US5325200A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for transforming a digitized signal of an image into a reflective surface
Assignee: Avid Technology Inc
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Filing: 1991-11-04
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Granted: 1994-06-28
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Expires: 2011-11-04
Abstract
Abstract The apparatus and method employ a variety of units, including Laplacian filters, rank value filters, edge detectors, gain units and summation units, to transform an input digitized signal of an image, the transformation being carried out for each pixel independently. The various elements are combined to produce a variety of desired visual effects, e.g. a brush stroke effect, or the appearance of a reflective chrome surface. Further, an apparatus is provided in which a conditioning unit generates a conditioning function, which enables different parts of an image to be combined in accordance with different methods. Thus, a foreground of an image could have the edge content reinforced, whilst the background has brush stroke texture added.
Inventors
- 👤 Ian Jaffray
- 👤 John F. Bronskill
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 15:21
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T11/00; G06T11/10; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/40; H04N1/40093
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
246 words
A method for transforming an input digitized signal of an input image, comprising a plurality of pixels, to give the appearance of a reflective surface, the method comprising, in the following order, the following steps: (i) generating smoothness constants for the two coordinates of each pixel representative of the surface smoothness; (ii) generating image extent constants representative of the image extent of the pixels in the two coordinate directions; (iii) providing a reflected digitized signal of an image to be reflected in the surface of the input image; (iv) for each coordinate of each pixel, checking whether a first intensity, which is the intensity of the respective pixel in the input image, is the same as the second intensity of another pixel of the input image spaced along the respective coordinate by the respective coordinate smoothness constant; (v) for each coordinate of each pixel, setting the coordinate equal to the coordinate of the input image when step (iv) determines that the first and second intensities are the same, and otherwise setting the coordinate of each pixel equal to the respective coordinate image extent constant divided by π and multiplied by the arc tangent of the respective coordinate smoothness constant divided by the difference between the first intensity minus the second intensity; (vi) determining, for each pixel, the intensity in a transformed output image by taking the intensity of a corresponding pixel in the reflected digitized signal determined by the coordinates calculated in steps (iv) and (v).
Claim 2
Independent Claim
246 words
A method for transforming an input digitized signal of an input image, comprising a plurality of pixels, to give the appearance of a reflective surface, the method comprising, in the following order, the following steps: (i) generating smoothness constants for the two coordinates of each pixel representative of the surface smoothness; (ii) generating image extent constants representative of the image extent of the pixels in the two coordinate directions; (iii) providing a reflected digitized signal of an image to be reflected in the surface of the input image; (iv) for each coordinate of each pixel, checking whether a first intensity, which is the intensity of the respective pixel in the input image, is the same as the second intensity of another pixel of the input image spaced along the respective coordinate by the respective coordinate smoothness constant; (v) for each coordinate of each pixel, setting the coordinate equal to the coordinate of the input image when step (iv) determines that the first and second intensities are the same, and otherwise setting the coordinate of each pixel equal to the respective coordinate image extent constant divided by π and multiplied by the arc tangent of the respective coordinate smoothness constant divided by the difference between the first intensity minus the second intensity; (vi) determining, for each pixel, the intensity in a transformed output image by taking the intensity of a corresponding pixel in the reflected digitized signal determined by the coordinates calculated in steps (iv) and (v).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the smoothness constant generated in step (i) are in the range 1-15.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein each smoothness constant is 1.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the reflective digitized signal of step (iii) is a ramp signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ramp signal is represented by the formula P r (x,y)=y for all x,y.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
60 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, in combination with one or more methods for imparting a different effect to the input image, which method includes the following additional steps: (i) generating a conditioning signal from the input signal; and (ii) composing an output signal by selection from the outputs of the selected methods, in dependence upon the conditioning signal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-06-27 | 1997-12-27 | 1998-06-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-06-27 | 2001-12-27 | 2002-06-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-06-27 | 2005-12-27 | 2006-06-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |