METHOD FOR OPERATING AN IMAGE-PROCESSING DEVICE AND A CORRESPONDING IMAGE-PROCESSING DEVICE

• US 20130113953A1
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EIZO GmbH (Eizo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Uwe Nagel
• Inventors: NAGEL, Uwe
• Granted Patent: US 9,007,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/21 Circuitry for suppressing or minimising disturbance, e.g. moiré or halo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

The invention pertains to a method for operating an image-processing device in which an image signal on which a noise signal is superimposed is digitally transmitted between a transmitter and at least one receiver, and in which the image signal comprises a timed sequence of images, each containing its own image content and a noise pattern of the noise signal superimposed on the image content. At least certain areas of at least two successive images of the image signal are compared to each other after the transmission, and if a difference is found between the noise patterns contained in the images, it is concluded that the images have been transmitted successfully even if the image content of the images is identical. The invention also pertains to an image-processing device for the digital transmission of an image signal on which a noise signal is superimposed.

Claims

1. A method for operating an image-processing device, in which an image signal on which a noise signal is superimposed is digitally transmitted between a transmitter and at least one receiver, and the image signal comprises a timed sequence of images, each containing its own image content and a noise pattern of the noise signal superimposed on the image content, wherein

at least certain areas of at least two successive images of the image signal are compared to each other after the transmission, and if a difference is found between the noise patterns contained in the images, it is concluded that the images have been transmitted successfully even if the image content of the images is identical.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the comparison is carried out pixel-by-pixel, and the number of pixels (a-n) of the images which are different is determined as a difference variable, or the pixel values of least some of the pixels (a-n) of successive images are added and the difference between the sums is determined as the difference variable.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the conclusion of successful image transmission is drawn when the difference variable exceeds a constant threshold value.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the conclusion of faulty image transmission is drawn when the difference variable falls below the constant threshold value, this being done in particular only when there is identical agreement between the successive images.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter accepts a digital input signal as the image signal, or the transmitter accepts an analog input signal and digitizes it into the image signal.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the noise signal arises upon the recording of the image signal by a recording device and is accepted together with the image signal by the transmitter.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter superimposes the noise signal on the image signal with a certain intensity, which in particular is selectable, is calibrated to the image signal, and/or is random within certain limits.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the noise signal is superimposed on at least one certain pixel (a-n), which in particular is determined randomly, within the image signal.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein when the noise signal is superimposed on the image signal, at least one pixel value of at least one pixel (a-n), preferably of all pixels (a-n), is increased by a certain value in the first of the successive images of the image signal and is decreased by the same value in the second, following image.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein after the comparison but before displaying on a display device, the pixel value is decreased by the certain value for the first image of the successive images and increased for the second image.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the image signal comprises a certain image frequency before transmission and is transmitted at a transmission frequency which is higher than the image frequency, for which purpose at least one image of the image signal is transmitted multiple times from an image buffer.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the images which have been compared to each other succeed each other immediately, or a certain number of intermediate images lies between them.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein successful image transmission and/or faulty image transmission is visually indicated to a user of the receiver and/or, in the event of faulty image transmission, the displaying by the display device is stopped.

14. An image-processing device comprising:

a transmitter and at least one receiver, which are designed for the digital transmission of an image signal on which a noise signal is superimposed, wherein the image signal comprises a timed sequence of images, each containing its own image content and a noise pattern of the noise signal superimposed on it, and wherein

the image-processing device is configured to compare at least certain areas of at least two successive images of the image signal to each other after the transmission, and if a difference is found between the noise patterns contained in the images, it is configured to conclude that the images have been transmitted successfully even if the image content of the images is identical.