Minimize Jaggedness In Edges (e.g., Anti-aliasing) Patents (Class 382/269)
  • Patent number: 6985160
    Abstract: Methods and systems for selecting different anti-aliasing filters to be applied to objects of image data rendered with pixel sub-component precision based on the attributes of the objects of the graphics image. For example, when rendering a character traditional anti-aliasing applied in the direction parallel to the striping of the pixel sub-components is adapted to the unique requirements of different character font sizes such that a large amount of anti-aliasing is applied to large font sizes while a small amount of anti-aliasing is provided for characters at small font sizes. Displaced sampling is utilized to determine the alpha values for a plurality of vertical samples for each RGB pixel sub-component. The selected anti-aliasing filter is applied to the alpha values to determine the luminous intensity values of the RGB pixel sub-components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David C. Brown, John C. Platt, Michael Duggan, Gregory Hitchcock, Beat Stamm
  • Patent number: 6982725
    Abstract: The present invention relates to dropout control in which one or more samples are added to adjacent samples that fall within an image outline. The samples are used in sub-pixel rendering to compensate for unnaturally thin or faint object stems. Horizontal dropout control operations are provided to add samples to sets of horizontally adjacent samples such that each set of samples comprises a minimum number of samples. Vertical dropout control operations are provided to position samples such that the weighted anti-aliasing filtering will take sufficient account of the samples. In one embodiment, an associative table is utilized to calculate alternative patterns of samples. In another embodiment, the baseline of an object is used in the dropout control operations to reduce artifacts that can be created by the addition of samples in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Beat Stamm, Michael Duggan, Gregory Hitchcock, Paul Linnerud
  • Patent number: 6982723
    Abstract: A method of eliminating unwanted steps at edges in image or graphic representations in the line raster, in particular in on-line operation having the steps: a) Application of an edge operator to an image portion for coarsely ascertaining at least one rastered edge configuration, b) Determining the position of at least a first pixel from the amount of those pixels which form the rastered edge configuration or adjoin said rastered edge configuration, c) Approximation of a straight line for ascertaining a probable configuration of the unrastered image edge in the proximity of the first pixel, d) Ascertaining a criterion from the approximation straight line and the position of the first pixel for mixing a color X to the color C in the first pixel considered, and e) Mixing the ascertained color X to the color C in the first pixel considered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: GMD-Forschungszentrum Informationstechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Markus Szymaniak
  • Patent number: 6950543
    Abstract: A method for reconstructing an image of an object includes unwrapping a reduced field of view image, and estimating edge boundaries using the unwrapped reduced field of view image. The estimated edge boundaries are used to calculate the number of aliasing replicates in the reduced field of view image. The number of aliasing replicates is used to unwrap the reduced field of view image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventors: Kevin Franklin King, Elisabeth Angelos
  • Patent number: 6944341
    Abstract: An anti-aliased, or gray-edged, image is characterized by comparing the image to a number of loose-templates having a plurality of elements and at least one element having a range greater than zero. As families of loose-templates are compared to the anti-aliased input image, one or more sets of patterns, or features, are recognized and extracted to produce various screens of features that generally describe the anti-aliased input image. An arbitration technique is then performed on the sets of features to produce feature vectors which, in turn, can be used to control line-widths within the anti-aliased input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Loce, Clara Cuciurean-Zapan
  • Patent number: 6943808
    Abstract: The system and method reduces aliasing which is formed by the patterns that are introduced by the halftone screens used in the printer. The system and method provides halftone-specific anti-alias filters for obtaining optimal effective resolution in printed images. A method of reducing aliasing in a digital image includes providing a digital image; selecting a halftone screen for halftoning the digital image, wherein the halftone screen has a directional component associated with it; filtering the digital image with an antialiasing filter, the antialiasing filter having been designed to have a directional frequency response that is optimized for the directional component of the selected halftone screen; and halftoning the filtered digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Charles M. Hains, Sang-Chul Kang
  • Patent number: 6940998
    Abstract: The present invention involves a system for automatically screening closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras for large and small scale security systems, as used for example in parking garages. The system includes six primary software elements, each of which performs a unique function within the operation of the security system to provide intelligent camera selection for operators, resulting in a marked decrease of operator fatigue in a CCTV system. Real-time image analysis of video data is performed wherein a single pass of a video frame produces a terrain map which contains parameters indicating the content of the video. Based on the parameters of the terrain map, the system is able to make decisions about which camera an operator should view based on the presence and activity of vehicles and pedestrians, furthermore, discriminating vehicle traffic from pedestrian traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Cernium, Inc.
