Image processing system and image processing method

Claim 2

An image processing system according to claim 1, wherein, when said image data is represented by plural component values corresponding to luminance, said number-of-color detecting means determines the luminance by a weighting integration of said component values.

Claim 3

An image processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said number-of-color detecting means samples pixels almost uniformly from among all the pixels and detects the number of colors on the basis of the image data of each of the sampled pixels.

Claim 4

An image processing according to any of claims 1 to 3, further including: a pre-gray level transformation means having a table which includes calorimetric gradation data in a color specification space after transformation associated with lattice points in a color specification space before transformation, said pre-gray level transformation means performs a gray level transformation of calorimetric gradation data before transformation into calorimetric gradation data corresponding to lattice points of said table, then refers to said table, reads the corresponding calorimetric gradation data and makes a color transformation thereof; an interpolating color transformation means using a cache and capable of making a color transformation into the corresponding calorimetric gradation data by an interpolating operation between lattice points on said table, said interpolating color transformation means having a storage area capable of reading in and storing information of said color transformation at a high speed, and said interpolating color transformation means causing the color transformation to be performed by an interpolating operation when said information is not stored in said storage area; and a color transformation selection control means which causes the color transformation to be performed using said pre-gray level transformation means when the image data is of a natural picture using a large number of colors and which causes the color transformation to be performed using said interpolating color transformation means when the number of colors which the image data uses is small and the image data is not of a natural picture.

Claim 5

An image processing system according to any of claims 1 to 4, further including: a natural picture discriminating means which judges the image data to be of a natural picture when the number of colors detected is not less than a predetermined number; and an edge highlighting means which, when the image data has been judged to be of a natural picture by said natural picture discriminating means, determines a low frequency component on the basis of a surrounding pixel distribution for each pixel as a constituent of the image data and diminishes said low frequency component, thereby eventually enhancing the edge degree of each pixel.

Claim 6

An image processing method for applying a predetermined image processing to image data which represents information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form from an image, said method comprising: inputting said image data, regarding information corresponding to the luminance of each pixel as color, detecting the number of colors used, and judging the type of image on the basis of the detected number of colors.

Claim 7

An image processing system including: a luminance distribution totaling means which inputs image data representing information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form from an image and which totals luminance values of pixels into a luminance distribution as a whole; and an image data luminance transforming means which, when the totaled luminance values in the luminance distribution are not widely dispersed in an effective luminance range of the image data, transforms the luminance information of each pixel in the image data so that the luminance values are widely dispersed in said luminance range.

Claim 8

An image processing system according to claim 7, wherein said image data luminance transforming means compares a statistical width of the detected luminance distribution with the width of said luminance range and determines an enlargeable degree as an enlargement ratio, determines an adjustment value so that the upper and lower ends of the enlarged luminance distribution are received within said luminance range, and amends the luminance of each pixel individually.

Claim 9

An image processing system according to claim 8, wherein, when a reproducible luminance range is assumed to be y range, determines a luminance Y after transformation from a luminance y before transformation and from a maximum value y max and a minimum value y min of a luminance distribution range, in accordance with the following expression: Y = ay + b where, a = y range/(y max - y min) b = -a·y min or y range-a·y max and if Y is smaller than 0, Y is set equal to 0, and if Y is larger than y range, Y is set equal to y range.

Claim 10

An image processing system according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein said image data luminance transforming means determines a luminance before transformation and a maximum distribution luminance and executes γ correction to change the luminance distribution so that the range to which said maximum distribution luminance belongs has a desired brightness.

Claim 11

An image processing system according to any of claims 7 to 10, wherein, at the time of obtaining said luminance distribution, said luminance distribution totaling means regards portions located inside by a predetermined distribution ratio from end portions of an actual luminance distribution, as end portions.

Claim 12

An image processing system according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein said image data luminance transforming means sets an enlarged luminance distribution inside end portions of said luminance range by a predetermined amount.

Claim 13

An image processing system according to any of claims 7 to 12, wherein a limit is placed on an enlarged range of the luminance distribution.

