Image processing apparatus

• US 20040095358A1
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyagawa, Tatsuo, Takagi, Toshihiro, Inui, Yasuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,956,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/57 Control of contrast or brightness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/68 for controlling the amplitude of colour signals, e.g. automatic chroma control circuits H04N9/71, H04N9/73 take precedence; camera processing pipelines for controlling the colour saturation of colour signals H04N23/86

Abstract

An OSD image memory stores the OSD image of the reference color attribute. A color setting portion stores change set data for the brightness, transparency and saturation of the OSD image set by the user. An STB changes the color of the OSD image stored in the OSD image memory, based on the change set data for the brightness, transparency and saturation of the OSD image stored in the color setting portion, produces a composite video with the OSD image of changed color superposed on the video of a program, and outputs it from an output portion. Accordingly, the user can change the brightness, transparency and saturation of the OSD image according to one'"'"'s preference.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image input unit configured to be input a first image;

a color setting unit configured to set an adjustment value of a color attribute of a second image from a reference color attribute;

a color adjustment excluded area setting unit configured to set an excluded area in which a color adjustment for the second image is excluded;

a composite image producing unit configured to adjust the color attribute of the second image in accordance with the adjustment value except for the excluded area, and to produce a composite image by superposing the adjusted second image onto the first image; and

an image output unit configured to selectively output the first image and the composite image,

wherein the composite image producing unit adjusts brightness and transparency of the second image within a range between a predetermined range, and

wherein the composite image producing unit adjusts, in a case where a difference in contrast between character included in the second image and an area of the first image where the character is to be superposed is less than a predetermined level, the color attribute of the character so that the contrast of the character reaches the predetermined level.

2. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image input unit configured to be input a first image;

a color setting unit configured to set an adjustment value of a color attribute of a second image from a reference color attribute;

a composite image producing unit configured to adjust the color attribute of the second image in accordance with the adjustment value, and to produce a composite image by superposing the second image onto the first image; and

an image output unit configured to selectively output the first image and the composite image.

3. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the composite image producing unit adjusts brightness and transparency of the second image within a range between a predetermined range.

4. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a color adjustment excluded area setting unit configured to set an excluded area in which a color adjustment for the second image is excluded,

wherein the composite image producing unit adjusts the color attribute of the second image except for the excluded area.

5. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the composite image producing unit adjusts, in a case where a difference in contrast between character included in the second image and an area of the first image where the character is to be superposed is less than a predetermined level, the color attribute of the character so that the contrast of the character reaches the predetermined level.

6. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a receiving unit configured to receive a program in which broadcasted in a selected channel, and to output a video image of the program to the input unit as the first image.

7. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further comprising an image producing unit configured to produce the second image.

8. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second image comprises information to configure operation settings.

9. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second image comprises information indicating operation status.