Abstract: The present invention relates to a signal processing apparatus and a method, a recording medium, and a program, in which portions except an edge can be smoothed while the edge whose change in pixel value is steep is held correctly. A pixel of attention is determined in step S11, and a neighboring pixel is determined in step S12. In step S13, a difference in pixel values between the pixel of attention and each neighboring pixel is calculated. In step S14, according to a relationship in size between the difference and a threshold value ?., flags are raised for the neighboring pixel and a neighboring pixel which are symmetrical. Furthermore, a flag is also raised for a neighboring pixel away from, in view of the pixel of attention, the symmetrical neighboring pixel for which the flag is raised. In step S15, 7-pixel taps centered around the pixel of attention are averaged by weight.

Abstract: In each of stages of a nonlinear filter, a successively determined target signal and plural adjacent signals are weighted-averaged with plural sets of different coefficients to calculate plural smoothed signals. Differences in level between the target signal and each of adjacent signals and signals arranged within the predetermined interval from the each of the adjacent signals are compared with a threshold value. According to the comparison, flags are set to the adjacent signal, to an adjacent signal arranged at a symmetrical position, and to adjacent signals arranged beyond the adjacent signals. The intervals of adjacent signals are different among stages. The target signal in level is used instead of the adjacent signals with smoothed signals, which are selected according to the flags. Weighting coefficients may be calculated on the basis of the comparison result, and smoothed signals may be synthesized according to the weighting coefficients.

Abstract: An input signal is accurately separated into a component in which a change in signal level is sharp and having a large edge, and the other components. A narrow band non-linear filter extracts an edge component in a relatively narrow frequency band from an input signal and outputs the signal. A wide band non-linear filter extracts an edge component in a relatively wide frequency band from the input signal and outputs the signal. A selector outputs a signal composed of the signal where an edge portion is replaced, based on a differentiated value of the signal sent by a differentiator, as the edge component of the input signal. An adder subtracts an output signal from the input signal and outputs the calculated output signal as the edge component of the input signal. This process, may be applied to an image processor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a signal processing apparatus and a method, a recording medium, and a program, in which portions except an edge can be smoothed while the edge whose change in pixel value is steep is held correctly. A pixel of attention is determined in step S11, and a neighbouring pixel is determined in step S12. In step S13, a difference in pixel values between the pixel of attention and each neighbouring pixel is calculated. In step S14, according to a relationship in size between the difference and a threshold value ?., flags are raised for the neighbouring pixel and a neighbouring pixel which are symmetrical. Furthermore, a flag is also raised for a neighbouring pixel away from, in view of the pixel of attention, the symmetrical neighbouring pixel for which the flag is raised. In step S15, 7-pixel taps centered around the pixel of attention are averaged by weight.

Abstract: An n-filter according to the present invention includes a nonlinear filter, a pattern detector, and a switch. The nonlinear filter maintains a steep edge whose size is larger than a predetermined threshold in fluctuations of pixels constituting an input image signal and, at the same time, smoothes a non-edge portion that does not include the edge. The pattern detector detects a fine edge in the fluctuations of the pixels constituting the input image signal and notifies the switch that the fine edge exists. The switch outputs the input image signal or an image signal output from the nonlinear filter to the subsequent stage in accordance with the notification from the pattern detector.

Abstract: An n-filter according to the present invention includes a nonlinear filter, a pattern detector, and a switch. The nonlinear filter maintains a steep edge whose size is larger than a predetermined threshold in fluctuations of pixels constituting an input image signal and, at the same time, smoothes a non-edge portion that does not include the edge. The pattern detector detects a fine edge in the fluctuations of the pixels constituting the input image signal and notifies the switch that the fine edge exists. The switch outputs the input image signal or an image signal output from the nonlinear filter to the subsequent stage in accordance with the notification from the pattern detector.

Abstract: In each of stages of a nonlinear filter, a successively determined target signal and plural adjacent signals are weighted-averaged with plural sets of different coefficients to calculate plural smoothed signals. Differences in level between the target signal and each of adjacent signals and signals arranged within the predetermined interval from the each of the adjacent signals are compared with a threshold value. According to the comparison, flags are set to the adjacent signal, to an adjacent signal arranged at a symmetrical position, and to adjacent signals arranged beyond the adjacent signals. The intervals of adjacent signals are different among stages. The target signal in level is used instead of the adjacent signals with smoothed signals, which are selected according to the flags. Weighting coefficients may be calculated on the basis of the comparison result, and smoothed signals may be synthesized according to the weighting coefficients.

Abstract: An input signal is accurately separated into a component in which a change in signal level is sharp and having a large edge, and the other components.

Abstract: A picture information conversion method and apparatus in which, if the compressed picture information with a variable or non-recognized information volume is input, optimum compression processing on the compressed picture information is performed to prevent underflow and/or overflow to suppress deterioration of the picture quality. A compressed information analysis device 3 analyzes the structure of the picture type of the GOP of the compressed picture information input to the FF buffer 2. A bit allocation device 5 generates a pseudo GOP of the input compressed picture information, based on N frames stored in the FF buffer 2 and on the analysis result information stored in the information buffer 4, and allocates a pre-set code volume to respective pictures of the generated GOP so that the output compressed picture information will be at a second bitrate.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed for reducing the bit rate of a bit stream coded into a compressed form according to the MPEG-2 standard, without causing significant degradation in image quality of a decoded image. An inverse DCT converter dequantizes a MPEG-2 bit stream and outputs resultant discrete cosine transform coefficients for each DCT block. A band limiter replaces the values of high-frequency components of the discrete cosine transform coefficients in the horizontal direction, with 0. A quantizer quantizes the discrete cosine transform coefficients using a quantization step value different from the original value.

Abstract: The initial value T0 of the period of a four-phase driving signal for driving a CCD of an image pickup device is calculated according to the equation T0=(L×p)/(f×v). Wherein, L represents the distance from the CCD to a product (object), if represents the focus length of the optical system used between the CCD and product, v represents the transferring speed of the product, and p represents the distance interval of photodiodes of the CCD. Afterward, the period T of the driving signal is adjusted properly depending on the pickup position of the product. Because electric charges corresponding to the same portion of the image of the product are accumulated in the same potential well formed by the driving signal by generating the driving signal as described above, the image of the product is picked up with suppressed blurring regardless of the speed of the product. Blurring is prevented during image pickup of an transferring object by the method described above.