102results about How to "Suppresses image quality degradation" patented technology

A plurality of macroblocks constituting coded data are inverse quantized using a first quantization matrix that is used when coding a picture, to obtain a plurality of sets of coefficient data. The first quantization matrix is converted to a second quantization matrix using a first conversion value and a second conversion value, where the first conversion value is for converting a low frequency coefficient corresponding to a frequency lower than a predetermined frequency among a plurality of coefficients shown by the first quantization matrix, and the second conversion value is for converting a high frequency coefficient among the plurality of coefficients and is larger than the first conversion value (Step S408). When the second quantization matrix is a matrix for increasing a coding rate of the coded data, a converted scale is calculated by multiplying a quantization scale corresponding to at least one macroblock by β1 (≧1). At least one part of the plurality of sets of coefficient data is quantized using the second quantization matrix and a calculated converted scale that corresponds to a macroblock corresponding to the at least one part of the plurality of sets of coefficient data.

Provided is a frame rate conversion apparatus for inputting a video signal and inserting an interpolation frame into the video signal so as to convert a frame rate of the video signal. The apparatus includes: an input unit for inputting the video signal; a video interpolation unit for generating an interpolation frame and performing an interpolation process of the video signal; and a control unit for controlling the generation process of the interpolation frame by the video interpolation unit. The video interpolation unit performs the interpolation frame generation process by using a plurality of methods, and the control unit controls switching between the plurality of interpolation frame generating methods.

It is intended to provide an image forming method, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus which have favorable cleaning properties and can suppress reduction in image quality caused by the contamination of a charging member. A surface layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member satisfies the condition (i) or (ii), and toner contains a resin having an isosorbide unit: (i) containing a fluorine resin particle and at lease one resin selected from the group consisting of a polyarylate resin and a polycarbonate resin, and (ii) containing at least one resin selected from the group consisting of a polyarylate resin and a polycarbonate resin each having a polysiloxane structure.

A solid-state imaging device includes pixels each of which includes a photoelectric converter configured to generate charges by photoelectric conversion, a holding unit configured to hold charges generated by the photoelectric converter, and a transfer unit configured to transfer charges from the photoelectric converter to the holding unit, and outputs a signal based on charges in the holding unit, a transfer control unit configured to control the transfer unit to transfer charges generated by the photoelectric converter during one exposure period to the holding unit by a variable number, which is one or greater, of transfer operations, an amplifier unit configured to amplify the signal, and a control unit configured to control a gain of the amplifier unit to be a first gain when the number of transfer operations is first number and to be a second gain when the number of transfer operations is a second number.

This invention is an image file generating method of generating an image file. The method includes: a still image data generating step of generating at least one still image data from a plurality of source still image data continuous in time sequence; an attribute information generating step of generating attribute information of the still image data; and a data file generating step of generating the still image data file using the generated still image data and the attribute information. The attribute information generating step includes a step of generating information available for image processing on the still image data in response to the generation of the still image data, as the attribute information.

A fixing device includes a fixing roller for fixing a toner image transferred onto a sheet and conveying the sheet along a conveyance path, and a separating mechanism for separating the sheet from the fixing roller. The separating mechanism includes a claw member having a tip portion in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the fixing roller to separate the sheet from the fixing roller, a holder member for holding the claw member, and a rotary member rotatably held in the holder member downstream of the tip portion relative to the conveyance path and adapted to guide the sheet separated from the fixing roller to a downstream side along the conveyance path while being rotated. The holder member has a guiding portion for guiding the sheet to the rotary member on the conveyance path between the tip portion of the claw member and the rotary member.

An image signal processing apparatus solves a problem of an increase in noise component contained in an image signal due to the gamma correction when a signal level is in a region where a slope of conversion characteristic is sharp, which problem has been detected in an image signal processing apparatus including gamma correction processing performed for achieving nonlinear conversion. The image signal is input to each of LPFs 40 and 42 which differ in transmission characteristic, and a selector 44 selects either one of outputs from the LPFs to send the selected output to the gamma correction circuit. The switching by the selector 44 is controlled by the filter control circuit 32. In the filter control circuit 32, a comparator 60 compares a signal level of an object pixel with a threshold value R. In the case where the signal level of the object pixel is in the region where the slope of conversion characteristic is sharp (less than R), the selector 44 is so controlled as to select the output from the LPF 42 which has a lower cutoff frequency and a larger noise component elimination effect as compared with the LPF 40.

An image processing apparatus which processes a captured image including angle information of a light beam traveling from the object, comprises a generation unit configured to generate a reconstructed image by reconstructing the captured image, an extraction unit configured to extract an address of a defective photoelectric conversion element which is included in photoelectric conversion elements which captured the captured image based on a plurality of reconstructed images corresponding to different imaging distances.

