Signal processing apparatus and method, and program

• US 8,238,684 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamajo, Hiroaki, Aoyama, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa, Yosef
• Application Number:
  US12/369,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20090220168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 382/260, 382/274, 382/275, 382/284, 358/3.26, 358/3.27, 358/463
• US Class Current: 382/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20012 Locally adaptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20192 Edge enhancement; Edge preservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/117 Filters, e.g. for pre-processing or post-processing sub-band filter banks H04N19/635
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/14 Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation H04N19/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/182 the unit being a pixel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/80 Details of filtering operations specially adapted for video compression, e.g. for pixel interpolation H04N19/635, H04N19/86 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/86 involving reduction of coding artifacts, e.g. of blockiness

Abstract

A signal processing apparatus for performing a filtering process on an input image using a plurality of filters to generate an output image includes the following elements. A region variance value calculating unit calculates a region variance value for a region around a predetermined pixel used as a pixel of interest on the input image. A filter processing unit applies a filtering process to a pixel value of the pixel of interest using the filters. A reflection amount determining unit determines a reflection amount based on the region variance value. A combining unit calculates a pixel value of a pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest on the basis of respective filter output values obtained by filtering processes applied by a plurality of filter processing units, respective reflection amounts determined with respect to the filter output values, and the pixel value of the pixel of interest.

Claims

1. A signal processing apparatus for performing a filtering process on an input image using a plurality of filters to generate an output image, the signal processing apparatus comprising:

region variance value calculating means for calculating a region variance value for a region around a predetermined pixel used as a pixel of interest on the input image, the region variance value indicating a degree of variations of pixel values of pixels located in the region with respect to an average of pixel values of the pixels located in the region;

filter processing means for applying a filtering process to a pixel value of the pixel of interest using the filters;

reflection amount determining means for determining a reflection amount based on the region variance value, the reflection amount indicating a degree to which a filter output value obtained by the filtering process applied by the filter processing means contributes to generation of a pixel value of a pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest; and

combining means for calculating the pixel value of the pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest, the calculation being based on each of filter output values obtained by filtering processes applied by a plurality of filter processing means, each of reflection amounts determined with respect to the filter output values, and the pixel value of the pixel of interest.

2. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combining means calculates the pixel value of the pixel of the output image by multiplying differences between the pixel value of the pixel of interest and the filter output values by the reflection amounts to determine difference values and adding a sum of the difference values to the pixel value of the pixel of interest.

3. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflection amount determining means determines the reflection amount of the filter output value from the region variance value calculated by the region variance value calculating means using information indicating a value of a reflection amount with respect to a magnitude of a region variance value, the information being determined in advance for each of the filters used in the filtering process.

4. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of filter processing means include first filter processing means configured to perform the filtering process using a filter that performs a moving average process, and

wherein the plurality of filter processing means further include second filter processing means configured to perform the filtering process using a filter that performs a smoothing process.

5. A signal processing method for performing a filtering process on an input image using a plurality of filters to generate an output image, the signal processing method comprising the steps of:

calculating a region variance value for a region around a predetermined pixel used as a pixel of interest on the input image, the region variance value indicating a degree of variations of pixel values of pixels located in the region with respect to an average of pixel values of the pixels located in the region;

applying, at filter processing means, a filtering process to a pixel value of the pixel of interest using the filters;

determining a reflection amount based on the region variance value, the reflection amount indicating a degree to which a filter output value obtained by the filtering process applied by the filter processing means contributes to generation of a pixel value of a pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest; and

calculating the pixel value of the pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest, the calculation being based on each of filter output values obtained by filtering processes applied by a plurality of filter processing means, each of reflection amounts determined with respect to the filter output values, and the pixel value of the pixel of interest.

6. A signal processing program for performing a filtering process on an input image using a plurality of filters to generate an output image, the program causing a computer to execute a process comprising the steps of:

calculating a region variance value for a region around a predetermined pixel used as a pixel of interest on the input image, the region variance value indicating a degree of variations of pixel values of pixels located in the region with respect to an average of pixel values of the pixels located in the region;

applying, at filter processing means, a filtering process to a pixel value of the pixel of interest using the filters;

determining a reflection amount based on the region variance value, the reflection amount indicating a degree to which a filter output value obtained by the filtering process applied by the filter processing means contributes to generation of a pixel value of a pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest; and

calculating the pixel value of the pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest, the calculation being based on each of filter output values obtained by filtering processes applied by a plurality of filter processing means, each of reflection amounts determined with respect to the filter output values, and the pixel value of the pixel of interest.

7. A signal processing apparatus for performing a filtering process on an input image using a plurality of filters to generate an output image, the signal processing apparatus comprising:

a region variance value calculating unit configured to calculate a region variance value for a region around a predetermined pixel used as a pixel of interest on the input image, the region variance value indicating a degree of variations of pixel values of pixels located in the region with respect to an average of pixel values of the pixels located in the region;

a filter processing unit configured to apply a filtering process to a pixel value of the pixel of interest using the filters;

a reflection amount determining unit configured to determine a reflection amount based on the region variance value, the reflection amount indicating a degree to which a filter output value obtained by the filtering process applied by the filter processing unit contributes to generation of a pixel value of a pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest; and

a combining unit configured to calculate the pixel value of the pixel of the output image corresponding to the pixel of interest, the calculation being based on each of filter output values obtained by filtering processes applied by a plurality of filter processing units, each of reflection amounts determined with respect to the filter output values, and the pixel value of the pixel of interest.