Patent EP1174824A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP1174824A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Noise reduction method utilizing color information, apparatus, and program for digital image processing
Assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
•
Filing: 2001-07-02
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2021-07-02
Abstract
Abstract A digital image processing method for reducing the noise of a color digital image having pixel values, includes the steps of: identifying one or more color regions in color space; identifying a pixel of interest in the color digital image; calculating a color weighting factor for the pixel of interest, the color weighting factor being a near continuous function of the one or more color regions; using the color weighting factor and the values of pixels sampled from a local neighborhood of pixels about the pixel of interest to calculate a noise reduced pixel value; replacing the original value of the pixel of interest with the noise reduced pixel value; and repeating the steps for other pixels in the digital image.
Inventors
- 👤 Edward B. c/o Eastman Kodak Company Gindele
- 👤 Andrew c/o Eastman Kodak Company Gallagher
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 13:11
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T5/00; G06T5/70; G06T5/20; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/40; H04N1/409; H04N1/46; H04N1/56; H04N1/58; G06T2207/00; G06T2207/10; G06T2207/10024
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
A digital image processing method for enhancing a color digital
image having pixel values, comprising the steps of: a) identifying a pixel of interest in the color digital image; b) identifying a local neighborhood of pixels about the pixel of interest; c) using the values of pixel sampled from the local neighborhood to
calculate a color weighting factor for the pixel of interest, the color weighting
factor being a near continuous function; d) using the color weighting factor and the values of pixels sampled from
the local neighborhood to calculate a noise reduced pixel value; e) replacing the value of the pixel of interest with the noise reduced pixel
value; and f) repeating steps (a) through (e) for other pixels in the color digital image.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method claimed in claim 1, wherein step c) further
comprises the steps of (i) identifying one or more color regions in color space; (ii) calculating a pixel color coordinate in color space for the pixel of
interest; (iii) calculating a color weighting factor as a near continuous function
of the pixel color coordinate and the color regions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method claimed in claim 1, wherein step d) further
comprises the step of calculating differences of pixel values sampled from the
local neighborhood and using the differences of pixels values and the color
weighting factor to calculate a noise reduced pixel value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method claimed in claim 3, wherein step d) further
comprises the step of comparing the differences of pixel values with a threshold
parameter and using the color weighting factor to vary the value of the threshold
parameter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method claimed in claim 4, wherein step d) further
comprises the step of varying the threshold parameter as a function of an expected
noise level.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method claimed in claim 5, wherein the expected noise
level is also a function of the pixel values of the local neighborhood.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method claimed in claim 1, wherein step (d) further
comprises the step of using the color weighting factor to vary the size of the local
neighborhood.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method claimed in claim 2, wherein step (d) further
comprises the step of using the color weighting factor to vary the size of the local
neighborhood.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method claimed in claim 7, wherein the noise reduced pixel
value is derived from a statistical quantity of the pixel values sampled from a local
neighborhood.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method claimed in claim 9, wherein the statistical quantity
is a mean, median, minimum, or maximum.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.