number: 6332044
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for performing filtering operations on a digital image. One embodiment is enhancement of the contour fidelity of the image represented by a plurality of pixels, by storing pixel values representing a segment of the image in memory; isolating a plurality of regions of the pixels of said image segment to form a plurality of windows including a central pixel and a plurality of pixels surrounding said central pixel. Then comparing at least two of the regions of pixels within the windows with a set of standard pixel patterns for each of the windows and identifying matching pixel patterns within each of the windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2001
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Loce, Michael Branciforte
  • Publication number: 20010048771
    Abstract: An image processing method is provided, which makes it possible to enlarge an input or original image in such a way as to suppress or eliminate jaggies at the contours in the image, and which is applicable to a dot-matrix type display device with a fixed resolution. In the step (a) a local area is defined in an input image. The local area includes a target pixel and neighboring pixels surrounding the target pixel. In the step (b), a filtering operation is applied to the target pixel and the neighboring pixels in the local area while all the pixels in the local area are successively assigned to the target pixel, thereby outputting a filtered image. In the step (c), the filtered image and the input image are mixed together at a specific mixing ratio, thereby forming an output image. In the step (b), the median or average value is preferably used for forming the filtered image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2001
    Publication date: December 6, 2001
    Applicant: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Daigo Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6304677
    Abstract: A method and apparatus implementing a technique for entering a representation of a desired curve into a computer. In one aspect, the technique includes receiving an ordered sequence of points representing the desired curve as input. The points of the sequence of points are grouped into one or more contiguous segments of points. The points of each segment are smoothed to generate a segment of smoothed points for each segment. One or more mathematical curves are fitted to each segment of smoothed points. Together, the one or more mathematical curves from each segment of smoothed points form the representation of the desired curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventor: Michael Schuster
  • Patent number: 6304269
    Abstract: An image processing device of the present invention has a first element which produces partial straight lines from a straight line. One of the vertical or horizontal coordinate values of each of the partial straight lines has the same value. The image processing device has a second element which produces, based on the partial line produced by the first element, a shading range having a first and second end, wherein the first end has first color and the second end has second color, and a third element which converts the first and second colors of the shading range to third and fourth colors, which express brightness as an independent parameter. The image processing device also includes a fourth element which produces, by using the third and fourth colors converted by the third element, colors of respective pixels existing between the first end and the second end of the shading range produced by the second element, wherein the color changes smoothly from the first end to the second end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Taro Ito
  • Patent number: 6262813
    Abstract: An image data processing apparatus that conserves a memory used for correcting a dot of a bit-mapped image data includes a data window, a pattern recognition mechanism, a determining mechanism, an information converter, and a memory block. The data window reads the bit-mapped image data by capturing dot patterns. The pattern recognition mechanism recognizes a figure of a line segment formed between black and white dot areas included in the captured dot pattern. The pattern recognition mechanism also generates a n-bit code that has a value corresponding to the recognized figure of the line segment. The n-bit code potentially has 2n different values for representing specific figures of the line segment. The determining mechanism determines whether the dot of interest needs a correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masakazu Ohtani
  • Patent number: 6243499
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for the identification and tagging of antialiased pixels within regions of an image. The techniques described improve the recognition of fine gray features and enable the detection of both black and white features on high and low contrast backgrounds. The system relies on the establishment of the sense (positive/negative) of an image by first using a histogramming operation. Once the sense is determined, a plurality of logical channels are used to select a threshold, binarize a region of the image, generate a vector representative of the region, and to process the vector to identify whether an antialiased pixel is present therein. Subsequently, the output of the channels is logically combined to produce an antialias tag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Loce, Yeqing Zhang, Michael Branciforte
  • Patent number: 6211967
    Abstract: An image processing device capable of writing two lines at the same time and applicable to an apparatus using digital image data is disclosed. A data bus width control section controls the bus width of input data. A temporary storage temporarily stores data input thereto. A data control section controls the reading and writing of data out of the temporary storage. A two line section produces two lines for writing two lines of input data at the same time. A data converting section converts parallel data to serial data. A multilevel section transforms an input bilevel image to a multilevel image. A rate varying section varies the rate of multilevel data input thereto. A data selecting section selects processed multilevel image data. A register control section executes register control with at least data stored in a storage included in the multilevel section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Namizuka
