US 7,072,921 B2Granted

Device for determining the rank of a sample, an apparatus for determining the rank of a plurality of samples, and the ith rank ordered filter

AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

InventorYeong-Taeg Kim

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Abstract

A rank-determining device determines the rank of a particular sample value from a set of digital sample values by utilizing two different thresholders that are implemented by comparators. The rank of the sample value is decomposed by thresholding the sample value with all of the sample values in the set of digital sample values, and in this manner eliminates the necessity of a sorting operation. This decomposition of the rank will is referred to as self-threshold decomposition. A plurality of these rank-determining devices can be combined to form a rank determining apparatus in order to find the rank of each one of the digital samples in the set of digital samples. Because the rank-determining apparatus implements self-threshold decomposition, rank- and order-statistic based filters, such as the median filter, can be realized in a feasible manner.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A device for determining a rank of one of a plurality of sample values, comprising:

an adder having an output providing a result indicating a rank of a particular one of the plurality of the sample values;
at least one comparator of a first type, said comparator of said first type having a first input and a second input, said second input receiving the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, said first input receiving another one of the plurality of the sample values, said comparator of said first type having an output providing an output signal representing a logic one if the other one of the plurality of the sample values is not greater than the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, said output signal representing a logic zero otherwise;
and
at least one comparator of a second type, said comparator of said second type having a first input and a second input, said second input of said comparator of said second type receiving the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, said first input of said comparator of said second type receiving yet another one of the plurality of the sample values, said comparator of said second type having an output providing an output signal representing a logic one if the yet another one of the plurality of the sample values is less than the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, said output signal provided by said output of said comparator of said second type representing a logic zero otherwise;
said adder adding together a logic one, said output signal from said output of said comparator of said first type, and said output signal from said output of said comparator of said second type to obtain the result indicating the rank of the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, and said output of said adder providing the result.

2 more elements

A device for receiving n sample values and for determining a rank of an ith one of the n sample values, comprising:

an adder having an output providing a result indicating a rank of the ith one of the n sample values;
a number of comparators of a first type, each one of said comparators of said first type having a first input receiving a respective sample value selected from the group consisting of sample values beginning with a first one of the n sample values and ending with an i−1th one of the n sample values, each one of said comparators of said first type having a second input receiving the ith one of the n sample values, each one of said comparators of said first type having an output providing an output signal representing a logic one if the respective sample value at said first input is not greater than the ith one of the n sample values and representing a logic zero otherwise;
and
a number of comparators of a second type, each one of said comparators of said second type having a first input receiving a respective sample value selected from the group consisting of sample values beginning with an i+1th one of the n sample values and ending with an nth one of the n sample values, each one of said comparators of said second type having a second input receiving the ith one of the n sample values, each one of said comparators of said second type having an output providing an output signal representing a logic one if the respective sample value at said first input is less than the ith one of the n sample values and representing a logic zero otherwise;
said adder adding together a logic one, said output signal from said output of each one of said comparators of said first type, and said output signal from said output of each one of said comparators of said second type to obtain the result indicating the rank of the ith one of the n sample values, said output of said adder providing the result;
the number of said comparators of said first type being equal to i−1 and being equal to zero when the ith one of the n sample values is the first one of the n sample values;
and
the number of said comparators of said second type being equal to n−i and being equal to zero then the ith one of the n sample values is the nth one of the n sample values.

5 more elements

An apparatus for receiving n sample values and for determining a rank of each one of the n sample values, comprising:

a plurality of rank-detennining devices;
each one of said plurality of said rank-determining devices utilizing self-threshold decomposition to determine a rank of a respective one of the n sample values.

A method for determining a rank of one of a plurality of sample values, comprising the steps of:

(a) using a first comparator for comparing said particular value to a first one of the plurality of the sample values, and providing a first comparison result indicating if the first one of the plurality of the sample values is not greater than the particular value;
(b) using a second comparator for comparing said particular value to a second one of the plurality of the sample values, and providing a second comparison result indicating if the second one of the plurality of the sample values is less than said particular value;
and
(c) combining the first and second comparison results to obtain a ranking result indicating rank of said particular value.

1 more element

A method for determining a rank of an ith one of n sample values, comprising the steps of:

providing a number of comparators of a first type, each one of said comparators of said first type having a first input receiving a respective sample value selected from the group consisting of sample values beginning with a first one of the n sample values and ending with an i−1 one of the n sample values, each one of said comparators of said first type having a second input receiving the ith one of the n sample values, each one of said comparators of said first type having an output providing an output signal representing a logic one if the respective sample value at said first input is not greater than the ith one of the n sample values and representing a logic zero otherwise;
and
providing a number of comparators of a second type, each one of said comparators of said second type having a first input receiving a respective sample value selected from the group consisting of sample values beginning with an i+1th one of the n sample values and ending with an nth one of the n sample values, each one of said comparators of said second type having a second input receiving the ith one of the n sample values, each one of said comparators of said second type having an output providing an output signal representing a logic one if the respective sample value at said first input is less than the ith one of the n sample values and representing a logic zero otherwise;
providing an adder having an output providing a result indicating a rank of the ith one of the n sample values, said adder adding together a logic one, said output signal from said output of each one of said comparators of said first type, and said output signal from said output of each one of said comparators of said second type to obtain the result indicating the rank of the ith one of the n sample values, said output of said adder providing the result;
wherein the number of said comparators of said first type is equal to i−1, and equal to zero when the ith one of the n sample values is the first one of the n sample values;
and
wherein the number of said comparators of said second type is equal to n−i, and equal to zero when the ith one of the n sample values is the nth one of the n sample values.

4 more elements

A method for determining a rank of each one of the n sample values, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of rank-determining devices;
and
utilizing self-threshold decomposition to determine a rank of a respective one of the n sample values in each one of said plurality of said rank-determining devices.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/011,877Filed 3 Dec 2001 · us provisional application
Priority: 20 Dec 2000
Published: US 2002/0073126 A113 Jun 2002
Granted: 4 Jul 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06F 7/026
Comparing digital values: magnitude comparison, i.e. determining the relative order of operands based on their numerical value, e.g. window comparator
H03H 17/0263
Non linear filters: rank order filters
G06F
Computing and data processing
H03H
Impedance networks