Patent ID: 7123775

Claim:
An image processing method for obtaining a non-deteriorated pixel value as a pixel value of a pixel free from a defect such as scar or dust from non-visible beam image information obtained from a defective recording medium having the scar or dust, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining a calculated value: Y for each pair of samples of corresponding pixels of visible beam image information and said non-visible beam image information both obtained from said recording medium, Y =Mean[ IR]−IR+X, where, Mean [IR] is an average pixel value of said non-visible beam image information, IR is a pixel value of the non-visible beam image information and X is a pixel value of the visible beam image information; obtaining a regression equation with said pixel value: X of the visible beam image information as an independent variable and said calculated value: Y as a dependent variable; and deriving said non-deteriorated image pixel value from said regression equation.