EP0235902A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Digital image processing
Assignee: Crosfield Electronics Ltd
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Filing: 1987-01-22
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2007-01-22
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for merging a selected portion of a first digitally encoded image into a second digitally encoded image is described. The apparatus comprises a microcomputer (1); and a memory (3, 4, 4A) for storing the first and second images and the merged image. The microcomputer (1) is adapted to determine the position of edges in the first image to define a mask having an outline constituted by a number of the determined edges and coinciding with the boundary (16) of the selected portion of the first image and to store the mask in the memory, and to copy into the second image that portion of the first image defined by the mask and to store the merged images in the memory.
Inventors
- 👤 Malcolm David Mckinnon Roe
- 👤 Alastair Reed
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 14:43
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/36; G09G5/39; G09G5/395; G09G5/397; G09G5/363; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/387; H04N1/3872; H04N5/00; H04N5/222; H04N5/262; H04N5/272; G09G2340/00; G09G2340/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
82 words
A method of merging a selected portion of a first digitally encoded image into a. second, digitally encoded image, the method comprising a) automatically determining the position of edges in the first image; b) defining a mask by selecting a number of the determined edges which define at least part of an outline coinciding with the boundary of the selected portion of the first image; and, c) copying into the second image that portion of the first image defined by the mask.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
82 words
A method of merging a selected portion of a first digitally encoded image into a. second, digitally encoded image, the method comprising a) automatically determining the position of edges in the first image; b) defining a mask by selecting a number of the determined edges which define at least part of an outline coinciding with the boundary of the selected portion of the first image; and, c) copying into the second image that portion of the first image defined by the mask.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein step b) comprises displaying the determined edges to enable an operator to construct the mask outline (21).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
70 words
A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein prior to step a), the first image is displayed to enable an operator roughly to define the area of the first image which includes the portion to be selected, and wherein step a) is carried out on a portion of the first image defined within a region (17) of predetermined width containing the boundary (15) of the roughly defined area.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
43 words
A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein step (a) comprises determining the position of relatively high frequencies in the first image using two dimensional "differentiation" in which the first image is convolved with a Laplacian edge function having zero weighting.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
43 words
A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein step (a) comprises determining the position of relatively high frequencies in the first image by carrying out a double differentiation and comparing the result of the double differentiation with a predetermined threshold.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
45 words
A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein step a) comprises applying a relatively high pass filter to the first image, and monitoring the output of the, high pass filter to determine when the output is zero but with a non-zero gradient.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
59 words
A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mask (22) is defined such that the selected portion of the first image overlaps the second image, the method further comprising determining the content of pixels in the overlapping region by applying a predetermined algorithm to the content of corresponding pixels of the two images prior to merging.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method according to claim 7, wherein the algorithm comprises a ramp function defining a gradual change from 0% of the selected portion of the first image and 100% of the second image to 0% of the second image and 100% of the selected portion of the first image.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the step of applying the algorithm comprises modifying the shape of the outline of the mask prior to the copying step.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus for merging a selected portion of a first digitally encoded image into a second digitally encoded image, the apparatus comprising processing means (1); and memory storage means (3,4,4A) for storing the first and second images and the merged images, the processing means
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus for merging a selected portion of a first digitally encoded image into a second digitally encoded image, the apparatus comprising processing means (1); and memory storage means (3,4,4A) for storing the first and second images and the merged images, the processing means
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
78 words
(1) being adapted to determine the position of edges in the first image to define a mask having an outline constituted by a number of the determined edges and coinciding with the boundary (16) of the selected portion of the first image and to store the mask in the memory means, and to copy into the second image that portion of the first image defined by the mask and to store the merged images in the memory means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
78 words
(1) being adapted to determine the position of edges in the first image to define a mask having an outline constituted by a number of the determined edges and coinciding with the boundary (16) of the selected portion of the first image and to store the mask in the memory means, and to copy into the second image that portion of the first image defined by the mask and to store the merged images in the memory means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
14 words
Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processing means comprises a suitably programmed computer.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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