In order to provide an X-ray CT apparatus and the like that reconstruct an image using an iterative approximation method which ensures stable convergence and can be executed at high speed, a computation device 5 of an X-ray CT apparatus 1 calculates matrices A, B, D, R, and R′ on the basis of the scanning conditions input through an input device 6 (step 1). Then, the computation device 5 calculates each element of a matrix I−α(SB^TDA+βSR) (step 2). Then, the computation device 5 calculates the operator norm ∥I−α(SB^TDA+βSR)∥ of the matrix I−α(SB^TDA+βSR) (step 3). Then, the computation device 5 determines a relaxation coefficient α such that a predetermined conditional expression is satisfied (step 4).

The present disclosure relates to an image processing device and a method capable of suppressing the reduction of an image quality due to encoding/decoding. The image processing device includes: a quantization unit that when orthogonal transform processing is skipped with respect to a current block, quantizes all components of the current block using one weighting coefficient and when the orthogonal transform processing is performed on the current block, quantizes each component of the current block using a quantization matrix; an encoding unit that encodes the coefficient of the current block which is quantized by the quantization unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the coded data of the current block which is obtained by being encoded by the encoding unit. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, an image processing device.

This invention provides a printing method of printing on a printing medium. The method includes: a dot data generating step of performing a halftone process on image data representing a input tone value of each of pixels constituting an original image to determine a status of dot formation on each of print pixels of a print image to be formed on the print medium, for generating dot data representing the determined status of dot formation; and a print image generating step of forming a dot on each of the print pixels for generating the print image according to the dot data. The print image generating step includes the step of generating the print image by mutually combining dots formed on print pixels belonging to each of a plurality of pixel groups in a common print area, the plurality of pixel groups having a physical difference each other at the dot formation, the dot formation being performed with respect to each of the pixel groups. A plurality of pixel groups having a physical commonality for the dot formation among the plurality of pixel groups constitute a pixel group family. The halftone process is configured to give specified characteristics to all of a first dot pattern, a second dot pattern, and a third dot pattern, the first dot pattern being formed on print pixels of the print image, the second dot pattern being formed on print pixels belonging to each of the plurality of pixel groups, and the third dot pattern being formed on print pixels belonging to the pixel group family.

A printing system includes: a head that discharges electromagnetically-curable ink of multiple colors, each color having a different ease of curing with respect to electromagnetic wave, onto a medium; a provisional curing unit, common for all of the colors, that provisionally cures the electromagnetically-curable ink that has landed on the medium by irradiating the electromagnetically-curable ink with electromagnetic waves; and a controller that determines an irradiation condition of the provisional curing unit based on an ink discharge amount for each of the multiple colors per unit of area that has been found based on print data that has undergone a halftone process for each of the multiple colors, the ink discharge amount being weighted based on the ease of curing of each of the colors.

In a vertical retrace interval, a pre-charge potential or a signal potential is applied to each polarity for AC driving liquid crystal at least once each, so as to maintain fluctuations in pixel potential between the positive polarity side and the negative polarity side uniform, and minimum required potentials are supplied to the data signal line, thereby suppressing decrease in image quality without significantly increasing power consumption.

Input of image signals to part of a plurality of pixels included in a particular region of a pixel portion and supply of light to part of another plurality of pixels which is different from the part are performed concurrently. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a period in which light is supplied to all of the plurality of pixels included in the region after the image signals are input thereto. In other words, it is possible to start input of the next image signals to all of the plurality of pixels included in the region just after the image signals are input thereto. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the input frequency of the image signals. As a result, it is possible to suppress deteriorations of display caused in the field-sequential liquid crystal display device.

A stacked-type solid-state image sensor including a first semiconductor layer in which an imaging pixel portion is implemented, and a second semiconductor layer in which a digital signal processing unit is implemented, comprises a first timing control unit configured to generate a drive timing signal of the imaging pixel portion, an A/D converter configured to convert an analog signal output from each pixel of the imaging pixel portion into a digital signal, a second timing control unit configured to generate a drive timing signal of the A/D converter; and a status generation unit configured to receive an event signal generated by at least one of the first timing control unit and the second timing control unit and generate a status signal to restrict an operation of the digital signal processing unit.

A moving image converting apparatus includes: a block dividing unit executing block division processing for each of frames that form the moving image data; a motion amount detecting unit detecting a block motion amount corresponding to a motion amount of an object contained in each of blocks obtained; a line-of-sight motion amount detecting unit calculating a line-of-sight motion amount of a viewer who views the moving image data; a sampling point phase change amount determining unit receiving the block motion amount and the line-of-sight motion amount as input, and determining a block-corresponding sampling point phase change amount to be applied to spatial decimation processing on each of the blocks; and a decimation executing unit receiving the blocks obtained as input, executing the spatial decimation processing on the inputted blocks, the spatial decimation processing being executed by applying the block-corresponding sampling point phase change amount determined.

