Patent ID: 7346224
Filing Date: 2008-03-18
Classification: G06K,G06T,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for classifying pixels in an image, comprising: partitioning a plurality of pixels in an input image into a plurality of blocks; determining a variance of an intensity for each pixel; identifying a particular pixel in each block having a maximum variance; classifying each block into one of a plurality of classes according to the maximum variance, and in which the plurality of classes includes an edge block, a texture block, and a smooth block, and in which the edge block includes a strong-edge block and a weak-edge block, and the texture block includes a strong-texture block and a weak-texture block; determining, for each strong-edge block, whether eight adjacent blocks to the strong-edge block are also strong-edge blocks, and filtering the pixels of the strong-edge block with an all-pass filter if true, and otherwise, filtering the pixels of the strong-edge block with a strong smooth fuzzy filter if false; filtering the pixels of each weak-edge block with a weak smooth fuzzy filter; determining, for each strong-texture block, whether four adjacent blocks are strong-edge blocks, and filtering the pixels of the strong-edge block with the all-pass filter if true, and otherwise, filtering the pixels of the strong-texture block with the weak smooth fuzzy filter if false; determining, for each weak-texture block, whether at least two adjacent blocks are smooth blocks, and filtering the pixels of the weak-texture block with the weak smooth fuzzy filter if true, and otherwise, filtering the pixels of the weak-texture block with the all-pass filter if false; and filtering the pixels of each smooth block with the all-pass filter.