    Inventor: Maurice V. Garoutte
  • Patent number: 6928182
    Abstract: A de-convolution process is applied to an MR, CT or other image (25) of a scanned-object (23) to derive the point-spread function (22?) at an object-edge and to pin-point from the mid-point of its full-width-half-maximum FWHM, the location (30) of the true image-edge. With the object-image (25?) overlying the PSF function (22?) in the de-convolution space, sub-pixels which follow location (30) are transferred to before it to re-construct the image-edge (25?) for sharper conformity to the object-edge (23). Sharp definition of image-contour (37) facilitates accurate determination of area and volume of image profiles (35) and their segmentation. The accurate image-edge definition enables viable correction of geometrical distortion in stand-alone MR diagnosis and treatment planning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Inventor: Kui Ming Chui
  • Patent number: 6919906
    Abstract: Reduction of aliasing artifacts along discontinuity edges of a rendered polygon mesh is achieved by overdrawing the edges as antialiased lines. The discontinuity edges are oriented consistently and blended as they approach silhouettes in the mesh to avoid popping at the edge, thereby achieving a temporal smoothness at the silhouettes. This temporal smoothness is balanced with a competing desire to maintain spatial sharpness by utilizing an asymmetric blending technique. To further improve results, the discontinuity edges can be sorted by depth prior to overdrawing them. These processes are effective at reducing the temporal artifact known as “crawling jaggies”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Hugues Hoppe, John Michael Snyder, Pedro Vieira Sander, Steven J. Gortler
  • Patent number: 6909813
    Abstract: In a contour correcting circuit that generates, on the basis of respective signals for a plurality of pixels including the pixel to be corrected at the center and arranged in a particular direction, a contour correction signal for the pixel to be corrected, there are provided contour component production means for producing a contour component for the pixel to be corrected depending on the gradient of the change among the respective signals for the plurality of pixels arranged in the particular direction; gain calculation means for calculating, on the basis of the level difference between the signal for the pixel to be corrected and the signal for the pixel adjacent in the particular direction to the pixel to be corrected, such a gain for correction that the larger the level difference is, the smaller the gain becomes; multiplication means for multiplying the contour component produced by the contour component production means by the gain for correction calculated by the gain calculation means; and addition m
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuhei Amano, Akihiro Maenaka, Takeshi Hachiya, Haruhiko Murata
  • Patent number: 6906729
    Abstract: Object in a scene are antialiased individually in an object-specific manner, according to the type of object in question. One type of object is antialiased using a multipass screen-space jitter technique, where multiple instances of each antialiased object are render and blended together, with a small displacement in screen space coordinates for each copys. Another type of object is antialiased using a single-pass growth antialasiang technique, where the actual rendered geometry is changed in real time in accordance with distance and angle to minimize aliasing artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Aechelon Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ignacio Sanz-Pastor, David L. Morgan, III
  • Patent number: 6894702
    Abstract: The present invention relates to dropout control in which one or more samples are added to adjacent samples that fall within an image outline. The samples are used in sub-pixel rendering to compensate for unnaturally thin or faint object stems. Horizontal dropout control operations are provided to add samples to sets of horizontally adjacent samples such that each set of samples comprises a minimum number of samples. Vertical dropout control operations are provided to position samples such that the weighted anti-aliasing filtering will take sufficient account of the samples. In one embodiment, an associative table is utilized to calculate alternative patterns of samples. In another embodiment, the baseline of an object is used in the dropout control operations to reduce artifacts that can be created by the addition of samples in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Beat Stamm, Michael Duggan, Gregory Hitchcock, Paul Linnerud
  • Patent number: 6894700
    Abstract: A system and method for generating random coverage masks for rendering images with transparent objects. The system uses shuffle tables for addresses of a pixel to index into a transparency table and to obtain a transparency mask, which is then ANDed with a coverage mask to obtain a new coverage mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: 3Dlabs, Inc., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dale L. Kirkland, James L. Deming
  • Patent number: 6894699
