Fog Isolation Filter Using Morphological Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image processing systems for vehicle safety systems fail to effectively remove distortion and noise caused by extreme weather conditions like fog, leading to reduced driver visibility and increased accident risk.
Innovation Solution
An imaging processing system that uses morphological image processing, including top-hat filtering, to remove distortion and noise from captured images by defining a structural element to compare pixel values and discard noise pixels, producing a final filtered image with improved visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional image processing merely eliminates distortion by decreasing contrast in the image, then the processing is simple and fast, but the image becomes darker and distortion or noise is not fully removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the processing parameters by using morphological operations (dilation and erosion) instead of simple contrast reduction. This allows selective removal of fog distortion while preserving important image features and brightness information, resolving the contradiction between effective distortion removal and maintaining image brightness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical contrast reduction approach with morphological image processing operations. This substitution enables more sophisticated manipulation of image structures to remove fog distortion without the unwanted side effect of overall image darkening
2Reliability
If conventional approaches use simple contrast reduction, then the processing complexity is low, but the noise generated by extreme weather conditions is not fully removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing into distinct morphological operations (dilation followed by erosion). This segmentation allows each operation to target specific aspects of fog distortion separately, achieving superior noise removal while keeping the overall process systematic and manageable
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate processing steps (dilation and erosion operations) that act as mediators between the original foggy image and the final output. These intermediate steps progressively remove distortion while preserving important features, achieving high noise removal effectiveness with controlled complexity
3Measurement precision
If morphological image processing is used to remove distortion, then visibility and object definition are improved, but the processing requires more complex operations compared to conventional methods
Solution Approach 1:
The morphological operations are designed to automatically adapt to the local image structures. The dilation and erosion operations self-adjust based on the pixel intensity patterns, achieving high object detection accuracy without requiring manual parameter tuning or complex control mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging processing system adapted for use with a vehicle is provided in one aspect of the present invention. The system generally includes an image capturing device and an image processing device. The image capturing device is operable to capture an original image of a scene exterior to the vehicle. The captured original image is generally defined by a group of pixels. The image processing device is operable to receive the captured original image and morphologically process the captured original image to remove distortion from the captured original image to produce a final filtered image.