# US 2024/0202884 A1 · Image processing device and blurred image generation method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2024/0202884 A1 - Document ID: US20240202884A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/448,666 - Filed: 2023-08-11 - Published: 2024-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-12-20 - Assignees: SK hynix Inc. - Applicants: SK hynix Inc. - Inventors: Kunihiro Yamamoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240202884A1 ## CPC - G06T 5/70: Denoising; Smoothing - G06T 3/4007: based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation (image demosaicing G06T3/4015; edge-driven or edge-based scaling G06T3/403) - G06T 7/11: Region-based segmentation - G06T 7/194: involving foreground-background segmentation - G06T 2207/20016: Hierarchical, coarse-to-fine, multiscale or multiresolution image processing; Pyramid transform - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract An embodiment relates to an image processing device. The image processing device according to an embodiment includes a pre-processor configured to extract a background area of an image based on pixel data received from an external device and generate a low-resolution sub-image in which the background area is downscaled, a background blur component configured to generate an intermediate image in which a blur operation is performed on the low-resolution sub-image and upscale the intermediate image to original resolution, and an image compositer configured to generate a blurred image in which a foreground area of the image is composited to the upscaled intermediate image. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image processing device comprising: a pre-processor configured to extract a background area of an image based on pixel data received from an external device and generate a low-resolution sub-image in which the background area is downscaled; a background blur component configured to generate an intermediate image in which a blur operation is performed on the low-resolution sub-image and upscale the intermediate image to original resolution; and an image compositer configured to generate a blurred image in which a foreground area of the image is composited to the upscaled intermediate image. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image processing device of claim 1, wherein the pre-processor determines a target resolution of the low-resolution sub-image based on an intensity of the blur operation, and performs a downscaling operation according to the target resolution. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image processing device of claim 2, wherein the pre-processor determines the target resolution to be less as the intensity of the blur operation increases. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The image processing device of claim 2, wherein the pre-processor determines the background area and the foreground area based on depth information of the image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The image processing device of claim 2, wherein the pre-processor performs the downscaling operation in a bilinear interpolation method, and generates the low-resolution sub-image having the target resolution. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The image processing device of claim 2, wherein the background blur component determines the intensity of the blur operation based on a depth of field of the blurred image, and performs the blur operation according to the intensity of the blur operation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The image processing device of claim 6, wherein the background blur component determines the intensity of the blur operation to be greater as the depth of field is shallower. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The image processing device of claim 6, wherein the background blur component generates a kernel of a point spread function corresponding to the intensity of the blur operation, and performs a convolution operation of the low-resolution sub-image and the kernel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image processing device of claim 8, wherein the background blur component determines a size of the kernel based on the target resolution. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The image processing device of claim 2, wherein the background blur component performs the upscaling operation on the intermediate image in response to the downscaling operation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image processing device of claim 10, wherein the background blur component performs the upscaling operation in a bicubic interpolation method, and generates the intermediate image having the original resolution. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The image processing device of claim 6, wherein the pre-processor determines a size of the extracted background area based on the depth of field. ### Claim 13 An image processing method comprising: extracting a background area of an image based on pixel data received from an external device; generating a low-resolution sub-image in which a downscaling operation is performed on the background area; performing a blur operation on the low-resolution sub-image; upscaling an intermediate image on which the blur operation is performed to original resolution; and compositing the upscaled intermediate image and a foreground area of the image. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The image processing method of claim 13, wherein the extracting of the background area comprises: determining the background area based on depth information of the image; and determining a size of the background area based on a depth of field for the blur operation. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The image processing method of claim 14, wherein generating the low-resolution sub-image comprises: determining target resolution of the low-resolution sub-image based on the depth of field; and performing the downscaling operation on the background area in a bilinear interpolation method according to the target resolution. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The image processing method of claim 15, wherein performing the blur operation comprises: determining an intensity of the blur operation based on the target resolution; generating a kernel of a point spread function corresponding to the intensity of the blur operation; and performing a convolution operation of the low-resolution sub-image and the kernel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The image processing method of claim 16, wherein generating the kernel of the point spread function comprises determining a size of the kernel based on the target resolution. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The image processing method of claim 15, wherein the upscaling comprises: determining the original resolution corresponding to the target resolution; upscaling the intermediate image in a bicubic interpolation method; and generating the intermediate image having the original resolution. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The image processing method of claim 13, wherein compositing the intermediate image and the foreground area comprises generating a blurred image in which the foreground area is composited to the intermediate image having the same resolution as the foreground area. ### Claim 20 An image processing system comprising: an image sensor configured to generate pixel data including brightness information and depth information; and an image processing device configured to generate a blurred image in which a background area of an image is blurred based on the pixel data, wherein the image processing device comprises: a pre-processor configured to extract the background area of the image based on the depth information and generate a low-resolution sub-image for the background area based on an intensity of a blur operation; a background blur component configured to generate an intermediate image in which the blur operation is performed on the low-resolution sub-image and increase resolution of the intermediate image; and an image compositer configured to composite the intermediate image of which resolution is increased to a foreground area of the image.