Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, and it is applicable to a variety of kinds of image processing apparatus such as television receivers, video tape recorders, television cameras, printers, etc., and it makes it possible to correct the gradation of an image avoiding the lowering of partial contrast effectively. In this case, an excessive emphasis of an outline can be avoided.

Abstract: The invention provides an image processing apparatus and an image processing method and can be applied to an image information apparatus such as, for example, a television receiver, a video tape recorder, a television camera and a printer so that the gradation can be corrected while effectively preventing a finally obtained image from partial deterioration of the contrast. An area to which each of image data belongs is discriminated with reference to, for example, a low frequency component of a pixel value, and a correction coefficient is produced for the area. Such correction coefficients are smoothed between successive frames, and the pixel values of the image data are corrected with the smoothed correction coefficients.

Abstract: A device and a method for image processing make it possible to significantly improve the contrast and the sharpness of the whole image, in comparison with the ordinary. By amplifying the portions other than the edges, while conserving the edges with the pixel values which change abruptly out of input image data, it is possible to enhance and display the portions other than the edges, and so it is possible to significantly improve the contrast and the sharpness of the whole image, in comparison with the ordinary.

Abstract: A rotary tool (140) is relatively moved against members (30, 30) to be welded so as to perform friction stir welding of said members, while blades (145) mounted on the rotary tool (140) and a rotary brush (220) are used to cut the welded portion, and swarfs on the cut surface are removed through a suction opening (225), before medium liquid is supplied on said cut surface through a supply opening (240). Next, an inspection roller (250) is rotated on the surface of the welded portion for inspection. A probe (251) is provided within the roller (250). Upon detecting a defect, paint is applied to the position of defect by a marking device (270). Thereafter, based on said marking, the joint portion is cut and repaired by welding.

Abstract: An data processing apparatus for performing signal processing on an input signal having a finite length. The apparatus performs a wavelet transform to divide the input signal into sub-bands for signal processing. An extrapolation process is performed to limit transform artifacts at the leading and trailing ends of each sub-band of the finite length signal. An extrapolation processing discriminator is used to determine whether the extrapolation process satisfies a complete reconstruction condition, whereby an output signal will be a substantial reconstruction of the input signal. The extrapolation process is chosen from among four different loopback methods.

Abstract: By the use of an epsilon filter, in the case where a plurality of different illuminations exist, a boundary between the illuminations can be appropriately extracted, and an unnatural image pattern can be prevented from being generated, therefore subjectively preferable compression of a dynamic range can be achieved. An edge strength G(x, y) is calculated per position on an input image, and a threshold E(x, y) of an epsilon filter (12) is controlled on the basis of the edge strength G(x, y). The epsilon filter (12) filters the input image on the basis of the controlled threshold E(x, y). On the basis of the edge strength G(x, y), the threshold E of the epsilon filter (12) is adaptively changed according to a local gradient of a pixel value I(x, y), so in the case of using a linear lowpass filter or a fixed threshold epsilon filter, an illumination boundary can be more accurately extracted.

Abstract: A rotary tool 140 is relatively moved against members 30, 30 to be welded so as to perform friction stir welding of said members, while blades 145 mounted on the rotary tool 140 and a rotary brush 220 are used to cut the welded portion, and swarfs on the cut surface are removed through a suction opening 225, before medium liquid is supplied on said cut surface through a supply opening 240. Next, an inspection roller 250 is rotated on the surface of the welded portion for inspection. A probe 251 is provided within the roller 250. Upon detecting defect, paint is applied to the position of defect by a marking device 270. Thereafter, based on said marking, the joint portion is cut and repaired by welding.

Abstract: Each of a plurality of input images is smoothed. A plurality of smoothed images different from each other in the degree of smoothing thus results. Each of first and second synthesizers calculate an edge intensity based on an intermediate synthesized image generated from at least one smoothed image and having a relatively large degree of smoothing and another smoothed image having a relatively small degree of smoothing, and synthesizes the intermediate synthesized image and the smoothed image based on the edge intensity, thereby generating a synthesized smoothed image. A second synthesized smoothed image generated by the second synthesizer is output as a final synthesized smoothed image representing an illumination component, and is then used as a coefficient for converting a pixel value.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing circuit and an image processing method, and is applied to, for example, a video camera, an electronic still camera and the like, for compressing the dynamic range at a high compression rate with evading the lowering of an impression concerning the contrast and the unnatural edge emphasis. The present invention smoothes an input image X while preserving the edge to obtain a gain correction coefficient, and corrects the pixel value x(i, j) of the input image X with the gain correction coefficient.

Abstract: A data encoding method including an encoding step of encoding data using wavelet transform and a multiplexing/transmitting step of appending the information on encoding used for decoding on the decoder side to a bitstream of data encoded using the wavelet transform for transmitting the resulting information. This enables switching of filters depending on the picture or the computational capability that can be furnished by an apparatus and desirable initial setting depending on the input picture or bitrate to realize good picture quality.

