PROGRESS: Completed Project	PROJECT REF: PA106
PROJECT TITLE: Enhancing an Image, such as an Image Having Bi-valued Pixel Values
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Half-toning is a method to print multi-tone images using only two-tone colors. Such methods are commonly used in publishing and computer printers. There are several kinds of half-toning processing where inverse half-toning is a method to reconstruct a multi-tone image from a half-toned image. This invention introduced a new method, the fast edge-preserving filtering, which adopts low-complexity algorithm to perform inverse half-toning. By way of this method, an inverse half-toned image is generated by directly filtering the half-tone image in an iterative manner. This low computational complexity but high image quality method made resizing, rotating and processing of images simple, easy and quick even if you are using lower-end models of computers or computer accessories like printers and scanners. In addition, the new inverse half-toning method can be used as an edge preserving filter in applications such restoration, noise-reduction, enhancement, retouching of images, old archival images, remote sensing images, and medical images Potential Applications: - Computer printers - Scanners - Photocopier - Newspaper and magazine publishing Advantages over Present Technologies: There are other existing methods for inverse half-toning which the complexity of the algorithm relates to the quality of the image. The higher is the complexity of the algorithm, the higher is the image quality and vice versa. Some others are too restrictive on actual applications. The state-of-the-art wavelet-based methods give the highest quality images and widest range of applications but are very computation intensive. The fast edge-preserving filtering method is only 3 to 4 times more complicated when compared with the simplest filtering methods but can already produce images of quality close to that produced by the wavelet-based methods. Besides, the edges, known to be visually important, in the inverse half-toned images generated by the new method are much sharper than those in many other methods.
FOCUS AREA(S): Consumer Electronics
KEYWORDS: printer, scanner, photocopier, publishing, image enhancement, pixel value
MODE OF COLLABORATION: Technology Licensing, Further R&D Collaboration
STATUS PATENT: Patent_Pending	PATENT NO: NA
ORGANIZATION: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology R and D Corporation Limited
CONTACT PERSON: Shirley Woo	EMAIL: cawoosw@ust.hk
TEL: (852)-23587918	FAX: (852)-23582751
WEBSITE: http://rdc.ust.hk/	DATE: 29/12/2004