Image analysis – Image compression or coding – Pyramid – hierarchy – or tree structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-18
2004-01-13
Do, Anh Hong (Department: 2721)
Image analysis
Image compression or coding
Pyramid, hierarchy, or tree structure
C382S239000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06678420
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method and an image processing apparatus which are used in progressive transfer of hierarchically stored image data and for carrying out processing, based on data at an intermediate hierarchical level being transferred, on hierarchical data to be transferred after the data at the intermediate hierarchical level have been transferred and/or on image data having been transferred, and also to a recording medium readable by a computer and storing a program to cause a computer to execute the processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the case where image data stored in an image server or the like are transferred to a terminal to be displayed on a monitor such as a CRT display, the image data are conventionally transferred through raster scan thereof. Therefore, an image is raster-displayed on the monitor. In other words, the image is sequentially reproduced on the monitor from the top to the bottom thereof. Likewise, when an image recorded in a recording medium such as a ZIP disc or an MO disc is displayed on a monitor, the image data are read from the recording medium and transferred to the monitor while being raster-scanned. In other words, the image is displayed while being raster-scanned. For this reason, in the field of medicine for example, when a patient's radiation image or the like is transferred from an image server and displayed on a monitor, the content of the image is not understood until the entire image has been displayed even in the case where the image being transferred is unnecessary or wrong. As a result, confirmation of the content of an image is time-consuming and efficient diagnosis is not carried out.
Meanwhile, a photograph finishing system in a laboratory displays each image stored in a recording medium on a monitor and after that appropriateness of the image and necessity of correction are judged. Therefore, if image data are read from a recording medium and displayed on a monitor while being raster-scanned, confirmation of the content of the image after the entire image has been displayed is time-consuming and efficient printing cannot be carried out.
As a format for storing image data, various formats such as JPEG, GIF, and TIFF are used. Recently, another format has been proposed. According to this format, image data are stored in a hierarchy based on resolution or density resolution by using wavelet transform or the like and data at each level of the hierarchy (hierarchical data) are stored after coding and compression thereof. This storage format is called JPEG 2000 format. More specifically, image data are decomposed into hierarchical data according to multiple resolutions or density resolutions through wavelet transform or the like, and the hierarchical data at each resolution or density resolution are coded according to the hierarchy and saved as a file after compression thereof.
The JPEG 2000 method has the following characteristics:
(1) Unlike DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) method used in the conventional JPEG format, no artifacts such as block distortion are created, since image data are not processed in each block.
(2) Only resolution information which is necessary for transfer of image data needs to be transferred, since the image data are to coded hierarchically. This enables efficient image transfer.
(3) Various kinds of image processing such as frequency enhancing processing can be carried out comparatively easily, since image data are decomposed into data at multiple resolutions or multiple density resolutions.
(4) Simultaneous decomposition of space and frequency according to multiple-resolution analysis is possible. In a low frequency range wherein coding is greatly affected, an orthogonal transform can be carried out in a wide range, whereas in a high frequency range, an orthogonal transform is possible in a narrow range. Therefore, even when quantization noise near an edge of an image is generated, spatial spread of the noise can be suppressed. As a result, the noise is not easy to perceive.
Like a FlashPix file proposed by Eastman Kodak Co., a file format enabling storage of data sets having different characteristics in a file has also been proposed. Hierarchical data decomposed into multiple resolutions or density resolutions can be stored in such a file according to the FlashPix standard.
When image data storing hierarchical images, such as in a JPEG 2000 file or a FlashPix file, are displayed on a monitor or the like, sequential data transfer to the monitor and image reproduction on the monitor from low resolution or low density resolution (hereinafter, simply expressed as resolution) to high resolution is carried out. This is called progressive transfer (or progressive reproduction in the case of reproduction). When the data transferred progressively are displayed on a monitor, an entire low resolution image is displayed first, and images with gradually improving sharpness are reproduced in accordance with increasing resolution of the data.
In the case of a FlashPix file, sequential display of transferred hierarchical image data leads to progressive reproduction of the images. In the case of a JPEG 2000 file, the transferred hierarchical data are first restructured into data enabling reproduction of an image at the resolution or density resolution according to the hierarchical level of the image and images are progressively reproduced based on the restructured data. As for the JPEG 2000 file, data enabling reproduction of an image can be generated from hierarchical data by a server storing the file and transferred from the server in some cases. The images are progressively reproduced by sequential reproduction of the transferred data from low resolution to high resolution.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an image processing method and an image processing apparatus for carrying out processing on image data transferred progressively in the manner as has been described above, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to execute the processing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An image processing method of the present invention is an image processing method of carrying out processing, upon progressive transfer of hierarchically stored image data at each hierarchical level, on hierarchical data to be transferred progressively and/or on image data having been transferred. The image processing method of the present invention comprises the steps of:
determining the content of processing carried out, based on hierarchical data at a predetermined intermediate hierarchical level out of the hierarchical data at each hierarchical level transferred progressively, on hierarchical data to be transferred after the data at the intermediate hierarchical level and/or on the image data having been transferred, and
carrying out processing on the hierarchical data to be transferred and/or on the image data having been transferred, based on the determined content of the processing.
The term “progressive transfer” means transferring hierarchically stored image data structured according to multiple resolutions or density resolutions, sequentially from low resolution data to high resolution data. The data at each hierarchical level may have been coded or not coded. The hierarchical data to be transferred are different depending on a file format of the image data. In other words, in the case of a JPEG 2000 file (hereinafter called case
1
), the data to be transferred progressively are data representing an edge component (high frequency component) at each resolution hierarchically structured by wavelet transform, or data representing an edge component in an image at each density resolution. In the case of a FlashPix file (hereinafter called case
2
), the data to be transferred are data corresponding to a resolution or density resolution. In the case of a JPEG 2000 file storing hierarchical data at each hierarchical level to be restructured into data enabling reproduction of an image b
Ito Wataru
Takeo Hideya
Yamada Masahiko
Do Anh Hong
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
LandOfFree
Method, apparatus and recording medium for image processing does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method, apparatus and recording medium for image processing, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method, apparatus and recording medium for image processing will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3230001