Image enhancement system

Abstract

An image enhancement system for a vehicle includes an imager configured to acquire image data and a display operably coupled to the imager. The display contains display data. The image enhancement system also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) communicatively coupled to the imager and the display. The ECU includes data processing hardware configured to execute an image enhancement application. The image enhancement application is configured to receive the image data from the imager and the display data from the display. The image enhancement application is configured to perform image enhancement and edge enhancement modification of the image data based on the display data.

Description

introduction

[0001] The information provided in this section is for the purpose of generally illustrating the context of the disclosure. The work of the inventors identified herein, to the extent described in this section, as well as aspects of the description that could not otherwise be classified as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted to be prior art to the present disclosure.

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to an image enhancement system.

[0003] Modern vehicles may have surveillance systems equipped with cameras to detect various activities within the main cabin of the vehicle. The cameras are typically positioned within view of the vehicle's occupants to maximize image capture and minimize pixel interference from surrounding displays. In some cases, the cameras may be obstructed or otherwise obstructed by the occupants. During operation, the surveillance systems typically utilize machine learning techniques. However, machine learning requires significant training and increased computing power, which reduces the system's efficiency. Thus, there is a need for an improved imaging system that can efficiently capture and analyze cabin activities with minimal interference from the occupants. Summary

[0004] In some aspects, an image enhancement system for a vehicle includes an imager configured to capture image data and a display operably coupled to the imager. The display includes display data including an operating state of the display. The image enhancement system also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) communicatively coupled to the imager and the display. The ECU includes computing hardware configured to execute an image enhancement application. The image enhancement application is configured to receive the image data from the imager and the display data from the display. The image enhancement application is configured to perform image enhancement and edge enhancement modification of the image data based on the display data.The image enhancement application is also configured to render or render an image in response to image enhancement and edge enhancement modification.

[0005] In some examples, the image enhancement application may include an image signal process configured to receive the display data from the display. The image signal process may be configured to render the image data based on the display data received from the display. In some cases, the image enhancement may include bitplane splicing, tone mapping restoration, contrast restoration, luma restoration, and / or chroma adjustment. The display data may include a backlight ratio, a contrast ratio, and / or a display density. The computing hardware may be configured to perform the image enhancement based on the operating state, the backlight ratio, the contrast ratio, and / or the display density.Optionally, the image enhancement application may be configured to compare a pixel density of the image data and the display density of the display data. In some configurations, the edge enhancement modification may include image composition, and the computing hardware may be configured to perform image composition in response to the image enhancement.

[0006] In other aspects, an image enhancement system includes a display containing display data and an imager operably coupled to and disposed behind the display. The imager is configured to acquire image data. The image enhancement system also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) communicatively coupled to the imager and the display. The ECU includes data processing hardware configured to execute an image enhancement application. The image enhancement application is configured to receive the image data from the imager and the display data from the display and to perform image enhancement and edge enhancement modification of the image data based on the display data.

[0007] In some examples, the image enhancement application includes an image signal process configured to receive the display data from the display. The image signal process may be configured to render the image data based on the display data received from the display. In some cases, the image enhancement may include bitplane splicing, tone mapping restoration, contrast restoration, luma restoration, and / or chroma adjustment. The display data may include an operating state, a backlight ratio, a contrast ratio, and / or a display density. The computing hardware may be configured to perform the image enhancement based on the operating state, the backlight ratio, the contrast ratio, and / or the display density.Optionally, the image enhancement application may be configured to compare a pixel density of the image data and the display density of the display data. In some configurations, the edge enhancement modification may include image composition, with the computing hardware configured to perform image composition in response to the image enhancement.

[0008] In further aspects, a computer-implemented method, when executed by computing hardware, causes the computing hardware to perform operations. The operations include acquiring display data from a display including an operating state, monitoring, via a lookup table value, display data of the display, acquiring image data from an imager, and rendering, via an image enhancement application, the acquired image data in response to the operating state of the display. The operations also include performing, via the image enhancement application, image enhancement of the rendered image data based on the display data, performing, via the image enhancement application, edge enhancement modification of the image data, and compositing the enhanced image data.

[0009] In some examples, performing image enhancement may include performing bitplane splicing of the image data, performing tone mapping restoration of the image data, performing contrast restoration of the image data, performing luma restoration of the image data, or performing chroma adjustment of the image data, or more thereof. Performing bitplane splicing may include removing image artifacts from the image data. Optionally, the operations may also include constructing the imager behind the display. In some cases, acquiring the display data may include acquiring a backlight ratio, a contrast ratio, and a display density. In some cases, performing image enhancement and performing edge enhancement modification may include referencing the display data. Brief description of the drawings

[0010] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of an interior cabin of a vehicle equipped with an image enhancement system according to the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a block diagram for an image enhancement system according to the present disclosure; Fig. 3 is another block diagram for the image enhancement system of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an exemplary flowchart for an image enhancement system according to the present disclosure; and Fig. 5 is another flowchart for the image enhancement system of Fig. 4.

