Patent EP0468652A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0468652A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Image processing apparatus and method
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1991-07-03
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2011-07-03
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to a method for generating a low resolution gray-scale pattern, such as 8 x 8 dots/character representing a high resolution original character image, such as 88 x 88 dots/character. The microprocessor generates a sampling pattern having plural sampling windows arranged in rows and columns, such as 8 x 8 sampling windows, in accordance with a ratio of the low resolution to the high resolution. The size of the sampling pattern with the 8 x 8 sampling windows is equal to the size of the character box or matrix of the original character image. At first, the position of the entire sampling pattern is shifted on the original character image to detect an optimum or calibrated position in X and Y direction at which the total number of black pels on a group of pel lines, eg five pel lines, at a center portion of all rows or all columns is the largest value. Secondly, the position of a selected row(s) and/or column(s) of the sampling pattern at the calibrated position is shifted to the position at which the number of black pels on the five pel lines at the center portion of the selected one row or one column has the largest value.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoshitaka Kobiyama
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 18:06
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/22; G09G5/24; G09G5/28
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
123 words
Image processing apparatus for generating a grayscale output image from a binary input image, the input image being comprised of a plurality of pels having either a first binary value or a second binary value associated therewith, the apparatus comprising: means for sampling the input image to assign grayscale values to a number of sampling windows, said sampling windows forming a sampling pattern; and means for determining a position, with respect to the binary input image, for the sampling pattern such that the total number of pels having the first binary value associated therewith and falling into at least a portion of at least one of the sampling windows is maximised, said assignment being made with the sampling pattern at the determined position.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
123 words
Image processing apparatus for generating a grayscale output image from a binary input image, the input image being comprised of a plurality of pels having either a first binary value or a second binary value associated therewith, the apparatus comprising: means for sampling the input image to assign grayscale values to a number of sampling windows, said sampling windows forming a sampling pattern; and means for determining a position, with respect to the binary input image, for the sampling pattern such that the total number of pels having the first binary value associated therewith and falling into at least a portion of at least one of the sampling windows is maximised, said assignment being made with the sampling pattern at the determined position.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
Image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said determining means comprises means for counting said pels having said first binary value associated therewith with the sampling pattern at a number of positions with respect to the input image and means for comparing the counted numbers of pels to determine the position at which the counted number is a maximum.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
116 words
Image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the sampling windows are arranged in rows and columns to form the sampling pattern, the determining means comprising: means for determining, along the column direction, a position for the sampling pattern such that the sum of the number of pels having said first binary value associated therewith falling in a predetermined portion of each row of the sampling pattern is maximised; means for determining, along the row direction, a position for the sampling pattern such that the sum of the number of pels having the first binary value associated therewith falling in a predetermined portion of each column of the sampling pattern is maximised.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
148 words
Image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said binary input image is an image of a character and wherein said sampling pattern substantially covers said character, the apparatus including; means for detecting rows and/or columns having a greater number of pels having said first binary value associated therewith than the rows and/or colums adjacent thereto; means for determining an optimum position, with respect to the input image, for each said detected row and/or column such that the number of pels having said first binary value associated therewith falling into at least a portion thereof is maximised, the assignment of grayscale values for the sampling windows comprising said detected rows and/or columns being made with said rows and/or columns at their respective optimum positions, the assignment of grayscale values for sampling windows comprising other rows and/or columns being made at said determined position for the sampling pattern.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for generating a grayscale output image from a binary input image, the input image being comprised of a plurality of pels each having either a first binary value or a second binary value associated therewith, by sampling the input image to assign grayscale values to a number of sampling windows, said sampling windows forming a sampling pattern, the method comprising the step of: determining a position, with respect to the binary input image, for the sampling pattern such that the total number of pels having the first binary value associated therewith falling into at least a portion of at least one of the sampling windows is maximised, said assignment being made with the sampling pattern at the determined position.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for generating a grayscale output image from a binary input image, the input image being comprised of a plurality of pels each having either a first binary value or a second binary value associated therewith, by sampling the input image to assign grayscale values to a number of sampling windows, said sampling windows forming a sampling pattern, the method comprising the step of: determining a position, with respect to the binary input image, for the sampling pattern such that the total number of pels having the first binary value associated therewith falling into at least a portion of at least one of the sampling windows is maximised, said assignment being made with the sampling pattern at the determined position.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
238 words
