Image signal processing apparatus

• US 5,557,429 A
• Filed: 10/19/1993
• Issued: 09/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirose, Yoshitsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US08/137,795
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 358/463, 358/532, 358/534, 358/536, 358/456, 358/457, 358/458, 358/454, 358/447, 358/448, 382/54, 382/260, 382/275, 382/263, 382/264, 382/267
• US Class Current: 358/532
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/58 Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression, e.g. colour misregistration correction H04N1/62 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/60 Colour correction or control H04N1/54 takes precedence

Abstract

An image signal processing apparatus for converting an image data signal input by an image input terminal into another image data signal suitable for an image output terminal. In the apparatus, a quantity of noise of a spatial frequency characteristic difficult to visually perceive is generated in accordance with a level of the input image data signal, and the noise generated is superposed on the input image data signal. In handling a color image data signal, the noise is superposed on the color image data signal in a regional color space difficult to visually perceive.

Claims

1. An image signal processing apparatus for converting an image data signal input by an image input terminal into another image data signal suitable for an image output terminal;

comprising;

noise generating means for generating a quantity of noise of a spatial frequency characteristic difficult to visually perceive in accordance with a level of the input image data signal, wherein the noise generating means generates noise of a frequency equal to or lower than a fundamental frequency of a screen generated by half-tone generating means in said image output terminal; and

noise superposing means for superposing only the noise generated by said noise generating means on the input image data signal.

2. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said noise generating means comprises reference noise storing means for previously storing data of the noise of a spatial frequency characteristic difficult to visually perceive, noise amplifying value storing means for previously storing amplifying values of noise to the image data signal, and noise quantity calculating means for calculating a quantity of noise to be superposed on the image data signal by using the noise data stored in said reference noise storing means and the noise amplifying values stored in said noise amplifying value storing means.

3. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said noise generating means generates noise of a spatial frequency characteristic difficult to visually perceive, which is an inversion of the visual property of a human being for noise, on the basis of random noise data of a normal distribution type.

4. An image signal processing apparatus for converting a color image data signal input by an image input terminal into another color image data signal suitable for an image output terminal, comprising:

noise generating means for generating a quantity of noise of a spatial frequency characteristic difficult to visually perceive in accordance with a level of the input color image data signal, wherein the noise generating means generates noise of a frequency equal to or lower than a fundamental frequency of a screen generated by half-tone generating means in said image output terminal; and

noise superposing means for superposing only the noise generated by said noise generating means on the color image data signal in a regional color space difficult to visually perceive.

5. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said noise generating means comprises reference noise storing means for previously storing data of the noise of a spatial frequency characteristic difficult to visually perceive, noise amplifying value storing means for previously storing amplifying values of noise to the image data signal, and noise quantity calculating means for calculating a quantity of noise to be superposed on the image data signal by using the noise data stored in said reference noise storing means and the noise amplifying values stored in said noise amplifying value storing means.

6. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said noise generating means generates noise of a spatial frequency characteristic difficult to visually perceive, which is an inversion of the visual property of a human being for noise, on the basis of random noise data of a normal distribution type.

7. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising color component separating means for separating the color image data signal into color component signals defining a color space, wherein said noise superposing means superposes noise respectively to the color component signals separated by said color component separating means.

8. The image signal processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said noise generating means comprises reference noise storing means for previously storing data of the noise of a spatial frequency characteristic difficult to visually perceive, noise amplifying value storing means for previously storing amplifying values of noise to the color component signals separated by said color component separating means, and noise quantity calculating means for calculating the quantities of noise to be superposed on the color component signals by using the noise data stored in said reference noise storing means and the noise amplifying values stored in said noise amplifying value storing means.