[0011] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in the drawings. Detailed description

[0012] Example configurations will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Specific details are set forth, such as examples of particular components, devices, and methods, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0013] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprise," "comprising," "including," and "having" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as necessarily being performed in the order discussed or illustrated unless they are expressly identified as being in that order of implementation.Additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0014] When an element or layer is referred to as being located "on," "engaging with," "connected to," "attached to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaging with, connected to, attached to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being located "directly on," "directly engaging with," "directly connected to," "directly attached to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in the same way (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.).As used herein, the term “and / or” includes all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.

[0015] The terms "first", "second", "third", etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections are not intended to be limited by these terms. These terms may only be used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as "first", "second", and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. For example, a first element, component, region, layer, or section could be...a first section, referred to below, may also be referred to as a second element, second component, second region, second layer, or second portion or second section, without departing from the teachings of the exemplary configurations.

[0016] In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" may be replaced by the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit, a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit, a combinational logic circuit, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a processor (common, dedicated, or group) executing code, a memory (common, dedicated, or group) storing code executed by a processor, other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality, or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-chip.

[0017] The term "code" as used above may include software, firmware, and / or microcode and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and / or objects. The term "shared processor" includes a single processor that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor" includes a processor that, in combination with additional processors, executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "shared memory" includes a single memory that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory" includes memory that, in combination with additional memory, stores some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "memory" may be a subset of the term "computer-readable medium."The term "computer-readable medium" does not encompass the transitory electrical and electromagnetic signals that propagate through a medium and can therefore be considered tangible, non-transitory storage. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory storage include tangible computer-readable medium, including non-volatile memory, magnetic storage, and optical storage.

[0018] The devices and methods described in this application may be implemented partially or completely by means of one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs contain processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable medium. The computer programs may also contain and / or access stored data.

[0019] A software application (i.e., a software resource) may refer to computer software that causes a computing device to perform a task. In some examples, a software application may be referred to as an "application," "app," or "program." Example applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system management applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications.

[0020] Non-transitory memory may be physical devices used to temporarily or permanently store programs (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program state information) for use by a computing device. Non-transitory memory may be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., typically used for firmware such as boot programs). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAID).Random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM), and floppy disks or tapes.

[0021] These computer programs (also referred to as programs, software, software applications, or code) contain machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a procedural high-level and / or object-oriented programming language and / or assembly / machine language. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, apparatus, and / or device (e.g., magnetic disks, optical disks, memories, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor containing a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal.The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0022] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein may be realized in digital electronic and / or optical circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed or configured ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementation in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special-purpose or general-purpose, and coupled to receive data and instructions from and transmit data and instructions to a memory system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0023] The processes and logic flows described in this specification may be carried out by one or more programmable processors, also referred to as data processing hardware, that execute one or more computer programs to perform functions by processing input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows may also be carried out by special-purpose logic circuitry, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Processors suitable for executing a computer program include, for example, both general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors, as well as any one or more processors of any type of digital computer. In general, a processor receives instructions orInstructions and data from read-only memory or random access memory, or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more storage devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer also includes, or is operatively coupled to, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic, magneto-optical, or optical disks, or to receive or transfer data from or to them, or both. However, a computer is not required to include such devices. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data includes all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and storage devices, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices, magnetic disks, such asInternal hard disks or removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory can be supplemented by or integrated into special-purpose logic circuitry.

[0024] To enable interaction with the user, one or more aspects of the disclosure may be implemented on a computer having a display device, such as a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, or a touchscreen for displaying information to the user, and optionally a keyboard and a pointing device, mouse, or trackball, for the user to provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to enable interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including auditory, verbal, or tactile input.In addition, a computer may interact with a user by sending and receiving documents to and from a device used by the user, for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on a user's client device in response to requests received from the web browser.

[0025] Referring to Fig. 1-3, an image enhancement system 10 includes an electronic control unit (ECU) 12 and an imager 100. The image enhancement system 10 is configured for a vehicle 200, such that the ECU 12 may be a central computing system of the vehicle 200. The ECU 12 is configured with an image enhancement application 14 configured to process the image data 102 received from the imager 100. The image enhancement system 10 further includes a display 202 of the vehicle 200 that provides the ECU 12 with display data 204, which is described below. Upon executing the image enhancement application 14, the ECU 12 receives the display data 204 of the display 202 in combination with the acquired image data 102, which is described in more detail below.

