IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,462,349
Granted Patent B2
US 12,462,349 · App. 18/202,439 · Granted Nov 4, 2025

Image processing device and method suppressing image sharpness decrease while reducing a tone jump

Inventor: Teruto Tanaka (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC PROJECTOR & DISPLAY CORPORATION
G06T5/70G06T5/20G06T7/0002G06T2207/20024G06T2207/30168
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,462,349
App. No.
18/202,439
Granted
Nov 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing device includes: the determination unit that determines whether or not, among a plurality of pixels arranged linearly including a pixel of interest, a first adjacent pixel, and a second adjacent pixel, there is a pixel having a pixel value whose difference from a pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to a reference value; a tone jump determination unit that determines whether or not a difference between an average value of pixel values of the first pixel group and an average value of pixel values of the second pixel group is less than or equal to a first threshold; and a correction unit that corrects atone jump of at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels.

Claims (40)

1 . An image processing device comprising:

a determination unit that determines whether or not, among a plurality of pixels arranged linearly including a pixel of interest, a first adjacent pixel adjacent to the pixel of interest, and a second adjacent pixel adjacent to the pixel of interest and opposite to the first adjacent pixel, there is a pixel having a pixel value whose difference from a pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to a reference value;

a tone jump determination unit that, when the determination unit determines that there is no pixel having a pixel value whose difference from the pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to the reference value, determines whether or not a difference between (i) an average value of pixel values of a first pixel group including the first adjacent pixel among the plurality of pixels and (ii) an average value of pixel values of a second pixel group including the second adjacent pixel among the plurality of pixels is less than or equal to a first threshold; and

a correction unit that, when the tone jump determination unit determines that the difference between (i) the average value of pixel values of the first pixel group and (ii) the average value of pixel values of the second pixel group is less than or equal to the first threshold, corrects a tone jump of at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels.

2 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the determination unit includes a first determination unit,

the first determination unit determines whether or not, among the first adjacent pixel and the second adjacent pixel, there is a pixel having a pixel value whose difference from the pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to the reference value, and

when the first determination unit determines that there is no pixel having a pixel value whose difference from the pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to the reference value, the tone jump determination unit determines whether or not the difference between (i) the average value of pixel values of the first pixel group and (ii) the average value of pixel values of the second pixel group is less than or equal to the first threshold.

3 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the determination unit includes a first determination unit and a second determination unit,

the first determination unit determines whether or not, among the first adjacent pixel and the second adjacent pixel, there is a pixel having a pixel value whose difference from the pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to a second threshold,

the second determination unit determines whether or not, among the plurality of pixels, there is a pixel having a pixel value whose difference from the pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to a third threshold, and

when the first determination unit determines that there is no pixel having a pixel value whose difference from the pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to the second threshold and the second determination unit determines that there is no pixel having a pixel value whose difference from the pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to the third threshold, the tone jump determination unit determines whether or not the difference between (i) the average value of pixel values of the first pixel group and (ii) the average value of pixel values of the second pixel group is less than or equal to the first threshold.

4 . The image processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the second threshold is greater than the reference value, and the third threshold is equal to the reference value.

5 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the tone jump determination unit determines whether or not the difference between (i) the average value of pixel values of the first pixel group and (ii) the average value of pixel values of the second pixel group is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to a fourth threshold that is less than the first threshold and greater than 0, and

when the tone jump determination unit determines that the difference between (i) the average value of pixel values of the first pixel group and (ii) the average value of pixel values of the second pixel group is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to the fourth threshold, the correction unit corrects the tone jump of the at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels.

6 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the image processing device

carries out determination by the determination unit, determination by the tone jump determination unit, and correction processing by the correction unit, with each of a plurality of horizontal input pixels arranged in a horizontal direction included in a video signal input to the image processing device, as the pixel of interest, and

carries out determination by the determination unit, determination by the tone jump determination unit, and correction processing by the correction unit, with each of a plurality of vertical input pixels arranged in a vertical direction included in the video signal as the pixel of interest.

7 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the correction unit smooths the tone jump in order to correct the tone jump.

8 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the first threshold is less than the reference value.

9 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first pixel group includes the pixel of interest and does not include the second adjacent pixel, and

the second pixel group includes the pixel of interest and does not include the first adjacent pixel.

10 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first pixel group includes neither the pixel of interest nor the second adjacent pixel, and

the second pixel group includes neither the pixel of interest nor the first adjacent pixel.

11 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first pixel group includes the pixel of interest and does not include the second adjacent pixel, and

the second pixel group includes neither the pixel of interest nor the first adjacent pixel.

12 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first pixel group includes neither the pixel of interest nor the second adjacent pixel, and

the second pixel group includes the pixel of interest and does not include the first adjacent pixel.

13 . An image processing method comprising:

determining whether or not, among a plurality of pixels arranged linearly including a pixel of interest, a first adjacent pixel adjacent to the pixel of interest, and a second adjacent pixel adjacent to the pixel of interest and opposite to the first adjacent pixel, there is a pixel having a pixel value whose difference from a pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to a reference value;

when it is determined that there is no pixel having a pixel value whose difference from the pixel value of the pixel of interest is greater than or equal to the reference value, determining whether or not a difference between (i) an average value of pixel values of a first pixel group including the first adjacent pixel among the plurality of pixels and (ii) an average value of pixel values of a second pixel group including the second adjacent pixel among the plurality of pixels is less than or equal to a first threshold; and

when it is determined that the difference between (i) the average value of pixel values of the first pixel group and (ii) the average value of pixel values of the second pixel group is less than or equal to the first threshold, correcting a tone jump of at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels.

14 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method according to claim 13 .

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 8, 2025
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC PROJECTOR & DISPLAY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 072510/0667 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 11, 2023
From: TANAKA, TERUTO
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 064854/0448 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-196904 · Nov 27, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2021042679 · Nov 19, 2021
Related Publication 20230298139A1 · Sep 21, 2023
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