Spatial smoothing process and device for dark regions of an image

1. Process for smoothing dark regions of an image sequence having undergone temporal filtering, a noise level being associated with each image, a luminance value being associated with each pixel of an image, wherein, at least one predetermined threshold value is calculated as a function of the noise level of the image and a zero value is added to the calculated values, at least two predetermined limiting values which delimit at least one smoothing range, for each pixel of the image, the pixel currently being analyzed being referred to as the current pixel, the luminance of the said pixel is compared with the said predetermined limiting values delimiting, if the luminance of the current pixel lies in one of the said smoothing ranges, the luminance of a plurality of analysis pixels, in a neighborhood window, centered on the current pixel, is compared with the said limiting values, if the luminance of at least a predetermined minimum number of analysis pixels lies in the same range as the value of the luminance of the current pixel, the value of the luminance of the current pixel (P) is modified as a function of the said at least one threshold value.

2. Process according to claim 1 , wherein at least one predetermined limiting value is identical to the at least one predetermined threshold value.

3. Process according to claim 1 wherein the at least one predetermined threshold value is proportional to the noise level.

4. Process according to claim 1 wherein the modification of the value of the luminance of the current pixel comprises the steps of computing a weighted average of the luminance value of a plurality of the neighboring analysis pixels, the processing pixels, and of the current pixel and in allocating the value obtained to the luminance of the current pixel.

5. Process according claim 1 wherein the smoothing ranges are of different size, the ranges whose luminance is low being wider than those whose luminance is high.

6. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined minimum number of analysis pixels varies as a function of the range in which the current pixel is located.

7. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the modification performed on the value of the luminance of the current pixel is different for different threshold values.

8. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the number of processing pixels used for the weighted average depends on threshold values between which the luminance of the current pixel lies.

9. Device for smoothing dark regions of an image sequence having undergone temporal filtering, a noise level being associated with each image, there being a luminance value being associated with each pixel of an image, said device comprising, means for calculating at least one predetermined so-called threshold value as a function of the noise level of the image, means of determining two predetermined values delimiting at least one smoothing range, means of comparing, for each pixel of the image, the pixel currently being analyzed being referred to as the current pixel the luminance of the said pixel with the said predetermined values delimiting at least one smoothing range, means for comparison which, if the luminance of the current pixel lies in one of the said smoothing ranges, then comparing the luminance of a plurality of pixels, the analysis pixels, in a neighborhood window, the analysis window centered on the current pixel, with the said values delimiting at least one smoothing range, means for modifying the value of the luminance of the current pixel as a function of the said threshold values if the luminance of at least a predetermined minimum number of analysis pixels lies in the same range as the value of the luminance of the current pixel.

10. Coding system comprising a smoothing device in accordance with claim 9 .