Image processing apparatus and image processing program to perform image data resolution conversion

• US 7,430,342 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Maegawa, Toru, Suzuki, Hiroyuki, Toriyama, Hideyuki, Nabeshima, Takayuki, Ishiguro, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, YON JUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/980,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20050212718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 382/299, 382/286, 382/254, 382/258, 382/260, 382/266, 382/267, 382/268, 382/269, 382/275, 358/1.9, 358/1.2, 358/3.07, 345/698, 345/699, 345/3.3
• US Class Current: 382/299
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/403 Edge-driven scaling; Edge-based scaling

Abstract

In order to prevent the appearance of gaps in fine lines when image data undergoes resolution conversion, the image processing apparatus includes an image reading unit that inputs image data, a fine line detection unit 113 that detects fine lines from the image data, a resolution conversion unit 111 that converts the image data to a prescribed resolution, and a fine line restoration unit 114 that restores fine lines in the image data that has undergone resolution conversion.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an input unit that inputs image data,

a fine line detection unit that detects fine lines from the image data,

a resolution conversion unit that converts the image data to a prescribed resolution,

a gap detection unit that detects gaps in fine lines in the resolution-converted image data, and

a restoration unit that restores the detected gaps by the gap detection unit.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restoration unit replaces pixel values for gap pixels with the higher pixel value of the surrounding pixels.

2. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an input unit that inputs image data,

a fine line detection unit that detects fine lines from the image data, a resolution conversion unit that converts the image data to a prescribed resolution, and

a restoration unit that restores the fine lines detected in the resolution-converted image data,

wherein the fine line detection unit detects fine lines based on a ratio of the post-conversion resolution to the pre-conversion resolution.

3. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an input unit that inputs image data,

a fine line detection unit that detects fine lines from the image data, a resolution conversion unit that converts the image data to a prescribed resolution, and

a restoration unit that restores the fine lines detected in the resolution-converted image data,

wherein the fine line detection unit comprising;

a binarization unit that binarizes image data,

a line thinning unit that generates first image data created by replacing the pixel values in the binarized image data with the lowest pixel value among pixels in a prescribed range,

a line thickening unit that generates second image data by replacing the pixel values in the first image data with the higher pixel value among pixels in a prescribed range, and

a fine line image generating unit that generates a fine line image by calculating the difference between the binarized image data and the second image.

5. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an input unit that inputs image data,

a fine line detection unit that detects fine lines from the image data,

a pixel value correction unit that corrects a pixel values of fine lines detected from the image data, the pixel values being expected to constitute a gap in the fine lines after resolution conversion and

a resolution conversion unit that converts the corrected image data to a prescribed resolution.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the fine line detection unit detects fine lines having a appropriate thickness based on the resolution to which the image data is converted by the resolution conversion unit.

7. A computer readable medium encoded with an image processing computer program which executes on a computer the steps of:

(a) inputting image data;

(b) detecting fine lines from the input image data;

(c) converting the image data to a prescribed resolution;

(d) detecting gaps in fine lines in the resolution-converted image date; and

(e) restoring the detected gaps by the step of detecting gaps.

8. A computer readable medium encoded with an image processing computer program which executes on a computer the steps of:

(a) inputting image data;

(b) detecting fine lines from the image data;

(c) correcting pixel values of the fine lines detected in the image data, the pixel values being expected to constitute a gap in the fine line after resolution conversion; and

(d) converting the corrected image data to a prescribed resolution.

9. An image processing apparatus for converting image data into a different resolution, comprising:

a resolution conversion unit that converts first image data having a first resolution into a second resolution lower than the first resolution in order to obtain second image data,

a gap detection unit that detects gaps in fine lines in the second image data that was obtained as a result of conversion by the resolution conversion unit, and

a restoration unit that restores the gaps in fine lines detected by the gap detection unit.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a fine line detection unit that detects fine lines in the first image data,

wherein the gap detection unit detects gaps in fine lines based on the fine lines detected by the fine line detection unit and the second image data obtained as a result of conversion by the resolution conversion unit.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the fine line detection unit detects fine lines depending on the first resolution and the second resolution.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the restoration unit restores the gaps in fine lines detected by the gap detection unit to pixel values consistent with the surrounding pixels.