IP Library Granted Patent US 7,548,357
Granted Patent B2
US 7,548,357 · App. 11/022,988 · Granted Jun 16, 2009

Image processing device, image display device, image processing method, and image processing program

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,548,357
App. No.
11/022,988
Granted
Jun 16, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

Aspects of the invention relate to a method of processing images capable of performing natural saturation enhancement having a balance between color components with a small amount of calculation is provided. The image processing device may be arranged in an image display device or may be a device for providing display image data to the external image display device to perform the saturation enhancement of the input image data. Specifically, saturation information can be extracted from the input image data to determine a saturation enhancement amount. In addition, a color component to which the saturation enhancement is performed can be extracted from the input image data. Further, based on the determined saturation enhancement amount, the saturation enhancement for each color component can be performed. Here, for the predetermined color component, the saturation is enhanced after the saturation enhancement amount is adjusted. The color component included in the input image data may be, for example, Cb and Cr in the YCbCr color space. The saturation enhancement amount is adjusted to the predetermined color component. Therefore, the color balance of the image data after the saturation can be properly adjusted and the natural image data can be obtained.

Claims (34)

1. An image processing device, comprising:

a saturation-enhancement-amount determining device that determines a saturation enhancement amount by extracting saturation information from input image data;

a color component extracting device that extracts from the input image data a plurality of color components having saturation to be enhanced;

a saturation enhancing device that enhances, based on the saturation enhancement amount determined by the saturation-enhancement-amount determining device, the saturations of the plurality of color component extracted by the color component extracting device; and

an enhancement-amount adjusting device that adjusts the determined saturation enhancement amount determined by the saturation-enhancement-amount determining device, such that a color balance in a positive and a negative region of a color space is adjusted, when the saturation enhancing device enhances a saturation of a predetermined color component among the plurality of color components and such that an enhancement amount of the predetermined color component in the negative region of the color space is smaller than an enhancement amount in the positive region thereof, the predetermined color component in the color space being a Cb color component in a YCbCr color space, and an adjusting degree for an enhancement amount in a positive region of the Cb color component being greater than an adjusting degree for an enhancement amount in a negative region of the Cb color component of the YCbCr color space.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a brightness information extracting device that extracts from the input image data brightness information; and

the enhancement-amount adjusting device adjusting the saturation enhancement amount based on the extracted brightness information.

3. The image processing device according to claim 2 ,

when the brightness from the extracted brightness information is high, the enhancement-amount adjusting device reducing the saturation enhancement amount.

4. The image processing device according to claim 2 ,

the enhancement-amount adjusting device making the enhancement amount of the predetermined color component in the negative region be equal to an enhancement amount in the positive region multiplied by a coefficient α(0<α<1).

5. The image processing device according to claim 4 ,

the coefficient α being a fixed value when a average value of the brightness information is smaller than a predetermined value, and the coefficient α being decreased from the fixed value as the average value of the brightness information becomes larger than the predetermined value.

6. The image processing device according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a brightness correcting device that corrects a brightness component of the input image data based on the extracted brightness information; and

the coefficient α being a fixed value irrespective of the brightness information.

7. The image processing device according to claim 4 ,

the input image data being moving image data having a plurality of frame image data;

the image processing device further including a scene-change detecting device that generates a control signal according to the degree of scene change of the moving image data; and

the enhancement-amount adjusting device weighing the coefficient α corresponding to the plurality of frame image data based on the control signal to calculate the coefficient α in the corresponding frame image data.

8. An image display device, comprising:

the image processing device according to claim 1 ; and

a display unit that displays an image outputted from the image processing device.

9. An image processing method to be implemented by an image processing apparatus, comprising:

determining a saturation enhancement amount by extracting saturation information from input image data;

extracting from the input image data a plurality of color components having saturation to be enhanced;

enhancing the saturations of the plurality of color components based on the determined saturation enhancement amount; and

adjusting the determined saturation enhancement amount, such that a color balance in a positive and a negative region of a color space is adjusted, when enhancing is being performed on a saturation of a predetermined color component among the plurality of color components and such that an enhancement amount of the predetermined color component in the negative region of the color space is smaller than an enhancement amount in the positive region thereof, the predetermined color component in the color space being a Cb color component in a YCbCr color space, and an adjusting degree for an enhancement amount in a positive region of the Cb color component being greater than an adjusting degree for an enhancement amount in a negative region of the Cb color component of the YCbCr color space.

10. An image processing program stored on a computer readable medium and executed by a computer that allows the computer to function as:

a saturation-enhancement-amount determining device that determines a saturation enhancement amount by extracting saturation information from input image data;

a color component extracting device that extracts from the input image data a plurality of color components having saturation to be enhanced;

a saturation enhancing device that enhances, based on the saturation enhancement amount determined by the saturation-enhancement-amount determining device, the saturation of the color component extracted by the color component extracting device; and

an enhancement-amount adjusting device that adjusts the determined saturation enhancement amount determined by the saturation-enhancement-amount determining device, such that a color balance in a positive and a negative region of a color space is adjusted, when the saturation enhancing device enhances a saturation of a predetermined color component among the plurality of color components and such that an enhancement amount of the predetermined color component in the negative region of the color space is smaller than an enhancement amount in the positive region thereof, the predetermined color component in the color space being a Cb color component in a YCbCr color space, and an adjusting degree for an enhancement amount in a positive region of the Cb color component being greater than an adjusting degree for an enhancement amount in a negative region of the Cb color component of the YCbCr color space.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 27, 2020
From: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
To: 138 EAST LCD ADVANCEMENTS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 051707/0399 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 8, 2005
From: MORIYA, HIDEKUNI
To: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 016039/0789 →