[0026] The imager 100 is configured to monitor the occupants of the vehicle 200 and may also provide images 102a on the display 202. The images 102a are provided as part of the image data 102 to the ECU 12 for enhancement by the image enhancement application 14. For example, the images 102a may have low visibility regardless of enhancement, so that the display 202 may project flickering and / or hazy images 102a. Thus, the image enhancement application 14 advantageously assists in rendering a clear image to be displayed by the display 202. The imager 100 is operatively coupled to and disposed behind the display 202 at various locations within the vehicle 200. The imager 100 may thus include a plurality of imagers 100 corresponding to the number of displays 202 present within the vehicle 200.In some examples, the imager 100 may be located behind circuitry 206 of the display 202, which may affect the quality of the raw image data 102. Thus, the display data 204 may directly impact the image data 102. The image enhancement application 14 is configured to advantageously enhance and render the image data 102, as described in detail below.

[0027] The ECU 12 is communicatively coupled to both the imager 100 and the display 202 and includes data processing hardware 16 configured to execute the image enhancement application 14. The ECU 12 also includes the storage hardware 18 described below, which is communicatively coupled to the data processing hardware 16. The image enhancement application 14 is configured to receive the image data 102 from the imager 100 and to receive the display data 204 from the display 202. As part of the rendering process of the image data 102, the image enhancement application 14 includes an image enhancer 20, an image signal process 22, and an image composition 24, each of which is described separately herein.

[0028] Each of the image enhancement 20, the image signal process 22, and the image composition 24 is performed by the data processing hardware 16 in response to receiving the image data 102. Accordingly, the image enhancement application 14 performs the image enhancement 20 on the image data 102 based on the display data 204 of the display 202, which is described in detail below. For example, the image enhancement application 14 acquires the image data 102 and performs the image signal process 22. The image signal process 22 uses the display data 204 as input when evaluating the image data 102.

[0029] With further reference to Fig. 1-3, the imager 100 acquires the image data 102, which may include an image 102a to be displayed on the display 202. As described herein, the image 102a may be rendered using the image enhancement application 14. The image data 102 also includes image artifacts 104, which may be a result of the positioning of the imager 100 behind the display 202, and which are corrected using the image enhancement 20 to generate a rendered image 26. For example, the image enhancement 20 removes the image artifacts by using the display data 204 as input to the image enhancement application 14. Further, the image enhancement application 14 may utilize the pixel density 106 of the image artifacts 104 during the image enhancement 20 process described below.

[0030] The display data 204 may be analyzed by the image signal process 22 of the image enhancement application 14. For example, the display data 204 includes an operational state 208 of the display 202, which includes an active state 208a and an inactive state 208b. When the display 202 is in the inactive state 208b, the image signal process 22 is activated by the image enhancement application 14 without necessarily executing the additional enhancements of the image enhancement application 14. Consequently, the image enhancement application 14 may directly composite and render the image data 102 using the image signal process 22. As described herein, the image enhancement application 14 executes the additional enhancements when rendering the image data 102 in response to the active state 208a of the display 202.Thus, the display data 204 serves as input to the image enhancement application 14 in deciding which image enhancement 20, if any, should be performed.

[0031] Still on Fig. 1-3, the display data 204 includes additional data related to the display 202, which collectively may define a lookup table value 210 of the display 202. The image enhancement system 10 utilizes the lookup table value 210 to monitor the display data 204 of the display 202 to determine which image enhancement 20 to perform. The lookup table value 210 includes, but is not limited to, a backlight ratio 212, a contrast ratio 214, and a display density 216. The computing hardware 16 is configured to perform the image enhancement 20 based on the operating state 208, the backlight ratio 212, the contrast ratio 214, and / or the display density 216.

[0032] The backlight ratio 212 may include a power value 212a. The contrast ratio 214 provides the ECU 12 with contrast data related to the image data 102 with respect to the display 202. For example, the display 202 may project an image 102a associated with the image data 102, and the contrast ratio 214 may reflect the contrast of the displayed image 102a. Further, the ECU 12 may receive the display density 216, which generally refers to the pixel density 106 of the image artifacts 104. The display density 216 is compared to the pixel density 106, for example, using the image enhancement application 14.

