Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for inspecting the electrodes of a battery, which inspects the arrangement state of anodes and cathodes in the battery in a non-destructive manner (using X-rays). The apparatus radiates X-ray beams onto a battery in which a plurality of plate-shaped anodes and a plurality of plate-shaped cathodes are alternately stacked and inspects an arrangement state of the anodes and the cathodes. The apparatus includes a first X-ray source part for radiating a first X-ray beam onto the battery. A first detector detects the first X-ray beam having transmitted through the battery. A control unit receives an image of the battery output from the first detector, calculates a step difference between each anode and each cathode, and then inspects an arrangement state of the anode and the cathode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for efficiently removing noise of an image sensor. To this end, the present invention enables: an area to be divided into an edge area, a sensitivity difference generation area, and a pattern area relative to an input image of a Bayer pattern; and different noise removing methods to be applied according to each of the divided areas. By doing this, noise can be removed efficiently since the noise is adaptively removed in each area. Further, sensitivity differences between Gr and Gb are considered in such a manner that resolution can be improved.

Abstract: A device and method for reducing color noise of an image by using a distance weight depending on a distance from a central pixel for each pixel of an image and an edge weight depending on the difference in luminance and chrominance with the central pixel is provided, which can effectively reduce the color noise of the image by using the correlation between the luminance and the chrominance and edge characteristics.

Abstract: A method for removing defective pixels using a signal processing scheme with a Bayer pattern, by determining an output value of the inter-channel according to whether or not a difference between a center pixel and an average of neighboring pixels, which have the same color as that of the center pixel, is greater than or equal to a threshold value; and using values of neighboring pixels nearest to a center pixel as an input, obtaining an output value of the cross-channel by finding a median value among a median value of vertical and horizontal lines including the center pixel, a median value of diagonal lines including the center pixel, and a value of the center pixel. Then, a defective pixel is removed, through the use of the output value of the inter-channel, the output value of the cross-channel, and the value of the center pixel.

Abstract: An image generating apparatus and method for emphasizing an edge, based on image characteristics by extracting an edge region from an input original image, and an edge gain indicating a degree for emphasizing the edge region and an edge threshold indicating a degree of complexity between pixels are calculated for each of a plurality of image regions of the original image. The extracted edge region is combined with the calculated edge gain. Thresholding is performed by adjusting the calculated edge threshold for the edge region combined with the edge gain, and the thresholding-applied edge region is combined with the original image to output a final image. By adaptively adjusting an edge gain and an edge threshold for a portion where an edge needs to be emphasized and the other portions in an image having multiple image characteristics, both edge emphasis and noise cancellation can be achieved together.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for inspecting the electrodes of a battery, which inspects the arrangement state of anodes and cathodes in the battery in a non-destructive manner (using X-rays). The apparatus radiates X-ray beams onto a battery in which a plurality of plate-shaped anodes and a plurality of plate-shaped cathodes are alternately stacked and inspects an arrangement state of the anodes and the cathodes. The apparatus includes a first X-ray source part for radiating a first X-ray beam onto the battery. A first detector detects the first X-ray beam having transmitted through the battery. A control unit receives an image of the battery output from the first detector, calculates a step difference between each anode and each cathode, and then inspects an arrangement state of the anode and the cathode.

Abstract: An edge-adaptive interpolation and noise filtering method is provided including performing primary interpolation on a first color, based on a first preset number of directions, with respect to a first color window obtained from an input image window, estimating an edge direction within a primary interpolated first color window obtained by the primary interpolation, based on a second preset number of directions, the second preset number of directions being larger than the first preset number, with respect to the primary interpolated first color window, performing secondary interpolation on the first color, based on the estimated edge direction, with respect to the primary interpolated first color window, and performing interpolation on a second color, based on the estimated edge direction, with respect to a second color window obtained from the input image window.

Abstract: A lens shading correction method and apparatus are provided for removing vignetting occurring in digital images due to lens shading. A white image captured by an image pickup device and an image pickup unit is separated into reference white images corresponding to color channels. A vignetting center having a maximum light intensity is estimated in each of the reference white images. Multiple reference segments on each of the reference white images are defined. A lens shading correction value corresponding to each pixel constituting the reference segments are calculated using a corresponding light intensity. A lens shading correction function corresponding to each reference segment is derived using a corresponding lens shading correction value. Vignetting of a general image received in a general image processing mode is removed, using the derived multiple lens shading correction functions.

Abstract: An image classification apparatus and method for Automatic White Balance (AWB) are provided. An input image is divided into blocks including pluralities of pixels. A hue value and a chroma value are calculated for each of the blocks. A color-changed block is detected by calculating, for each one of the blocks, differences between the hue and chroma values calculated for all blocks adjacent to the one of the blocks and the hue and chroma values calculated for the one of the blocks. A hue variance and a chroma variance are calculated for the entire input image if a number of the detected color-changed blocks is greater than or equal to a first threshold. The input image is determined as a non-monochromatic image, if the hue variance is greater than or equal to a second threshold or the chroma variance is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

Abstract: An image processing method and apparatus capable of easily detecting an edge of an object from an input image, in which the edge is detected using one step, without a pre-processing step, and a complicated trigonometric function is not used for gradient detection. The image processing method includes setting a window within an input image, analyzing the window to determine directions of edges of objects within the image included in the window, detecting edge information including the edge directions, and processing and outputting the window using the edge information.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for adjusting white balance of a digital image. An input image is converted into a YCbCr color space. White pixels of the converted input image are detected by determining whether each pixel of the converted input image is included in a preset region of the YCbCr color space. A gain of each channel is calculated from averages of R, G and B values of the detected white pixels. White balance adjustment is performed by applying the calculated gain of each channel to each pixel of the input image.

Abstract: A white balance adjustment method is disclosed, in which a plurality of input pixels are transformed into a digital component color space, a hue region of each of the color-space transformed input pixels is determined, and a transformation matrix is determined according to the determined hue region.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for correcting a value of a defective pixel based on values of neighboring pixels of the defective pixel, the apparatus includes a plurality of first-stage median filters for receiving a value of a target pixel and values of neighboring pixels of the target pixel, and outputting median values of the received values; and at least one second-stage median filter for receiving the value of the target pixel and the median values from the first-stage median filters, and outputting a median value of the values received by the second-stage median filter.

Abstract: A diversity antenna is provided inside a mobile communication terminal. A common ground element formed as a conductor having predetermined length grounds the antenna. A first radiating element radiates a vertically polarized wave of a predetermined band. One end of the first radiating element is vertically connected to one end of the commnon ground element and the other end of the first radiating element is open. A second radiating element radiates a horizontally polarized wave of the predetermined band. One end of the second radiating element is vertically connected to the other end of the common ground element and the other end of the second radiating element is open. First and second feeding elements feed electric current to the radiating elements.

Abstract: A wireless LAN antenna/card which can transmit/receive RF signals in a high frequency band (e.g., 5 GHz) and a low frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz), includes a radiation electrode, a matching electrode and a feeding electrode. The radiation electrode has a predetermined area to define a transmission/reception frequency band of the antenna. The matching electrode has at least one open stub. The feeding electrode has a feeding point formed at an arbitrary position of the feeding electrode to receive a current, a first end connected to the radiation electrode, and a second end connected to the matching electrode. Further, the feeding point and a ground point are arbitrarily set on the feeding electrode, thus adjusting the impedance and frequency of the wireless LAN antenna.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a wireless LAN antenna and wireless LAN card, which can transmit/receive RF signals in a high frequency band (5 GHz) and a low frequency band (2.4 GHz) required in the wireless LAN. The wireless LAN antenna of the present invention includes a radiation electrode, a matching electrode and a feeding electrode. The radiation electrode has a predetermined area to determine a transmission/reception frequency band of the antenna. The matching electrode has at least one open stub. The feeding electrode has a feeding point formed at an arbitrary position of the feeding electrode to receive a current, with a first end connected to the radiation electrode and a second end connected to the matching electrode. Further, the feeding point and a ground point are arbitrarily set on the feeding electrode, thus adjusting the impedance and frequency of the wireless LAN antenna.