Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Shotaro Moriya

Satoshi Yamanaka

Noritaka Okuda

Koji Minami

Toshiaki Kubo

Yoshitaka Toyoda

Hiroaki Sugiura

Hideki Yoshii

Hidetsugu Suginohara

Narihiro Matoba

Tetsuya Kuno

Takashi Itow

Hironobu Yasui

Takeo Fujita

Kozo Ishida

Kohei Kurihara

An image processing apparatus and image processing method enlarge an input image (Din) to generate a low-resolution enlarged image (D). Depending on a result of identification of the pattern of the input image (Din), coefficient data (D) for conversion to a high-resolution are selected, and a feature component (DH) of a low resolution is converted to a feature component (DH) of a high resolution. Decision as to whether or not the pattern of a local region of the input image (Din) is flat is made. If it is flat, the coefficient data are so selected that no substantial alteration is made to pixel values in a high-resolution conversion unit (). It is possible to reduce the circuit size and the memory capacity, and to improve the noise immunity, and achieve conversion to a high resolution suitable for implementation by hardware.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An interpolation computation unit (B) treats, as positions of interest, positions where pixels within a high-resolution image (D) occupy when the high-resolution image (D) is superimposed on a low-resolution image (D), and for each position of interest, obtains a pixel value for a pixel assumed to exist at the position of interest by performing an interpolation computation using pixel values of a plurality of pixels within the low-resolution image (D). An interpolation coefficient calculation unit (A) obtains interpolation coefficients (DA) having values that increase with increasing strength of correlation of the pixels in the plurality of pixels in the low-resolution image with the pixel of interest, and outputs the interpolation coefficients to the interpolation computation unit (B). Angles of edges and shapes of edges are not classified into any predetermined patterns; therefore, it is possible to perform suitable interpolation computations regardless of edge shape.

Image magnification device and method

An image processing apparatus has an image analyzer including a feature detector, a feature combiner, and a resolution discrimination signal generator. For each pixel in a prescribed area of an input image, the feature detector outputs a representative difference value obtained from the pixel values of pixels positioned, with reference to that pixel, at prescribed intervals. The feature combiner outputs a combined feature value obtained from the representative difference values obtained for each pixel in the described area. The resolution discrimination signal generator outputs a resolution discrimination signal obtained from the combined feature value. The resolution discrimination signal has a monotonic non-decreasing relationship to the combined feature value. The resolution discrimination signal indicates an extent to which the input image includes signal components with frequencies equal to or greater than a particular frequency determined by the prescribed intervals.

Image processing apparatus

An image processing device includes an edge-enhancing image enlarger that converts an input image to a high-resolution image with edge enhancement. A difference calculator determines differences between the high-resolution image and the input image. A high-resolution image corrector corrects the high-resolution image by diffusing the differences to pixels of the high-resolution image, thereby generating a corrected image in which edges are enhanced without image degradation in textured areas.

Image processing device and method and image display device

A method and apparatus for processing images, and an image display apparatus are provided that can produce favorable images even when digitized image are partially magnified (enlarged) or reduced (shrunk). The apparatus for expanding or reducing input image data supplied thereto, for each area of the image data, comprises a high frequency (HF) component smoothing processor that generates smoothed-HF-component image data by smoothing HF components of the input image data; a partial magnification/reduction controller that generates partial magnification/reduction control information that designates positions of pixels in image data obtained after expanding or reducing the input image data for each image area; and a pixel data generator that generates pixel data of pixel positions designated by the partial magnification/reduction control information in the smoothed-HF-component image data, by using pixel data in a neighborhood of the designated pixel positions.

Method and apparatus for high frequency component smoothing, and image display apparatus

An intermediate image generating means () generates a horizontal intermediate image (D) and a vertical intermediate image (D) by extracting components of an input image (DIN) in a particular frequency band; an intermediate image processing means () generates a horizontal image (DBh) and a vertical image (DBv) by performing non-linear processing (A) and high-frequency component generation (B); an intermediate image (D) is obtained by combining these horizontal and vertical images by performing weighted addition for each pixel and is added () to the input image (DIN) to obtain an enhanced output image (DOUT). Even if the input image includes a fold-over component on the high-frequency side or does not include an adequate high-frequency component, adequate image enhancement processing can be carried out.

Image display apparatus, image processing apparatus and method to output an image with high perceived resolution

To obtain a high resolution image from two or more low resolution images, positional offsets among the low resolution images are determined and the low resolution images are mapped onto a common plane according to the positional offsets. Pixel values in the high resolution image are calculated by weighted interpolation from the pixel values of the low resolution images, using interpolation coefficients that increases with increasing correlation with the pixel of interest. Correlation is determined by taking horizontal and vertical first and second derivatives of the pixel values in one low resolution image to find a direction of strong correlation. Appropriate interpolation is thereby obtained even near edges and other abrupt changes in the image.

