Panasonic Technologies, Inc.

Peter H Westerink

Robert J Topper

Daniel Gnanaprakasam

Patrick Devaney

Anthony Eugene Zortea

Thomas J Leacock

An image processing system encodes a natural image into a segmented or mosaic image having well-defined edges and a residual image. The segmented image is encoded using a lossless encoding technique while the residual image is encoded using a lossy technique. This encoded image may be recorded on a video tape such that the segmented image may be recovered in picture-in-shuttle modes such as fast forward and fast rewind. In addition, the recorded image may be decoded and reencoded through several generational levels without experiencing significant degradation in perceived image quality. The segmented image is produced by an encoder which employs a multi-scale edge finder that is able to resolve transitions occurring over two, four and eight pixels into an edge located between two pixels. In addition, the lossless encoder includes circuitry which chain-encodes the segmented image into a low-resolution image and multiple complementary images such that the low-resolution image may be stored as a single data packet and, thus, recovered as a unit from the tape in picture-in-shuttle mode.

Segmentation based image compression system

An image processing system encodes a segmented or mosaic image into a set of fixed-length data packets, from which the segmented image may be reproduced with no significant loss of detail. The exemplary system includes a chain coder which translates the segmented image into a form in which the image segments are represented as respective sequences of border values, each border value indicating a direction to the next border value. This image is further encoded such that each pair of border values becomes a single further border value and a pair of complementary codes. These further border values are processed in the same manner, to further reduce the number of border values needed to represent the image. When the number of border values has been reduced to a level such that the image may be encoded in a single packet, the encoding system provides these border values and all complementary code values that have been generated as the code representing the segmented image. Both the reduced border values and the complementary codes are variable-length coded before being stored for use by, or transmitted to an image reconstruction system.

Method and apparatus for encoding a segmented image without loss of

A video camera generates an approximation of the dark current or black shading distortion signals based on scan position in the image, and subtracts the approximation signal from the signal generated by the camera during normal image-sensing operation to reduce the black shading distortion. In a particular embodiment of the invention, counters generate location signals representative of the location of pixel currently being read, and the location signals are processed by functions such as squaring or raising to a constant power, and by weighting, to produce components of the approximation of the dark signal. The components are subtracted from the imager signal, to reduce the dark shading. In one embodiment of the invention, the functions are automatically selected from among a plurality of preselected functions, and implemented by look-up tables.

Automatic digital black shading for cameras

An edge finder for an image processing system locates edges in a digitized image over several different ranges of pixel values and assigns, to each pixel value an edge characteristic value which represents a minimum edge value for the pixel in the image. The exemplary edge finder that is able to resolve transitions occurring between two pixels or over groups of four or eight pixels to determine whether an edge should be defined between the original two pixels. The edge finder simultaneously examines four edges in two dimensions to determine the edgeness value for each pixel in the digitized image.

Image edge finder which operates over multiple picture element ranges

Apparatus and a method are described for modifying the magnification and registration factors of an image using digital signal processing and interpolation. The apparatus is used in a camera system which samples an image to generate sampled data signals. The sampled data signals are first interpolated across the either the rows or columns of the image and then across the columns or rows of the image to change the magnification and registration factors of the images represented by each of the sampled data signals to some common desired magnification and registration factors. The system electronically corrects for chromatic aberration and geometric distortion in the image caused by the lens system and skew among the images caused by misalignment of the respective color image sensors.

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Mount Laurel, NJ, United States of America

Peter H Westerink