Image Quality Device Frequency Segmentation Sharpness Contrast

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional image quality improving devices struggle to enhance both the feeling of sharpness and contrast, particularly as screen sizes increase, and fail to effectively differentiate image quality improvement effects.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves a multi-filter and multiplier configuration, including low pass filters, subtracters, high pass filters, and adders, to extract and emphasize specific frequency components of a video signal, generating corrected components that enhance both low and high frequency bands, thereby improving contrast and sharpness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a high pass filter is used to extract high frequency components for emphasizing sharpness, then the feeling of sharpness is improved, but the feeling of contrast is not sufficiently improved

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesharpnessVSAvoidcontrast improvement capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the frequency enhancement process into two distinct paths: one path (first low pass filter → subtracter → second low pass filter → first multiplier) handles lower high frequency components for contrast improvement, while another path (high pass filter → second multiplier) handles high frequency components for sharpness improvement. Both processed signals are then combined through adders. This segmentation allows independent optimization of contrast and sharpness enhancement without interference between the two functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If the gain is increased to improve the effect of emphasis of the high frequency component, then the high frequency component is emphasized, but the intermediate frequency component is also extracted and emphasized

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehigh frequency emphasisVSAvoidfrequency component selectivity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts specific frequency components using selectively designed filters. The first low pass filter extracts lower high frequency components, while the high pass filter extracts high frequency components. By taking out only the desired frequency ranges through these filters before applying gain multiplication, the system achieves frequency-selective emphasis without unintentionally amplifying unwanted intermediate frequency components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Manufacturing precision

If conventional enhance processing is used to improve sharpness by attaching shoot component to edge, then edge steepness is improved, but contrast enhancement is not achieved

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveedge sharpnessVSAvoidperceived contrast
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges two separate signal processing paths into a unified output. The first path processes lower high frequency components through the first low pass filter, subtracter, second low pass filter, and first multiplier to generate contrast-enhanced signal. The second path processes high frequency components through the high pass filter and second multiplier to generate sharpness-enhanced signal. Both processed signals are combined through adders and integrated with the original video signal, achieving simultaneous contrast and sharpness improvement in a single processing stage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP2320638B1Device for improving image quality and method therefor
Publication Date: 2015.03.04 JVC KENWOOD CORP
  • EP2320638B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2320638B1 patent drawingFigure 3(A)~3(E)
  • EP2320638B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A Gaussian filter 2 having a first cutoff frequency extracts a low frequency component signal of a video signal. A subtracter 3 extracts a high frequency component signal by subtracting the low frequency component signal from the video signal. A low pass filter 5 having a second cutoff frequency higher than the first cutoff frequency extracts a lower high frequency component signal, which is a low-frequency-side signal of the high frequency component signal. A multiplier 6 generates a corrected component signal by multiplying the lower high frequency component signal by a predetermined gain G1. An adder 7 adds the corrected component signal to the video signal.