IP Library Granted Patent US 7,974,469
Granted Patent B2
US 7,974,469 · App. 12/694,711 · Granted Jul 5, 2011

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing program for superior image output

Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,974,469
App. No.
12/694,711
Granted
Jul 5, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes the following elements. An image data obtaining unit obtains image data. A sampling unit samples the image data. A statistic value determining unit determines a statistic value based on statistic information in a histogram with respect to a grayscale value of image data that is obtained by performing rough quantization and linear interpolation on the sampled image data. A correction-amount determining unit determines a correction amount to be used for image processing based on the statistic value. An image processing unit performs the image processing according to the correction amount.

Claims (23)

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image data obtaining circuit that obtains image data having first image data and second image data of a lower resolution than the first image data, the image data being capable of having a first number of grayscale values;

a sampling circuit that samples the image data;

a statistic value determining circuit that determines a statistic value based on statistic information of a histogram, the histogram being created by quantizing the sampled image data into a second number of grayscale values less than the first number of grayscale values and linearly interpolating the quantized data back into the first number of grayscale values;

a correction-amount determining circuit that determines a first correction amount to be used for image processing to the first image data and a second correction amount to be used for image processing to the second image data based on the statistic value; and

an image processing circuit that performs the image processing to the first image data according to the first correction amount and performs the image processing to the second image data according to the second correction amount.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction-amount determining circuit includes a correction-amount adjusting circuit that determines a ratio of pixels having a specific color in all pixels based on the sampled image data and that adjusts the correction amount according to the ratio of the pixels having the specific color.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an image defined by the image data is divided into a central area and a surrounding area surrounding the central area, and

the sampling circuit includes a divisional area sampling circuit that samples the image data in the central area and the surrounding area at a low resolution.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the correction-amount determining circuit includes a backlit-image determining circuit that determines whether or not the image data is backlit image data using the histogram and a statistic value that is determined based on sampled image data in the central area and the surrounding area.

5. An image processing method comprising:

obtaining image data having first image data and second image data of lower resolution than the first image data, the image data being capable of having a first number of grayscale values;

sampling the image data;

determining a statistic value based on statistic information of a histogram, the histogram being created by quantizing the sampled image data into a second number of grayscale values less than the first number of grayscale values and linearly interpolating the quantized data back into the first number of grayscale values;

determining a first correction amount to be used for image processing of the first image data and a second correction amount to be used for image processing of the second image data based on the statistic value; and

performing the image processing to the first image data according to the first correction amount and performing the image processing to the second image data according to the second correction amount,

wherein at least one of the above steps are performed by a processor.

6. A computer-readable storage medium storing an image processing program to be executed by an image processing apparatus including a control circuit to cause the image processing apparatus to function as:

an image data obtaining unit that obtains image data having first image data and second image data of lower resolution than the first image data, the image data being capable of having a first number of grayscale values;

a sampling unit that samples the image data;

a statistic value determining unit that determines a statistic value based on statistic information of a histogram, the histogram being created by quantizing the sampled image data into a second number of grayscale values less than the first number of grayscale values and linearly interpolating the quantized data back into the first number of grayscale values;

a correction-amount determining unit that determines a first correction amount to be used for image processing of the first image data and a second correction amount to be used for image processing of the second image data based on the statistic value; and

an image processing unit that performs the image processing to the first image data according to the first correction amount and performs image processing to the second image data according to the second correction amount.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 11, 2016
From: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
To: INTELLECTUALS HIGH-TECH KFT
Reel/Frame 039300/0295 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 11, 2016
From: INTELLECTUALS HIGH-TECH KFT
To: SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 039301/0043 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2004-372743 · Dec 24, 2004 · national
Continuity (2)
Division 11300395 · Dec 15, 2005
Related Publication 20100128981A1 · May 27, 2010