Image processing apparatus and image processing method

• US 8,203,649 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Saga, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman, Mustafizur
• Application Number:
  US12/044,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20080226197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 348/441, 348/431, 348/451, 348/452, 348/700, 348/569, 348/448, 348/450, 348/437, 348/438, 348/415, 348/715, 348/716, 382/100, 382/254
• US Class Current: 348/441
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0132 the field or frame frequency of the incoming video signal being multiplied by a positive integer, e.g. for flicker reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0135 involving interpolation processes interpolation-based image scaling G06T3/4007; interpolation for video coding H04N19/587, H04N19/59

Abstract

An apparatus includes a memory which successively stores frame data of video data, an interpolating unit which generates interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data and stores the interpolation frame data in the memory, and a readout unit which successively reads out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data. The apparatus further includes a generating unit which generates image data which is composited with the frame data and stores the image data in the memory, and a control unit which, based on display-related characteristics of the image data, controls the interpolating unit to halt the generation of the interpolation frame data, and also controls the readout unit to read out the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory which successively stores frame data of video data;

an interpolating unit which generates interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data and stores the interpolation frame data in the memory;

a readout unit which successively reads out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

a generating unit which generates image data which is composited with the frame data and stores the image data in the memory; and

a control unit which controls the interpolating unit to carry out the generation of the interpolation frame data,

wherein, if a pixel count of the image data is more than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit controls the interpolating unit to halt the generation of the interpolation frame data and controls the readout unit to read out the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data.

2. An apparatus comprising:

a memory which successively stores frame data of video data

an interpolating unit which generates interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data and stores the interpolation frame data in the memory;

a readout unit which successively reads out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

a generating unit which generates image data which is composited with the frame data and stores the image data in the memory; and

a control unit which controls the interpolating unit to carry out the generation of the interpolation frame data for an area other than an area in the frame data where the image data is composited, and controls the readout unit to read out the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data for the area in the frame data where the image data is composited.

3. An apparatus comprising:

a memory which successively stores frame data of video data

an interpolating unit which generates interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data and stores the interpolation frame data in the memory;

a readout unit which successively reads out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

a generating unit which generates image data which is composited with the frame data and stores the image data in the memory; and

a control unit which controls the interpolating unit to carry out the generation of the interpolation frame data for an area other than an area in the frame data where the image data is composited and for an area where a degree of transparency of the composited image data is not less than a predetermined degree, and controls the readout unit to read out the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data for the area where the degree of transparency of the composited image data is less than the predetermined degree.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a memory which successively stores frame data of video data;

an interpolating unit which generates interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data and stores the interpolation frame data in the memory;

a readout unit which successively reads out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

a generating unit which generates image data which is composited with the frame data and stores the image data in the memory; and

a control unit which controls the interpolating unit to carry out the generation of the interpolation frame data if a volume of the image data that the generating unit transmits to and receives from the memory is not more than a predetermined threshold value,

wherein, if a volume of the image data that the generating unit transmits to and receives from the memory is more than the predetermined threshold value, the control unit controls the interpolating unit to halt the generation of the interpolation frame data and controls the readout unit to read out the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a storage unit which successively stores frame data of video data in a memory;

a first converting unit which converts the frame data in a first format to a second format utilizing a smaller data volume than the first format;

an interpolating unit which generates interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data in the first format or the second format and stores the interpolation frame data in the memory;

a second converting unit which converts the interpolation frame data and the frame data in the second format to the first format;

a readout unit which successively reads out the frame data and interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

a generating unit which generates image data which is composited with the frame data and stores the image data in the memory; and

a control unit which, in response to output of display-related characteristics of the image data, controls the storage unit to store the frame data after conversion to the second format with the first converting unit, controls the interpolating unit to generate the interpolation frame data in the second format, and controls the second converting unit to convert the interpolation frame data and the frame data in the second format to the first format prior to readout by the readout unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein no control is exercised by the control unit if a pixel count of the image data is not more than a predetermined threshold value.

7. A method comprising:

successively storing frame data of video data in a memory;

generating interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data and storing the interpolation frame data in the memory;

successively reading out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

generating image data which is composited with the frame data and storing the image data in the memory;

controlling the generation of the interpolation frame data; and

if a pixel count of the image data is more than a predetermined threshold value, halting the generation of the interpolation frame data and controlling the reading out of the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data.

8. A method comprising:

successively storing frame data of video data in a memory;

generating interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data;

storing the interpolation frame data in the memory;

successively reading out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

generating image data which is composited with the frame data;

storing the image data in the memory;

controlling the generation of the interpolation frame data for an area other than an area in the frame data where the image data is composited; and

controlling the reading out of the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data for the area in the frame data where the image data is composited.

9. A method comprising:

successively storing frame data of video data in a memory;

generating interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data;

storing the interpolation frame data in the memory;

successively reading out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

generating image data which is composited with the frame data;

storing the image data in the memory;

controlling the generation of the interpolation frame data for an area other than an area in the frame data where the image data is composited and for an area where a degree of transparency of the composited image data is not less than a predetermined degree; and

controlling the reading out of the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data for the area where the degree of transparency of the composited image data is less than the predetermined degree.

10. A method comprising:

successively storing frame data of video data in a memory;

generating interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data;

storing the interpolation frame data in the memory;

successively reading out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

generating image data which is composited with the frame data;

storing the image data in the memory;

controlling the generation of the interpolation frame data if a volume of the image data that is transmitted to and received from the memory is not more than a predetermined threshold value; and

if the volume of the image data that is transmitted to and received from the memory is more than the predetermined threshold value, halting the generation of the interpolation frame data and controlling the reading out of the frame data in duplicate instead of the interpolation frame data.

11. A method comprising:

successively storing frame data of video data in a memory;

converting the frame data in a first format to a second format utilizing a smaller data volume than the first format;

generating interpolation frame data which is inserted between the frame data in the first format or the second format;

storing the interpolation frame data in the memory;

converting the interpolation frame data and the frame data in the second format to the first format;

reading out the frame data and the interpolation frame data from the memory at a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the video data;

generating image data which is composited with the frame data;

storing the image data in the memory; and

in response to output of display-related characteristics of the image data, controlling the storing of the frame data after conversion to the second format, controlling the generation of interpolation frame data in the second format, and controlling the conversion of the interpolation frame data and the frame data in the second format to the first format prior to readout.