Patent US6408028B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6408028B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Diffusion based peer group processing method for image enhancement and segmentation
Assignee: University of California
•
Filing: 1998-06-01
•
Granted: 2002-06-18
•
Expires: 2018-06-01
Abstract
Abstract An image processing method wherein a "peer group" is identified for each pixel in the image and the peer group is then used to make processing decisions at that pixel. A diffusion form of peer group processing is presented that averages over the peer group (PGA). Two parameters provide direct control over which objects are selectively enhanced: area (number of pixels in the object) and window diameter (window size needed to enclose the object). The direct correspondence between these parameters and the object characteristics is in sharp contrast to parameter selection for other image processing methods such as variational approaches in which it is unclear how to select good values for the smoothness and approximation weights. The scale space decomposition of an image determined by using the peer group number as the scale parameter leads to top hat procedures for recovering objects in a given size range.
Inventors
- 👤 Bangalore S. Manjunath
- 👤 Charles Kenney
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:09
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T5/00; G06T5/20; G06T5/70; G06T5/77; G06T2207/00; G06T2207/20; G06T2207/20172; G06T2207/20192
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
72 words
A method for enhancing images having n or more pixels, comprising: using a window diameter d and a peer group number n, selecting a peer group of size n for each pixel in an image from a window centered at the pixel, said peer group comprising the n pixels having values closest to the value of said center pixel; and processing the pixel value based on a characteristic of the peer group.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
72 words
A method for enhancing images having n or more pixels, comprising: using a window diameter d and a peer group number n, selecting a peer group of size n for each pixel in an image from a window centered at the pixel, said peer group comprising the n pixels having values closest to the value of said center pixel; and processing the pixel value based on a characteristic of the peer group.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising averaging the values of the peer group pixels to obtain a new pixel value for said center pixel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as recited in claim 2 , further comprising approximating an image from said averaged pixel values.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
127 words
A peer group averaging method for enhancing images having n or more pixels, comprising: identifying, at each pixel in an image, a group of nearby similar pixels and designating said nearby group as a peer group; wherein said identifying of said group of similar pixels and designating of said nearby group as a peer comprising comprises using a window diameter d and a peer group number n, selecting the peer group for a pixel from a window centered at the pixel, said peer group comprising the n pixels whose values are closest to the value of said center pixel; averaging the values of the peer group pixels to obtain a new pixel value for said pixel; and approximating an image from said averaged peer group pixel values.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
127 words
A peer group averaging method for enhancing images having n or more pixels, comprising: identifying, at each pixel in an image, a group of nearby similar pixels and designating said nearby group as a peer group; wherein said identifying of said group of similar pixels and designating of said nearby group as a peer comprising comprises using a window diameter d and a peer group number n, selecting the peer group for a pixel from a window centered at the pixel, said peer group comprising the n pixels whose values are closest to the value of said center pixel; averaging the values of the peer group pixels to obtain a new pixel value for said pixel; and approximating an image from said averaged peer group pixel values.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as recited in claim 4 , further comprising assigning said n similar pixels to said peer group based on a characteristic selected from the group of characteristics consisting essentially of intensity nearness to said pixel, velocity nearness to said pixel, color nearness to said pixel, and texture nearness to said pixel.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
109 words
A peer group averaging method of image segmentation and enhancement, comprising: for each pixel in an image, identifying a peer group of n similar pixels, wherein said peer group is selected from a window of diameter d centered at the pixel, and wherein said n similar pixels are assigned to said peer group based on a characteristic selected from the group of characteristics consisting essentially of intensity nearness to said pixel, velocity nearness to said pixel, color nearness to said pixel, and texture nearness to said pixel; averaging said pixels and obtaining a new pixel value for said center pixel; and approximating an image from said new pixel values.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
109 words
A peer group averaging method of image segmentation and enhancement, comprising: for each pixel in an image, identifying a peer group of n similar pixels, wherein said peer group is selected from a window of diameter d centered at the pixel, and wherein said n similar pixels are assigned to said peer group based on a characteristic selected from the group of characteristics consisting essentially of intensity nearness to said pixel, velocity nearness to said pixel, color nearness to said pixel, and texture nearness to said pixel; averaging said pixels and obtaining a new pixel value for said center pixel; and approximating an image from said new pixel values.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4906940A
Cited
US5539843A
Cited
US5109435A
Cited
US4991092A
Cited
US5274715A
Cited
US5247583A
Cited
US5047853A
Cited
US5235434A
Cited
US5293430A
Cited
US5390259A
Cited
US5592599A
Cited
US5237432A
Cited
US5311305A
Cited
US5544286A
Cited
US5341226A
Cited
US5581358A
Cited
US5513282A
Cited
US5511153A
Cited
US5568572A
Cited
US6091850A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-06-17 | 2005-12-17 | 2006-06-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-06-17 | 2009-12-17 | 2010-06-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-06-17 | 2013-12-17 | 2014-06-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |