Image Morphing Using Shift Amount Maps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing technologies face challenges in morphing images on portable devices due to memory constraints and processing speed limitations, making it difficult to perform complex arithmetic operations and handle large data expansions.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that includes an image acquiring unit, an object specifying unit, a map storage unit, a map morphing unit, and an image morphing unit, which uses a shift amount map to determine pixel shifts based on the object's shape, reducing the need for complex calculations and allowing for efficient image morphing with minimal memory consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If image data is expanded in memory space and three-dimensional spline interpolation is used for morphing, then morphing precision is improved, but memory consumption and processing complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image into multiple blocks and processes each block independently using one-dimensional interpolation. This segmentation approach reduces the complexity of morphing operations while maintaining acceptable precision, as each block is processed separately rather than requiring global three-dimensional spline interpolation across the entire image.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a pre-prepared shift amount map that stores transformation information for different morphing scenarios. Instead of performing complex real-time calculations, the system copies and applies predetermined shift amounts from the map, significantly reducing processing complexity while maintaining morphing effectiveness.
2Manufacturing precision
If three-dimensional spline interpolation is used for image morphing, then morphing quality is improved, but processing speed deteriorates due to complicated arithmetic operations
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the image into blocks and applying simple one-dimensional interpolation to each block, the patent achieves faster processing speeds compared to global three-dimensional spline interpolation, while maintaining acceptable morphing quality through localized processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of a pre-computed shift amount map allows the system to copy and apply transformation data directly without performing complex arithmetic operations in real-time, significantly improving processing speed while maintaining morphing quality.
3Manufacturing precision
If large amount of image data is processed, then morphing completeness is improved, but memory capacity requirements increase beyond portable device limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image into multiple smaller blocks that can be processed independently with minimal memory requirements. Each block is processed separately, allowing portable devices with limited memory to handle complete image morphing without requiring large amounts of RAM for expanding the entire image data.
Solution Approach 2:
The shift amount map stores compact transformation data that can be copied and applied to image blocks without requiring large memory expansions. This approach maintains morphing completeness while keeping memory consumption within portable device capabilities.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an image processing apparatus that can morph an image with a small amount of processing and memory consumption. The image processing apparatus is configured to morph at least part of an input image, and includes: an image acquiring unit configured to acquire an input image; an object specifying unit configured to specify an object that is included in the input image and is to be morphed; a map storage unit in which a shift amount map, which is a map in which shift amounts of pixels in a two-dimensional plane are defined, is stored; a map morphing unit configured to morph the shift amount map according to the shape of the object to be morphed; and an image morphing unit configured to morph the image by determining a shift amount of a pixel corresponding to the object based on the morphed shift amount map, and shifting the pixel.