Method and system for modifying image quality of an image

• US 9,536,284 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lens Correction Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: DXO Labs
• Inventors: Liege, Bruno, Guichard, Frederic, Lavest, Jean-Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Rush, Eric
• Application Number:
  US14/021,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20140099042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/254, 382/255, 382/274, 382/275, 382/276, 382/283, 382/293, 382/297, 358/2.1, 358/3.26, 358/3.27, 348/254, 702/85, 702179-186, 396/311
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/10 Selection of transformation methods according to the characteristics of the input images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00007 relating to particular apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00045 using a reference pattern designed for the purpose, e.g. a test chart
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00071 characterised by the action taken
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40093 Modification of content of picture, e.g. retouching geometric modifications H04N1/387
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/58 Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression, e.g. colour misregistration correction H04N1/62 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and a system are described where the quality of an image can be modified, using formatted information related to the defects of the appliances of the chain of appliances. The method may include compiling directories of sources of formatted information related to the said appliances, searching automatically for this formatted information related to the appliances of the said chain of appliances, modifying the said image automatically by image-processing software or components by taking into account the formatted information. Additionally, the formatted information may be modified as a function of variable characteristics of the image to be processed and of the chain of appliances. Thus, it is possible to process the images derived from appliances that may be of diverse origins and that have been commercialized gradually over time, such as photographic or video images in optical instrumentation, industrial controls, robotics, metrology, etc.

Claims

1. A method of modifying digital image data associated with an imaging appliance chain, the appliance chain including at least one device exhibiting at least one defect that can be characterized by formatted information, the method comprising:

retrieving, from the digital image data, by an image processing apparatus, identifier information for each device within the appliance chain and variable characteristic information for the at least one device, wherein the identifier information is used by the image processing apparatus to determine devices within the appliance chain, and wherein the variable characteristic information represents at least one setting of the at least one device made during capture of the digital image data;

searching, based upon the identifier information and the variable characteristic information, in a computer-readable storage medium, for at least one compiled directory of formatted information related to a plurality of device models and organized by device model, wherein the at least one compiled directory includes first formatted information related to a device model of the same model as the at least one device that is generated by calibrating the device model of the same model as the at least one device based upon characteristics of the device model of the same model as the at least one device, and second formatted information derived directly from the first formatted information without further calibration, wherein the first formatted information and second formatted information include the same items of data in the same format;

retrieving, based upon the search, either the first formatted or second formatted information as specific formatted information,

wherein the specific formatted information is associated, at least in part, with the identifier information and the variable characteristic information, and wherein the specific formatted information is related, at least in part, to the at least one defect of the at least one device; and

modifying the digital image data by the image processing apparatus to correct for the at least one defect using the specific formatted information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one device is selected from the group of:

a photographic appliance, a camera, a camera body, a lens, a video camera, a camera connected to or integrated in a PC, a camera connected to or integrated in a personal digital assistant, a camera connected to or integrated in a telephone, a videoconferencing appliance and a measuring camera.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the variable characteristic information comprises one or more of:

a focal length of an optical system, a redimensioning applied to an image, a nonlinear brightness correction, a gamma correction, an enhancement of an image contour, a level of deblurring applied by the one appliance, an image noise characteristic of a sensor or an electronic device, an aperture of an optical system, a focusing distance, a number of frames in a film, an underexposure, an overexposure, a sensitivity of a film or sensor, a type of paper used in a printer, a position of a center of a sensor, a rotation of an image relative to a sensor, a position of a projector relative to a screen, a white balance, an activation of a flash, a flash power, an exposure time, a sensor gain, a compression factor, an image contrast, and another image related adjustment, and an adjusted mode of operation.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one defect is related to one or more of:

a distortion, a blurring, a vignetting, a chromatic aberration, a rendering of colors, a flash uniformity, a sensor noise, a grain, an astigmatism, and a spherical aberration.

5. A system for modifying digital image data associated with an imaging appliance chain, the appliance chain including at least one device exhibiting at least one defect that can be characterized by formatted information, the system comprising:

an image processing apparatus; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the image processing apparatus, perform the steps of;

retrieving, from the digital image data, by an image processing apparatus, identifier information for each device within the appliance chain and variable characteristic information for the at least one device, wherein the identifier information is used by the image processing apparatus to determine devices within the appliance chain, and wherein the variable characteristic information represents at least one setting of the at least one device made during capture of the digital image data;

searching, based upon the identifier information and the variable characteristic information, in a computer-readable storage medium, for at least one compiled directory of formatted information related to a plurality of device models and organized by device model, wherein the at least one compiled directory includes first formatted information related to a device model of the same model as the at least one device that is generated by calibrating the device model of the same model as the at least one device based upon characteristics of the device model of the same model as the at least one device, and second formatted information derived directly from the first formatted information without further calibration, wherein the first formatted information and second formatted information include the same items of data in the same format;

retrieving, based upon the search, either the first formatted or second formatted information as specific formatted information,

wherein the specific formatted information is associated, at least in part, with the identifier information and the variable characteristic information, and wherein the specific formatted information is related, at least in part, to the at least one defect of the at least one device; and

modifying the digital image data by the image processing apparatus to correct for the at least one defect using the specific formatted information.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the at least one device is selected from the group of:

a photographic appliance, a camera, a camera body, a lens, a video camera, a camera connected to or integrated in a PC, a camera connected to or integrated in a personal digital assistant, a camera connected to and integrated in a telephone, a videoconferencing appliance or a measuring camera.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the variable characteristic information comprises one or more of:

a focal length of an optical system, a redimensioning applied to an image, a nonlinear brightness correction, a gamma correction, an enhancement of an image contour, a level of deblurring applied by the one appliance, an image noise characteristic of a sensor or an electronic device, an aperture of an optical system, a focusing distance, a number of frames in a film, an underexposure, an overexposure, a sensitivity of a film or sensor, a type of paper used in a printer, a position of a center of a sensor, a rotation of an image relative to a sensor, a position of a projector relative to a screen, a white balance, an activation of a flash, a flash power, an exposure time, a sensor gain, a compression factor, an image contrast, and another image related adjustment, and an adjusted mode of operation.

8. The system according to claim 5, wherein the at least one defect is related to one or more of:

a distortion, a blurring, a vignetting, a chromatic aberration, a rendering of colors, a flash uniformity, a sensor noise, a grain, an astigmatism, and a spherical aberration.

9. A non-transitory physical computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions for modifying digital image data associated with an imaging appliance chain, the appliance chain including at least one device exhibiting at least one defect that can be characterized by formatted information, the computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more individual media and storing instructions that, when executed by an image processing apparatus, perform the steps of:

retrieving, from the digital image data, by an image processing apparatus, identifier information for each device within the appliance chain and variable characteristic information for the at least one device, wherein the identifier information is used by the image processing apparatus to determine devices within the appliance chain, and wherein the variable characteristic information represents at least one setting of the at least one device made during capture of the digital image data;

searching, based upon the identifier information and the variable characteristic information, in a computer-readable storage medium, for at least one compiled directory of formatted information related to a plurality of device models and organized by device model, wherein the at least one compiled directory includes first formatted information related to a device model of the same model as the at least one device that is generated by calibrating the device model of the same model as the at least one device based upon characteristics of the device model of the same model as the at least one device, and second formatted information derived directly from the first formatted information without further calibration, wherein the first formatted information and second formatted information include the same items of data in the same format;

retrieving, based upon the search, either the formatted or second formatted information as specific formatted information,

wherein the specific formatted information is associated, at least in part, with the identifier information and the variable characteristic information, and wherein the specific formatted information is related, at least in part, to the at least one defect of the at least one device; and

modifying the digital image data by the image processing apparatus to correct for the at least one defect using the specific formatted information.

10. The non-transitory physical computer-readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one device is selected from the group of:

a photographic appliance, a camera, a camera body, a lens, a video camera, a camera connected to or integrated in a PC, a camera connected to or integrated in a personal digital assistant, a camera connected to or integrated in a telephone, a videoconferencing appliance and a measuring camera.

11. The non-transitory physical computer-readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the variable characteristic information comprises one or more of:

a focal length of an optical system, a redimensioning applied to an image, a nonlinear brightness correction, a gamma correction, an enhancement of an image contour, a level of deblurring applied by the one appliance, an image noise characteristic of a sensor or an electronic device, an aperture of an optical system, a focusing distance, a number of frames in a film, an underexposure, an overexposure, a sensitivity of a film or sensor, a type of paper used in a printer, a position of a center of a sensor, a rotation of an image relative to a sensor, a position of a projector relative to a screen, a white balance, an activation of a flash, a flash power, an exposure time, a sensor gain, a compression factor, an image contrast, and another image related adjustment, and an adjusted mode of operation.

12. The non-transitory physical computer-readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one defect is related to one or more of:

a distortion, a blurring, a vignetting, a chromatic aberration, a rendering of colors, a flash uniformity, a sensor noise, a grain, an astigmatism, and a spherical aberration.