Patent ID: 8064714

Claim:
A method for binarizing a digital gray value image to generate a binarized gray value image, the method comprising the steps of: generating a binary edge image from said gray value image so as to cause existing edges to be determined as line areas around an edge; after generating the binary edge image, making an inquiry as to whether the binary edge image shall become subjected to a smoothing process; in a first case, in which the binarized edge image shall not become subjected to a smoothing process, generating a first mean value of gray values of said gray value image in all regions which correspond to said line areas around an edge of the binary edge image with said mean value defining a threshold value for the generation of the binarized gray value image; in a second case, in which the binary edge image shall be subjected to a smoothing process, generating a smoothed binary edge image and generating an additional binary edge image based on the smoothed binary edge image, and generating a second mean value of gray values of said gray value image in all regions which correspond to line areas around an edge of the additional binary edge image with said second mean value defining a threshold value for the generation of the binarized gray value image; and, generating the binarized gray value image based on the first mean value in cases in which the binarized edge image has not become subjected to a smoothing process and on the basis of the second mean value in cases in which the binarized edge image has become subjected to a smoothing process.