    Abstract: An image display device includes a smoothing unit that filters the image data to be displayed. According to one aspect of the invention, only bright parts of the image that are adjacent to dark parts are smoothed, thereby improving the sharpness of dark dots and lines displayed on a bright background. According to another aspect, different primary colors are smoothed with different characteristics, enabling unwanted colored tinges to be removed from the edges of white areas. According to still another aspect, smoothing moves the luminance centroids of all primary colors in a direction in which the display screen is scanned, to reduce ringing effects without needless loss of edge sharpness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jun Someya, Yoshiaki Okuno
  • Patent number: 6894701
    Abstract: Methods and systems for selecting different anti-aliasing filters to be applied to objects of image data rendered with pixel sub-component precision based on the attributes of the objects of the graphics image. For example, when rendering a character traditional anti-aliasing applied in the direction parallel to the striping of the pixel sub-components is adapted to the unique requirements of different character font sizes such that a large amount of anti-aliasing is applied to large font sizes while a small amount of anti-aliasing is provided for characters at small font sizes. Displaced sampling is utilized to determine the alpha values for a plurality of vertical samples for each RGB pixel sub-component. The selected anti-aliasing filter is applied to the alpha values to determine the luminous intensity values of the RGB pixel sub-components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David C. Brown, John C. Platt, Michael Duggan, Gregory Hitchcock, Beat Stamm
  • Patent number: 6891549
    Abstract: A method for generating an enhanced image includes the steps of: (a) receiving a matrix of pixels representative of an image; (b) generating a gradient image representative of a difference between values of adjacent pixels; (c) calculating a center of mass for each pixel of the gradient image in response to gradient intensity values and location values of neighboring pixels; and (d) generating an enhanced image by modifying intensity values of pixels of the matrix of pixels that are located in a vicinity of local centers of mass in response to intensity values of pixels that are further displaced from the local centers of mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Yaron I. Gold
  • Patent number: 6885477
    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: December 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Electronics for Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Ron J. Karidi, Lai Chee Man
  • Patent number: 6882444
    Abstract: In the image drawing apparatus, a drawing position last time is stored in advance in a drawing position memory section, and a linear complementing processing section specifies pixels to be complemented from the last drawing position stored in the drawing position memory section and a drawing this time, and calculates semi-transparent rates of the pixels specified. A semi-transparency processing section then calculates pixel values of the pixels to be complemented by using the calculated semi-transparent rates. Therefore, anti-aliasing processing can be carried out at a high speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Hidefumi Nishi
  • Patent number: 6879714
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of smoothing the staircasing which results from discretisation in two-dimensional images, or in a series of two-dimensional images forming a three-dimensional data set. To start with, a first two- or three-dimensional continuum data model of the images is generated in which adjacent or juxtaposed pixels form squares or cubes respectively which are in turn further divided into triangles or tetrahedrons. The corner points are assigned the chromatic or monochrome values of the pixels in the image. Chromatic or monochrome values at any intermediate values in the interior of the triangles or tetrahedrons can then be obtained, e.g. by linear interpolation. Smoothing the edges of the image is done by shifting the supporting points, preferably by not more than half a pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: BrainLAB AG
    Inventor: Marcus Hutter
  • Patent number: 6876385
    Abstract: This invention relates to an image data processing method or the like capable of obtaining a preferable reproduction image based on processed image data even if the image data is short of the unit of block on reading the image data from the memory means in the unit of block. When image data of “M lines×N pixels” written in a memory is read in a unit of block consisting of the predetermined number of pixels and the read image data is subjected to a compression coding process or the like, if data of two lines and data of four pixels per line are short, data of two pixels per line is added to the left end side of the image by using data (1,1) (2,1) . . . (M,1) in the left end side thereof and data of two pixels is added to the right end side of the image by using data (1,N) (2,N) . . . (M,N) in the right end side thereof. Data of one line is added to the upper end side of the image by using data (1,1) (1,2) . . .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Chikako Sano
  • Patent number: 6876778