  • Patent number: 6204853
    Abstract: The noise reduction system of the present invention takes into account that noise is random with little between images adjacent physically, and in sampling time. It also takes into account the fact that some sequences of images are cyclical and “wrap around” in time with the beginning closely resembling the end of the cycle. A filter was developed which would smooth noise in a direction along an edge, but will not blur across an edge. It operates by determining vectors tangential to a surface point p, at a current voxel, and projecting 4D data onto the tangential vectors. A curvature matrix B&agr;&bgr; is determined. The eigenvalues of curvature matrix B&agr;&bgr; are determined to result in three curvatures for 4 dimensions. If the sign of all of the eigenvalues is the same, the current voxel is filtered, else, it is unchanged. This filtering is repeated for a number of voxels as the current voxel within a desired region for a single iteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Harvey Ellis Cline, Allen Robert Tannenbaum
  • Patent number: 6192152
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a first detection unit for detecting an edge of an input image on the basis of an input image signal, a second detection unit for detecting a screen portion of the input image on the basis of the input image signal, a processing unit for executing processing of the input image signal according to detection results of the first and second detection units, and a setting unit for setting detection modes of the first and second detection units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Funada, Michio Kawase, Shinobu Arimoto
  • Patent number: 6181437
    Abstract: Image data for continuous three pixels delayed by one pixel from each other is input in row and column directions from an image input portion into a scanning window. A predetermined image pattern is stored in a count value comparison table for detecting a target pixel on an image contour, and a determining portion performs determination relating to the predetermined image pattern and the input image data. Based on the result of determination by the determining portion, an intensity converter portion performs conversion of intensity data such that the target pixel becomes black when the target pixel is present on the image contour, and that the target pixel becomes white in other cases. As a result, an image processing apparatus can output a smooth contour image without jaggies regardless of an input image intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenichi Sawada
  • Patent number: 6178264
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image cutout method capable of moving a nozzle on a photographic image along a contour of a subject and binarizing image data in the nozzle to obtain the contour line of the subject, and cutting out the image along the obtained contour line, and as a result, allowing efficient cutout without putting a load on an operator. To achieve the object, when the nozzle is moved, a direction for moving the nozzle is determined based on a partial contour line in the obtained present nozzle. Thus, it is possible to move the nozzle along the contour of the subject without operator's operation of a pointing device and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuya Kamatani
  • Patent number: 6173085
    Abstract: A method of edge enhancing a digital image having pixels, includes acquiring a digital image; computing an edge boost function having positive and negative boost for different portions of the edge of the digital image; adjusting the edge boost function to produce a modified edge boost function such that the gain of the negative boost is greater than the gain of the positive boost; and applying the modified edge boost function to the digital image to provide an edge enhanced digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: John F. Hamilton, Jr., James E. Adams, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6167166
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for antialiased rendering (AAR) of an image. First, tagging methods for identifying antialiased pixels were described, the methods being employed separately or in concert with one another. After identifying AAR pixels, a fill order is determined and applied using a fill order algorithm that preferably employs a pixel window that is a subset of the larger window employed for pixel identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Loce, Ronald E. Jodoin, Peter A. Crean, Wei Zhu
  • Patent number: 6154577
    Abstract: A digital image processing method for detecting when and where an image has been altered or modified includes the steps of generating an edge map of an original digital image; convolving the edge map with a carrier signal to generate a dispersed edge map; and combining the dispersed edge map with the original digital image to create a combined image. The combined digital image is checked to determine if it has been modified by correlating the carrier signal with the combined image to produce a recovered edge map; and comparing the recovered edge map with the original image to detect modifications to the combined image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James Warnick, Chris W. Honsinger
  • Patent number: 6154576
    Abstract: A system and method for anti-aliasing of text overlays on electronic images comprises a text-font manager for loading background color and selected font data which includes font type, font size, and font color, and for obtaining a text string for overlay on the electronic image. The invention also includes a graphics manager for retrieving bit-mapped data for the selected font data and text string and for retrieving current pixel information from the bit-mapped data. The invention further comprises an anti-aliasing module for adjusting the inactive pixels of each character of the character text string based upon the surrounding pixels in the bit-mapped data. The anti-aliasing module overlays the electronic image with the active and adjusted text character pixels. The image merged with text is saved in memory and/or displayed on the electronic imaging display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: FlashPoint Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Anderson, Mike M. Masukawa