Patent · US Expired

Image processing method and apparatus using separate processing for pseudohalf tone area

US5832141A · kind A · utility

30Cited by
35References
35Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 7, 1997
Grant dateNov 3, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 7, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T2207/20012
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In variably magnifying and outputting an image, proper variable magnification processing is performed with respect to a character/line draw component and a pseudo-halftone component, respectively. A binary image acquired by a binary image acquiring unit is supplied to an image area separating unit, in which the binary image is separated into a character/line draw area and a pseudo-halftone area. An image in the character/line draw area is supplied to an outline variable magnification unit, which performs extraction of outline vector data, smoothing processing thereof, and reproduction processing of a binary image. An image in the pseudo-halftone area is supplied to a pseudo-halftone image variable magnification unit, in which the image is subjected to multivalue conversion processing in units of pixels, variable magnification processing by thinning or interpolation of pixels, and binarization again. A synthesizing unit synthesizes binary images output from these variable magnification unit and outputs the synthesized image to a binary image output unit.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.