PROCESSING DEVICE WITH JITTER EXTRACTION AND EQUIPMENT COMPRISING SUCH A DEVICE

• US 20090219401A1
• Filed: 05/03/2007
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Drouot, Antoine
• Granted Patent: US 8,159,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.400
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6815 by distinguishing pan or tilt from motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/683 performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory

Abstract

A processing device (D) is dedicated to image frame stabilization of digital video sequences in an electronic equipment (E1), such as a digital camera, for instance. This processing device (D) comprises processing means (PM) arranged, for each current image frame of a video sequence, for determining a type of motion present in the video sequence from global motion parameters of the current image frame and the ones of at least one preceding image frame of this video sequence. These parameters are determined from a motion estimation between the current image frame and the preceding one of the video sequence. The motion determination is followed by a selection of a jitter extraction technique amongst at least two jitter extraction techniques depending on this determined motion type. The jitter extraction technique thus chosen is used to determine a jitter intended to be removed from the determined global motion parameter(s) in order to remove unwanted motion(s) present into the current image frame.

Claims

1. A processing device for image frame stabilization of a digital video sequence, comprising processing means provided, for each image frame of a video sequence, for determining a jitter from global motion parameter(s) of said image frame, determined from a motion estimation between said image frame and the preceding one of said video sequence, and removing said jitter from said determined global motion parameter(s) for removing unwanted motion(s) present into said image frame, characterized in that said processing means arranged for determining a type of motion present in said video sequence from the determined global motion parameters of said image frame and the ones of at least one preceding image frame of said video sequence, then for selecting a chosen jitter extraction technique amongst at least two jitter extraction techniques depending on said determined motion type, and for using said chosen jitter extraction technique to determine said jitter.

2. A processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that said processing means arranged for selecting a chosen jitter extraction technique amongst a group comprising at least a first jitter extraction technique adapted to strong stabilization of quasi-static video sequences and a second jitter extraction technique adapted to smooth following of panoramic video sequences.

3. A processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that said processing means are arranged a) for computing a first sum of a chosen number K1 of determined global motion parameters of K1 consecutive image frames including the current one, and a second sum of K2 determined global motion parameters of K2 consecutive image frames including the current one, with K2<

K1, then b) for comparing the signs of the first sums of said K1 consecutive image frames including the current one, then c) for comparing the sign of said first sum with the sign of said second sum, and then d) for associating either a first motion type associated to said first jitter extraction technique to the current image frame when said K1 first sums have different signs or both said K1 first sums have the same sign and said first and second sums have different signs, or a second motion type associated to said second jitter extraction technique to the current image frame when both said K1 first sums have the same sign and said first and second sums have identical signs.

4. A processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that K2 is equal to K1/2.

5. A processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that said processing means are arranged for computing, for each image frame representative of a scene, a first value representative of the real position of said scene into a chosen referential, then for computing a second value representative of an average of K1 determined first values of consecutive image frames including the current one, then for adding said first value average with said first sum to get a third value representative of a targeted position of said scene into said chosen referential, and then to compute the jitter corresponding to said current image frame by subtracting said third value corresponding to said current image frame from said first value corresponding also to said current image frame.

6. A processing device according to claim 5, characterized in that said processing means are arranged for computing, for each image frame, a fourth value representative of the corrected position of the scene represented by the preceding image frame into said chosen referential, and a fifth value representative of the targeted position of the scene represented by the preceding image frame into said chosen referential, then for subtracting said fifth value from said fourth value to get a sixth value, and then for subtracting said sixth value from said jitter corresponding to said current image frame to get a corrected jitter to be removed from said determined global motion parameter(s).

7. A processing device according to claim 6, characterized in that said processing means are arranged for computing, for each image frame, a seventh value representative of the corrected position of the scene represented by the current image frame into said chosen referential, then for subtracting said fourth value from said seventh value to get a eighth value representative of the corrected global motion parameter(s) of said current image frame, then for comparing the sign of said eighth value with the sign of said global motion parameter(s) of said current image frame, and then either to use said computed jitter or corrected jitter of said current image frame when said signs are identical, or to use said computed jitter or corrected jitter of the preceding image frame when said signs are different.

8. A processing device according to claim 6, characterized in that said processing means are arranged for computing, for each image frame, a seventh value representative of the corrected position of the scene represented by the current image frame into said chosen referential, then for subtracting said fourth value from said seventh value to get a eighth value representative of the corrected global motion parameter(s) of said current image frame, then for comparing the sign of said eighth value with the sign of said second sum of said current image frame, and then either to use said computed jitter or corrected jitter of said current image frame when said signs are identical, or to use said computed jitter or corrected jitter of the preceding image frame when said signs are different.

9. A processing device according to claim 8, characterized in that K1 is an integer smaller than or equal to a parameter value representative of the average frame rate of said video sequence.

10. A processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a first computation means arranged for determining, for each image frame of said video sequence, said motion estimation between said image frame and the preceding one of said video sequence, then for determining said global motion parameter(s) of said image frame from said determined motion estimation.

11. A processing device according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a second computation means arranged for removing said jitter or corrected jitter from said determined global motion parameter(s) corresponding to a current image frame in order to remove the unwanted motion(s) present into said current image frame.

12. A processing device according to claim 11, characterized in that it constitutes at least a part of an integrated circuit.

13-15. -15. (canceled)