Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for improving the sharpness of an image, which may prevent occurrence of distortion of an image in an edge enhancement process of the image by applying an active weight in accordance with a two-dimensional (2D) high pass filtering value of the image. The apparatus may include: a 2D high pass filter outputting a high frequency element value for the luminance values of pixels of an input image; a weight generating unit generating a weight changed depending on a magnitude of the high frequency element value; a weight applying unit applying the weight to the high frequency element value; and an edge enhancement image generating unit adding, to the luminance values of the pixels of the input image, the high frequency element value to which the weight is applied to thereby output an image of which an edge is enhanced.

Abstract: An apparatus for enhancing the visibility of color images includes: a luminance value cumulative distribution calculator that calculates a cumulative distribution function of the number of pixels from a minimum value of luminance values; a baseband signal determining unit that determines baseband signal pixels having luminance values smaller than a threshold level; a luminance compensation value generator that generates luminance compensation values to apply the lower-level luminance compensation values as the pixels have higher-level luminance values, for the pixels having the luminance values larger than the threshold level; a luminance gain generator that determines a luminance gain applied to the luminance compensation values according to a mean luminance values of the input images and the level of the luminance values of the pixels to which the luminance compensation values are applied; and a luminance value enhancing unit that summing the luminance compensation values including the gain with the luminan

Abstract: An apparatus for auto white balance includes a histogram generation unit writing respective histograms of Cb values and Cr values with regard to pixels included in an input image frame, a single-tone determination unit comparing respective maximum values of the histograms of Cb values and Cr values with a first threshold value, and determining the input image frame as a single-tone image if at least one of the maximum values is higher than the first threshold value, and an auto white balance gain computation unit computing and an auto white balance gain by using color information of an input image frame and outputting the computed auto white balance gain, wherein if the input image frame is determined to be a single-tone image, the auto white balance gain computation unit outputs an auto white balance gain computed with respect to a previous input image frame.

Abstract: A color interpolation apparatus includes: a threshold value determining unit that calculates a luminance value of each of a plurality of areas set based on each pixel of a bayer pattern image generated by an image sensor, and determines edge determining threshold values used for determining each edge of the set areas; an edge information calculating unit that calculates pixel value variations in multiple directions of horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and central directions of the corresponding set areas by using pixel values of pixels included in each set area, and calculates edge information regarding each set area by using the calculated multi-directional pixel value variations; an area determining unit that determines a type of an edge present in each set area by using the edge determining threshold values deterred by the threshold value determining unit and the edge information calculated by the edge information calculating unit; and a color interpolation unit that applies a color interpolation filter prev

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for improving the sharpness of an image. The apparatus includes an edge detector, an effective edge judging unit, an effective edge classifying unit, an isolated edge judging unit, and a 2-D HPF applying unit. The edge detector calculates an edge value using brightness relation with neighboring pixels with respect to each of pixels of an input image. The effective edge judging unit determines effective edge pixels. The effective edge classifying unit determines weak edge pixels and strong edge pixels. The isolated edge judging unit judges an isolated edge pixel included in an isolated edge. The 2-D HPF applying unit applies a first 2-D HPF to the weak edge pixels, and applies a second 2-D HPF to the strong edge pixels to generate edge strengthening values. The edge strengthening value applying unit adds the edge strengthening values to brightness values of the respective pixels of the input image.

Abstract: A Two-Dimensional (2D) image segmentation apparatus for segmenting pixels of a progressive input 2D image includes a group information storing unit storing information of pixel groups including a plurality of adjacent pixels; a pixel determining unit determining coordinates of an input pixel, and determining whether the input pixel is an effective pixel for segmentation; a group scanning unit scanning a adjacent pixel group disposed in a scan range preset from the effective pixel in the group storing unit when the input pixel is determined as the effective pixel by the pixel determining unit; and a group information updating unit updating information of a pixel group stored in the group information storing unit according to whether there is the scanned adjacent pixel group and a pixel group including an input pixel preceding the effective pixel. Moreover, a method is provided that removes red-eye using area information of a pixel group determined by the segmentation apparatus.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for removing color noise including: a color interpolation unit performing color interpolation on a bayer pattern image output from an image sensor; a high-pass filter unit performing high-pass filtering on each of the pixels of the bayer pattern image to generate high-pass filtered values of each of the pixels; a high frequency region determining unit comparing pixel values of a target pixel, from which color noise is removed, and pixels adjacent to the target pixel with the high-pass filtered values to determine whether the target pixel is included in a high frequency region; and a color noise region determining unit using differences between color values of the target pixel interpolated by the color interpolation unit and determining whether the target pixel is included in a color noise region when it is determined that the target pixel is included in the high frequency region.

Abstract: Provided is a square root calculation apparatus. The apparatus includes a section judgment unit, a coefficient storing unit, and an adder. The section judgment unit stores information regarding a plurality of sections obtained by dividing an entire range of an input value into predetermined intervals, and judges one of the sections to which the input value belongs when the input value is input. The coefficient storing unit stores, in advance, first-order term coefficients and constant terms of first-order approximate equations obtained by approximating square root curves for respective sections, multiplies a first-order term coefficient of the first-order approximate equation in the section to which the input value belongs, by the input value to output a first-order term, and outputs a constant term in the section to which the input value belongs. The adder adds the first-order term and the constant term output from the coefficient storing unit to calculate an approximated square root value.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus for removing ringing noise and an apparatus for removing noise. The apparatuses includes a representative value setting block dividing pixel data in one block including a plurality of pixel data into two groups through a K-means algorithm and setting a representative value in each of the groups; a parameter generator block calculating intervals and approaches between all the pixel data in the block and a pair of the representative values; and a correction block correcting an inputted pixel data value using the intervals and the approaches.