Patent ID: 7697065
Filing Date: 2010-04-13
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
1. A pixel conversion device which converts a first digital image signal in a format of 4:2:0 including a digital luminance signal and a digital color-difference signal before conversion into a second digital image signal in a format of 4:4:4 including digital luminance signal and a digital color-difference signal after conversion, comprising: a histogram extraction module configured to extract a histogram in a luminance signal block, which is a processing module of the digital luminance signal, before conversion; a data rate conversion module configured to convert a color-difference signal block of the digital color-difference signal before conversion into a color-difference signal for the format of 4:4:4 on basis of a control signal, the color-difference signal for the format of 4:4:4 corresponding to a virtual color-difference signal block which is the same data rate as that of the luminance signal block; and a picture characteristic extraction module configured to detect a luminance boundary in the luminance signal block on basis of information on the extracted histogram, sets a color-difference boundary of the same pattern as that of the luminance boundary to the virtual color-difference signal block to divide the virtual color-difference signal block into each area, and generates the control signal for unifying the same area by pixel data of the same value, the picture characteristic extraction module further outputting the control signal so that the data rate conversion module converts a data rate of the color-difference signal block to output the converted color-difference signal block without unifying the same area by pixel data of the same value when the number of peak values in the histogram information is smaller than a prescribed number, or when the number of peak values in the histogram information is larger than a prescribed number.