Image conversion device, image conversion method, and recording medium

• US 7,860,336 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Bando, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US11/595,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20070172141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 382/255, 382/199, 382/266, 382/263, 382/261, 382/286, 382/276, 348/208.99, 396/52
• US Class Current: 382/261
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20192 Edge enhancement; Edge preservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4092 Edge or detail enhancement

Abstract

An image conversion device according to an example of the invention comprises a blur estimating unit which estimates a blur state of input image data, a blur changing unit which changes the blur state estimated by the blur estimating unit into an arbitrary blur state, and an image constructing unit which constructs output image data on the basis of a blur changing result obtained by the blur changing unit.

Claims

1. An image conversion device comprising:

a blur estimating unit which estimates a blur state of input image data;

a blur changing unit which changes the blur state estimated by the blur estimating unit into an arbitrary blur state;

an image constructing unit which constructs output image data on the basis of a blur changing result obtained by the blur changing unit,

a separating unit which separates the input image data into shading image data and reflectance image data, and

a combining unit which generates output image data after combining on the basis of the output image data and the shading image data, and

in which the blur estimating unit estimates a blur state of the reflectance image data, and

the blur changing unit changes a blur state of the reflectance image data into an arbitrary blur state.

2. An image conversion device comprising:

a blur estimating unit which estimates a blur state of input image data;

a blur changing unit which changes the blur state estimated by the blur estimating unit into an arbitrary blur state;

an image constructing unit which constructs output image data on the basis of a blur changing result obtained by the blur changing unit,

an edge detecting unit which detects a position of an edge point and a direction of an edge of the input image data, and

a differentiation unit which calculates a luminance gradient of the input image data by differentiating the input image data, and

in which the blur estimating unit estimates an estimated blur parameter and a local contrast of the edge included in a blur function representing the blur state, for the edge point detected by the edge detecting unit, on the basis of the input image data and the direction of the edge,

the blur changing unit generates a luminance gradient for the edge point after blur change of changing the estimated blur parameter into a desired blur parameter, on the basis of the luminance gradient, the direction, and the local contrast, and

the image constructing unit constructs the output image data on the basis of the luminance gradient after the blur change.

3. An image conversion device comprising:

a blur estimating unit which estimates a blur state of input image data;

a blur changing unit which changes the blur state estimated by the blur estimating unit into an arbitrary blur state;

an image constructing unit which constructs output image data on the basis of a blur changing result obtained by the blur changing unit,

an edge detecting unit which detects a position of an edge point and a direction of an edge of the input image data, and calculates a blurred luminance gradient of the input image data, and

a differentiating unit which calculates a luminance gradient of the input image data by differentiating the input image data, and

in which the blur estimating unit obtains a blur parameter for the blurred input image data which is included in a blur function representing the blur state, for the edge point detected by the edge detecting unit, on the basis of the direction and the blurred luminance gradient of the input image data, obtains an estimated blur parameter for the input image from the blur parameter, and estimates a local contrast of the edge,

the blur changing unit generates a luminance gradient after blur change of changing the estimated blur parameter into a desired blur parameter for the edge point, on the basis of the luminance gradient of the input image data, the direction, and the local contrast, and

the image constructing unit constructs the output image data on the basis of the luminance gradient after the blur change.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein

the input image data is color image data comprising a plurality of components,

the edge detecting unit calculates a blurred luminance gradient for each of said plurality of components, and obtains the blurred luminance gradient of the input image data on the basis of the blurred luminance gradients of said plurality of components,

the differentiating unit calculates luminance gradients of said plurality of components,

the blur changing unit generates a luminance gradient after blur change for each of said plurality of components, which converts the estimated blur parameter into a desired blur parameter, for the edge point, on the basis of the luminance gradients, the direction, and the local contrast of said plurality of components, and

the image constructing unit constructs the output image data comprising image construction data for each of said plurality of components, on the basis of the luminance gradient after blur change for each of said plurality of components.