IP Library Granted Patent US 8,335,394
Granted Patent B2
US 8,335,394 · App. 12/748,058 · Granted Dec 18, 2012

Image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement

Assignee: Corel Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,335,394
App. No.
12/748,058
Granted
Dec 18, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement is disclosed. Firstly, an image is transferred into an image layer. Noise of the image layer is removed by a bilateral filter and crisp edges are retained at the same time. Moreover, the image layer is interpolated by an interpolation filter for resolution enhancement. The image processing method of the present invention can lower the image blur degree substantially, enhance the image resolution and be widely implemented in all sorts of image/video processing hardware devices.

Claims (145)

1. An image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement, comprising steps of:

transferring an image into an image layer;

removing noise of said image layer by using a bilateral filter to generate a resolution image layer; and

performing a gradient analysis of said resolution image layer by using a sharpness filter to remove at least one unbalance boundary of said resolution image layer and then to generate a sharpened image layer, and interpolating said sharpened image layer by using an interpolation filter to generate a high resolution image layer.

2. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of:

transferring a format of said high resolution image layer into an original format of said image.

3. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 1 , wherein said image layer transferred from said image comprises an RGB format, an YUV format or a CIE-Lab format.

4. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 1 , wherein said bilateral filter is an Inverted Intensity Gaussian Bilateral Filter (IIG bilateral filter).

5. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 4 , wherein said Inverted Intensity Gaussian Bilateral Filter removes said noise of. said image layer under a condition of:

B

(

c

)

=

I

(

a

)

(

C

-

1

2

(

D

(

I

(

a

)

,

I

(

c

)

)

σ

r

)

2

)

1

2

(

D

(

P

(

a

)

,

P

(

c

)

)

σ

r

)

2

(

C

-

1

2

(

D

(

I

(

a

)

,

I

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;

(

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)

whereas B(.) is a pixel's intensity value, c is a pixel, a is a neighbor pixel of c, I(.) is a color space returning a pixel intensity, P(.) is a pixel position, D(.) is a distance function, C is a constant; and said equation (1) represents that a spatial domain and an intensity domain of a pixel are simultaneously processed with a Gaussian blurred algorithm in said image layer, such that noise of small illsuminance variation is smoothly removed and edges of large illsuminance variation are retained.

6. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 1 , wherein in the step of sharpening said resolution layer by said sharpness filter, pixels of said resolution layer are divided by Data Dependent Triangulation and each of said pixels has a diagonal line.

7. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 6 , wherein said resolution image layer is divided into a plurality of horizontal blocks; a horizontal pixel field is formed along said diagonal lines in each said horizontal blocks; and said horizontal pixel field is generated by said sharpness filter.

8. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 7 , wherein two of said diagonal lines which are adjacent have an intersecting point and said horizontal pixel field based on two said diagonal lines is in a triangular shape.

9. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 7 , wherein two of said diagonal lines which are adjacent are parallel and said horizontal pixel field based on two said adjacent diagonal lines is in a quadrilateral shape.

10. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 6 , wherein said resolution image layer is divided into a plurality of vertical blocks; a vertical pixel field is formed along said diagonal lines in each of said vertical blocks; and said vertical pixel field is generated by said sharpness filter.

11. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 10 , wherein two of said diagonal lines which are adjacent have an intersecting point and said vertical pixel field based one said two adjacent diagonal lines is in a triangular shape.

12. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 10 , wherein two of said diagonal lines which are adjacent are parallel and said vertical pixel field based on said two adjacent diagonal lines is in a quadrilateral shape.

13. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 1 , wherein said sharpness filter is a high pass sharpness filter.

14. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 7 , wherein said interpolation filter computes center pixels in said horizontal pixel fields and opponent pixels relative to said center pixels to generate interpolated pixels for interpolating said sharpened image layer.

15. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 10 , wherein said interpolation computes center pixels in said vertical pixel fields and opponent pixels relative to said center pixels to generate interpolated pixels for interpolating said sharpened image layer.

16. The image processing method for boundary resolution enhancement according to claim 1 , wherein in the step of using said bilateral filter to remove noise of said image layer, said bilateral filter computes blurring effect; and predicts computing complexity in light of said blurring effect; when a hardware is overloaded with said computing complexity, said noise of said image layer is removed by a Gaussian blur filter.

Assignments (12)
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECOND LIEN SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS Recorded May 6, 2026
From: CANTOR FITZGERALD SECURITIES, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: CLEARSLIDE INC.; COREL CORPORATION (AS SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO CASCADE BIDCO CORP.)
Reel/Frame 075522/0510 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 5, 2026
From: CITIBANK, N.A., AS AGENT
To: COREL CORPORATION; CASCADE BIDCO CORP.; COREL INC.; CLEARSLIDE INC.
Reel/Frame 075559/0953 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2026
From: COREL CORPORATION
To: FIRST-CITIZENS BANK & TRUST COMPANY
Reel/Frame 075315/0928 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: CASCADE BIDCO CORP.; COREL INC.; CLEARSLIDE INC.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049678/0950 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: CASCADE BIDCO CORP.; COREL INC.; CLEARSLIDE INC.
To: CANTOR FITZGERALD SECURITIES
Reel/Frame 049678/0980 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 13, 2019
From: COREL SOFTWARE LLC
To: COREL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 048067/0586 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 29, 2018
From: 8324450 CANADA INC.
To: COREL SOFTWARE LLC
Reel/Frame 047675/0950 →
ENTITY DOMICILE CHANGE Recorded Dec 17, 2014
From: 8324450 CANADA INC.
To: 8324450 DELAWARE LLC
Reel/Frame 034651/0817 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE, AND REPLACE THE ASSIGNMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 030427 FRAME 0331. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT TO 8324450 CANADA INC. Recorded Aug 1, 2013
From: COREL CORPORATION
To: 8324450 CANADA INC.
Reel/Frame 030986/0268 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 17, 2013
From: VECTOR CC HOLDINGS, SRL; VECTOR CC HOLDINGS III, SRL; VECTOR CC HOLDINGS IV, SRL
To: 8324450 CANADA INC.
Reel/Frame 030427/0403 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 16, 2013
From: COREL CORPORATION
To: VECTOR CC HOLDINGS, SRL; VECTOR CC HOLDINGS III, SRL; VECTOR CC HOLDINGS IV, SRL
Reel/Frame 030427/0331 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 26, 2010
From: ZHU, LI-HUA; WU, HAI-HUA; CHU, CHUNG-TAO; HUA, RICHARD
To: COREL INC.
Reel/Frame 024148/0079 →
Priority Claims (1)
TW 99102602 A · Jan 29, 2010 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20110188749A1 · Aug 4, 2011