Enhanced fidelity reproduction of images by hierarchical template matching

A method for enhancing the contour fidelity of reproduction of an image represented by a plurality of signals on a microaddressable display system, comprising the steps of:

• storing a portion of the signals representing an image portion;
• isolating a region of the signals of said image portion to form a window including a central signal and a formation of signals surrounding said central signal;
• comparing a group of signals encompassing said central signal and within said window with a set of standard signal patterns, each of said patterns having particular correctable signal locations, said correctable signal locations based upon the contour represented by the pattern;
• identifying matching signal patterns;
• and
• enhancing said central signal with enhancement data from a look-up table corresponding to the matching pattern in said set of patterns if said central signal is located in a correctable location in said matching pattern.

A microaddressable display system for enhancing the contour fidelity of reproductions of an image represented by a plurality of pixels, comprising:

• means for receiving pixels of the image, said pixels representing at least portions of successive scan lines of the image;
• first memory means for storing a portion of said pixels;
• means for isolating a region of said pixels to form a composite pixel pattern;
• a source of hierarchical standard pixel patterns, said patterns arranged such that each next higher member in said hierarchical set is a composite of the previous member and an extension pattern of additional pixels, wherein a match of any pattern also matches all patterns lower in the hierarchy;
• means for comparing said composite pixel pattern with said hierarchical standard pixel patterns;
• logic means responsive to the comparison for producing signals representative of the comparison;
• and
• enhancing means responsive to said logic signals to produce enhanced values for each pixel of the image according to the highest priority pattern matched in said hierarchical standard pixel patterns.