Disclosed are a printing apparatus and printing method which suppress degradation of the image quality caused by discharge failure complement. In the printing apparatus, virtual data are generated for predetermined dots in a scanning direction on the basis of printing data of a plurality of dots in the scanning direction of an inkjet printhead that are printed by an ink discharge failure nozzle among a plurality of nozzles. The priorities of dots subjected to complementary printing among a plurality of dots within a predetermined adjacent area where the printing data and virtual data are printed are decided on the basis of the printing data and virtual data. A position subjected to complementary printing is decided on the basis of the priorities, printing data, and virtual data. Printing data and virtual data which actually cause ink discharge are so moved as to print at the position. Corrected printing data to be actually printed is generated on the basis of the moved data. Printing is performed by driving the inkjet printhead on the basis of the corrected printing data.

A solid-state imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion unit including one microlens and a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, a read-out circuit unit configured to read out a first signal based on charges accumulated by one of the photoelectric conversion elements and a second signal based on charges accumulated by another one of the photoelectric conversion elements, and a signal processing unit configured to, in a case where the first signal is larger than a predetermined saturation signal level and the second signal, correct the first signal to a predetermined signal level based on the second signal so that a change rate of a third signal obtained by adding the first and second signals relative to a light amount approximates to the change rate in a case where the first signal is smaller than the predetermined saturation signal level.

A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a pixel array in which a plurality of unit cells are arranged to form a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein each of the plurality of unit cells includes a pixel, and the pixel comprising a photoelectric conversion element and an in-pixel readout circuit which outputs a signal corresponding to charges generated in the photoelectric conversion element, power is supplied to the plurality of unit cells via a power supply line and a ground line, and at least one of the plurality of unit cells includes at least a part of a capacitive element having a first electrode connected to the power supply line and a second electrode connected to the ground line.

A subject-side apparatus 10A is provided with a cine memory 15 for sequentially storing an ultrasonic signal that is received by an ultrasonic wave transmission/reception portion 12 per each frame. Every time after freezing when moving a pointer for designating a frame to be reproduced in a hospital-side apparatus 20A, a communication line interface 14 of the subject-side apparatus reproduces a frame that is required to be retransmitted by a console 24 of the hospital-side apparatus from the cine memory, and retransmits it to a communication line interface 21 of the hospital-side apparatus via a communication line 30. Then, an ultrasonic image of the retransmitted frame is displayed on a monitor 23. When an examiner performs a diagnosis with respect to a subject in a remote location via the communication line, an ultrasonic image can be displayed with sufficiently suppressed degradation of an image quality compared with an image quality of an original image, even at a low data rate of the communication line.

Bias lines are provided for respective columns of pixels, and of a plurality of bias lines, bias lines provided at an interval of 10 mm are connected to a bias power source through a current detector. The remaining bias lines are connected directly to the bias power source without passing through the current detector. In each pixel, if electric charge is generated by a radiation detection element in accordance with the dose of irradiated radiation, a current flows in the bias line in accordance with the generated electric charge. The current detector detects the current flowing in the bias line, and a control unit detects, as the timing of starting irradiation of a radiation, when the detected current (current value) is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and starts radiographing of a radiological image.

There is provided a moving image encoding apparatus for performing motion compensation prediction encoding. The apparatus comprises, among other things: a calculation unit configured to calculate, for each of a plurality of motion vectors, a difference between an encoding target block image and a reference block image which exists at a position moved based on the motion vector from a position in a reference image corresponding to the predetermined position; and a selection unit configured to select one motion vector from the plurality of motion vectors such that reducing a code amount when the selected motion vector is encoded and reducing the difference corresponding to the selected motion vector are achieved in predetermined balance. The predetermined balance gives priority to reducing the difference over reducing the code amount as a minimum value of a plurality of differences calculated by the calculation unit becomes smaller.

A restoration process using a restoration filter that is based on a point spread function for an optical system is performed for original image data acquired from an image-capturing element by an image taking of an object image using the optical system, so that recovery image data are acquired. The above restoration process is performed, in a point-image restoration processing section, for color data of the original image data in which a gradation correction has been performed by a logarithmic process. The restoration filter may be configured by a filter coefficient corresponding to the image data before the logarithmic process, or may be configured by a filter coefficient corresponding to the image data after the logarithmic process. Thus, by performing the restoration process capable of flexibly responding to various properties of the original image, it is possible to reduce the image degradation such as the ringing in the recovery image.

An image recording device includes a drive roller that conveys a recording medium by rotating, a driven roller that grasps the recording medium between it and the drive roller, a recording unit capable of recording an image on the recording medium arranged further to the downstream side than the drive roller in a first direction which is the recording media conveyance direction, and a control unit that records an image on the recording media while conveying the recording media in the first direction. The control unit, when the conveying of the recording media in the first direction stops, starts conveying the recording media in a second direction which is the reverse direction of the first direction, and stops conveying of the recording media in the second direction in a state with the image recorded on the recording media positioned between the drive roller and the driven roller.