1. A system for removing particulates from exhaust gas of a vehicle internal combustion engine, comprising:
first gas flow means connected to an exhaust of said engine;
valve means connected to said first gas flow means for normally directing exhaust to a first output, when in a non-activated or deactivated condition, and for directing exhaust to a second output, when in an activated condition;
second gas flow means connected to said valve means first output for exhausting particulate-containing exhaust to the atmosphere;
third gas flow means connected to said valve means second output for removing exhaust gas particulates before delivering said exhaust gas to the atmosphere;
means responsive to starting of said engine for activating said valve means for a predetermined period of time;
exhaust pressure sensing means for monitoring exhaust backpressure, said sensing means operatively connected to means for indicating the filter medium loading status of said exhaust gas particulate removing means;
circuit means responsive to said exhaust pressure sensing means for maintaining said valve means continuously in said non-activated condition, when said exhaust backpressure reaches a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time;
locking means for disabling other system inputs that normally would activate said valve means, when said exhaust backpressure reaches said predetermined level for said predetermined period of time.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for indicating the filter medium loading status comprises one or more backpressure warning lights, or a backpressure gauge providing a real time pressure reading.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said backpressure warning lights blinks for a predetermined period of time or is illuminated continuously when said exhaust backpressure reaches a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein a plurality of backpressure warning lights are progressively activated as said exhaust backpressure increases above corresponding predetermined levels.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising means within said vehicle for activating andor deactivating said valve means on demand.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein said circuit means comprises a semi-conductor device, integrated circuit or circuit board.
7. The system of claim 3, wherein said circuit means maintains said valve means continuously in said non-activated condition and continuously illuminates said backpressure warning light, when said exhaust backpressure remains above a predetermined level continuously for at least four seconds.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein said exhaust backpressure level is from about 1.5 to about 1.8 PSI.
9. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more auxiliary filters, arranged in parallel with said third gas flow means connected to said valve means second output for removing exhaust gas particulates before delivering said exhaust gas to the atmosphere.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising second exhaust pressure sensing means for monitoring exhaust backpressure of said auxiliary filter, said sensing means operatively connected to means for indicating the filter medium loading status of said auxiliary filter.
11. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for receiving and storing GPS coordinates of one or more exhaust sensitive areas and activating said valve means when said vehicle comes within a predetermined distance of said exhaust sensitive area(s).
12. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for a user to input GPS coordinates of one or more exhaust sensitive areas.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein said system provides filter condition status information to a user of said system.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein a rate of opening or closing said valve means is variable based on GPS data.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein said circuit means comprises a semi-conductor device, integrated circuit or circuit board.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein said circuit means maintains said valve means continuously in said non-activated condition and continuously illuminates said backpressure warning light, when said exhaust backpressure remains above a predetermined level continuously for at least four seconds.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein said exhaust backpressure level is from about 1.5 to about 1.8 PSI.
18. A system for removing particulates from exhaust gas of a vehicle internal combustion engine, comprising:
first gas flow means connected to an exhaust of said engine;
valve means connected to said first gas flow means for normally directing exhaust to a first output, when in a non-activated or deactivated condition, and for directing exhaust to a second output, when in an activated condition;
second gas flow means connected to said valve means first output for exhausting particulate-containing exhaust to the atmosphere;
third gas flow means connected to said valve means second output for removing exhaust gas particulates before delivering said exhaust gas to the atmosphere; and
means for receiving and storing GPS coordinates of one or more exhaust sensitive areas and activating said valve means when said vehicle comes within a predetermined distance of said exhaust sensitive area(s).
