Patent ID: 6915024

Claim:
A method of processing pixel intensity values of a plurality of pixels in a digital image, the method comprising: clipping those pixel intensity values outside of a variable range, the variable range for each of the pixels being a function of dynamic range of a local pixel neighborhood; and mapping those pixel intensity values within the variable range as follows: g ⁡ ( I ) = { ⁢ I - A ≤ - W m  I - A  < W A + D 2 ⁢ ⁢ W ⁢ ( I - A ) I - A ≥ W M ⁢ where m represents the minimum value of the neighborhood, M represents the maximum value of the neighborhood, D represent the dynamic range, D/(2 W) represents the slope, I represents pixel intensity value, g(I) represents the mapping operation, A represents the middle of a dynamic range, and 2 W represents width of a contrast range, the contrast range being centered about the middle of the dynamic range, the contrast range being a function of the dynamic range.