Method and apparatus for sharpening an image by scaling elements of a frequency-domain representation
First Claim
1. A method for enhancing a reproduction of an image that comprises performing the acts of:
- receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more, but less than all, elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An original image is sharpened by obtaining a first frequency-domain representation of the original image, selecting one or more elements from this first representation based on one more criteria such as element magnitude and frequency, scaling the selected elements according to one or more scale factors, and forming a second frequency-domain representation by combining the scaled selected elements with the unselected elements of the first representation. A sharpened reproduction of the original image may be generated by applying an inverse transform to the second frequency-domain representation. A technique for deriving the value of the one or more scale factors is also discussed.
220 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method for enhancing a reproduction of an image that comprises performing the acts of:
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receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more, but less than all, elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for enhancing a reproduction of an image that comprises performing the acts of:
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receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation;
wherein at least some elements of the first frequency-domain representation convey a measure of intensity and the selected elements correspond to frequencies of those elements that have an intensity greater than an intensity threshold. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A method for enhancing a reproduction of an image that comprises performing the acts of:
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receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation;
wherein the selected elements represent multiple colors in the image. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method for enhancing a reproduction of an image that comprises performing the acts of:
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receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected;
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation; and
applying an entropy decoder to the first signal to obtain the first frequency-domain representation, wherein the first signal conveys the image in a form having a lower entropy than the first frequency-domain representation that is obtained therefrom.
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10. An apparatus for generating an output signal representing an enhanced image that comprises:
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means for receiving a first signal and for obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
means for selecting one or more, but less than all, elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
means for scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
means for forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
means for generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for generating an output signal representing an enhanced image that comprises:
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means for receiving a first signal and for obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
means for selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
means for scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
means for forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
means for generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation;
wherein at least some elements of the first frequency-domain representation convey a measure of intensity and the selected elements correspond to frequencies of those elements that have an intensity greater than an intensity threshold. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. An apparatus for generating an output signal representing an enhanced image that comprises:
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means for receiving a first signal and for obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
means for selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
means for scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
means for forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
means for generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation;
wherein the selected elements represent multiple colors in the image. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for generating an output signal representing an enhanced image that comprises:
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means for receiving a first signal and for obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
means for selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
means for scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
means for forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected;
means for generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation; and
means for applying an entropy decoder to the first signal to obtain the first frequency-domain representation, wherein the first signal conveys the image in a form having a lower entropy than the first frequency-domain representation that is obtained therefrom.
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19. A medium readable by a device embodying a program of instructions for execution by said device to perform a method for generating an output signal representing an enhanced image, wherein the method comprises:
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receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more, but less than all, elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation the are not selected; and
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A medium readable by a device embodying a program of instructions for execution by said device to perform a method for generating an output signal representing an enhanced image, wherein the method comprises:
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receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation;
wherein at least some elements of the first frequency-domain representation convey a measure of intensity and the selected elements correspond to frequencies of those elements that have an intensity greater than an intensity threshold. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A medium readable by a device embodying a program of instructions for execution by said device to perform a method for generating an output signal representing an enhanced image, wherein the method comprises:
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receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected; and
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation;
wherein the selected elements represent multiple colors in the image. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A medium readable by a device embodying a program of instructions for execution by said device to perform a method for generating an output signal representing an enhanced image, wherein the method comprises:
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receiving a first signal and obtaining therefrom a first frequency-domain representation of the image;
selecting one or more elements of the first frequency-domain representation according to one or more criteria;
scaling the selected elements by a scale factor;
forming a second frequency-domain representation of the enhanced reproduction of the image by combining the scaled selected elements with elements of the first frequency-domain representation that are not selected;
generating a second signal conveying the second frequency-domain representation; and
applying an entropy decoder to the first signal to obtain the first frequency-domain representation, wherein the first signal conveys the image in a form having a lower entropy than the first frequency-domain representation that is obtained therefrom.
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28. A image processing system for generating an enhanced reproduction of an original image that comprises:
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an input device comprising first processing circuitry coupled to an input apparatus and coupled to a first terminal, wherein the first processing circuitry receives from the input apparatus an image signal representing the original image, transforms the image signal into a first frequency-domain representation of the original image, and generates at the first terminal a first signal that conveys the first frequency-domain representation; and
an output device comprising second processing circuitry coupled to the first terminal and coupled to an output apparatus, wherein the second processing circuitry receives the first signal from the first terminal, obtains therefrom the first frequency-domain representation, selects one or more, but less than all, elements in the first frequency-domain representation, forms a second frequency-domain representation of the original image by scaling the selected elements, transforms the second frequency-domain representation into a spatial-domain representation of the original image, and causes the output apparatus to present an enhanced reproduction of the original image in response to the spatial-domain representation. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. An image processing system for generating an enhanced reproduction of an original image that comprises:
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an input device comprising first processing circuitry coupled to an input apparatus and coupled to a first terminal, wherein the first processing circuitry receives from the input apparatus an image signal representing the original image, transforms the image signal into a first frequency-domain representation of the original image, and generates at the first terminal a first signal that conveys the first frequency-domain representation; and
an output device comprising second processing circuitry coupled to the first terminal and coupled to an output apparatus, wherein the second processing circuitry receives the first signal from the first terminal, obtains therefrom the first frequency-domain representation, selects one or more elements in the first frequency-domain representation, forms a second frequency-domain representation of the original image by scaling the selected elements, transforms the second frequency-domain representation into a spatial-domain representation of the original image, and causes the output apparatus to present an enhanced reproduction of the original image in response to the spatial-domain representation;
wherein the first processing circuitry reduces the information capacity requirements of the first signal and the second processing circuitry obtains the first frequency-domain representation by expanding the capacity requirements of information conveyed in the first signal.
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31. An image processing system for generating an enhanced reproduction of an original image that comprises:
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an input device comprising first processing circuitry coupled to an input apparatus and coupled to a first terminal, wherein the first processing circuitry receives from the input apparatus an image signal representing the original image, transforms the image signal into a first frequency-domain representation of the original image, and generates at the first terminal a first signal that conveys the first frequency-domain representation; and
an output device comprising second processing circuitry coupled to the first terminal and coupled to an output apparatus, wherein the second processing circuitry receives the first signal from the first terminal, obtains therefrom the first frequency-domain representation, selects one or more elements in the first frequency-domain representation, forms a second frequency-domain representation of the original image by scaling the selected elements, transforms the second frequency-domain representation into a spatial-domain representation of the original image, and causes the output apparatus to present an enhanced reproduction of the original image in response to the spatial-domain representation;
wherein the second processing circuitry selects elements having a magnitude greater than a magnitude threshold.
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Specification