Claim 14

An image processing system according to claim 13, wherein said image data luminance transforming means causes the position of the luminance distribution before transformation and that of the luminance distribution after transformation to be retained within said luminance range.

Claim 15

An image processing system according to claim 14, wherein the ratio of an enlargeable range which remained at each of both upper and lower ends of the luminance distribution range before transformation is retained also after transformation.

Claim 16

An image processing method for applying a predetermined image processing to image data which represents information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form from an image, said method comprising: totaling luminance values of the pixels into a luminance distribution as a whole, and when the totaled luminance values are not widely dispersed in an effective luminance range of the image data, transforming the luminance information of each pixel in the image data so that the luminance values in the luminance distribution are widely dispersed in the luminance distribution.

Claim 17

An image processing system including: a saturation distribution totaling means which inputs image data representing information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form from an image and which totals saturation values of the pixels into a saturation distribution as a whole; a saturation transforming degree judging means for judging, from the saturation distribution obtained by said saturation distribution totaling means, to what degree the saturation of the image data is to be transformed; and an image data saturation transforming means which modifies saturation information in the image data into new image data on the basis of the transformation degree judged by said saturation transforming degree judging means.

Claim 18

An image processing system according to claim 17, wherein the saturation of each pixel is judged in accordance with the saturation of a warm color hue in color components.

Claim 19

An image processing system according to claim 17 or claim 18, wherein when the color components of the image data are represented by red (R), green (G) and blue (B), the saturation (X) is represented by the following expression: X = |G+B-2xR|

Claim 20

An image processing system according to any of claims 17 to 19, wherein said saturation transforming degree judging means highlightens the saturation when the saturation at a predetermined ratio from the upper end of the totaled saturation distribution is small, and weakens the saturation highlighting degree when the saturation is large.

Claim 21

An image processing method for applying a predetermined image processing to image data which represents information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form, said method comprising: totaling saturation values of the pixels into a saturation distribution as a whole, judging, from the totaled saturation distribution, to what degree the saturation of the image data is to be transformed, and modifying saturation information in the image data into new image data on the basis of the judged transformation degree.

Claim 22

An image processing system for inputting image data which represents information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form from an image and for executing a predetermined image processing, said image processing system including: a contrast enlarging means for enlarging a luminance distribution in the image data; a saturation highlighting means for highlighting the saturation in the image data; and a highlighting process suppressing means for suppressing a luminance distribution enlarging operation and a saturation highlighting operation with respect to each other.

Claim 23

An image processing system according to claim 22, wherein said highlighting process suppressing means correlates a parameter which represents a luminance distribution enlarging degree in said contrast enlarging means and a parameter which represents a saturation highlighting degree in said saturation highlighting means with each other so that when one is large, the other is small.

Claim 24

An image processing method comprising inputting image data which represents information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form from an image, enlarging a luminance distribution in the image data, and highlighting the saturation in the image data, wherein the luminance distribution enlarging operation and the saturation highlighting operation are suppressed with respect to each other.

Claim 25

An image processing system for inputting image data which represents information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form from an image and executing a predetermined image processing, said image processing system including: a frame discriminating means which judges a portion of the image data to be a frame portion on the basis of the image data if an extremely large number of certain pixels are included therein; and an image data excluding means which excludes from the image processing the image data of the pixels having been judged to be a frame portion.

Claim 26

An image processing system according to claim 25, wherein said frame discriminating means judges pixels to be a candidate for the frame portion which pixels take both- end values in an effective range of the image data.

Claim 27

An image processing system according to claim 25 or claim 26, wherein, when the image data is of a natural picture, said frame discriminating means totals luminance values of the pixels into a luminance distribution as a whole and judges pixels to be a candidate for the frame portion which pixels are of prominent luminance values in said luminance distribution.

Claim 28

An image processing method for applying a predetermined image processing to image data which represents information of each of pixels resolved in a dot matrix form, said method comprising judging a portion of the image data to be a frame portion on the basis of the image data if an extremely large number of certain pixels are included therein, and excluding from the image processing the image data of the pixels having been judged to be a frame portion.