Patent ID: 7236266

Claim:
An image processing apparatus for processing a plurality of input color image signals, comprising: an edge discrimination section which discriminates whether or not each pixel in each of the above input image signals is an edge portion; a brightness classification section which classifies brightness values of pixels in the input image signals by comparing the brightness values with a predetermined value; a pixel counting section which counts the number of noticed pixels in accordance with a discrimination result of the edge discrimination section and a classification result of the brightness classification section in a predetermined peripheral area; and a white-ground-region discrimination section which discriminates that the noticed pixel is included in a white background area by comparing the number of pixels counted by the pixel counting section with a predetermined threshold value, wherein the brightness classification section classifies pixels into three categories of high-brightness pixel, intermediate-brightness pixel, and low-brightness pixel by comparing brightness values of the pixels with two predetermined threshold values, and wherein the pixel counting section counts noticed pixel discriminated as nonedge portions by the edge discrimination section in a predetermined peripheral area and classified as intermediate-brightness pixels by the brightness classification section, and the white-ground discrimination section discriminates that the noticed pixel are included in a white background area when the counted number of pixels is smaller than a predetermined threshold value.