Apparatus and method for obtaining motion adaptive high dynamic range image

• US 8,462,214 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Oh, Hyun-Hwa, Choe, Won-Hee, Lee, Seong-Deok, Song, Hyun-Chul, Park, Sung-Chan, Yoo, Young-Jin, Kwon, Jae-Hyun, Lee, Kang-Eui
• Primary Examiner(s): OSINSKI, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US12/842,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20110019014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.99, 3482081-2086, 34820812-20816, 348/218.1, 348/222.1, 348/239, 348/241, 348/296, 348362-368, 382/107, 382254-255, 382274-275, 382/278, 382/284, 382293-295, 396 52- 55
• US Class Current: 348/208.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10144 Varying exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20016 Hierarchical, coarse-to-fine, multiscale or multiresolution image processing; Pyramid transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20208 High dynamic range [HDR] image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2625 for obtaining an image which is composed of images from a temporal image sequence, e.g. for a stroboscopic effect sequence generated by event triggered capturing H04N7/188

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for obtaining a motion adaptive high dynamic range image, in which a motion degree of a first image and a second taken using different exposure times is calculated. The motion calculation intensity is adjusted based on the calculated motion degree. The motion compensation intensity involves a global motion compensation and/or a location motion compensation. Images subjected to compensation are synthesized and output, so that an image having high dynamic range is obtained.

Claims

1. An apparatus for obtaining a motion adaptive high dynamic range image, the apparatus comprising:

a motion calculation unit configured to;

receive a first image and a second image that are taken using different exposure times; and

calculate a motion degree of the second image by comparing the first image with the second image;

a first compensation unit configured to compensate the second image for global motion;

a second compensation unit configured to compensate the second image for local motion;

an image synthesizing unit configured to;

receive images output from the first compensation unit or the second compensation unit; and

synthesize the received images;

a single image selection unit configured to select at least one of the first image, the second image, and an auto-exposure image; and

a control unit configured to, based on the calculated motion degree, allow the first and second images to be provided to the image synthesizing unit via at least one of the first compensation unit and the second compensation unit or to the single image selection unit,

wherein the motion calculation unit, the first compensation unit, the second compensation unit, the image synthesizing unit, the single image selection unit, the control unit, or any combination thereof is implemented by a processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the motion degree being global and lying within a permissible range of compensation, the control unit is further configured to allow the first and second images to be input into the image synthesizing unit via the first compensation unit;

in response to the motion degree being local and lying within the permissible range of compensation, the control unit is further configured to allow the first and second images to be input into the image synthesizing unit via the second compensation unit;

in response to the motion degree being composite and lying within the permissible range of compensation, the control unit is further configured to allow the first and second images to be input into the image synthesizing unit via the first and second compensation units; and

in response to the motion degree lying outside the permissible range of compensation, the control unit is further configured to allow the first and second images to be input into the single image selection unit.

3. An apparatus for obtaining a motion adaptive high dynamic range image, the apparatus comprising:

a first compensation unit configured to;

receive a first image and a second image; and

compensate the second image for global motion based on the first image;

a motion calculation unit configured to calculate a motion degree of the second image compensated for global motion by comparing the first image with the second image compensated for global motion;

a second compensation unit configured to compensate for local motion of the second image compensated for global motion;

an image synthesizing unit configured to;

receive images output from the first compensation unit or the second compensation unit; and

synthesize the received images;

a single image selection unit configured to select at least one of the first image, the second image, and an auto-exposure image; and

a control unit configured to, based on the calculated motion degree;

allow the first image and the second image compensated for global motion to be delivered to the image synthesizing unit;

allow the first image and the second image compensated for global motion to be delivered to the image synthesizing unit via the second compensation unit;

or

allow the first image and the second image to be delivered to the single image selection unit,

wherein the motion calculation unit, the first compensation unit, the second compensation unit, the image synthesizing unit, the single image selection unit, the control unit, or any combination thereof is implemented by a processor.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

in response to the motion degree being global motion and lying within a permissible range of compensation, the control unit is further configured to allow the first image and the second image compensated for global motion, to be input into the image synthesizing unit;

in response to the motion degree lying within the permissible range of compensation and comprising global motion and local motion, the control unit is further configured to allow the first image and the second image compensated for global motion, to be input into the image synthesizing unit via the second compensation unit; and

in response to the motion degree lying outside the permissible range of compensation, the control unit is further configured to allow the first image and the second image to be input into the single image selection unit.

5. An apparatus for obtaining a motion adaptive high dynamic range image, the apparatus comprising:

an image analysis unit configured to calculate a motion degree between at least two images taken using different exposure times;

a compensation processing unit configured to perform global motion compensation and/or local motion compensation based on the calculated motion degree;

a single image selection unit configured to select one of the at least two images based on which of the at least two images is taken using an exposure time closest to that of an auto-exposure image, in response to the calculated motion degree lying outside a permissible range of compensation; and

an image synthesizing unit configured to synthesize images output from the compensation processing unit,

wherein the image analysis unit, the compensation processing unit, the single image selection unit, the image synthesizing unit, or any combination thereof is implemented by a processor.