    Abstract: An edge enhancement method and an edge enhancement apparatus in digital image scalar-up circuit are provided. A band-pass filtering process is performed to an input image pixel in multiple directions to generate multiple sum-of-border values which are summed up to generate an overall sum-of-border value. A first gain and a second gain are provided according to the overall sum-of-border value. A high-pass filtering process and a low-pass filtering process are performed to the input image pixel to obtain border and plain components which are multiplied by the first gain and second gain, respectively. The gained border component and plain component are summed and added to the original pixel to obtain a new pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Sunplus Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kun-Wei Lin, Thomas Chen
  • Patent number: 6873741
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for digital data array edge enhancement are disclosed. A local data window containing a data sample s is selected. Minimum and maximum sample values, max and min, are located within the window, and an edge deflection value ed is defined to have a value between max and min. A diffusion quantity is then calculated to move the value of s towards max, if s is greater than ed, or towards min, if s is smaller than ed. This approach has advantages over gradient-based edge-enhancement, including simplicity, convergence speed, and stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America
    Inventor: Xin Li
  • Patent number: 6870639
    Abstract: An image data processing apparatus and method in which a FIFO memory replicates identical image data in a bit-map formation based on a timing signal, and a pattern recognizing section recognizes characteristics of a line shape of a boundary between a black-dot region and a white-dot region of the image data. In addition, a determining device determines whether or not a relevant dot is one to be corrected is determined, and a dot correction section performs correction on the dot. Also included is a replication number setting unit which sets any number of times the FIFO memory repeatedly outputs the replicated image data to a window by replicating the identical image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masakazu Ohshita
  • Patent number: 6865301
    Abstract: A method and apparatus, including a computer program apparatus, implementing techniques for reducing aliasing artifacts when shaping a digital image such as a digital matte. Prior to shaping the image, the computer program generates a set of subpixel data values as a function of the pixels of the digital image. Each subpixel data value has an integer component and a fractional component and represents an interpolation between the corresponding pixel and one or more adjacent pixels. After generating the subpixel data values, the computer program maps the subpixel data values to new subpixel data values. The computer program adjusts the original pixel data according to the new subpixel data values, thereby shaping the image. In one configuration, the computer program applies additional lookup tables or image processing operations, such as image shading, directly to the new subpixel data values before updating the pixel data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventor: Jerry Harris
  • Patent number: 6864923
    Abstract: In an edge correcting circuit of an image to be represented by a digitized image signal, a high-frequency signal extracting circuit (5) extracts a high-frequency signal of the image by calculation based on a signal of a target pixel, a signal of a pixel shifted from the target pixel by m (m being an integer not smaller than 2) pixels in the right or lower direction, and a signal of a pixel shifted from the target pixel by m pixels in the left or upper direction, an amplitude-restricting signal generator (6) determines an amplitude-restricting signal (Si) based on a minimum value or a maximum value of an absolute value of a difference between the signal of the target pixel and a signal of a pixel shifted from the target pixel by n (n being an integer not smaller than 1 and smaller than m) pixels in the right or lower direction, and an absolute value of a difference between the signal of the target pixel and a signal of a pixel shifted from the target pixel by n pixels in the left or upper direction, an amplitu
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kouji Minami
  • Patent number: 6859192
    Abstract: The method for evaluating a quality of an image on a display device displays a test pattern having different contrast intensities on a display screen of the display, then determines a contrast intensity at which the test pattern is visually discernible and uses the thus determined contrast intensity as a value for evaluation of granularity on the display device. The method is optimal for achieving quantitative and objective visual evaluation of image quality, particularly, its granularity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Eiji Ogawa
  • Patent number: 6839470
