Giovanni L. Sicuranza – författare

Despite our growing understanding of the properties and capabilities of nonlinear filters, there persists the belief among engineers that these filters are too complex to implement. This book debunks the myth that all nonlinear filters are complex with its coverage of the polynomial filter. It examines all major aspects of the technology, including system modeling, speed analysis, image processing, communications, biological signal processing, semiconductor modeling, neutral sets, and more.

A color time-varying image can be described as a three-dimensional vector (representing the colors in an appropriate color space) defined on a three-dimensional spatiotemporal space. In conventional analog television a one-dimensional signal suitable for transmission over a communication channel is obtained by sampling the scene in the vertical and tem­ poral directions and by frequency-multiplexing the luminance and chrominance informa­ tion. In digital processing and transmission systems, sampling is applied in the horizontal direction, too, on a signal which has been already scanned in the vertical and temporal directions or directly in three dimensions when using some solid-state sensor. As a conse­ quence, in recent years it has been considered quite natural to assess the potential advan­ tages arising from an entire multidimensional approach to the processing of video signals. As a simple but significant example, a composite color video signal, such as the conven­ tional PAL or NTSC signal, possesses a three-dimensional spectrum which, by using suitable three-dimensional filters, permits horizontal sampling at a rate which is less than that re­ quired for correctly sampling the equivalent one-dimensional signal. More recently it has been widely recognized that the improvement of the picture quality in current and advanced television systems requires well-chosen signal processing algorithms which are multidimen­ sional in nature within the demanding constraints of a real-time implementation.

A color time-varying image can be described as a three-dimensional vector (representing the colors in an appropriate color space) defined on a three-dimensional spatiotemporal space. In conventional analog television a one-dimensional signal suitable for transmission over a communication channel is obtained by sampling the scene in the vertical and tem­ poral directions and by frequency-multiplexing the luminance and chrominance informa­ tion. In digital processing and transmission systems, sampling is applied in the horizontal direction, too, on a signal which has been already scanned in the vertical and temporal directions or directly in three dimensions when using some solid-state sensor. As a conse­ quence, in recent years it has been considered quite natural to assess the potential advan­ tages arising from an entire multidimensional approach to the processing of video signals. As a simple but significant example, a composite color video signal, such as the conven­ tional PAL or NTSC signal, possesses a three-dimensional spectrum which, by using suitable three-dimensional filters, permits horizontal sampling at a rate which is less than that re­ quired for correctly sampling the equivalent one-dimensional signal. More recently it has been widely recognized that the improvement of the picture quality in current and advanced television systems requires well-chosen signal processing algorithms which are multidimen­ sional in nature within the demanding constraints of a real-time implementation.