[0033] Further referring to Fig. 1-3, in response to receiving the image data 102, the image enhancement application 14 acquires the display data 204, including the backlight ratio 212, the contrast ratio 214, and the display density 216, to perform the image enhancement 20. For example, the image enhancement application 14 acquires the display data 204 and first renders the image data 102 based on the operating state 208, as mentioned above. Generally, the image enhancement application 14 is configured to compare the pixel density 106 of the image data 102 with the display density 216 of the display data 204. The image enhancement 20 performs processes based on the display data 204 to enhance the image data 102 and ultimately render the rendered image 26. The rendered image 26 may be stored in the storage hardware 18. In some examples, the rendered image 26 may be displayed on the display 202.The image enhancement 20 performs bitplane splicing 30, tone mapping restoration 32, contrast restoration 34, luma restoration 36 and / or chroma adjustment 38 as part of the image enhancement 20.

[0034] For example, the image enhancement application 14 performs bit-plane splicing to detect display modulation 218 of the display 202. Display modulation 218 occurs when flickering and / or banding is present on the display 202 as a result of the unrendered image data 102. The display modulation 218 may be detected by the ECU 12 based on the lookup table values 210 received from the display 202. The image enhancement application 14 performs the bit-plane splicing 30 in response to the detected display modulation 218. The bit-plane splicing 30 is performed by the ECU 12 by dividing the pixel density 106 of the image data 102. For example, the image data 102 may be converted into a binary form and then divided into corresponding bit planes by the image enhancement application 14.Thus, bitplane splicing 30 modifies the arrangement of pixels of image data 102 to minimize and / or eliminate flicker or banding of image data 102. For example, bitplane splicing 30 performed by image enhancement application 14 removes image artifacts 104 of image data 102 that may correspond to flicker and / or banding.

[0035] In parallel with bitplane splicing 30, image enhancement application 14 performs contrast restoration 34 and tone mapping restoration 32. Tone mapping restoration 32 removes the flicker and / or banding detected by image enhancement application 14. Furthermore, tone mapping restoration 32 may reduce the tone values of image data 102. In general, tone mapping restoration 32 may be used to expand a luminance range of image data 102 by mapping colors of the image data with respect to display density 216 of display 202 to approximate the appearance of display 202 with image data 102.

[0036] Contrast restoration 34 uses the contrast ratio 214 received from display 202 to adjust the contrast of image data 102. For example, the contrast of image data 102 may be inconsistent with the contrast ratio 214 of display 202. The inconsistency between the contrast of image data 102 and display 202 is adjusted or adjusted by image enhancement application 14 by executing contrast restoration 34. Contrast restoration 34 is performed at the pixel level of image data 102. For example, image enhancement application 14 may resolve image artifacts 104 by adjusting pixel density 106. The adjusted pixel density 106 may change the contrast of image data 102 with respect to display 202 to ultimately improve or enhance the quality of rendered image 26.

[0037] With further reference to Fig. 1-3, the image enhancement application 14 may perform luma restoration 36 in parallel with performing contrast restoration 34. Luma restoration 36 is configured to restore the brightness of the image data 102. As mentioned above, the imager 100 is disposed behind the display 202. It is conceivable that the display 202 may include a plurality of displays 202 positioned throughout the interior cabin 220 of the vehicle 200. Similarly, a plurality of imagers 100 may be positioned behind the plurality of displays 202, such that each display 202 may have a respective imager 100 disposed behind the respective display 202. In some cases, the display 202 may be exposed to a high degree of both interior and exterior lighting.In other cases, the display 202 and the imager 100 may be positioned in an area of the interior cabin 220 that is subject to minimal illumination levels, so that the overall brightness of the image data 102 may be distorted.

[0038] For example, the imager 100 and the display 202 may be positioned behind a steering wheel 222 of the vehicle 200. Thus, the backlight ratio 212 of the display 202 may be increased and affect the brightness of the image data 102. The image enhancement application 14 is configured to correct the deviating brightness of the image data 102 by performing the luma restoration 36 of the image enhancement 20. In some examples, the luma restoration 36 may be performed to correct overexposure of the image data 102 as a result of an increased level of external light received by the imager 100 and the display 202.Furthermore, the image enhancement application 14 is configured to adjust the image data 102 received from multiple imagers 100 simultaneously, so that the luma restoration 36 performed for one set of image data 102 may be different from the luma restoration 36 performed for a separate set of image data 102.

[0039] Still on Fig. 1-3, the image enhancement application 14 may perform the chroma adjustment 38 upon completion of each of the bitplane splicing 30, the tone mapping restoration 32, the contrast restoration 34, and the luma restoration 36. The chroma adjustment 38 is configured to adjust the color intensity or saturation of the image data 102. As mentioned above, the saturation of the image data 102 may change as a result of the positioning of the imager 100 with respect to the display 202. For example, positioning the imager 100 behind the circuitry 206 of the display 202 may change the saturation of the image data 102 because the imager 100 may capture reflections from the circuitry 206 of the display 202.