    Abstract: A pattern evaluation method includes: scanning an object to be measured on which a pattern has been formed with an energy beam and obtaining an image data of the object by detecting a scattered particle which is produced from the object; recognizing at least one edge of the pattern on the basis of the image data and calculating the coordinate positions of each edge point of a sequence of edge points constituting the shape of the edge of the pattern; deriving a straight line so that the sum of lengths of perpendiculars drawn from the edge points to the straight line is minimum; and statistically processing the lengths of perpendiculars when the straight line is derived and outputting evaluation information for quantitatively expressing roughness of the edge of the pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Takahiro Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20040257620
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for antialiasing images that contain one or more image objects such as colored text, line art, and graphical objects, such that the edge pixels of an antialiased image object will exhibit relatively uniform values, and the appearance of the image object is thereby improved. In one embodiment, an improved antialiasing filter is employed to detect at least one region within the received image. Upon detecting a region containing a background image level that adjoins an image object having pixel values in a range other than a range of limit values, the antialiasing filter sets the pixel values of the edge or border pixels of the image object to substantially the same value. Selection among a logical filter operation and an averaging filter operation may be adaptively employed in the antialiasing filter in order to obtain the desired uniformity of pixel values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Applicant: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Loce, Jon S. McElvain
  • Patent number: 6828983
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for preventing the occurrence of aliasing at the edges of polygons in 3D graphics. The system may detect both polygon geometric edges and Z edges due to intersection of multiple polygons. In one embodiment, the system includes an edge anti-aliasing module configured to selectively super-sample edge portions of primitives. The system further includes a coarse memory for storing information of pixels that are not super-sampled and a fine memory for storing information of pixels that are super-sampled by the edge anti-aliasing module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: S3 Graphics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Baskaran Vijayakumar, Konstantine I. Iourcha
  • Publication number: 20040239958
    Abstract: A method of generating a second bit map, improved in first-direction resolution, from a first bit map having a plurality of image-forming pixels arranged two-dimensionally, the method comprising a first detection step of detecting first and second edges appearing in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction in a first bit map, and the first addition step of adding at least an edge extending in the first direction, when a portion between the first and second edges permits interpolation, to between third and fourth edges on the second bit map respectively corresponding to the first and second edges so as to effect interpolation between the third and fourth edges. Since the first and second edges, if detected, permit smoothing, a look-up table is not needed, and even a long-range unevenness can be smoothed without a smoothing range being limited to a predetermined region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Inventors: Katsuaki Nagata, Yoshiko Nagata
  • Patent number: 6819801
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for processing a demosaiced image using a color aliasing artifact reduction (CAAR) algorithm in order to reduce color aliasing artifacts. The CAAR algorithm computes the L level wavelet transform for the demosaiced color planes R, G and B. Thereafter, the CAAR algorithm estimates the correct color value at each pixel location for the colors not associated with that pixel location. For example, to determine the green value at red pixel locations, the CAAR algorithm performs an inverse wavelet transform using the green approximation signal and the red detail signals. This process is repeated for each of the colors (e.g., green values at blue pixel locations, red values at green pixel locations, etc.). In addition, the CAAR algorithm performs an inverse wavelet transform on each of the color planes themselves, so that the pixel values of the color associated with each pixel location are not altered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramakrishna Kakarala, Izhak Baharav
  • Publication number: 20040213479
    Abstract: A method for reducing the visibility of sub-Nyquist aliasing artifacts in an image, where the image is produced in a scene-to-output imaging system that is represented by a modulation transfer function, includes the steps of: (a) providing a source image signal as an input image having sub-Nyquist aliasing artifacts, where image content is represented by an image frequency response and a frequency response amplitude; (b) determining a preferred aliasing ratio by utilizing an aliasing equation that depends on image frequency and pixel count of the imaging system; and (c) adjusting the frequency response amplitude of the image signal for image frequencies corresponding to the preferred aliasing ratio so as to correspondingly adjust the modulation transfer function of the scene to output system to maintain the preferred aliasing ratio while reducing the frequency response amplitude, thereby providing an image with reduced visibility artifacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Inventor: Roger R. A. Morton
