Image processing method, image processing apparatus, and image enlarging method

1. An image processing method comprising:

a first step of performing predetermined vector transformation with respect to an original image to calculate an image feature vector;

a second step of obtaining a characteristic of a subject appearing in the original image, and calculating a physical characteristic parameter of the original image from the obtained subject characteristic;

a third step of transforming the image feature vector with reference to the physical characteristic parameter to sharpen the original image; and

a fourth step of subjecting the transformed image feature vector to transformation inverse to the predetermined vector transformation, to generate a new image,

wherein the obtained subject characteristic is at least one of material information of the subject and distance information from a camera to the subject.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined vector transformation employs Laplacian pyramid analysis or wavelet analysis.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third step includes:

vector-quantizing the image feature vector with reference to an analysis codebook to calculate a quantization index;

selecting an optimal reproduction codebook from a previously prepared reproduction codebook group in accordance with the physical characteristic parameter; and

looking up the selected reproduction codebook using the quantization index to obtain the transformed image feature vector.

4. An image processing method comprising:

a first step of performing predetermined vector transformation with respect to an original image to calculate an image feature vector;

a second step of obtaining a characteristic of a subject appearing in the original image, and calculating a physical characteristic parameter of the original image from the obtained subject characteristic;

a third step of transforming the image feature vector with reference to the physical characteristic parameter to sharpen the original image; and

a fourth step of subjecting the transformed image feature vector to transformation inverse to the predetermined vector transformation, to generate a new image,

wherein:

the first step includes obtaining a texture vector and an edge contour vector respectively corresponding to a texture portion and an edge contour portion of the original image, separately, as the image feature vector;

the third step includes transforming the texture vector and the edge contour vector separately;

the fourth step including subjecting the transformed texture vector and the edge contour vector together to the inverse transformation; and

the third step including transforming the texture vector based on at least one of information concerning a material of the subject and information concerning a distance between the subject and a camera, the information being contained in the physical characteristic parameter.

5. An image processing method comprising:

a first step of performing predetermined vector transformation with respect to an original image to calculate an image feature vector;

a second step of obtaining a characteristic of a subject appearing in the original image, and calculating a physical characteristic parameter of the original image from the obtained subject characteristic;

a third step of transforming the image feature vector with reference to the physical characteristic parameter to sharpen the original image; and

a fourth step of subjecting the transformed image feature vector to transformation inverse to the predetermined vector transformation, to generate a new image,

wherein:

the first step includes obtaining a texture vector and an edge contour vector respectively corresponding to a texture portion and an edge contour portion of the original image, separately, as the image feature vector;

the third step includes transforming the texture vector and the edge contour vector separately;

the fourth step including subjecting the transformed texture vector and the edge contour vector together to the inverse transformation; and

the third step includes transforming the edge contour vector based on designated scene information.

6. An image enlarging method comprising the steps of:

enlarging and interpolating an image; and

subjecting the enlarged and interpolated image as the original image to an image process in accordance with the image processing method of claim 1 .

7. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a transformation section of performing predetermined vector transformation with respect to an original image to calculate an image feature vector;

a characteristic obtaining section of obtaining a characteristic of a subject appearing in the original image, and calculating a physical characteristic parameter of the original image from the obtained subject characteristic; and

an image synthesizing section of transforming the image feature vector with reference to the physical characteristic parameter to sharpen the original image, and subjecting the transformed image feature vector to transformation inverse to the predetermined vector transformation, to generate a new image,

wherein the characteristic obtaining section obtains material information of the subject as the subject characteristic.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the characteristic obtaining section includes a sensor section capable of observing a spectroscopic characteristic, and uses an output of the sensor section to obtain the material information of the subject.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the characteristic obtaining section includes an image capturing device having a pixel with spectral sensitivity specific to a predetermined material, and uses an output of the image capturing device to obtain the material information of the subject.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the characteristic obtaining section reads material information recorded in a wireless tag attached to the subject.

11. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a transformation section of performing predetermined vector transformation with respect to an original image to calculate an image feature vector;

a characteristic obtaining section of obtaining a characteristic of a subject appearing in the original image, and calculating a physical characteristic parameter of the original image from the obtained subject characteristic; and

an image synthesizing section of transforming the image feature vector with reference to the physical characteristic parameter to sharpen the original image, and subjecting the transformed image feature vector to transformation inverse to the predetermined vector transformation, to generate a new image,

wherein the characteristic obtaining section obtains distance information from a camera to the subject as the subject characteristic.