Adaptive image improvement

• US 7,639,892 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Somle Development LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Sheraizin, Vitaly S., Sheraizin, Semion M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa; Yosef
• Application Number:
  US11/027,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20060017773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 382/118, 382/128, 382/274, 382/275, 358/3.26, 358/3.27, 358/463
• US Class Current: 382/274
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4092 Edge or detail enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/628 Memory colours, e.g. skin or sky

Abstract

A method includes improving an input image generally to compensate for the differences between how an image sensor views an object and how the human visual system views the object and generating a printout of the improved image at a faster print speed than that which would generate a printout of the input image. The improved image printout has at least the same or better visual quality than the input image printout. Improving the image includes analyzing an input image, reducing saturation levels for areas of human skin under low light exposures and improving the visual resolution of the input image.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an adaptive image component configured to process an input image to generate a processed image, said adaptive image component including;

an image analyzer configured to determine one or more of;

locations of human skin in said input image, an amount of texture in said input image, a duration of edges in said input image, or locations of bright light and low light in said input image;

a skin processing unit configured to reduce saturation levels for areas of human skin in said input image under low light exposure; and

a visual resolution enhancer configured to increase visual resolution of an output of said skin processing unit.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a controller to generate a low light skin mask, a texture threshold, per pixel sharpness coefficients, per pixel texture coefficients and per pixel skin coefficients from an output of said image analyzer.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said controller is connected to said skin processing unit to provide said low light skin mask.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said visual resolution enhancer comprises:

a sharpness enhancer to enhance sharpness of high frequency components of distinguishable small details using said per pixel sharpness coefficients; and

a sharpness controller to reduce sharpness levels for areas of human skin using said per pixel skin coefficients.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said sharpness enhancer comprises a non-linear operator to reduce intensity levels of said high frequency components of distinguishable small details by reducing high levels of said high frequency components more than lower levels of said high frequency components.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said visual resolution enhancer comprises:

a texture limiter to limit high frequency components of said input image to be no higher than said texture threshold; and

a texture modifier to modify said limited high frequency components using said per pixel texture coefficients.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein said visual resolution enhancer comprises a noise reducer having a first low pass filter before said sharpness enhancer and a texture low pass filter after said texture modifier.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:

said visual resolution enhancer comprises a horizontal high frequency channel and a vertical high frequency channel; and

said texture limiter, texture modifier and texture low pass filter operate on both said horizontal and vertical high frequency channels.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said texture low pass filter comprises a horizontal low pass filter in said vertical high frequency channel and a vertical low pass filter in said horizontal high frequency channel.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the processed image has a visual quality that is equal to or greater than a visual quality of said input image and is printable by a printer at a faster print speed than said input image.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising an interface to connect the adaptive image component to a printer and communicate the processed image to the printer to enable a printout of said processed image by the printer.

12. A method comprising:

processing an input image by one or more components of an adaptive image improvement system to generate a processed image, the processing including;

determining one or more of;

locations of human skin in said input image, an amount of texture in said input image, a duration of edges in said input image, or locations of bright light and low light in said input image;

reducing saturation levels for areas of human skin in said input image under low light exposure; and

increasing visual resolution of an output of said reducing.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 further comprising generating a low light skin mask, a texture threshold, per pixel sharpness coefficients, per pixel texture coefficients and per pixel skin coefficients from an output of said determining.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 wherein said generating comprises providing said low light skin mask to enable said reducing.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 wherein said increasing the visual resolution comprises:

enhancing sharpness of high frequency components of distinguishable small details using said per pixel sharpness coefficients; and

reducing sharpness levels for areas of human skin using said per pixel skin coefficients.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 wherein said enhancing comprises reducing the intensity levels of said high frequency components of distinguishable small details by reducing high levels of said high frequency components more than lower levels of said high frequency components.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 wherein said increasing the visual resolution comprises:

limiting high frequency components of said image to be no higher than said texture threshold; and

modifying said limited high frequency components using said per pixel texture coefficients.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 wherein said increasing the visual resolution comprises low pass filtering before said enhancing and texture low pass filtering after said modifying.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 wherein:

said increasing the visual resolution is performed by a visual resolution enhancer having a horizontal high frequency channel and a vertical high frequency channel; and

said limiting, modifying and texture low pass filtering are performed on both said horizontal and vertical high frequency channels.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19 wherein said texture low pass filtering comprises horizontal low pass filtering in said vertical high frequency channel and a vertical low pass filtering in said horizontal high frequency channel.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 wherein the processed image has a visual quality that is equal to or greater than a visual quality of said input image.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 wherein the processed image is printable by a printer at a faster print speed than said input image.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 wherein the processed image has a visual quality that is equal to or greater than a visual quality of said input image and is printable by a printer at a faster print speed than said input image.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 further comprising communicating by the one or more components of the adaptive image improvement system said processed image to the printer to cause a printout of said processed image.

25. An image processing apparatus comprising one or more components configured to perform a method to enhance an input image including:

processing the input image to generate an processed image, the processed image having a visual quality that is equal to or greater than a visual quality of the input image and printable by a printer at a faster print speed than the input image, the processing by the one or more components of the image processing apparatus including;

determining one or more of;

locations of human skin in said input image, an amount of texture in said input image, a duration of edges in said input image, or locations of bright light and low light in said input image;

reducing saturation levels for areas of human skin in said input image under low light exposure; and

increasing a visual resolution of an output of said reducing.