Image processing apparatus and method, and image coding apparatus and method

A liquid-crystal-driving image processing circuit that receives image data corresponding to voltages applied to a liquid crystal, the image data indicating gray-scale values of pixels in an image, corrects the image data according to variations in the gray-scale values of the pixels, and outputs the corrected image data, comprising:

• an encoder that compressively encodes the image data representing a current frame of the image block by block, thereby outputting encoded image data corresponding to the image in the current frame;
• a first decoder that decodes the encoded image data output by the encoder, thereby outputting first decoded image data corresponding to the image data of the current frame;
• a delay circuit that delays the encoded image data output by the encoder for an interval corresponding to one frame;
• a second decoder that decodes the encoded image data output from the delay circuit, thereby outputting second decoded image data corresponding to the image data one frame before the current frame;
• a variation calculator that determines variations of the pixels between the first decoded data and the second decoded data;
• a preceding-frame image calculator that uses the image data of the current frame and said variations to calculate reconstructed image data corresponding to the image data one frame before the current frame;
• and
• an image data corrector that corrects the gray-scale values of the image in the current frame on a basis of the image data of the current frame and the reconstructed image data;
• wherein the encoder includes
• an image data blocker that divides the image data into a plurality of non-overlapping unit blocks and outputting block image data,
• a dynamic range generator that determines a dynamic range of the block image data in each unit block, or in each compound block consisting of a plurality of consecutive blocks,
• a mean value generator that outputs, as mean value data, a mean value of the image data in each unit block in the current frame or a mean value of the image data in a compound block including the unit block, on the basis of the dynamic range data;
• and
• a pixel decimator that reduces the number of pixels for which quantized values are determined, and the pixel decimator adjusts the amount by which the number of pixels is reduced according to the dynamic range data.

An image processing method for receiving image data corresponding to voltages applied to a liquid crystal, the image data indicating gray-scale values of pixels in an image, correcting the image data according to variations in the gray-scale values of the pixels, and outputting the corrected image data, comprising:

• an encoding step for compressively encoding the image data representing a current frame of the image block by block, thereby outputting encoded image data corresponding to the image in the current frame;
• a first decoding step for decoding the encoded image data output by the encoding step, thereby outputting first decoded image data corresponding to the image data of the current frame;
• a delay step for delaying the encoded image data output by the encoding step for an interval corresponding to one frame;
• a second decoding step for decoding the encoded image data output from the delay step, thereby outputting second decoded image data corresponding to the image data one frame before the current frame;
• a variation calculation step for determining variations of the pixels between the first decoded data and the second decoded data;
• a preceding-frame image calculation step for using the image data of the current frame and said variations to calculate reconstructed image data corresponding to the image data one frame before the current frame;
• and
• an image data correction step for correcting the gray-scale values of the image in the current frame on a basis of the image data of the current frame and the reconstructed image data;
• wherein the encoding step includes
• a data blocking step for dividing the image data into a plurality of non-overlapping unit blocks and outputting block image data,
• a dynamic range generating step for determining a dynamic range of the block image data in each unit block, or in each compound block consisting of a plurality of consecutive blocks, and
• a mean value generating step for outputting, as mean value data, a mean value of the image data in each unit block in the current frame or a mean value of the image data in a compound block including the unit block, on the basis of the dynamic range data,
• wherein the mean value generating step includes:
• a mean value calculating step for calculating mean values in each unit block and mean values in the compound block;
• and
• a mean value selecting step for selecting one of the mean value of each unit block and the mean value of the compound block according to the dynamic range.