US5959683A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System to remove artifacts in a digital image derived from a television signal
Assignee: Xerox Corp
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Filing: 1997-06-26
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Granted: 1999-09-28
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Expires: 2017-06-26
Abstract
Abstract An image data modification technique addresses certain image defects characteristic of still images derived from original video sources, such as television or videotape. A lack of vertical alignment of pixels in a single frame, causing a "wobble" or "jitter" artifact in the image, is detected and corrected by a series of algorithms.
Inventors
- 👤 Steven J. Harrington
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 12:45
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N5/00; H04N5/14; H04N5/21
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A method of modifying image data, the image data corresponding to a plurality of luminance signals, each luminance signal associated with a pixel, the pixels corresponding to a series of scan lines, the scan lines being organizable to form a two-dimensional array of pixels forming an image, comprising the steps of: detecting in the digital data a lack of alignment of a first scan line relative to a second scan line in the two-dimensional array of pixels, said detecting step including identifying an edge pixel in a scan line, the identifying step including the steps of sampling a moving average of luminance changes for a series of pixels in the scan line; and identifying a pixel corresponding to a local maximum in the moving average as an edge pixel, and shifting a location of the first horizontal line relative to the second horizontal line in the two-dimensional array.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
148 words
A method of modifying image data, the image data corresponding to a plurality of luminance signals, each luminance signal associated with a pixel, the pixels corresponding to a series of scan lines, the scan lines being organizable to form a two-dimensional array of pixels forming an image, comprising the steps of: detecting in the digital data a lack of alignment of a first scan line relative to a second scan line in the two-dimensional array of pixels, said detecting step including identifying an edge pixel in a scan line, the identifying step including the steps of sampling a moving average of luminance changes for a series of pixels in the scan line; and identifying a pixel corresponding to a local maximum in the moving average as an edge pixel, and shifting a location of the first horizontal line relative to the second horizontal line in the two-dimensional array.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of modifying image data, the image data corresponding to a plurality of luminance signals, each luminance signal associated with a pixel, the pixels corresponding to a series of scan lines, the scan lines being organizable to form a two-dimensional array of pixels forming an image, comprising the steps of: detecting in the digital data a lack of alignment of a first scan line relative to a second scan line in the two-dimensional array of pixels, said detecting step including identifying an edge pixel in a scan line, and for an identified edge pixel in a given scan line, identifying edge pixels near the identified edge pixel in a neighborhood of scan lines around the given scan line; and shifting a location of the first horizontal line relative to the second horizontal line in the two-dimensional array.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of modifying image data, the image data corresponding to a plurality of luminance signals, each luminance signal associated with a pixel, the pixels corresponding to a series of scan lines, the scan lines being organizable to form a two-dimensional array of pixels forming an image, comprising the steps of: detecting in the digital data a lack of alignment of a first scan line relative to a second scan line in the two-dimensional array of pixels, said detecting step including identifying an edge pixel in a scan line, and for an identified edge pixel in a given scan line, identifying edge pixels near the identified edge pixel in a neighborhood of scan lines around the given scan line; and shifting a location of the first horizontal line relative to the second horizontal line in the two-dimensional array.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
84 words
The method of claim 1, the detecting step further including the steps of for an identified edge pixel in a given scan line, identifying edge pixels near the identified edge pixel in a neighborhood of scan lines around the given scan line; and incrementing an alignment measure if there is identified an edge pixel in a first area near the identified edge pixel, and decrementing the alignment measure if there is identified an edge pixel in a second area near the identified edge pixel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 3, the detecting step further including the step of associating each scan line with an alignment measure for an edge pixel in said scan line; and for a set of scan lines, comparing the alignment measure associated therewith to an alignment threshold.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 4, the alignment threshold being calculated based at least partially on a root mean square of a set of alignment measures derived from the image data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 4, the shifting step including the step of shifting a scan line if the alignment measure of the scan line is of a predetermined relationship with the alignment threshold.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of changing the alignment threshold; after said shifting step, for a set of scan lines, comparing the alignment measure associated therewith to the changed alignment threshold; and shifting a scan line if the alignment measure of the scan line is of a predetermined relationship with the changed alignment threshold.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 2, the detecting step further including the step of incrementing an alignment measure if there is identified an edge pixel in a first area near the identified edge pixel, and decrementing the alignment measure if there is identified an edge pixel in a second area near the identified edge pixel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 8, the detecting step further including the step of associating each scan line with an alignment measure for an edge pixel in said scan line; and for a set of scan lines, comparing the alignment measure associated therewith to an alignment threshold.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 9, the alignment threshold being calculated based at least partially on a root mean square of a set of alignment measures derived from the image data.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 9, the shifting step including the step of shifting a scan line if the alignment measure of the scan line is of a predetermined relationship with the alignment threshold.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of changing the alignment threshold; after said shifting step, for a set of scan lines, comparing the alignment measure associated therewith to the changed alignment threshold; and shifting a scan line if the alignment measure of the scan line is of a predetermined relationship with the changed alignment threshold.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-09-27 | 2003-03-29 | 2003-09-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-09-27 | 2007-03-29 | 2007-09-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-09-27 | 2011-03-29 | 2011-09-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |