Content-Adaptive Resolution Enhancement for Projectors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current digital projectors and displays cannot effectively project high-resolution video due to cost constraints, leading to the use of downsampling which results in loss of fine details and motion artifacts.

Innovation Solution

A content-adaptive resolution-enhancement method that decomposes high-resolution video into lower-resolution substreams, applies different video enhancement filters to each substream based on features like moving and static objects, and combines them to produce a higher resolution projected video stream.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If downsampling procedures are used to decrease resolution for projection, then the video can be rendered by lower resolution projectors, but fine details such as fur, hair or general high-frequency image features are lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprojector availabilityVSAvoidimage detail quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The high-resolution video is decomposed into multiple lower-resolution substreams that are pixel-shifted versions of the original. Each substream is processed separately through enhancement filters, and then they are combined to reconstruct the high-resolution image. This segmentation allows the system to work with lower resolution data while preserving fine details through the combination of multiple shifted substreams.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different video enhancement filters are applied to different substreams based on their specific characteristics. The system identifies moving objects, still objects, and text regions, and applies appropriate enhancement filters to each region. This local quality approach ensures that fine details are enhanced in specific areas while maintaining overall image quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If downsampling procedures are used to decrease resolution for projection, then the video can be rendered by lower resolution projectors, but additional motion artifacts are introduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprojector availabilityVSAvoidmotion artifact quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the enhancement process based on motion detection. It identifies moving objects in the video and applies different enhancement strategies compared to still regions. By detecting motion and adapting the filtering process accordingly, the system reduces motion artifacts while preserving fine details in both moving and static areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from motion detection and content analysis to adjust the enhancement process. By analyzing the video content and identifying regions with motion artifacts, the system can apply corrective filtering to reduce these artifacts while preserving the underlying fine details. This feedback mechanism ensures continuous optimization of image quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of manufacture

If high resolution video is projected using lower resolution projectors, then cost is reduced, but the perceived resolution and quality are degraded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprojector costVSAvoidperceived resolution
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates multiple copies of the video signal in the form of pixel-shifted substreams. These copies are processed through enhancement filters and then combined to reconstruct the high-resolution image. By creating and combining multiple copies, the system achieves perceived high resolution using a lower resolution projector, effectively bypassing the hardware resolution limitation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms the problem from a spatial resolution issue to a temporal processing issue. Instead of attempting to project high resolution in a single frame, it uses multiple time-coded substreams that are displayed in sequence. The human visual system integrates these temporal sequences to perceive high resolution, effectively using the time dimension to overcome spatial resolution limitations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3297279B1Device, system and method for content-adaptive resolution-enhancement
Publication Date: 2020.10.21 CHRISTIE DIGITAL SYSTEMS USA INC
  • EP3297279B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3297279B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3297279B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A device, system and method for content-adaptive resolution-enhancement is provided. A plurality of subframe streams are generated from a video stream, each of the plurality of subframe streams comprising a lower resolution version of the video stream, pixel-shifted from one another. A plurality of output subframe streams are generated from the plurality of subframe streams in a one-to-one relationship by: applying a plurality of video enhancement filters to each of the plurality of subframe streams, each of the plurality of video enhancement filters for enhancing different features of the video stream; and, combining one or more resulting enhanced subframe streams into a respective output subframe stream based on data in one or more regions of the video stream. One or more projectors are controlled to project the plurality of output subframe streams to combine the plurality of output subframe streams into a higher resolution projected video stream.