Image processing apparatus and method, and image processing program

• US 20050270382A1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kurumisawa, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,663,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/04 for receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/67 for matrixing camera processing pipelines for matrixing of colour signals H04N23/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/73 Colour balance circuits, e.g. white balance circuits or colour temperature control camera processing pipelines for colour balance H04N23/88

Abstract

An image processing apparatus performs image processing on moving picture data by using image processing control information which defines image processing conditions and outputs the moving picture data subjected to the image processing to an image output device connected to the image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes the following elements. A moving-picture-data obtaining unit obtains the moving picture data in units of blocks, each block including a plurality of unit images. An image-processing-control-information obtaining unit obtains image processing control information associated with each block of the moving picture data. An image processor performs image processing on each block of the moving picture data by using the image processing control information. An output unit outputs the moving picture data subjected to the image processing to the image output device.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a connection unit adapted to connect to an image output device;

a moving-picture-data obtaining unit that obtains moving picture data in units of blocks, each block including a plurality of unit images;

an image-processing-control-information obtaining unit that obtains image processing control information associated with each block of the moving picture data, the image processing control information defining image processing conditions;

an image processor that performs image processing on each block of the moving picture data by using the image processing control information; and

an output unit that outputs the moving picture data subjected to the image processing to the image output device through the connection unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver that receives digital broadcasting waves from a broadcasting station to generate broadcasting data; and

a program-table-data obtaining unit that obtains program table data from the broadcasting data, the moving-picture-data obtaining unit obtaining the moving picture data in units of blocks from the broadcasting data, the image-processing-control-information obtaining unit obtaining the image processing control information based on the program table data.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an adjusting-information obtaining unit that obtains, according to the image output device, adjusting information for adjusting the image processing control information in accordance with image output characteristics of the image output device; and

an adjusting unit that adjusts the obtained image processing control information by using the obtained adjusting information,

wherein the image processor performs the image processing by using the adjusted image processing control information.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit image is a frame image, and the block includes a plurality of frame images corresponding to one scene.