The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 16, 1999
Filed:
Sep. 13, 1996
Seita Shono, Yokohama, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
Adders (103, 104) add errors to multi-level image data whose number of bits is reduced by quantization units (101, 102), respectively. Weighted averaging units (120, 121) obtain the weighted average values of binary data of peripheral pixels which have already been divided, respectively. Comparators (107, 108) binarize, on the basis of the weighted average values, the image data output from the adders (103, 104) to obtain binary data corresponding to two pixels obtained upon dividing one pixel of the multi-level data into two pixels. Subtracters (105, 106) obtain the differences between the image data output from the adders (103, 104) and the weighted average values, respectively. Error arithmetic units (109, 110) obtain, on the basis of the differences, errors to be added by the adders (103, 104), respectively. Therefore, when one pixel of multi-level data is divided into two pixels of binary data, a binary image having a high resolution and high gradation can be generated at a low cost.