A method for generating a low resolution gray- scale pattern representing a high resolution original character image comprising steps of: generating a sampling pattern having plural sampling windows arranged in columns and rows, the number of said columns and rows being determined by a ratio of said low resolution to said high resolution; sequentially positioning said sampling pattern at plural positions separated by a predetermined distance along a column direction and a row direction on said original character image to count, at each position, the total number of black pels of all rows which is a sum of the number of black pels in a predetermined portion of each row and the total number of black pels of all columns which is a sum of the number of black pels in a predetermined portion of each column of said sampling pattern; comparing the total number of black pels counted at each of said positions to detect a position in a row direction at which the largest total number of black pels of said all columns is detected and a position in a column direction at which the largest total number of black pels of said all rows is detected; positioning said sampling window at said detected position on said original character pattern; and counting the number of black pels in each sampling window of said sampling pattern to assign one of different gray-scale values to each sampling window.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
238 words
A method for generating a low resolution gray- scale pattern representing a high resolution original character image comprising steps of: generating a sampling pattern having plural sampling windows arranged in columns and rows, the number of said columns and rows being determined by a ratio of said low resolution to said high resolution; sequentially positioning said sampling pattern at plural positions separated by a predetermined distance along a column direction and a row direction on said original character image to count, at each position, the total number of black pels of all rows which is a sum of the number of black pels in a predetermined portion of each row and the total number of black pels of all columns which is a sum of the number of black pels in a predetermined portion of each column of said sampling pattern; comparing the total number of black pels counted at each of said positions to detect a position in a row direction at which the largest total number of black pels of said all columns is detected and a position in a column direction at which the largest total number of black pels of said all rows is detected; positioning said sampling window at said detected position on said original character pattern; and counting the number of black pels in each sampling window of said sampling pattern to assign one of different gray-scale values to each sampling window.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method as claimed in Claim 6, wherein a group of pel lines located at a center portion of said sampling window is used to count the number of black pels in said row and column.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said sampling pattern is sequentially positioned at plural positions separated by one pel line.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
426 words
A method for generating a low resolution gray- scale pattern representing a high resolution original character image comprising steps of: generating a sampling pattern having plural sampling windows arranged in columns and rows, the number of said columns and rows being determined by a ratio of said low resolution to said high resolution; sequentially positioning said sampling pattern at plural positions separated by a predetermined distance along a column direction and a row direction on said original character image to count, at each position, the total number of black pels of all rows which is a sum of the number of black pels in a predetermined portion of each row and the total number of black pels of all columns which is a sum of the number of black pels in a predetermined portion of each column of said sampling pattern; comparing the total number of black pels counted at each of said positions to detect a position in a row direction at which the largest total number of black pels of said all columns is detected and a position in a column direction at which the largest total number of black pels of said all rows is detected; positioning said sampling window at said detected position on said original character pattern; counting the number of black pels in each row and column of said sampling pattern; comparing the number of black pels in each row to select row including the black pels larger than that of adjacent rows and comparing the number of black pels in each column to select column including the black pels larger than that of adjacent columns; sequentially positioning said selected row and column at plural positions separated by a predetermined distance along said column direction and said row direction, respectively on said original character image to count the number of black pels in said row and the number of black pels in said column at each position; comparing the number of black pels of said selected row at each position to detect a position in a column direction at which the largest number of black pels is detected and comparing the number of black pels of said selected column at each position to detect a position in a row direction at which the largest number of black pels is detected; shifting the positions of said selected row and column at said detected positions, respectively; and counting the number of black pels in each sampling window of said sampling pattern to assign one of different gray-scale values to each sampling window.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
426 words
A method for generating a low resolution gray- scale pattern representing a high resolution original character image comprising steps of: generating a sampling pattern having plural sampling windows arranged in columns and rows, the number of said columns and rows being determined by a ratio of said low resolution to said high resolution; sequentially positioning said sampling pattern at plural positions separated by a predetermined distance along a column direction and a row direction on said original character image to count, at each position, the total number of black pels of all rows which is a sum of the number of black pels in a predetermined portion of each row and the total number of black pels of all columns which is a sum of the number of black pels in a predetermined portion of each column of said sampling pattern; comparing the total number of black pels counted at each of said positions to detect a position in a row direction at which the largest total number of black pels of said all columns is detected and a position in a column direction at which the largest total number of black pels of said all rows is detected; positioning said sampling window at said detected position on said original character pattern; counting the number of black pels in each row and column of said sampling pattern; comparing the number of black pels in each row to select row including the black pels larger than that of adjacent rows and comparing the number of black pels in each column to select column including the black pels larger than that of adjacent columns; sequentially positioning said selected row and column at plural positions separated by a predetermined distance along said column direction and said row direction, respectively on said original character image to count the number of black pels in said row and the number of black pels in said column at each position; comparing the number of black pels of said selected row at each position to detect a position in a column direction at which the largest number of black pels is detected and comparing the number of black pels of said selected column at each position to detect a position in a row direction at which the largest number of black pels is detected; shifting the positions of said selected row and column at said detected positions, respectively; and counting the number of black pels in each sampling window of said sampling pattern to assign one of different gray-scale values to each sampling window.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as claimed in Claim 9, wherein a group of pel lines located at a center portion of said sampling window is used to count the number of pels in said row and column.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.