Active-Passive Image Combination with Correlation-Based Luminance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing technologies face issues with image quality degradation when combining active and passive images, particularly in regions where shadows appear, leading to unnatural images and loss of detail.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that includes a combination section to correlate and combine the luminance of active and passive images, and a correction section to adjust the luminance of active images based on passive image luminance, minimizing image quality degradation by controlling the combination ratio and signal levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the combined luminance signal is created by adding the invisible light luminance signal and the visible light luminance signal in accordance with illuminance, then the image quality is improved in terms of brightness, but image quality degradation occurs in shadow regions and the image becomes unnatural
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differently treating bright regions and shadow regions in the image combination process. For bright regions, the invisible light luminance signal is added to the visible light luminance signal to enhance brightness. For shadow regions, only the visible light luminance signal is used to maintain natural appearance and avoid degradation. This spatially varying combination strategy resolves the contradiction between improving overall brightness and maintaining local image quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If the active image and passive image are combined, then the image quality is improved by combining advantages of both, but image quality degradation occurs particularly in shadow regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the combination parameter (combination ratio) based on local image characteristics. In bright regions, both active and passive images are combined with appropriate weights. In shadow regions, the combination ratio is adjusted to rely primarily on the visible light image to avoid degradation. This dynamic parameter adjustment based on local luminance conditions resolves the contradiction between improving overall image quality and maintaining consistency across different regions.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure minimizes the degradation of image quality when an active image and a passive image are combined. The present disclosure provides an image processing apparatus that includes a correlation amount calculation section and a combination section. The correlation amount calculation section calculates the amount of correlation between the luminance of an active image captured by irradiating light and the luminance of a passive image captured without irradiating light. The combination section combines the luminance of the active image with the luminance of the passive image in accordance with the calculated amount of correlation. The above configuration minimizes the degradation of image quality when the active image and the passive image are combined.