Method for determining image correction parameters

• US 20040150726A1
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Gallagher, Andrew C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,327,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/401 Compensating positionally unequal response of the pick-up or reproducing head H04N1/403 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3252 Image capture parameters, e.g. resolution, illumination conditions, orientation of the image capture device H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

In order to reduce image degradation due to image capture problems, a method utilizes image data corresponding to a captured image and image capture metadata that refers specifically to information that is associated with capture of the image. A database of correction parameters is provided in order to reduce degradation present in the captured image, whereby each correction parameter is associated with particular image capture metadata. The method involves using the image capture metadata to determine whether the database contains one or more correction parameters associated with that image capture metadata, and then producing correction parameters from the database of correction parameters when the database contains correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata. One or more new correction parameters are produced when the database does not contain correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata. The database then may be updated with the new correction parameters.

Claims

1. A method of processing an image to reduce image degradation due to image capture problems, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing image data corresponding to a captured image and image capture metadata that refers specifically to information that is associated with capture of the image;

(b) providing a database of correction parameters that can be used to reduce degradation present in the captured image, whereby each correction parameter is associated with particular image capture metadata;

(c) using the image capture metadata to determine whether the database contains one or more correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata;

(d) producing correction parameters from the database of correction parameters when the database contains correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata; and

(e) producing one or more new correction parameters from an algorithm when the database does not contain correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the database is updated with the new correction parameters produced by step (e), thereby producing one or more updated correction parameters in the database.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein updated correction parameters are produced in step (d) when image capture metadata is subsequently provided in step (a) that specifically refers to the image capture metadata that was previously used in step (e) to produce the updated correction parameters.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (d) produces correction parameters when there is a predetermined near match between the image capture metadata and the correction parameters associated with particular image capture metadata in the database.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(f) providing the correction parameters produced in either step

(e) or step (f) to an image processing algorithm; and

(g) using the image processing algorithm with the provided correction parameters to reduce the image degradation.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the capture problem is a lens degradation, the image capture metadata is indicative of the degradation, and the algorithm corrects for the degradation.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the capture problem is a light falloff, the image capture metadata is indicative of the light falloff, and the algorithm corrects for the light falloff.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the capture problem is a lens distortion, the image capture metadata is indicative of the lens distortion, and the algorithm corrects for the lens distortion.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein image data for one or more additional images are provided in step (a) and wherein the algorithm used in step (e) additionally processes one or more of the additional images in order to produce the correction parameter for the image.

10. A computer storage medium having instructions stored therein for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A method of processing an image to reduce image degradation due to image capture problems, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing image data corresponding to a captured image and image capture metadata that refers specifically to information that is associated with capture of the image;

(b) providing a database of correction parameters that can be used to reduce degradation present in the captured image, whereby each correction parameter is associated with particular image capture metadata;

(c) using the image capture metadata to determine whether the database contains one or more correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata;

(d) producing correction parameters from the database of correction parameters when the database contains correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata; and

(e) using the correction parameters from the database to produce a functional fit between the correction parameters in the database and the particular image capture metadata associated with the correction parameters, and then using the functional fit to provide one or more new correction parameters when the database does not contain correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the database is updated with the new correction parameters provided by step (e), thereby producing one or more updated correction parameters in the database.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the database is updated with the functional fit produced by step (e), thereby enabling the production of one or more new correction parameters without having to recalculate the functional fit.

14. A computer storage medium having instructions stored therein for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 11.

15. A method of processing an image to reduce image degradation due to image capture problems, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing image data corresponding to a captured image and image capture metadata that refers specifically to information that is associated with capture of the image;

(b) providing a database of correction parameters that can be used to reduce degradation present in the captured image, whereby each correction parameter is associated with particular image capture metadata and with a confidence value;

(c) using the image capture metadata to determine whether the database contains one or more correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata;

(d) producing one or more correction parameters from the database of correction parameters when the database contains one or more correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata and the confidence value meets a criteria; and

(e) producing one or more improved correction parameters when the database does not contain correction parameters associated with the image capture metadata or if the confidence value does not meet the criteria.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, when step (e) produces one or more improved correction parameters because the correction parameters in the database did not meet the criteria for the confidence value, said method further comprising the steps of:

(f) resolving the difference between the improved correction parameters and the correction parameters in the database, thereby providing one or more resolved correction parameters that are used to update the database, and

(g) updating the confidence value associated with the resolved correction parameters.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the step (f) of resolving the difference comprises averaging the improved correction parameters and the parameters in the database.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein image data for one or more additional images are provided in step (a) and wherein the algorithm used in step (e) processes one or more of the additional images in order to produce one or more improved correction parameters, said method further comprising the steps of:

(f) recalculating the confidence level for the improved correction parameters; and

(g) updating the database with the improved correction parameters and the recalculated confidence level.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 further comprising the steps of providing one or more additional images and applying a threshold to the recalculated confidence level in order to decide whether to use the improved correction parameters to correct the additional images.

20. A computer storage medium having instructions stored therein for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 15.