[0040] Once the chroma adjustment 38 is complete, the image enhancement application 14 performs an edge enhancement modification 40 on the image data 102. The edge enhancement modification 40 adjusts the sharpness of the image data 102. The image enhancement application 14 performs the edge enhancement modification 40 as the final step before the image composition 24. The edge enhancement modification 40 is thus performed by the image enhancement application 14 after each of the image enhancements 20 is completed. The edge enhancement modification 40 identifies the edge boundaries 42 of the image data 102 and increases the contrast of the image data 102 immediately around the edge boundaries 42 to sharpen the image data 102.

[0041] With further reference to Fig. 1-3, the image enhancement application 14 executes the image composition 24 in response to the completion of the edge enhancement modification 40. In some examples, the edge enhancement modification 40 may include the image composition 24. The data processing hardware 16 may be configured to execute the image composition 24 in response to the image enhancement 20. The image composition 24 compiles the pixels of the image data 102 that have undergone both the image enhancement 20 and the edge enhancement modification 40. Consequently, the image composition 24 results in the rendered image 26, which is ultimately stored in the storage hardware 18 and / or displayed on the display 202.

[0042] Referring now to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 illustrates exemplary flowcharts for the image enhancement system 10. In an initial step 500, the image data 102 is acquired by the ECU 12. The ECU 12 executes the image signal process 22 at 502. The ECU 12 also acquires the display data 204 from the display 202 at 504 and determines whether the display data 204 is an active state 208a at 506. If not, the ECU 12 proceeds to execute the image signal process 22 at 502 and to execute the image composition 24 at 508. The image enhancement application 14 then generates the rendered image 26 at 510.

[0043] If the display data 204 is in the active state 208a, the image enhancement application 14 then performs bitplane splicing 30 at 520 and detects the display modulation 218 at 522. The image enhancement application 14 performs contrast restoration 34 at 524 and, in parallel, luma restoration 36 at 526. The image enhancement application 14 also performs tone mapping restoration 32 in parallel at 528. Next, the image enhancement application 14 performs chroma adjustment 38 at 530. Then, the edge enhancement modification 40 is performed at 532. Based on the edge enhancement modification 40, the image enhancement application 14 performs image composition 24 at 534 and generates the rendered image 26 at 536.

[0044] Again on Fig.1-5, the image enhancement system 10 advantageously renders the image data 102 with the imager 100 disposed behind the display 202. Positioning the imager 100 behind the display 202 minimizes the overall packaging complexity while the imager 100 remains relatively invisible to the driver. Furthermore, executing the image enhancement application 14 via the ECU 12 minimizes the overall computing power used to render the image data 102. Consequently, the image enhancement system 10 exhibits improved efficiency as a result of the reduced computing power required for the image enhancement application 14.

[0045] A number of implementations have been described. However, it should be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

[0046] The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to exhaust or limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but are interchangeable and may be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. They may also be varied in many respects. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

[1] Image enhancement system comprising: an advertisement containing advertisement data; an imager operably coupled to and disposed behind the display, the imager configured to acquire image data; and an electronic control unit (ECU) communicatively coupled to the imager and the display and including data processing hardware configured to execute an image enhancement application, wherein the image enhancement application is configured to receive the image data from the imager and the display data from the display and to perform image enhancement and edge enhancement modification of the image data based on the display data. [2] The image enhancement system of claim 1, wherein the image enhancement application includes an image signal process configured to receive the display data from the display. [3] The image enhancement system of claim 2, wherein the image signal process is configured to render the image data based on the display data received from the display. [4] The image enhancement system of claim 1, wherein the image enhancement comprises bit-plane splicing, tone mapping restoration, contrast restoration, luma restoration, and / or chroma adjustment. [5] The image enhancement system of claim 4, wherein the display data includes an operating state, a backlight ratio, a contrast ratio, and / or a display density. [6] The image enhancement system of claim 5, wherein the data processing hardware is configured to perform the image enhancement based on the operating state, the backlight ratio, the contrast ratio, and / or the display density. [7] The image enhancement system of claim 6, wherein the image enhancement application is configured to compare a pixel density of the image data and the display density of the display data. [8] The image enhancement system of claim 1, wherein the edge enhancement modification includes image composition. [9] The image enhancement system of claim 8, wherein the data processing hardware is configured to perform the image composition in response to the image enhancement. [10] A vehicle configured with the image enhancement system of claim 1.

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