Patent ID: 6785415
Filing Date: 2004-08-31
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
An image processing method comprising:recognizing an input image by separating an edge zone and a flat zone from the input image; conducting a first nonlinear flattening process effective for the edge zone for data of the input image to obtain first data; conducting a second nonlinear flattening process effective for the flat zone for data of the input image to obtain second data; and rearranging an image by using the first data for the edge zone and the second data for the flat zone, wherein the first nonlinear flattening process includes: setting a plurality of directions about a given point of the input image; calculating, for each of the plural directions, a change quantity in a data value of data at a point in the direction relative to a data value of data of the given point; generating a data change vector including as elements thereof the change quantities in the plural directions; setting at each of a plurality of points in the neighborhood of the given point a plurality of directions about the point; calculating, for each of the plural directions, a change quantity in a data value of data at a point relative to a data value of data of the point in the neighborhood of the given point; generating a data change vector including as elements thereof the change quantities in the plural directions about the point in the neighborhood of the given point; adding the data change vector of the given point to the data change vector of the point in the neighborhood of the given point by assigning weight coefficients to each of the vectors and thereby generating a blur data change vector of the given point; selecting a direction of an element having a minimum value from the elements of the blur data change vector; and conducting a one-dimensional nonlinear flattening process in accordance with data of a plurality of points in the direction of the minimum value element selected.