Method And Apparatus For Super-Resolution Imaging Using Digital Imaging Devices

• US 20100079608A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Murakami, Yoshihiro, Edwards, Eric D., Wong, Earl Quong, Kushida, Hidenori, Li, Pingshan, Nakamura, Makibi, Sugiura, Mamoru, Triteyaprasert, Soroj
• Granted Patent: US 8,553,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4069 by subpixel displacements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

A super-resolution image is generated from a sequence of low resolution images. In one embodiment, the image shift information is measured for each of the low resolution images using an image stabilization component of an imaging device. The shift information is used to generate the super-resolution image. In another embodiment, the blurs are calculated for each of the low resolution images and are used to generate the super-resolution image.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

acquiring image shift information with image stabilization components of an imaging device for each of a plurality of low resolution images; and

generating a super-resolution image with the imaging device from the plurality of low resolution images and the measured image shift information.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the image stabilization components comprise a gyroscopic sensor and the acquiring comprises measuring the image device shake with the gyroscopic sensor.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the image stabilization components comprises a stepper motor and the acquiring comprises:

instructing the stepper motor to move an image sensor of the imaging device to a different sensor position for each the plurality of low resolution images;

recording the sensor position for each of the plurality of low resolution images.

4. The computerized method of claim 3, further comprising:

acquiring a different one of the plurality of low resolution images at the different sensor positions.

5. A computerized method comprising:

calculating a blur for each of plurality of low resolution images using a blur difference between different ones of the plurality of low resolution images; and

generating a super-resolution image from a plurality of low resolution images and the calculated blurs.

6. The computerized method of claim 5, further comprising:

calculating a blur difference between a pair of the plurality of low resolution images.

7. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein the calculating the blur difference further comprising convolving one image of the image pair with a blur kernel.

8. The computerized method of claim 6, further comprising:

re-registering one image of the pair so the image pair has the same shift position.

9. The computerized method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of low resolution images is acquired at different focus positions.

10. A machine readable medium having executable instructions to cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

acquiring image shift information with image stabilization components of an imaging device for each of a plurality of low resolution images, and

generating a super-resolution image with the imaging device from the plurality of low resolution images and the measured image shift information.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the image stabilization components comprises a gyroscopic sensor and the acquiring comprises measuring the image device shake with the gyroscopic sensor.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the image stabilization components comprises a stepper motor and the acquiring comprises:

instructing the stepper motor to move an image sensor of the imaging device to a different sensor position for each the plurality of low resolution images;

recording the sensor position for each of the plurality of low resolution images.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

acquiring a different one of the plurality of low resolution images at the different sensor positions.

14. A machine readable medium having executable instructions to cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

calculating a blur for each of plurality of low resolution images using a blur difference between different ones of the plurality of low resolution images; and

generating a super-resolution image from a plurality of low resolution images and the calculated blurs.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

calculating a blur difference between a pair of the plurality of low resolution images.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the calculating the blur difference further comprising convolving one image of the image pair with a blur kernel.

17. An apparatus comprising:

means for acquiring image shift information with image stabilization components of an imaging device for each of a plurality of low resolution images; and

means for generating a super-resolution image with the imaging device from the plurality of low resolution images and the measured image shift information.

18. An apparatus comprising:

means for calculating a blur for each of plurality of low resolution images using a blur difference between different ones of the plurality of low resolution images; and

means for generating a super-resolution image from a plurality of low resolution images and the calculated blurs.

19. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor though a bus; and

a process executed from the memory by the processor to cause the processor to acquire image shift information with image stabilization components of an imaging device for each of a plurality of low resolution images and to generate a super-resolution image with the imaging device from the plurality of low resolution images and the measured image shift information.

20. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor though a bus; and

a process executed from the memory by the processor to cause the processor to calculate a blur for each of plurality of low resolution images using a blur difference between different ones of the plurality of low resolution images and to generate a super-resolution image from a plurality of low resolution images and the calculated blurs.