Zoran Corporation

Csr Imaging Us, LP

Oak Technology, Inc.

Xionics Document Technologies, Inc.

Fred William Andree

Shenbo Yu

Craig Cook

Steve J Pratt

Richard G Comeau

Thomas A Schuneman

Steven J Pratt

Neil Brad Epstein

Timothy Moore Hellman

Geoffrey A Dreher

Kadagattur Srinidhi

Sung-Chu Lee

Karl M Marks

Joerg Landmann

James W Brissette

Wei Zhang

Various embodiments are directed to methods, systems, and devices for improving the quality of image data for printing by a printer having relatively low resolution capabilities. Image data may be scanned, captured or otherwise received. The image data may be received in bands, chunks, blocks, portions, regions, or its entirety. An edge detector is subsequently employed to detect a location of edges in a region of the received image data. For image data pixels that are located in or close to a detected edge, a first screen is applied to modify these pixels to compensate for printing at or near the detected edge. Otherwise, a second image screen is applied to modify pixels for printing that are not close to a detected edge. The first screen may be an error diffusion screen or a threshold screen. The second screen may be a halftone screen.

Systems and methods for selectively screening image data

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for automatically segmenting input document images into regions of black text, white space, and image content. A set of scanned training documents representing the range of text and images to be processed is coarsely tagged to classify regions by content type. The training images are divided into bricks, parameters describing individual brick features are evaluated, and the bricks are classified according to the parameter values. A classification map that relates parameter values to classification codes describing content type is constructed by generating linear equations separating a parameter space into parameter regions along classification boundaries. After training, input documents are scanned and divided into bricks, and brick parameters are converted into an index into the classification map, to classify document regions by content.

Automated segmentation tuner

An apparatus and a method are described for processing and reproducing a document including both text and half-tone images without generating undesirable image artifacts. A band-pass FIR filter with a predetermined frequency response is used to transform pixels in an input image to sharpen text edge and smooth pre-half-toned areas, and perform error diffusion and cluster dot screening methods on the transformed pixels. The FIR filter has unity gain at DC to preserve image brightness. An integrated error diffused cluster-dot screening approach is used to suppress moir&#xe9; and other image artifacts, while providing a robust, crisp output.

Laser color copy image processing independent of classifications

Systems and methods which provide color conversion using intelligent boundary point perturbation techniques are shown. Embodiments operate to initially select only boundary point indices for indexing data of an input color space to a color space transformation matrix representing the transformation between the input color space and an output color space. A boundary point perturbation process is applied to the initially selected boundary point indices to intelligently alter the boundary point index selections and thereby provide selection of boundary point indices having intelligent boundary point perturbation. Embodiments of the invention utilize an intelligent address generator to selectively apply constraints when indexing the input color space values to boundary points within a color look up table for transforming the input color space values to appropriate output color space values using the boundary point indices provided by the boundary point perturbation process.

Systems and methods for color conversion using intelligent boundary point perturbation

A stochastic screening mask is provided for rendering halftone images. A filter controlled force masking method is used to vary the mask patterns from regularity to randomness. Dot size (amplitude), dot number (frequency), and dot shape are modulated integrally at each gray level during the generation of the mask. The single pixel limit for blue noise masking is broken down by this approach. The halftone patterns generated with this method can have visually pleasing blue noise attribute. This new screening method would provide flexible solutions for different types of printing processes.

Stochastic screening method with dot pattern regularity control and dot growth

The present invention is directed to a method of discriminating between textual content and graphical content. The method includes the steps of receiving a plurality of pixel values for a pixel line segment, calculating a plurality of spatial gradients based on the pixel values of adjacent pixels, determining a smoothness index by processing the plurality of spatial gradients, and identifying the pixel line segment as text or graphics by comparing the smoothness index to a threshold value.

Methods for auto-separation of texts and graphics

A system-on-a-chip controller having a first processor and a second processor. The first processor provides control processing and image processing. The second processor provides image processing. The processors receive data from an external source through a data bus. Also, the controller can include a third controller to provide I/O functionality to an external device. The second processor processes the stored data in either a row or column configuration. A fixed-length instruction word can be decoded into two instructions, an operation instruction and an I/O instruction, and can be used to process the data. The I/O instruction can be disposed in an unused bit field of the operation instruction.

System-on-a-chip controller

A system and method of processing an image including black text data and non-black text data are described. The system and method use a parametric analysis for discrimination of halftones, texts, and photographs. The parametric analysis provides results that track measurable image metrics without the inherent risk of errant decision making during classification. The creation of symbolic representations is intrinsically a classification process that is subject to error. It represents a fundamental departure from fuzzy logic image segmentation. In the parametric analysis, no pattern matching, no auto-correlation, no screening parameter calculation, and no conventional edge detector (such as a high pass filter) are used.

System and method for color copy image processing

The illustrated embodiment processes scanned image data with a resolution of 600 dpi or higher. Image detection algorithms are used to detect the probable presence of halftone image data, large text image data, small text image data and photographic image data. The image detection algorithms are designed specifically for the amount of data contained in an image with a resolution of 600 dpi or greater. Once an image has been analyzed, the illustrated embodiment provides the correspondingly appropriate image process to the scanned image.

System and method for the processing of scanned image data using a pixel window

A signal conversion system parses a multi-dimensional input signal into most-significant and least-significant portions. The most-significant portions are used as an index to a look-up-table. Stored in each entry of the look-up-table is a base value and multi-dimensional differential values. The system generates an output representation of the signal by combining the corresponding base value with interpolated differences determined by interpolation performed using the differential values and the least-significant portions. Interpolation error is decreased by storing intermediate differential values. Output processing is used for linearization.

Processing system and method using a multi-dimensional look-up table

A stochastic screening mask is provided for rendering halftone images. A filter controlled force masking method is used to vary the mask patterns from regularity to randomness. Dot size (amplitude), dot number (frequency), and dot shape are modulated integrally at each gray level during the generation of the mask. The single pixel limit for blue noise making is broken down by this approach. The halftone patterns generated with this method can have visually pleasing blue noise attribute. This new screening method would provide flexible solutions for different types of printing processes.

A printing system and method performs lossy compression on a bitonal image when the printing system runs out of available memory for processing a page. The lossy compression is performed by dividing the image into subregions and by then determining a contone value for each subregion. Next, each contone value is converted to a bitonal value (i.e. either a '1' or a '0') to achieve lossy compression. In converting the contone values to bitonal values, the system determines the error associated with each conversion and diffuses the error to adjacent subregions using a random perturbation technique to determine the proportion of the error to diffuse to each subregion. When compressing color images, contone values are determined for each color plane. A relative color ordering of each contone value is also stored and used in converting the contone values to bitonal values in order to solve phasing and color alignment problems which would otherwise arise.

Growing community of inventors

Brookline, MA, United States of America

Fred William Andree