1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a contour extraction unit configured to extract contours of color regions, each of which includes continuous pixels having the same pixel value, in image data;
an intersection detection unit configured to detect, as an intersection, a point which satisfies one of a point at which not less than three different colors meet, and a point at which pixels which neighbor in oblique directions have the same color and pixels which neighbor in right and left directions and in upper and lower directions have different colors, in each of contours extracted by said contour extraction unit;
a division boundary line storage unit configured to store, in association with a contour in which the intersection is detected by said intersection detection unit, contours divided at the intersection as boundary lines;
a non-division boundary line storage unit configured to store, in association with a contour in which the intersection is not detected by said intersection detection unit, the contour as a boundary line without dividing the contour;
a function approximation unit configured to execute function approximation for each of boundary lines stored by said division boundary line storage unit and said non-division boundary line storage unit; and
a boundary line connection unit configured to reconstruct contours of the color regions using the boundary lines after the function approximation of said function approximation unit.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a region number assigning unit configured to assign region numbers to respective color regions, each of which includes continuous pixels having the same pixel value, in image data,
wherein said contour extraction unit extracts contours of the color region for each region number assigned by said region number assigning unit.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said intersection detection unit detects, as the intersection, the point at which not less than three different colors meet, and the point at which pixels in oblique directions have the same color and pixels in right and left directions and in upper and lower directions have different colors, in each of contours extracted by said contour extraction unit, using the region number assignment result of said region number assigning unit.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said intersection detection unit detects the intersection using a window having a 2\xd72 pixel size.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said intersection detection unit detects the intersection to have, as a target, a pixel at a position of the contour extracted by said contour extraction unit.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said division boundary line storage unit and said non-division boundary line storage unit control not to redundantly store the same boundary line, and store region reconstruction information required to identify boundary lines used when said boundary line connection unit reconstructs the contours.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein every time the contour extraction unit extracts a contour, said intersection detection unit detects the intersection for the extracted contour, and said division boundary line storage unit and said non-division boundary line storage unit store boundary lines.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said contour extraction unit extracts outside contours of the respective color regions, processes of said intersection detection unit, said division boundary line storage unit, and said non-division boundary line storage unit are executed for the extracted outside contours, said contour extraction unit then extracts inside contours of the respective color regions, and the processes of said intersection detection unit, said division boundary line storage unit, and said non-division boundary line storage unit are executed for the extracted inside contours.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said contour extraction unit extracts contours of color regions each including pixels which have the same pixel value and are connected based on an 8-neighboring connection concept.
10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said contour extraction unit extracts contours of color regions each including pixels which have the same pixel value and are connected based on a 4-neighboring connection concept.
11. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a region number assigning unit configured to assign region numbers to color regions, each of which includes connected pixels having the same pixel value, in image data;
a contour extraction unit configured to extract contours of the color regions assigned the region numbers by specifying coordinate point sequences which define the contours;
an intersection detection unit configured to inspect positions of the contours extracted by said contour extraction unit, using a window having a 2\xd72 pixel size in an image assigned the region numbers by said region number assigning unit, and detects, as an intersection, one of a position at which not less than three different region numbers exist within the window, and a position at which only region numbers in oblique directions in the window are the same;
a boundary line extraction unit configured to extract, in association with a contour in which the intersection is detected by said intersection detection unit, contours divided at the intersection as boundary lines, and extracts a contour in which the intersection is not detected by said intersection detection unit as a boundary line without dividing the contour;
a function approximation unit configured to execute function approximation for each of boundary lines extracted by said boundary line extraction unit; and
a boundary line connection unit configured to reconstruct the contours of the color regions by connecting the boundary lines after the function approximation of said function approximation unit.
12. An image processing method comprising:
a contour extraction step of extracting contours of color regions, each of which includes continuous pixels having the same pixel value, in image data;
an intersection detection step of detecting, as an intersection, a point which satisfies one of a point at which not less than three different colors meet, and a point at which pixels which neighbor in oblique directions have the same color and pixels which neighbor in right and left directions and in upper and lower directions have different colors, in each of contours extracted in the contour extraction step;
a division boundary line storage step of storing, in association with a contour in which the intersection is detected in the intersection detection step, contours divided at the intersection as boundary lines;
a non-division boundary line storage step of storing, in association with a contour in which the intersection is not detected in the intersection detection step, the contour as a boundary line without dividing the contour;
a function approximation step of executing function approximation for each of boundary lines stored in the division boundary line storage step and the non-division boundary line storage step; and
a boundary line connection step of reconstructing contours of the color regions using the boundary lines after the function approximation in the function approximation step.
13. A computer-readable medium storing a program for controlling a computer to function as:
a contour extraction unit configured to extract contours of color regions, each of which includes continuous pixels having the same pixel value, in image data;
an intersection detection unit configured to detect, as an intersection, a point which satisfies one of a point at which not less than three different colors meet, and a point at which pixels which neighbor in oblique directions have the same color and pixels which neighbor in right and left directions and in upper and lower directions have different colors, in each of contours extracted by said contour extraction unit;
a division boundary line storage unit configured to store, in association with a contour in which the intersection is detected by said intersection detection unit, contours divided at the intersection as boundary lines;
a non-division boundary line storage unit configured to store, in association with a contour in which the intersection is not detected by said intersection detection unit, the contour as a boundary line without dividing the contour;
a function approximation unit configured to execute function approximation for each of boundary lines stored by said division boundary line storage unit and said non-division boundary line storage unit; and
a boundary line connection unit configured to reconstruct contours of the color regions using the boundary lines after the function approximation of said function approximation unit.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A combined cermet rod and electrode unit for use in a high pressure discharge lamp comprising:
a cermet rod for connection at its distal end to an electrode tip of the high pressure discharge lamp, and a current supply electrode for forming an electrical connection with the cermet rod,
wherein the current supply electrode is formed with a hollow tubular section which is positioned around a proximal end of the cermet rod in physical and electrical contact therewith.
