Estimating A Point Spread Function Of A Blurred Digital Image Using Gyro Data

• US 20080100716A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Lu, Juwei, Fu, Guoyi
• Application Number:
  US11/838,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20080100716A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.8
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations

Abstract

Methods for estimating a point spread function of a blurred digital image. One example method includes capturing gyro data during an image exposure time, deriving gyro samples from the gyro data at predetermined gyro sampling times, calculating a motion vector field of the image at each gyro sampling time, approximating an overall image scene motion path by averaging motion paths of selected pixels in the image, and estimating the point spread function from the approximated overall image scene motion path.

Claims

1. A method for estimating a point spread function of a blurred digital image, the method comprising:

capturing gyro data during an image exposure time;

deriving gyro samples from the gyro data at predetermined gyro sampling times;

calculating a motion vector field of the image at each gyro sampling time;

approximating an overall image scene motion path by averaging motion paths of selected pixels in the image; and

estimating the point spread function from the approximated overall image scene motion path.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein calculating a motion vector field comprises calculating the rotated angle from the angle velocity at each gyro sampling time.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the image exposure time comprises a time period between a shutter open time and a shutter close time.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein one of the predetermined gyro sampling times includes the shutter open time.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein calculating a motion vector field of the image at the shutter open time comprises linearly interpolating the motion vector field of the image at the shutter open time.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein one of the predetermined gyro sampling times includes a shutter close time.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein calculating a motion vector field of the image at a shutter close time comprises linearly interpolating the motion vector field of the image at the shutter close time.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein capturing gyro data during an image exposure time comprises capturing an angle velocity and timestamp relative to a shutter open time for each gyro sample

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein calculating a motion vector field of the image at each gyro sampling time comprises:

obtaining the angle velocity and timestamp of each gyro sample;

calculating the angles rotated at each gyro sampling time relative to shutter open time; and

calculating the motion vector field of the images at each gyro sampling time.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein approximating an overall image scene motion path by averaging motion paths of selected pixels in the image comprises approximating the overall image scene motion path by averaging motion paths of the following nine selected pixels in the image:

top left, top center, top right, middle left, middle center, middle right, bottom left, bottom center, and bottom right.

11. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed, implement a method for estimating a point spread function of a blurred digital image, the method comprising:

capturing gyro data during an image exposure time;

deriving gyro samples from the gyro data at predetermined gyro sampling times;

calculating a motion vector field of the image at each gyro sampling time;

approximating an overall image scene motion path by averaging motion paths of selected pixels in the image; and

estimating the point spread function from the approximated overall image scene motion path.

12. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 11, wherein calculating a motion vector field comprises calculating the rotated angle from the angle velocity at each gyro sampling time.

13. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 11, wherein the image exposure time comprises a time period between a shutter open time and a shutter close time.

14. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 13, wherein one of the predetermined gyro sampling times includes the shutter open time.

15. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein calculating a motion vector field of the image at the shutter open time comprises linearly interpolating the motion vector field of the image at the shutter open time.

16. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 13, wherein one of the predetermined gyro sampling times includes a shutter close time.

17. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 16, wherein calculating a motion vector field of the image at a shutter close time comprises linearly interpolating the motion vector field of the image at the shutter close time.

18. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 11, wherein capturing gyro data during an image exposure time comprises capturing an angle velocity and timestamp relative to a shutter open time for each gyro sample

19. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 11, wherein calculating a motion vector field of the image at each gyro sampling time comprises:

obtaining the angle velocity and timestamp of each gyro sample;

calculating the angles rotated at each gyro sampling time relative to shutter open time; and

calculating the motion vector field of the images at each gyro sampling time.

20. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 11, wherein approximating an overall image scene motion path by averaging motion paths of selected pixels in the image comprises approximating the overall image scene motion path by averaging motion paths of the following nine selected pixels in the image:

top left, top center, top right, middle left, middle center, middle right, bottom left, bottom center, and bottom right.