  • Publication number: 20040213480
    Abstract: Artifacts in an image introduced by sub-Nyquist aliasing are reduced below a visually perceptible level by a method comprising the steps of: providing an input image having sub-Nyquist aliasing artifacts; using a visual perception algorithm to identify the location and characteristics of the sub-Nyquist aliasing artifacts, thereby generating artifact coordinates and parameters; and processing the sub-Nyquist aliasing artifacts by reference to the artifact coordinates and parameters to reduce their visibility, thereby providing an artifact corrected image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Inventor: Roger R. A. Morton
  • Patent number: 6804392
    Abstract: A method of minimizing color aliasing artifacts from a color digital image having color pixels is disclosed. The method includes providing luminance and chrominance signals from the color digital image; using the luminance and chrominance signals to compute neighborhoods of pixels which are to be processed and wherein such neighborhoods of pixels are substantially bounded by pixels defining edges; producing low frequency chrominance signals in response to the chrominance signals; using the low frequency chrominance signals and the computed neighborhood of pixels to produce noise-cleaned chrominance signals; upsampling the noise-cleaned chrominance signals to produce upsampled noise-cleaned chrominance signals; and using the luminance signals and the upsampled noise-cleaned chrominance signals to provide a color digital image having reduced color aliasing artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James E. Adams, Jr., John F. Hamilton, Jr., James A. Hamilton
  • Patent number: 6804417
    Abstract: Multiple algorithms are applied to expand input image data of a variety of lower resolutions to output image data of a variety of higher resolutions with enhanced text quality, particularly in the black datapath controlling an output device such as an inkjet or laser printer. Enhancement techniques include edge smoothing, bit stripping for large drop weight pens, and drop-weight based ink depletion. Embodiments provide algorithms that convert 600×600 dpi input resolution data to 1200×600 dpi output resolution image data or 300×300 to 600×300 dpi resolution (i.e., asymmetric 2:1 ratio resolution conversion along mutually perpendicular axes), including text edge smoothing, while causing minimal change to gray scaled (halftoned) data within images. The techniques can be applied to other resolutions as well. Some embodiments include unidirectional bitstripping that preserves 1200 dpi edges while applying output pixels at only 600 dpi from 1200 dpi resolution output image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Mark D. Lund, Thomas B. Pritchard
  • Patent number: 6798422
    Abstract: A filtering method and filtering system is applied to an edge orientation map obtained from an edge direction detection system in order to keep accurate edge directions and filter out false edges or edges with wrong directions. If an edge direction does not have a certain minimum length, then that direction is filtered out and a default direction is provided. Additional assurances can be obtained by insuring that the edge direction has a certain minimum width. If an edge direction does not have the minimum width, then that edge direction is filtered out and the default direction is provided. A direction smoother can be applied to the directions in the edge orientation map to smooth the changing of neighboring edge directions. This process is found to be effective in improving the visual quality of an image that is interpolated based on edge directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Xianglin Wang
  • Patent number: 6791714
    Abstract: A printer has a spreading unit 1 for spreading data sent from an upper apparatus into bit map data, a memory unit 2 for storing the bit map data spread by the spreading unit 1, an extracting unit 3 for extracting a contour-protecting shaped matrix which prevents the disappearance of a contour of an image, and a printing unit 7 which stores template data and a toner consumption saving pattern and which prints dot data of the bit map data based on a shape of the contour-protecting shaped matrix. The extracted matrix data are compared with the template data. When the matrix data corresponds with the template data, a noted pixel positioned in a central portion of the matrix is replaced with the toner consumption saving pattern. Accordingly, numbers of black dots can be decreased in a part of image data to save toner consumption in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Takanari Ishimura
  • Patent number: 6788307
    Abstract: A device for improving pixel rendering performance in a computer graphics system. The device includes a pixel resolution buffer containing a plurality of pixel storage locations to store pixel values. A depth value is provided for each pixel storage location in the pixel resolution buffer, to store a closest depth for polygons that cover the pixel. A subpixel resolution buffer is also included with a least two subpixels corresponding to each pixel storage location in the pixel resolution buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Terrence J. Coleman, Ken George