Image processing device and method

A first intermediate image generating means () generates an intermediate image (D) by extracting a component of an input image (DIN) in a particular frequency band; a second intermediate image generating means () generates an intermediate image (D) having a frequency component higher than intermediate image (D); an intermediate image processing means (M) generates an intermediate image (DM) by suppressing low-level noise included in intermediate image (D); an intermediate image processing means (H) generates an intermediate image (DH) by suppressing low-level noise included in intermediate image (D); and an adding means () adds the input image (DIN) and intermediate image (DM) and intermediate image (DH) together to obtain a final output image (DOUT). Even if the input image includes a fold-over component on the high-frequency side or does not include an adequate high-frequency component, an enhanced image can be obtained without enhancing noise.

Image processing apparatus and method and image display apparatus

An image processing apparatus determines a reference pixel position for each pixel by an interpolation calculation using the distortion correction values for representative pixels stored in a correction value storage unit, decides whether the distortion correction values used in the interpolation satisfy a predetermined condition, reads a plurality of pixel values from an image data storage unit according to values of their reference pixel position, determines first interpolation coefficients from a value of its reference pixel position, and determines the pixel value in the output image from the plurality of pixel values read and the first interpolation coefficients. The image processing apparatus determines second interpolation coefficients from said value of its reference pixel position and a predetermined function, and selects, according to the decision result, either the second interpolation coefficients or third interpolation coefficients for use as the first interpolation coefficients.

Apparatus and method for correction of projected images

There are provided a first intermediate image generating means () for generating a first intermediate image (D) by extracting a component in a vicinity of a particular frequency band in an input image (DIN), a second intermediate image generating means () for generating a second intermediate image (D) from the first intermediate image (D), and an adding means for adding the input image (DIN) and the second intermediate image (D). The second intermediate image generating means () includes a non-linear processing means (A) that varies the content of its processing according to the pixel in the intermediate image (D). Even if the input image includes a fold-over component on the high-frequency side or does not include an adequate high-frequency component, adequate image enhancement processing can be carried out.

An image processor is provided with the high-frequency component detecting unit that calculates a convolution for each of regions of interest in part of an image region of input image data, to output the high-frequency component detection result for each pixel of interest; the smoothing unit that smoothes the image data, to output the smoothed image data; and the image data processing unit that combines based on the high-frequency component detection result the image data with the smoothed image data, to output the combined image data; wherein the image data processing unit varies the combination rate for the smoothed image data, based on the high-frequency component detection result. Thereby, even when a region in the image data contains such high frequency components as a checkered pattern has, an image resistant to moir&#xe9; that would be generated in magnifying or reducing of the image on a region basis can be displayed without deterioration of image quality.

Image processor and method therefor, and image display device

There are provided a first image enlarging means (A) for enlarging the input image (Din) and outputting a first enlarged image (DA); a high-frequency component image generating means () for extracting a high-frequency component of the input image (Din) and generating a first high-frequency component image (D); a second image enlarging means (B) for enlarging the first high-frequency component image (D) and outputting a second enlarged image (DB); a high-frequency component image processing means () for processing the second enlarged image (DB) and generating a second high-frequency component image (D); and a means () for adding the first enlarged image (DA) and the second high-frequency component image (D) and outputting the result. This provides the enlarged image with adequate high-frequency components, and a sense of resolution of the enlarged image can be obtained.

Image processing apparatus and method and image display apparatus and method

A first intermediate image generating means () generates an intermediate image (D) by extracting a component of an input image DIN in a particular frequency band; a second intermediate image generating means () generates an intermediate image Dhaving a frequency component higher than the intermediate image (D); a first intermediate image processing means (M) generates an intermediate image (DM) by amplifying the pixel values in the intermediate image (D); a second intermediate image processing means (H) generates an intermediate image (DH) by amplifying the pixel values in the intermediate image (D); and an adding means () adds the input image (DIN) and the intermediate image (DM) and the intermediate image (DH) together to obtain an output image (DOUT). A first amplification factor (DMA) and a second amplification factor (DHA) are determined according to pixel values in the input image (DIN). Even if the input image includes a fold-over component on the high-frequency side or does not include an adequate high-frequency component, an enhanced image can be provided without causing overshoot.

An image processing apparatus () that corrects an input image signal (Xin) pixel by pixel to generate a corrected image signal (Xout), having a filtering means () that determines a luminance distribution of a pixel to be corrected and pixels neighboring the pixel to be corrected, a correction gain calculation means () that determines the correction gain of the pixel to be corrected, and an operation means () that uses the correction gain determined by the correction gain calculation means to perform an operation on the input image signal pixel by pixel. With this simple configuration, the dynamic range of the input image can be appropriately improved.

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Tokyo, Japan

Shotaro Moriya