Abstract: A device and a method for image processing make it possible to significantly improve the contrast and the sharpness of the whole image, in comparison with the ordinary. By amplifying the portions other than the edges, while conserving the edges with the pixel values which change abruptly out of input image data, it is possible to enhance and display the portions other than the edges, and so it is possible to significantly improve the contrast and the sharpness of the whole image, in comparison with the ordinary.

Abstract: A decoder de-quantizes quantized data and performs a predetermined operation on the de-quantized data. The decoder de-quantizes the data with a quantizing step size different from the step size used in the quantizing operation. An image encoding apparatus encodes input image data. The encoding apparatus has a motion-vector detector which detects a motion vector from the input image data. A predicted image generator generates predicted image data of the image to be encoded in accordance with the detected motion vector. A differential-image generator generates differential-image data between the predicted image data and the image to be encoded. A transformer transforms the differential-image data to obtain a transform coefficient for the differential-image data. A quantizer quantizes the transfer coefficient to obtain a quantized transfer coefficient. A de-quantizer de-quantizes the quantized transfer coefficient to reproduce the transfer coefficient.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and image processing method for performing a smoothing process to a decoded image signal. Edge information of a pixel is detected in response to a spatial change in the pixel value of the image signal and the smoothing process is performed to the image signal based on the edge information. The present invention reduces noise generated in the plain area in a picture without degrading an edge in the picture.

Abstract: A picture is divided into either one of three types of macroblocks and then encoded in such a manner that block distortion, mosquito noise and ringing are reduced while picture coding efficiency is improved.

Abstract: In an image coding device and method for coding an image signal employing sub-band transforms, an inputted image signal is hierarchically divided into a plurality of frequency bands using sub-band transforms and a plurality of frequency band signals are generated, with each frequency band signal comprising sub-band transform coefficients. The sub-band transform coefficients of each frequency band signal are then coded using zero tree coding and run length coding in a more efficient manner than with related devices and methods.

Abstract: An image encoding method and apparatus, an image decoding method and apparatus, and an image recording medium are provided for suppress the diffusion of the quantizing noise components of the wavelet coefficient or the subband coefficient caused by the band division with the wavelet filter or the subband filter and the quantization, thereby narrowing the area where the ringing takes place.

Abstract: A sub-band encoding method for splitting the frequency spectrum of an input signal into plural bands, encoding the signals of the respective bands and transmitting the encoded signal, is disclosed. The encoding method includes a first step of splitting the input signal into a signal of a high frequency band and a signal of a low frequency band using a first-stage low-pass filter and a first-stage high-pass filter, a second step of downsampling signals of respective frequency bands obtained by the first step, a third step of splitting the frequency spectrum of the low frequency band signal downsampled by the second step, using recursively a pre-set low-pass filter and a high-pass filter, for generating signals of a plurality of frequency bands, and a fourth step of encoding the signals of respective frequency bands obtained by the second step and the third step.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, a uniform region whose luminance level change is small is correctly extracted from a noise-containing image. To this end, this image processing apparatus includes an extracting module for extracting a high frequency component of a luminous signal of the image over an entire portion of the image within one screen; histogram generating module for generating a histogram of a luminance level of the luminance signal for one screen on the basis of the output value of the extracting module; coefficient calculating module for analyzing the histogram to calculate a predetermined coefficient indicative of likeness of the uniform region every luminance level; and pixel-position-depending coefficient producing module for establishing a correspondence relationship between the predetermined coefficient calculated by the coefficient calculating module and all of the pixel positions on the image in correspondence to the luminous level of the luminance signal from each of the pixel positions.

Abstract: In encoding an input picture signal, the input signal is split by subband splitting into plural frequency bands for generating signals of plural frequency bands, and the signals of the respective frequency bands are quantized for generating quantized signals of the respective frequency bands. From these quantized signals of the respective frequency band, the coefficients existing at the same spatial positions of the respective layers resulting from spectrum splitting are extracted for generating a coefficient tree. This coefficient tree is S-scanned in a direction proceeding from the low frequency band towards the high frequency band for generating a scan sequence which is run-length encoded for generating encoded data. In decoding the encoded data, obtained as described above, is decoded by run-length decoding for generating a scan sequence from which a coefficient tree is re-constructed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sub-band encoding an input signal in which ringing may be diminished. When performing a number of wavelet transform operations by sub-band encoding, filtering the of signals is done with a small number of taps with increased number of times of spectrum splitting so far made on the signals. That is, filters with a larger number of taps are used for initial-stage frequency spectrum splitting for avoiding step-like patterns from being produced due to deterioration of low-frequency components. With increased number of times of frequency spectrum splitting, filters with a smaller number of taps are used for preventing the relative number of taps from being increased due to downsampling for suppressing picture ringing to a minimum.