Networked image/video processing system for enhancing photos and videos

• US 9,197,904 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMERJ LLC (Flex, Ltd.), Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Original Assignee: Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Inventors: Li, Wei, Reckwerdt, Bill
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US13/327,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20130156091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240, 375/240.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/117 Filters, e.g. for pre-processing or post-processing sub-band filter banks H04N19/635
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/164 Feedback from the receiver or from the transmission channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression

Abstract

A distributed image/video processing system is disclosed herein wherein one or more of digital image/video recorders (e.g., a digital cameras, video recorders, or smart phones, etc.) are in network communication with central network site for transmitting image or video data thereto. The recorders process their image/video data dependent upon an estimate of a measurement of network bandwidth that is available for transmitting image or video data to the central network site.

Claims

1. A method for processing data, comprising:

obtaining first data at a first device operably in communication with a network site via a telecommunications network, the first data including image or video data;

obtaining one or more first characteristics for the first data, wherein the first characteristics include a size or data rate for the first data;

obtaining one or more transmission characteristics for transmitting the first data or a data derived therefrom on the network;

correlating the first characteristics with the transmission characteristics for operably configuring at least two techniques obtained from different ones of the following collections;

(a) a compression collection of one or more data compression techniques, (b) a de-noising collection of one or more de-noising techniques, and (c) a sharpening collection of one or more sharpening techniques;

wherein the at least two techniques transform the first data or data derived therefrom into corresponding processed data for transmitting on the network;

applying the at least two techniques for transforming the first data or data derived therefrom;

obtaining history information indicative of transforming the first data to obtain the processed data, wherein the history information includes description information related to the at least two techniques applied for transforming the first data; and

transmitting the processed data and the history information, via the network, to a predetermined network site;

wherein following the transmission, the transmitted history information is accessed for at least decompressing the transmitted processed data when the transmitted processed data is compressed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying step includes applying one of the sharpening techniques to the first data or data derived therefrom.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least most of the steps claim 1 are performed by the first device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the applying step includes applying one of the data compression techniques to the first data or data derived therefrom.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the one sharpening technique includes one of a deconvolution technique and an unsharp masking technique.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission characteristics are dependent upon one or more of:

an available network bandwidth, a network transmission time delay, a network data rate, and a maximum transmission time delay threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmission characteristics are dependent upon at least the maximum transmission time delay threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying step includes activating one of first and second sharpening techniques obtained from the sharpening collection, wherein the first sharpening technique sharpens the first data or data derived therefrom less than the second sharpening technique;

wherein the first sharpening technique is activated when a first data compression, technique, obtained from the compression collection, is designated for compressing the first data or data derived therefrom;

wherein the second sharpening technique is activated when a second data compression technique, obtained from the compression collection, is designated for compressing the first data or data derived therefrom; and

wherein the first data compression technique compresses data less than the second data compression technique.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted history information is accessed for enhancing the processed data by activating one or more of:

a de-noising process, a sharpening process, an auto-exposure process, an auto-white balance process, and an auto-focus process.

10. The method of claim 1, further including a step of determining whether one or more of an auto-exposure, auto-white balance, and auto-focus is to be performed prior to the step of obtaining the first data, wherein the step of determining prevents at least one of the auto-exposure, auto-white balance, and auto-focus from being performed when network data is indicative of an available network bandwidth below a predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission characteristics include a preferred size, data rate, or an elapsed time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the network site does not perform further video or image enhancement of the processed data.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:

machine instructions for performing the following steps;

obtaining for a first device, first image or video data, the first device being in operable communication with a network site via a telecommunications network;

obtaining one or more first characteristics of the first data, wherein the characteristics include a size or data rate for the first data;

obtaining enhanced data obtained from enhancing of the first image or video data, or data derived therefrom;

wherein for obtaining the enhance data, the first image or video data or data derived therefrom is input to a first sharpening process when a first data compression is designated for compressing the enhanced data or data derived therefrom;

wherein for obtaining the enhance data, the first image or video data or data derived therefrom is input to a second sharpening process when a second data compression is designated for compressing the enhanced data or data derived therefrom;

wherein the first data compression compresses more than the second data compression;

wherein the first sharpening process sharpens more than the second sharpening process;

wherein processed data is obtained from compressing the enhanced data or data derived therefrom with one of the first data compression and the second data compression according to one or more transmission characteristics for transmitting the processed data on the network;

obtaining history information indicative of processing of the first image or video data, wherein the history information includes compression description information related to the processed data, and also includes sharpening description information indicative of sharpening performed for obtaining the enhanced data; and

transmitting the processed data and the history information, via the network, to the network site.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, where the step of obtaining the enhanced data includes de-noising the first image or video data, or data derived therefrom, wherein the de-noising reduces a salt and pepper noise or a Gaussian noise.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first device generates the first image or video data.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the transmission characteristics are dependent upon one or more of:

an available network bandwidth, a network transmission time delay, a network data rate, and a maximum transmission time delay threshold.

17. A system for processing image or video data comprising:

an image or video recorder having the following (a) through (e);

(a) an image or video generator for generating image or video data;

(b) one or more enhancement processes for enhancing the image or video data, or a version derived therefrom resulting in enhanced data, wherein the enhancement processes include one or more sharpening processes;

(c) a compressor for compressing the enhanced data resulting in processed data;

(d) an evaluator for determining whether network data, related to a transmission characteristic for a network in operable communication with the recorder, is indicative of;

(i) a first specification of the transmission characteristic, or (ii) a second specification of the transmission characteristic;

wherein the first specification is indicative of a more constrained operational condition for performing a transmission on the network than the second specification;

wherein the first specification corresponds to a first data compression, and the second specification corresponds to a second data compression;

wherein the first data compression compresses data more than the second data compression;

wherein prior to the first data compression being performed on the enhanced data, a first of the sharpening processes is performed for obtaining the enhanced data indicative of a first sharpened content;

wherein prior to the second data compression being performed on the enhanced data, a second of the sharpening processes is performed for obtaining the enhanced data indicative of a second sharpened content;

wherein the first sharpening process sharpens more than the second sharpening process; and

wherein history information indicative of processing of the image or video data to yield the processed data is obtained, wherein the history information includes compression description information related to which of the first and second data compressions were performed, and including enhancement description information indicative of the enhancement processes performed to obtain the enhanced data; and

(e) an interface to the network for transmitting the processed data and the history information, via the network, to a predetermined network site;

wherein following the network transmission, the transmitted history information is accessed for decompressing the transmitted processed data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the evaluator compares the network data with data indicative of a predetermined available bandwidth for the network or a maximum transmission time.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the enhancement processes includes a de-noising process for de-noising the image or video data, or a version derived therefrom, wherein the de-noising is decreased when the first data compression is performed, and the de-noising is increased when the second data compression is performed.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more sharpening processes include one of a deconvolution process and an unsharp masking process.