  • Patent number: 6781718
    Abstract: An image correcting method and apparatus is disclosed in which processing other than a smoothing process can be performed in accordance with conditions of a line such as correction of a line width with a small circuit size and at low cost. The disclosed dot image correcting method stores correction data corresponding to a correction dot pattern(s) in a window(s), determines whether or not a dot pattern coincides with a correction dot pattern, and when coincidence is detected, performs correction in accordance with corresponding correction data, characterized in that there are a plurality of windows, and correction data are stored corresponding to a combination of correction dot patterns in various windows, and determination is made as to whether or not dot patterns in a plurality of windows coincide with a combination of correction dot patterns in various windows, and when coincidence is detected, correction is performed in accordance with corresponding correction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Sato
  • Publication number: 20040151400
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for recording an image in two steps of scanning an image recording material with a light beam in primary and secondary scan directions to record an image accompanied by jaggy or stairstep border lines or border edges that are oblique relative to the scan directions and further scanning the image recording material in an oblique direction along the jaggy border line of the image to smooth the jaggy border lines or border edges, either after or before the first scan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Inventor: Yoshiharu Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6766067
    Abstract: A super-resolution image is generated from a pixel image by first performing an initial image interpolation, creating an interpolated low resolution image. The interpolated low resolution image is then partitioned into overlapping low resolution patches. The low resolution patches are then processed in a raster scan order. For each low-resolution patch, a scaled mid band patch is generated. A search vector is constructed from pixels in the scaled mid band input patch, and pixels in an overlap region of adjacent previously predicted high band patches. A nearest index vector to the search vector is located in a training database, the nearest index vector has an associated high band output patch. The high band output patch is then combined with the interpolated low resolution patch to predict pixel values for the corresponding high resolution patch of the super-resolution image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: William T. Freeman, Thouis R. Jones
  • Patent number: 6763129
    Abstract: An input image is inputted into a pre-process circuit and a spatial filter. The pre-process circuit emphasizes a linear shadow or an edge to some extent, or reduces noises overall. Following pre-processing, the image signal is supplied to a direction detection circuit, a direction and its intensity of an area of interest are detected. These two results of the detections are correlated with peripheral areas of interest to some extent by a vector filter. An output of the vector filter is supplied to a spatial filter coefficient generation circuit, and a filter coefficient of the spatial filter is decided. The spatial filter processes the input image based on the direction of the shadow and its intensity, whereby selectively suppressing noise components of the background in real time without damaging the contrasts of a linear shadow or an edge-like shadow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Michitaka Honda, Hiroko Umazaki
  • Patent number: 6757449
    Abstract: The present invention discloses methods and apparatus for processing anti-aliased digital images. Specifically, the present invention describes methods and apparatus where anti-aliased images of a given pixel resolution are transformed to high resolution binary images, binary operations such as template matching are performed on the high resolution images, and then the high resolution images are transformed to anti-aliased images of a predetermined pixel resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Robert Paul Loce
  • Patent number: 6757431
    Abstract: A method for resolution conversion for re-sampling anti-aliased images is disclosed which decreases bandwidth costs associated with anti-aliased line art and other costs associated with interpolating these images to a desired resolution. The present method first involving the receipt of an image which is comprised of bitmap data including at least a plurality of gray-scale pixel tiles that define the image. Then receiving the image data at a first resolution and extracting pixel tile information of the received image at a second resolution. The method has the step of next using loose gray scale template matching on each of the pixel tile information with at least one of a plurality of templates so as to generate pixel-wise looseness interval values there between. Then, outputting a portion of the enhanced pixel tile information wherein the enhanced pixel tile information is formed by a matching of a template with pixel-wise looseness values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Loce, John C. Handley, Clara Cuciurean-Zapan
