Method and system operative to process color image data

• US 8,600,158 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Jingquan, Deloge, Stephen Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayat, Ali
• Application Number:
  US12/947,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20120121177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/167, 382/168, 382/237, 382/270, 382/274, 382/254, 358/1.2, 358/3.13, 358/472, 358/457, 345/596, 345/597, 345/598, 345/599, 345/600, 348/453
• US Class Current: 382/167
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40012 Conversion of colour to monochrome
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/64 Systems for the transmission or the storage of the colour picture signal; Details therefor, e.g. coding or decoding means therefor H04N19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/644 using a reduced set of representative colours, e.g. each representing a particular range in a colour space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A method and system operative to process color image data are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method can comprise the steps of receiving color image data, determining the color ranges to be applied to the color image data, assigning each of the pixel positions in the image data a color range, assigning a different spatial binary pattern to each color range, and assigning each of the pixel positions a binary output pixel value that corresponds to the spatial binary pattern assigned to the color range assigned to that pixel position. The resulting binary image data can be written to a file for subsequent storage, transmission, processing, or retrieval and rendering. In other embodiments, a system can be made operative to accomplish the same.

Claims

1. A method for representing a color image as binary data, comprising:

receiving a frame of color image data utilizing one or more computers, said color image data comprising a plurality of input pixel values corresponding to a plurality of pixel positions in an image, wherein said input pixel values are represented as N-bit values, and wherein N>

1;

defining a plurality of color ranges utilizing said one or more computers;

assigning each of said pixel positions to one of said color ranges based on the input pixel value for that pixel position utilizing said one or more computers;

defining a plurality of spatial binary patterns utilizing said one or more computers, wherein each of said spatial binary patterns is different;

assigning each of said plurality of color ranges to one of said spatial binary patterns utilizing said one or more computers; and

assigning to each of said pixel positions an output pixel value representative of said one of said spatial binary patterns assigned to said one of said color ranges assigned to that pixel position utilizing said one or more computers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said input pixel values comprise RGB color scale components for each pixel position.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving color image data further comprises mapping said RGB color scale components for each pixel position to an input color index value for each of said pixel positions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said input pixel values comprise an input color index value for each pixel position.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of writing said output pixel values to a file.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said file comprises said output pixel values and a header comprising information on said spatial binary patterns.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said file comprises said output pixel values and a header comprising information on each of said color ranges and said spatial binary patterns assigned to each color range.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said file is in an industry standard file format.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein said file is in a custom file format.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said assigning to each of said pixel positions an output pixel value representative of said one of said spatial binary patterns is performed by a computer in response to a trigger actuation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said assigning to each of said pixel positions an output pixel value representative of said one of said spatial binary patterns is automatically performed by a computer in response to receiving said frame of color image data.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising reading the data stored in said file and rendering an image using said data.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein pixel positions of the plurality of pixel positions correspond to pixel positions of an image sensor array.

13. A system for converting a color image to binary data, comprising:

one or more computers operative to;

receive a frame of color image data, said color image data comprising a plurality of input pixel values corresponding to a plurality of pixel positions in an image, wherein said input pixel values are represented as N-bit values, and wherein N>

1;

define a plurality of color ranges;

assign each of said pixel positions to one of said color ranges based on the input pixel value for that pixel position;

define a plurality of spatial binary patterns, wherein each of said spatial binary patterns is different;

assign each of said plurality of color ranges to one of said spatial binary patterns; and

assign to each of said pixel positions an output pixel value representative of said one of said spatial binary patterns assigned to said one of said color ranges assigned to that pixel position.

14. A computer program product for processing image data, said computer program product including:

a non-transitory computer readable medium;

first program code for receiving a frame of color image data, said color image data comprising a plurality of input pixel values corresponding to a plurality of pixel positions in an image, wherein said input pixel values are represented as N-bit values, and wherein N>

1;

second program code for defining a plurality of color ranges;

third program code for assigning each of said pixel positions to one of said color ranges based on the input pixel value for that pixel position;

fourth program code for defining a plurality of spatial binary patterns, wherein each of said spatial binary patterns is different;

fifth program code for assigning each of said plurality of color ranges to one of said spatial binary patterns; and

sixth program code for assigning to each of said pixel positions an output pixel value representative of said one of said spatial binary patterns assigned to said one of said color ranges assigned to that pixel position;

wherein said first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth program code is recorded on said computer readable medium.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said input pixel values comprise RGB color scale components for each pixel position.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first program code for receiving color image data further comprises the program code for mapping said RGB color scale components for each pixel position to an input color index value for each of said pixel positions.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said input pixel values comprise an input color index value for each pixel position.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising seventh program code for writing said output pixel values to a file, wherein said seventh program code is recorded on said computer readable medium.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said file comprises said output pixel values and a header comprising information on said spatial binary patterns.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said file comprises said output pixel values and a header comprising information on each of said color ranges and said spatial binary pattern assigned to each color range.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said file is in an industry standard file format.

22. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said first through seventh program code is executed by a computer in response to a trigger actuation.

23. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said first through seventh program code is executed by a computer in response to receiving said frame of color image data.

24. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising eighth program code for processing said file to render an image, wherein said eighth program code is recorded on said computer readable medium.