Patent ID: 8358850

Claim:
An edge direction determination method for a pixel of a display picture, the display picture having a corresponding edge map, the pixel having a plurality of corresponding pixel direction pairs, the method comprising the steps of: (a) judging whether the pixel is an edge pixel according to the edge map; (b) judging whether the pixel has a right-inclined edge direction and/or a left-inclined edge direction when the pixel is the edge pixel; (c) determining an edge direction of the pixel according to specific pixel direction pairs corresponding to the same inclined edge direction if a judged result in the step (b) is affirmative; and (d) judging whether the pixel has a horizontal edge direction or a vertical edge direction if the judged result in the step (b) is negative, wherein an edge pixel row in which the pixel is located comprises a rightmost edge pixel and a leftmost edge pixel, and the step (b) further comprises: (b1) judging whether at least one of an upper-right pixel of the rightmost edge pixel and a lower-left pixel of the leftmost edge pixel is an edge pixel, and judging the pixel as having the right-inclined edge direction if yes; and (b2) judging whether at least one of a lower-right pixel of the rightmost edge pixel and an upper-left pixel of the leftmost edge pixel is an edge pixel, and judging the pixel as having the left-inclined edge direction if yes, wherein the step (c) further comprises: (c1) judging whether each of the pixel direction pairs corresponding to the same inclined edge direction has at least one edge pixel; (c2) calculating a sum of absolute luminance differences between luminance values of each of the pixel direction pairs having the at least one edge pixel and a luminance value of the pixel; and (c3) determining a direction, which corresponds to the pixel direction pair having a minimum sum of absolute luminance differences, as the edge direction of the pixel, wherein one of the pixel direction pairs having at least one edge pixel only has one edge pixel, and wherein designating the one edge pixel and the pixel respectively have the luminance values y and Y, the sum of absolute luminance differences between the luminance values of the pixel direction pair and the luminance value of the pixel is 2×|y-Y| in the step (c2).