Image Orientation Correction via Content Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Digital images often suffer from rotational skew due to unintentional camera orientation, requiring manual correction which can be cumbersome and inaccurate.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that analyze the image content to determine the current orientation and automatically rotate it to align with a predetermined reference orientation, using techniques such as edge detection and facial recognition to identify dominant axes and correct the image orientation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual correction is used to fix image rotation, then the user can correct orientation errors, but the process is cumbersome and inaccurate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveorientation correction accuracyVSAvoidmanual correction convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects image orientation errors and corrects them without requiring manual user intervention. The image processing system analyzes the image content, determines the rotation angle, and applies correction automatically, making the system serve itself rather than requiring continuous manual operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical correction operations with automated computational algorithms. Instead of manual rotation and adjustment operations, the system uses image processing techniques including edge detection, feature recognition, and mathematical rotation transformations to automatically correct orientation errors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Productivity

If automated orientation correction is implemented, then the correction process is accurate and efficient, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecorrection processing speedVSAvoidsystem structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the orientation correction process into distinct sequential steps: image acquisition, orientation error detection, rotation angle calculation, and image rotation correction. Each step is handled by a dedicated module or algorithm, making the complex system manageable through functional segmentation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system employs a universal image processing framework that can handle various types of images and orientation errors through a single integrated approach. The same core algorithms detect and correct different rotation angles and orientations, making the system multi-functional without requiring separate specialized modules for each correction scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2920758B1Rotation of an image based on image content to correct image orientation
Publication Date: 2022.04.13 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP2920758B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2920758B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C
  • EP2920758B1 patent drawingFigure 2D~2F

AI summary

In some implementations, a method rotates images based on image content to correct image orientation. In some implementations, a method includes obtaining one or more identifications of content depicted in an image and determining a current orientation of the content depicted in the image. The current orientation is determined based on the one or more identifications of the content. An amount of rotation for the image is determined that orients the content closer to a predetermined reference orientation than to the current orientation. The image is rotated by the determined amount.