Digital processing apparatus and method for use in enlarging the size of an image displayed on a 2d fixed-pixel screen

Abstract

Apparatus comprising a logic member and a shear member incorporating an upsampler are used to enlarge the number of pixels in at least one image dimension by a factor F&equals;N/M, where N is a first given-valued integer, M is a second given-valued integer and 1<N/M&lE;2. The shear member shears the original image at certain positions of the one dimension that are determined solely by the value of factor F, thereby introducing zero-valued shear-gap pixels at each of the certain positions. The logic member, in response to solely the 6 pixel values of those pixels within a 2&times;3 sub-area that borders a zero-valued shear-gap pixel at each particular certain position, fills the zero-valued shear-gap at that particular certain position with an interpolated pixel value of the original image when the logic means determines that that zero-valued shear-gap occurred at a soft edge of the original image or, alternatively, with a logically-chosen non-interpolated hard-edge object pixel value or non-interpolated background pixel value when the logic means determines that that zero-valued shear-gap occurred at a hard edge of the original image. Such apparatus is effective in substantially reducing blur in the display of hard-edge objects of an enlarged-size image on a flat-panel screen composed of a predetermined fixed number of individual light-controlling elements without adversely affecting the display of soft-edge objects of the enlarged-size image on the flat-panel screen.