19. A method for removing particulates from exhaust gas of a vehicle internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:
a) providing first gas flow means connected to an exhaust of said engine;
b) providing valve means connected to said first gas flow means for normally directing exhaust to a first output, when in a non-activated or deactivated condition, and for directing exhaust to a second output, when in an activated condition;
c) providing second gas flow means connected to said valve means first output for exhausting particulate-containing exhaust to the atmosphere;
d) providing third gas flow means connected to said valve means second output for removing exhaust gas particulates before delivering said exhaust gas to the atmosphere;
e) providing means responsive to starting of said engine for activating said valve means for a predetermined period of time;
f) providing exhaust pressure sensing means for monitoring exhaust backpressure;
g) providing circuit means responsive to said exhaust pressure sensing means for maintaining said valve means continuously in said non-activated condition and illuminating a backpressure warning light, when said exhaust backpressure reaches a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time; and
h) maintaining said valve means continuously in said non-activated condition and illuminating said backpressure warning light, when said exhaust backpressure remains above a predetermined level continuously for at least four seconds.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:
i) providing locking means for disabling other system inputs that normally would activate said valve means, when said exhaust backpressure reaches said predetermined level for said predetermined period of time; and
j) disabling said system inputs that normally would activate said valve means, when said exhaust backpressure remains above a predetermined level continuously for at least four seconds.
21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of providing GPS coordinates of one or more desired exhaust sensitive areas to a navigation system of said vehicle, and activating said valve means when said vehicle comes within a predetermined distance of said exhaust sensitive area(s).
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. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a tone converting section to convert a tone level of a target pixel in multi-level image data based on a threshold value of the tone level so that the number of tone levels is reduced;
a resolution converting section to output a pixel block consisting of the predetermined number of pixels according to the tone level obtained in the tone converting section with respect to each target pixel, so as to generate image data with higher resolution than the multi-level image data; and
an error diffusing section to diffuse an error between the tone levels before and after the tone conversion in the tone converting section to a surrounding pixel of the target pixel, based on a diffusion coefficient pattern; and
wherein when the converted tone level of the target pixel is a first predetermined value or lower, the resolution converting section refers to an output sequence category of a black pixel used in a pixel block of a surrounding pixel of the target pixel, selects an output sequence pattern of a black pixel belonging to an output sequence category which allows a black pixel in a pixel block of the target pixel and a black pixel in a pixel block of the surrounding pixel to be concentrated, and outputs a pixel block corresponding to the selected output sequence pattern.
2. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first memory section to store a plurality of output sequence patterns, wherein the resolution converting section selects the output sequence pattern of the target pixel from the plurality of output sequence patterns stored in the first memory section.
3. The image processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first memory section stores the output sequence patterns in association with output sequence categories.
4. The image processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first memory section stores the plurality of output sequence patterns, which include an output sequence pattern of all pixels being white.
5. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second memory section to store pixel concentration information indicating an output sequence category of the target pixel in association with an output sequence category of the surrounding pixel of the target pixel, the output sequence category of the target pixel allows a firstly output black pixel of the target pixel to be concentrated to a firstly output black pixel of the surrounding pixel,
wherein, the resolution converting section determines the output sequence category of the target pixel based on the pixel concentration information stored in the second memory section and the output sequence category of the surrounding pixel of the target pixel, and selects the output sequence pattern of the target pixel from an output sequence pattern belonging to the determined output sequence category.
6. The image processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the resolution converting section selects randomly or by a user’s instruction the output sequence pattern of the target pixel from the output sequence patterns belonging to the output sequence category of the target pixel which is determined based on the pixel concentration information.
7. The image processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the converted tone level is a second predetermined value or higher, the resolution converting section selects randomly or by a user’s instruction the output sequence pattern of the target pixel from the plurality of output sequence patterns stored in the first memory section.
8. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein when there is an isolated black pixel in the pixel block of the target pixel to be output, among the threshold values of the tone converting section, the resolution converting section changes a threshold value for a conversion to a tone level indicating a white pixel to a threshold value for a conversion to the tone level indicating that the pixel block has at least one black pixel.
9. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third memory section, wherein the resolution converting section stores in the third memory section the output sequence category of the target pixel whose pixel block is output, to refer to the output sequence category stored in the third memory section as an output sequence category of a surrounding pixel.
10. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first operating section to receive an input of setting of a threshold value of the tone converting section, wherein the tone converting section converts the tone level of the target pixel in the multi-level image data based on the threshold value set by the input through the first operating section.
11. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second operating section to receive an input of setting of a diffusion coefficient pattern of the error diffusing section, wherein the error diffusing section performs diffusion processing of the error of the target pixel to the surrounding pixels based on the error diffusion pattern set by the input through the second operating section.
12. An image reading apparatus comprising:
the image processing apparatus of claim 1; and
an image reading section to read an original document to obtain image data,
wherein the tone converting section converts a tone level of a target pixel in multi-level image data obtained by the image reading section.
13. An image processing method comprising:
converting a tone level of a target pixel in multi-level image data based on a threshold value of the tone level so that the number of tone levels is reduced;
outputting a pixel block consisting of the predetermined number of pixels according to the converted tone level with respect to each target pixel, so as to generate image data with a higher resolution than the multi-level image data; and
diffusing an error between the tone levels before and after the tone conversion in the step of converting the tone level to a surrounding pixel of the target pixel, based on a diffusion coefficient pattern, and
wherein when the converted tone level of the target pixel is a first predetermined value or lower, the step of outputting the pixel block comprises:
referring to an output sequence category of a black pixel used in a pixel block of a surrounding pixel of the target pixel;
selecting an output sequence pattern of a black pixel belonging to an output sequence category which allows a black pixel in a pixel block of the target pixel and a black pixel in a pixel block of the surrounding pixel to be concentrated; and
outputting a pixel block corresponding to the selected output sequence pattern.
14. The image processing method of claim 13, wherein in the step of outputting the pixel block, the output sequence pattern of the target pixel is selected from a plurality of output sequence patterns stored in the first memory section.
15. The image processing method of claim 13, wherein the step of outputting the pixel block comprises:
determining the output sequence category of the target pixel based on the output sequence category of the surrounding pixel of the target pixel and pixel concentration information stored in the second memory section, the pixel concentration information indicating an output sequence category of the target pixel which allows a firstly output black pixel of the target pixel to be concentrated to a firstly output black pixel of the surrounding pixel, in association with an output sequence category of the surrounding pixel of the target pixel; and
selecting the output sequence pattern of the target pixel from an output sequence pattern belonging to the determined output sequence category.
16. The image processing method of claim 13, wherein in the step of outputting the pixel block, when there is an isolated black pixel in the pixel block of the target pixel to be output, among the threshold values of the tone converting section, a threshold value for a conversion to a tone level indicating a white pixel is changed to a threshold value for a conversion to the tone level indicating that the pixel block has at least one black pixel.
17. The image processing method of claim 13, wherein in the step of outputting the pixel block, the output sequence category of the target pixel whose pixel block is output is stored in a third memory section, and the output sequence category stored in the third memory section is referred to as an output sequence category of a surrounding pixel.
18. A computer-readable medium embodying a program which allows a computer to perform the following processing comprising:
converting a tone level of a target pixel in multi-level image data based on a threshold value of the tone level so that the number of tone levels is reduced;
outputting a pixel block consisting of the predetermined number of pixels according to the converted tone level with respect to each target pixel, so as to generate image data with a higher resolution than the multi-level image data; and
diffusing error between the tone levels before and after tone conversion in the step of converting the tone level to a surrounding pixel of the target pixel, based on a diffusion coefficient pattern, and
wherein when the converted tone level of the target pixel is a first predetermined value or lower, the step of outputting the pixel block comprises:
referring to an output sequence category of a black pixel used in a pixel block of a surrounding pixel of the target pixel;
selecting an output sequence pattern of a black pixel belonging to an output sequence category which allows a black pixel in a pixel block of the target pixel and a black pixel in a pixel block of the surrounding pixel to be concentrated; and
outputting a pixel block corresponding to the selected output sequence pattern.