  • Patent number: 6734990
    Abstract: Discloses an image formation apparatus capable of achieving a picture quality improvement of a multi-value image without increasing the size of a look-up table to a size larger than the size of a look-up table that is used for the picture quality improvement at the time of forming two-value image data. The image formation apparatus can form an image having at least one density in addition to two values of white and black in pixel units, and includes a density separation section that distributes a multi-value image data to a plurality of density planes according to a predetermined rule, a correction signal generator that outputs correction signals for correcting the layout of pixels in each of the plurality of density planes, and a correction signal combiner that combines the correction signals output from the density planes according to a predetermined combining rule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaru Iida
  • Patent number: 6731296
    Abstract: A method and system for processing textures for a graphical image on a display is disclosed. The graphical image includes an object. The object includes a plurality of fragments. The method and system include providing a memory and providing a plurality of texture processors coupled with the memory. The memory is for storing a portion of a program for processing a plurality of textures for the plurality of fragments. Each of the plurality of texture processors is for processing a texture for a fragment in accordance with the program. The plurality of texture processors is capable of processing a part of the plurality of textures in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Michael C. Lewis, Stephen L. Morein
  • Patent number: 6707461
    Abstract: A method of blending artwork objects. In the method, user input is received selecting a first parameter setting and a second parameter setting for an effect on an object. The first parameter setting, the second parameter setting and a blend parameter setting are passed to the effect. A third parameter setting is generated in the effect from the first parameter setting, the second parameter setting and the blend parameter setting. The effect is applied to the object with the third parameter setting to generate an rendered version of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Darin Tomack, Paul J. Asente, Frank Guinan, Teri Pettit
  • Patent number: 6707952
    Abstract: A method to remove ringing artifacts from locations near dominant edges of an image reconstructed after compression. The image is decomposed into blocks small enough so that each would contain only one significant edge. A significant edge is tested as to whether it is a dominant edge of the image. If there is no dominant edge, the block is not processed. In the remaining blocks, the exact pixels that include the dominant edges are output without filtering. The direction of the dominant edges is inferred, and then the remaining pixels are filtered with a directional de-ringing filter. The de-ringing filter has a main direction that is aligned with the direction of the edge, and thus also with an inherent direction of the ringing artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yap Peng Tan, Wenjun Zeng, Shawmin Lei
  • Patent number: 6700672
    Abstract: A method, using a filter function, generates an anti-aliased discrete image from a continuous image including an edge. The method defines a line sample. A progressive convolution is derived from the filter function and the line sample. A pixel at a predetermined location in the discrete image is selected, and the line sample is oriented with respect to the selected pixel. A distance is measured from a point in the continuous image corresponding to the selected pixel to the edge along the oriented the line sample. The progressive convolution is evaluated at the measured distance to produce a weighted coverage value, and the weighted coverage value is associated with the pixel to anti-alias the pixel in the discrete image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Thouis R. Jones, Ronald N. Perry, Robert M. Kotredes
  • Publication number: 20040036923
    Abstract: A system and method for sharpening a digital image (38) having one or more image parameters, for printing with one or more print parameters, and for viewing at one or more viewing parameters, the method comprising the steps of preparing sharpening radius information correlated in a correlation process with one or more print parameters, creating a first data storage device (192) for storing the sharpening radius information, receiving the one or more print parameters, determining an image sharpening radius for the digital image (38) from the sharpening radius information and the received one or more print parameters, and sharpening the digital image (38) using the image sharpening radius in a sharpening algorithm. A correlation process is described, a sharpening algorithm with foliage protection, hue protection, antialiasing protection, and noise reduction is disclosed, and a detail identification process is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Publication date: February 26, 2004
    Inventors: Nils Kokemohr, Michael J Slater