IMAGE ADJUSTMENT AMOUNT DETERMINATION DEVICE, IMAGE ADJUSTMENT AMOUNT DETERMINATION METHOD, IMAGE ADJUSTMENT AMOUNT DETERMINATION PROGRAM, AND IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE

• US 20080123985A1
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujibayashi, Akira, Boon, Choong Seng, Kato, Sadaatsu
• Granted Patent: US 8,150,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/223 using block-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/262 using transform domain methods, e.g. Fourier domain methods

Abstract

An image adjustment amount determination device comprises: processing target image determination means for receiving an input video signal which comprises a plurality of frame images and which is input from the outside, for dividing the input video signal into the plurality of frame images, and for determining a processing target image which is to be the target of image processing and one or more neighboring images which are located in the vicinity of the processing target image in the display order, on the basis of a predetermined criterion from the plurality of frame images; image characteristic extraction means for extracting a feature quantity relating to the neighboring images thus determined; and image adjustment amount determination means for determining at least one adjustment amount of the amplitude and bandwidth of a spatial frequency component relating to the processing target image thus determined, on the basis of the feature quantity that relates to the neighboring images thus extracted.

Claims

1. An image adjustment amount determination device, comprising:

processing target image determination means for receiving an input video signal which comprises a plurality of frame images and which is input from the outside, for dividing the input video signal into the plurality of frame images, and for determining a processing target image which is to be the target of image processing and one or more neighboring images which are located in the vicinity of the processing target image in the display order, on the basis of a predetermined criterion from the plurality of frame images;

image characteristic extraction means for extracting a feature quantity relating to the neighboring images determined by the processing target image determination means; and

image adjustment amount determination means for determining at least one adjustment amount of the amplitude and bandwidth of a spatial frequency component relating to the processing target image determined by the processing target image determination means, on the basis of the feature quantity that relates to the neighboring images extracted by the image characteristic extraction means.

2. The image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 1, wherein the image characteristic extraction means further extracts a feature quantity relating to the processing target image;

and

the image adjustment amount determination means determines at least one adjustment amount of the amplitude and bandwidth of the spatial frequency component relating to the processing target image, on the basis of the feature quantity relating to the neighboring images extracted by the image characteristic extraction means and the feature quantity relating to the processing target image.

3. The image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 1, wherein the image adjustment amount determination device further comprises frame variation calculation means for calculating a variation amount which represents the variation between the processing target image and the neighboring images;

and

the image adjustment amount determination means determines at least one adjustment amount of the amplitude and bandwidth of the spatial frequency component relating to the processing target image, on the additional basis of the variation amount calculated by the frame variation calculation means.

4. The image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 1, wherein the image characteristic extraction means extracts at least one of the average luminance and the amplitude of the spatial frequency component, as the feature quantity.

5. The image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 3, wherein the frame variation calculation means calculates the motion amount between the processing target image and the neighboring images, as the variation amount.

6. The image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 1, wherein the processing target image determination means determines, as the neighboring images, one or both of an image which is located before the processing target image in the display order and an image which is located after the processing target image in the display order.

7. The image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 1, wherein the image adjustment amount determination means determines at least one adjustment amount of the amplitude and bandwidth of the spatial frequency component relating to the processing target image, on the additional basis of temporal intervals between the processing target image and the neighboring images.

8. The image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 1, wherein the image adjustment amount determination means determines the adjustment amount to satisfy a criterion that is predetermined so that the definition perceived for a video signal that includes a post-adjustment processing target image is kept within the same predetermined range with respect to the definition that is perceived for a pre-adjustment video signal.

9. The image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 7, wherein the image adjustment amount determination means determines the adjustment amount represented by a combination of characteristics of two or more different types, as the adjustment amount.

10. An image processing device, comprising:

the image adjustment amount determination device according to claim 1; and

image adjustment means for adjusting at least one of the amplitude and bandwidth of the spatial frequency component relating to the processing target image, on the basis of the adjustment amount determined by the image adjustment amount determination device.

11. An image adjustment amount determination method, comprising:

a processing target image determination step in which an image adjustment amount determination device receives an input video signal which comprises a plurality of frame images and which is input from the outside, divides the input video signal into the plurality of frame images, and determines a processing target image which is to be the target of image processing and one or more neighboring images which are located in the vicinity of the processing target image in the display order on the basis of a predetermined criterion from the plurality of frame images;

an image characteristic extraction step in which the image adjustment amount determination device extracts a feature quantity relating to the neighboring images determined in the processing target image determination step; and

an image adjustment amount determination step in which the image adjustment amount determination device determines at least one adjustment amount of the amplitude and bandwidth of a spatial frequency component relating to the processing target image determined in the processing target image determination step, on the basis of the feature quantity that relates to the neighboring images extracted in the image characteristic extraction step.

12. An image adjustment amount determination program for allowing a computer to function as:

processing target image determination means for receiving an input video signal which comprises a plurality of frame images and which is input from the outside, for dividing the input video signal into the plurality of frame images, and for determining a processing target image which is to be the target of image processing and one or more neighboring images which are located in the vicinity of the processing target image in the display order, on the basis of a predetermined criterion from the plurality of frame images;

image characteristic extraction means for extracting a feature quantity relating to the neighboring images determined by the processing target image determination means; and

image adjustment amount determination means for determining at least one adjustment amount of the amplitude and bandwidth of a spatial frequency component relating to the processing target image determined by the processing target image determination means, on the basis of the feature quantity that relates to the neighboring images extracted by the image characteristic extraction means.