Color image interpolation using vector rational filters

Rational filters are extended to multichannel signal processing and applied to the image interpolation problem. The proposed nonlinear interpolator exhibits desirable properties, such as, edge and details preservation. In this approach the pixels of the color image are considered as 3-component vectors in the color space. Therefore, the inherent correlation which exists between the different color components is not ignored thus, leading to better image quality than those obtained by component-wise processing. Simulations show that the resulting edges obtained using vector rational filters (VRF) are free from blockiness and jaggedness, which are usually present in images interpolated using especially linear, but also some nonlinear techniques, e.g. vector median hybrid filters (VFMH).