Image processing apparatus and method, and program

An image processing apparatus for processing an image, comprising:

• repeating-component extracting means for extracting repeating components from the image, the repeating components being repeatedly appearing, similar components in the image;
• repeating-component location adjusting means for adjusting the location of the repeating components extracted by the repeating-component extracting means by equally locating the repeating components extracted by the repeating-component extracting means at regular intervals on a screen;
• area interpolation means for interpolating a representative value of an image without the repeating components into some of the areas forming the image in which the location of the repeating components is not adjusted;
• and
• feature information generating means for generating feature information indicating the repeating components in the image interpolated by the area interpolation means and a feature of the location of the repeating components.

An image processing method for an image processing apparatus for processing an image, comprising:

• extracting by a processor repeating components from the image by the image processing apparatus, the repeating components being repeatedly appearing, similar components in the image;
• adjusting the location of the repeating components by equally locating the repeating components extracted by the extracting at regular intervals on a screen of the image processing apparatus;
• interpolating a representative value of a second image without the repeating components into some of the areas forming the image in which the location of the repeating components is not adjusted to create a third image;
• and
• generating feature information indicating the repeating components located in the third image and a feature of the location of the repeating components.

A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

• extracting repeating components from the image, the repeating components being repeatedly appearing, similar components in the image;
• adjusting the location of the repeating components by equally locating the repeating components extracted by the extracting at regular intervals on a screen;
• interpolating a representative value of a second image without the repeating components into some of the areas forming the image in which the location of the repeating components is not adjusted to create a third image;
• and
• generating feature information indicating the repeating components located in the third image and a feature of the location of the repeating components.

An image processing apparatus for processing an image, comprising:

• edge extracting means for extracting edges in at least one of a substantially horizontal direction and a substantially vertical direction from an input image;
• mode-value calculating means for calculating a mode value of intervals between two edges on the image in the substantially horizontal direction or in the substantially vertical direction for all possible combinations of edge pairs of the edges extracted by the edge extracting means;
• and
• repeating-cycle calculating means for detecting linkage portions of a set of edge pairs having the mode value of the intervals calculated by the mode-value calculating means, areas sandwiched between the two edges of the edge pairs having the mode value being continuously adjacent to each other, and for calculating a statistically representative value of the intervals of the two edges of the edge pairs having the linkage portions as a repeating cycle of the extracted edges.

An image processing method for an image processing apparatus for processing an image, comprising:

• extracting by a processor edges in at least one of a substantially horizontal direction and a substantially vertical direction from an input image by the image processing apparatus;
• calculating a mode value of intervals between two edges on the image in the substantially horizontal direction or in the substantially vertical direction for all possible combinations of edge pairs of the edges extracted by the extracting edges;
• and
• detecting linkage portions of a set of edge pairs having the mode value of the intervals calculated by the calculating a mode value, areas sandwiched between the two edges of the edge pairs having the mode value being continuously adjacent to each other, and for calculating a statistically representative value of the intervals of the two edges of the edge pairs having the linkage portions as a repeating cycle of the extracted edges.

A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

• extracting edges in at least one of a substantially horizontal direction and a substantially vertical direction from an input image;
• calculating a mode value of intervals between two edges on the image in the substantially horizontal direction or in the substantially vertical direction for all possible combinations of edge pairs of the edges extracted by the extracting edges;
• and
• detecting linkage portions of a set of edge pairs having the mode value of the intervals calculated by the calculating a mode value, areas sandwiched between the two edges of the edge pairs having the mode value being continuously adjacent to each other, and for calculating a statistically representative value of the intervals of the two edges of the edge pairs having the linkage portions as a repeating cycle of the extracted edges.

An image processing system for processing an image, comprising:

• an edge extracting unit extracting edges in at least one of a substantially horizontal direction and a substantially vertical direction from an input image;
• a mode-value calculator calculating a mode value of intervals between two edges on the image in the substantially horizontal direction or in the substantially vertical direction for all possible combinations of edge pairs of the edges extracted by the edge extracting unit;
• a repeating-cycle calculator detecting linkage portions of a set of edge pairs having the mode value of the intervals calculated by the mode-value calculator, areas sandwiched between the two edges of the edge pairs having the mode value being continuously adjacent to each other, and calculating a statistically representative value of the intervals of the two edges of the edge pairs having the linkage portions as a repeating cycle of the extracted edges;
• an image dividing unit dividing the input image by the repeating cycle of the extracted edges in a direction in which the edges repeatedly appear so as to generate a plurality of first blocks, which are small areas divided from the input image, and setting a statistically representative color of each of the plurality of first blocks for the corresponding first block;
• a block integrator coupling, among the plurality of first blocks generated by dividing the input image by the image dividing unit, a plurality of adjacent first block whose color difference is within a predetermined range from a second block and setting the color of the second block to the statistically representative color of the coupled first blocks so as to integrate the second block into the plurality of first blocks;
• an area generator dividing the input image by boundaries of the second block in the substantially horizontal direction or in the substantially vertical direction generated by integrating the plurality of first blocks by the block integrator so as to generate a plurality of areas for substituting the color;
• an area substituting unit substituting, among the plurality of areas generated by the area generator, an area having the largest proportion of a predetermined statistically representative color for colors of the other areas;
• an area extracting unit extracting areas having a predetermined or greater size among the areas substituted by the area substituting unit;
• a repeating-component extracting unit extracting repeating components, which are repeatedly appearing, similar components, in the areas extracted by the area extracting unit;
• a screen configured to display an image;
• a repeating-component location adjusting unit adjusting the location of the repeating components extracted by the repeating-component extracting unit by equally locating the repeating components extracted by the repeating-component extracting unit at regular intervals on the screen;
• an area interpolator interpolating a representative value of an image without the repeating components into some of the areas forming the image in which the location of the repeating components is not adjusted;
• a feature information generator generating feature information indicating the repeating components located in the image interpolated by the areas interpolator and a feature of the location of the repeating components;
• an acquiring unit acquiring the feature information generated by the feature information generator;
• and
• a reproduction unit reproducing the image based on the feature information acquired by the acquiring unit.

An image processing apparatus for processing an image, comprising:

• a processor including an edge extracting unit extracting edges in at least one of a substantially horizontal direction and a substantially vertical direction from an input image;
• a mode-value calculator calculating a mode value of intervals between two edges on the image in the substantially horizontal direction or in the substantially vertical direction for all possible combinations of edge pairs of the edges extracted by the edge extracting unit;
• and
• a repeating-cycle calculator detecting linkage portions of a set of edge pairs having the mode value of the intervals calculated by the mode-value calculator, areas sandwiched between the two edges of the edge pairs having the mode value being continuously adjacent to each other, and calculating a statistically representative value of the intervals of the two edges of the edge pairs having the linkage portions as a repeating cycle of the extracted edges.