2. The unit of claim 1, wherein the internal diameter of the hollow tubular section of the current supply electrode is approximately the same as that of the outer diameter of the cermet rod, wherein further the cermet rod and current supply electrode are fixed together by means of a weld joint located at the proximal end of the cermet rod.
3. The unit of claim 1, wherein the internal diameter of the hollow tubular section of the current supply electrode is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cermet rod, such that the cermet rod and current supply electrode are fixed together by means of the compressional forces resulting from the hollow tubular section.
4. The unit of claim 1, wherein the end of the hollow tubular section of the current supply electrode which fits over the proximal end of the cermet rod, is provided with a flared section so as to improve the positioning of the current supply electrode over the proximal end of the cermet rod.
5. The unit of claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of the hollow tubular section is chosen so as to be greater than the internal diameter of the bore of a protruding plug of the high pressure discharge lamp into which the unit will be placed.
6. The unit of claim 1, wherein the current supply electrode is provided by a strip of conductor which is folded around the cermet rod to thereby form the hollow tubular section, and wherein the two adjacent ends of the strip of conductor are fastened together by clamping or welding.
7. The unit of claim 1, wherein the current supply electrode is provided by a coiled conductive wire making up the hollow tubular section.
8. The unit of claim 1, wherein the cermet rod is of a length such that the section of the cermet rod which is not covered by the current supply electrode is sufficiently long to pass into the bore of the protruding plug.
9. The unit of claim 1, wherein the cermet rod is of a definite length, and the distal end thereof defines an abutment surface for attachment of the electrode tip or for an additional conductive member of a predetermined length.
10. A high pressure discharge lamp comprising:
a ceramic discharge tube forming an internal bulb region, wherein the ceramic discharge tube further comprises one or more protruding plugs shaped as hollow extensions, wherein the bore of the hollow extensions of the protruding plugs is in direct contact with the internal bulb region of the ceramic discharge tube;
a combined cermet and electrode unit within the bore of the protruding plugs, with the proximal end of the cermet rod and the current supply electrode located on the outside of the ceramic discharge tube and in particular outside of the protruding plugs, such that only the cermet rod enters the bore of the protruding plugs; and
a discharge electrode tip connected with the distal end of the cermet rod and is disposed within the internal bulb region.
11. The lamp of claim 10, wherein the unit may comprise an additional conductive member between the cermet rod and the electrode tip.
12. The lamp of claim 10, wherein the combined cermet and electrode unit is held within the bore of the protruding plugs by means of an airtight frit-sealing glass seal.
13. The lamp of claim 10, wherein the current supply electrode has an outer diameter which is greater than the internal diameter of the bore of the protruding plug, and is located completely outside of the bore.
14. The lamp of claim 13, wherein the length of the cermet rod or of the cermet rod and an additional conductive member of predetermined length is such that its distal end, and the discharge electrode tip connected thereto, is positioned precisely within the ceramic discharge tube by means of the current supply electrode being too wide to fit within the bore of the protruding plugs and thus serving as a length defining mechanism for the cermet rod insertion.
15. A method of making a combined cermet rod and electrode unit for a high pressure discharge lamp comprising the following steps:
providing a cermet rod of a desired length and diameter, and
positioning a current supply electrode over the proximal end of the cermet rod,
wherein the current supply electrode is provided with a hollow tubular section for fitting around the outer surface of the cermet rod and making electrical contact thereto.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the internal diameter of the hollow tubular section of the current supply electrode is approximately the same as that of the outer diameter of the cermet rod, and the current supply electrode is slid over the proximal end of the cermet rod, and
the cermet rod and current supply electrode are welded together to form a weld joint located at the proximal end of the cermet rod.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the internal diameter of the hollow tubular section of the current supply electrode is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cermet rod, and
the current supply electrode is increased in temperature with respect to the cermet rod, prior to positioning over the cermet rod, thus expanding it sufficiently to allow it to be slid over the proximal end of the cermet rod, and so that after the current supply electrode has cooled and contracted, both the cermet rod and current supply electrode are fixed together by means of the compressional forces as a result of the smaller diameter of the current supply electrode.
18. A method of forming a high pressure discharge lamp, comprising the following steps:
forming a combined cermet rod and electrode unit;
attaching a discharge electrode tip to the distal end of the combined cermet rod and electrode unit;
forming a ceramic discharge tube comprising an internal bulb region, wherein the ceramic discharge tube further comprises one or more protruding plugs shaped as hollow extensions, wherein the bore of the hollow extensions of the protruding plugs is in direct contact with the internal bulb region of the ceramic discharge tube; and
positioning the combined cermet rod and electrode unit within the bore of the protruding plugs, with the proximal end of the cermet rod and current supply electrode located on the outside of the ceramic discharge tube, and with the adjacent end of the bore containing only the cermet rod.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of forming an airtight frit seal at the end of the protruding plugs so as to seal the inside of the ceramic discharge tube.
20. The method of either of claims 18, wherein the outer diameter of the current supply electrode is greater than the internal diameter of the bore of the protruding plugs.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the length of the cermet rod and the discharge electrode tip are chosen so that when they are within the protruding plug the distal end of the cermet rod and discharge electrode tip are located at the desired position by means of the current supply electrode being too wide to fit within the bore of the protruding plug.