US 5,327,260 AGranted

Image processing apparatus for smoothing edges of image

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorsMutsuo Shimomae, Masayoshi Watanuki, Shinichiro Nishioka

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Abstract

An image processing system for smoothing edges of an image, includes a sampling part for sampling a group of dots from an image having a plurality of input black and white dots, the group of dots having a target dot at the center of a region and being sampled for each dot of the image, a recognition part for recognizing a dot pattern from the sampled dots, the dot pattern described by successive black dots and located at a boundary between a black dot region and a white dot region, and for producing code signals from the result of the recognition to define features of the dot pattern for each target dot, a discrimination part for detecting whether or not each target dot is part of an inclined line having a gradient relative to horizontal or vertical direction in response to the code signals, thus determining whether or not each target dot is to be corrected, a correction part with a memory, for inputting the code signals to the memory as address inputs when the dot is to be corrected, and for outputting a corresponding correction dot data from the memory in accordance with the code signals, and an output part for outputting an image with corrected dots which are in accordance with the correction dot data of the correction part.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An image processing apparatus for, smoothing edges of an image having a plurality of dots arranged in a dot matrix formation, said image processing apparatus comprising:

sampling means for sampling a group of dots from an image having a plurality of input black and white dots arranged in columns and lines, said group of dots being included in a prescribed region of the image, having a target dot at the center of the region, and being sampled with respect to each dot of the image;
pattern recognition means for recognizing a dot pattern from said sampled dots of said sampling means, said dot pattern being described by successive black dots and located at a boundary between a black dot region of the image and a white dot region thereof, and for producing a set of code signals with respect to each target dot from the result of the recognition, said code signals defining features of the recognized dot pattern for each target dot;
discrimination means for detecting whether or not each target dot is part of an inclined line having a gradient relative to the horizontal or vertical direction, in response to at least one of the code signals of said pattern recognition means, so that it is determined whether or not each target dot is to be corrected in order for smoothing edges of the image;
correction means having a pattern memory in which a set of predetermined correction dot data is stored, for inputting said code signals of said pattern recognition means to said pattern memory as address inputs when it is determined that the target dot is to be corrected, and for reading a corresponding correction dot data from said pattern memory in accordance with said code signals for each target dot;
and
output means for outputting an image with corrected dots which are in accordance with the correction dot data of said correction means for each target dot.

3 more elements

A method for smoothing edges of an image having a plurality of dots arranged in a dot matrix formation, said method comprising steps of:

sampling a group of dots from an image having a plurality of input black and white dots arranged in columns and lines, said group of dots being included in a prescribed region of the image, having a target dot at the center of the region, and being sampled with respect to each dot of the image;
recognizing a dot pattern from said sampled dots, said dot pattern being described by successive black dots and located at a boundary between a black dot region of the image and a white dot region thereof;
producing a plurality of code signals with respect to each target dot from the result of the recognition, said code signals defining features of the recognized dot pattern with respect to each target dot;
detecting whether or not each target dot is part of an inclined line having a gradient relative to horizontal direction or vertical direction, in response to at least one of the code signals, thus determining whether or not each target dot is to be corrected for smoothing edges of the image;
inputting said code signals for each target dot to a pattern memory as address inputs when it is determined that the target dot is to be corrected;
reading a corresponding correction dot data from said pattern memory in accordance with said code signals for each target dot;
and
outputting an image with corrected dots which are in accordance with the correction dot data of the pattern memory for each target dot.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.