Apparatus and method of segmenting an image in an image coding and/or decoding system

1. An apparatus usable in an image encoding and decoding system, comprising:

a converting unit to convert a first image of a first resolution into a second image of a second resolution;

a segmentation unit to segment the second image into blocks of a binary mask layer having a foreground and a background; and

a refining unit to convert the segmented second image into a segmented third image having a third resolution, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first resolution is the same as the third resolution.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second resolution is lower than at least one of the first resolution and the third resolution.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the refining unit further comprises an interpolating unit that interpolates the segmented second image using the first image, to output the segmented third image.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the refining unit refines a boundary block between the foreground and the background using the first image, to generate the segmented third image.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the segmentation unit assigns the blocks of the second image to the foreground and the background; and

the refining unit converts the second resolution of the blocks into the third resolution, using the first image.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the blocks of the second image comprise pixels having the second resolution, and blocks of the third image comprises pixels having the third resolution.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the blocks of the second image comprise a first number of pixels representing the second resolution, and the blocks of the third image comprises a second number of pixels representing the third resolution.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the segmented second image comprises blocks of the binary mask layer having the foreground layer and the background layer; and

the refining unit refines edges blocks of the blocks of the segmented second image using the first image.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the converting unit is a sub-sampling and decimating unit to sub-sample and/or decimate the first image of the first resolution into the second image of the second resolution.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the converting unit is a sub-sampling unit to sub-sample the first image into the second image; and

the refining unit further comprises an interpolating unit to interpolate the segmented second image and the first image, to generate the segmented third image.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

converting unit is a decimating unit to decimate the first image of the first resolution into the second image of the second resolution; and

the refining unit further comprises an interpolating unit to interpolate the segmented second image and the first image, to generate the segmented third image.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the converting unit is a sub-sampling unit to sub-sample and/or decimate the first image into the segmented second image.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the converting unit is a sub-sampling and decimating unit to reduce the first resolution of the first image to generate the second image of the second resolution; and

the refining unit further comprises an interpolating unit to increase the second resolution of the blocks of the segmented second image to generate the segmented third image.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a scanner to scan a document to generate the first image as an input image signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

an encoding unit to encode the segmented image as an output image signal.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:

a decoding unit to decode the output image signal as a print image signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:

a printing unit to print the print image signal on a printing medium.

19. An apparatus usable in an image encoding and decoding system, comprising:

a converting unit to receive a first image having a first resolution and to generate a second image having a second resolution that is less than the first resolution;

a segmentation unit to segment the second image into blocks of a binary mask layer having a foreground and a background; and

a refining unit to generate a third image having a third resolution that is greater than the second resolution, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image.

20. An apparatus usable in an image encoding and decoding system, comprising:

a converting unit to convert a first image of a first resolution into a second image of a second resolution;

a segmenting unit to segment the second image into blocks of a binary mask layer having a foreground and a background;

a refining unit to convert the segmented second image into a segmented third image of a third resolution, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image;

an encoding unit to encode the segmented third image as an output image signal;

a decoding unit to decode the output image signal as a print image signal; and

a printing unit to print the print image signal on a printing medium.

21. An image encoding and/or decoding system, comprising:

a converting unit to convert a first image having a first resolution into a second image having a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution;

a segmenting unit to segment the second image; and

a refining unit to generate a segmented third image having a third resolution that is higher than the second resolution, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image.

22. A method of an image encoding and/or decoding system, the method comprising:

forming a second image by reducing a resolution of a first image;

segmenting the second image; and

forming a segmented third image by increasing the resolution of the segmented second image, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image.

23. A method of an image encoding and decoding system, the method comprising:

converting a first image of a first resolution into a second image of a second resolution;

segmenting the second image; and

increasing the resolution of the segmented second image to form a segmented third image, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component the segmented second image using the first image.

24. A method of an image encoding and decoding system, the method comprising:

converting a first image of a first resolution into a second image of a second resolution;

segmenting the second image with one or more blocks of a binary mask layer having a foreground and a background; and

converting the segmented second image into a segmented third image having to a third resolution that is higher than the second resolution, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image.

25. A method of an image encoding and decoding system, the method comprising:

converting a first image of a first resolution into a second image of a second resolution;

segmenting the second image with blocks of a binary mask layer having a foreground and a background;

converting the segmented second image into a segmented third image having a third resolution, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image;

encoding the segmented third image as an output image signal;

decoding the output image signal as a print image signal; and

printing the print image signal on a printing medium.

26. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium containing computer readable codes as a program to execute a method of an image encoding and decoding system, the method comprising:

converting a first image of a first resolution into a second image of a second resolution;

segmenting the second image; and

converting the segmented second image into a segmented third image having a third resolution, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image.

27. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium containing computer readable codes as a program to execute a method of an image encoding and decoding system, the method comprising:

decreasing the resolution of a first image to form a second image;

segmenting the second image with blocks of a binary mask layer having a foreground and a background; and

increasing the resolution of the segmented second image to form a segmented third image, by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image.

28. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium containing computer readable codes as a program to execute a method of an image encoding and decoding system, the method comprising:

converting a first image of a first resolution into a second image of a second resolution;

segmenting the second image with blocks of a binary mask layer having a foreground and a background;

converting the segmented second image into a third image by refining an edge along boundaries of each connected component of the segmented second image using the first image;

encoding the segmented third image as an output image signal;

decoding the output image signal as a print image signal; and

printing the print image signal on a printing medium.