Color Filter Array Image Synthesis Without Demosaicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing technologies require demosaicing processing to combine color filter array images, which increases processing load and can degrade image quality, whereas combining these images without demosaicing is challenging due to differences in pixel values and color arrangements.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and method that calculates displacement amounts between color filter array images and performs synthesis processing using interpolation to generate a synthetic color filter array image, allowing for direct combination without demosaicing, reducing processing load and maintaining image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If demosaicing processing is performed on color filter array images to combine them, then complete color information is obtained for each pixel, but processing load increases and image quality may degrade
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs displacement amount calculation and image alignment before combining color filter array images. By pre-aligning the images based on detected displacement, the patent avoids the need for complex demosaicing processing while ensuring that corresponding pixels from different images are properly matched during combination, thus reducing processing load while maintaining information completeness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and utilizes only the necessary color information from aligned color filter array images by directly combining pixels at corresponding positions after displacement compensation. This approach extracts sufficient color data without performing full demosaicing, thereby reducing processing complexity while maintaining adequate color information for image quality
2Loss of information
If demosaicing processing is performed on color filter array images, then pixel values for multiple colors are generated, but information amount triples and potential quality degradation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of performing complete demosaicing that would triple the information amount, the patent applies a partial action approach by directly combining color filter array images after displacement compensation. This partial processing approach maintains essential color detail information while avoiding the excessive information expansion and associated quality degradation that would result from full demosaicing
3Productivity
If color filter array images are combined without demosaicing, then processing load is reduced, but differences in pixel values and color arrangements must be handled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary displacement detection and calculation before combining color filter array images. This preliminary alignment ensures that images are properly registered, and corresponding pixels are correctly matched, thereby simplifying the subsequent combination process and making it feasible to combine images directly without demosaicing while maintaining processing efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces displacement amount calculation as an intermediary step between image acquisition and combination. This intermediary process detects and compensates for relative shifts between images, bridging the gap caused by different pixel arrangements and enabling direct combination of color filter array images while managing the complexity of varying pixel values and color arrangements
Data Source
AI summary
Among a plurality of CFA images obtained by shooting the same subject, one image is a standard image, and another image is a reference image, and the displacement amount calculation portion calculates the displacement amount of the reference image with respect to the standard image. A synthesis processing portion performs a synthesis processing based on the displacement amount calculated by the displacement amount calculation portion, according to the pixel values of a standard image pixel and a reference image pixel that are corresponding pixels between the standard image and the reference image, so as to generate a combination CFA image. Here, when colors of the corresponding pixels differ between the standard image pixel and the reference image pixel, the synthesis processing portion generates, from the reference image, the pixel value of the same color as the color of the standard image pixel by interpolation processing, and performs the synthesis processing according to the pixel value generated by the interpolation processing and the pixel value of the standard image pixel.