Using captured high and low resolution images

• US 9,407,818 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Deever, Aaron T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Chan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, Mia M
• Application Number:
  US14/247,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 382/254, 382/298, 382/299, 382/190, 382/195, 382/274, 382/275, 382/300, 382/144, 382/145, 382/293
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4076 using the original low-resolution images to iteratively correct the high-resolution images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/46 by combining or binning pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/60 Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

A method for producing an improved high resolution image is disclosed including capturing low resolution images and a high resolution image; combining the low resolution images to provide an aggregate low resolution image; reducing the resolution of the high resolution image to provide an image representative of a low resolution image that could have been captured by the image capture device; interpolating the representative low resolution image to provide an interpolated high resolution image; calculating a residual image from the high resolution image and the interpolated high resolution image; combining the representative low resolution image and the aggregate low resolution image to provide a final low resolution image; and using the final low resolution image and the residual image to provide the improved high resolution image.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing, using an image capture device, a low resolution image of a scene and a high resolution image of the scene;

combining, using a response filter coupled to the image capture device, the low resolution image with other low resolution images to provide an aggregate low resolution image; and

combining a version of the high resolution image with the aggregate low resolution image to provide an improved high resolution image by reducing the resolution of the high resolution image to provide an image representative of a low resolution image, wherein combining a version of the high resolution image with the aggregate low resolution image to provide the improved high resolution image further comprises;

reducing the resolution of the high resolution image to provide an image representative of a low resolution image that could have been captured by the image capture device; and

interpolating the representative low resolution image to provide an interpolated high resolution image, calculating a residual image from the high resolution image and the interpolated high resolution image;

combining the representative low resolution image and the aggregate low resolution image to provide a final low resolution image; and

providing the improved high resolution image using the final low resolution image and the residual image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resolution of the high resolution image is reduced using substantially the same binning and decimation procedure used in the capture of the low resolution.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the low resolution image with other low resolution images to provide an aggregate low resolution image further comprises correcting for motion present between the aggregate low resolution image and the representative low resolution image.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a map identifying matching pixels for which the aggregate low resolution image and the other low resolution images have matching scene data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing a weighted average of corresponding aggregate low resolution image and representative low resolution image pixel data.

6. A system comprising:

an image capture device configured to capture a low resolution image of a scene and a high resolution image of the scene;

a response filter coupled to the image capture device, wherein the response filter is configured to combine the low resolution image with other low resolution images to provide an aggregate low resolution image; and

a processor configured to combine a version of the high resolution image with the aggregate low resolution image to provide an improved high resolution image by reducing the resolution of the high resolution image to provide an image representative of a low resolution image, wherein the processor is further configured to;

reduce the resolution of the high resolution image to provide an image representative of a low resolution image that could have been captured by the image capture device; and

interpolate the representative low resolution image to provide an interpolated high resolution image,

calculate a residual image from the high resolution image and the interpolated high resolution image;

combine the representative low resolution image and the aggregate low resolution image to provide a final low resolution image; and

provide the improved high resolution image using the final low resolution image and the residual image.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the resolution of the high resolution image is reduced using substantially the same binning and decimation procedure used in the capture of the low resolution.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the response filter is further configured to correct for motion present between the aggregate low resolution image and the representative low resolution image.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to form a map identifying matching pixels for which the aggregate low resolution image and the other low resolution images have matching scene data.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to compute a weighted average of corresponding aggregate low resolution image and representative low resolution image pixel data.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for providing an improved high resolution image using low resolution images and at least one high resolution image of a scene captured by an image capture device, the instructions comprising:

instructions for capturing a low resolution image of a scene and a high resolution image of the scene;

instructions for combining the low resolution image with other low resolution images to provide an aggregate low resolution image; and

instructions for combining a version of the high resolution image with the aggregate low resolution image to provide an improved high resolution image by reducing the resolution of the high resolution image to provide an image representative of a low resolution image, wherein combining a version of the high resolution image with the aggregate low resolution image to provide the improved high resolution image further comprises;

reducing the resolution of the high resolution image to provide an image representative of a low resolution image that could have been captured by the image capture device;

interpolating the representative low resolution image to provide an interpolated high resolution image;

calculating a residual image from the high resolution image and the interpolated high resolution image;

combining the representative low resolution image and the aggregate low resolution image to provide a final low resolution image; and

providing the improved high resolution image using the final low resolution image and the residual image.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for correcting for motion present between the aggregate low resolution image and the representative low resolution image.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for forming a map identifying matching pixels for which the aggregate low resolution image and the other low resolution images have matching scene data.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for computing a weighted average of corresponding aggregate low resolution image and representative low resolution image pixel data.