Image Processing Circuitry for Staircase Artifact Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional image-processing technologies introduce staircase artifacts when de-noising images captured in low-light conditions, leading to undesired flat regions and loss of detail.

Innovation Solution

An image-processing apparatus that identifies portions of the image signal exhibiting staircase artifacts, generates a slope signal based on a steepness parameter, and creates a difference signal to reduce these artifacts by combining it with a de-noised signal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If conventional de-noising processing is applied to low-light images, then noise is reduced, but staircase artifacts are introduced

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovenoiseVSAvoidstaircase artifacts

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The image is divided into multiple local regions, and each region is processed independently to identify and remove staircase artifacts while preserving noise reduction benefits. The processing apparatus segments the image into regions of interest and applies targeted de-noising operations to each segment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different processing strategies are applied to different regions of the image based on local characteristics. Regions with staircase artifacts receive specialized processing that preserves gradients, while other regions receive standard de-noising treatment. This local differentiation allows simultaneous noise reduction and artifact elimination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Object-affected harmful factors

If de-noising is applied to preserve smooth regions, then noise is reduced, but detail loss occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovenoiseVSAvoidimage detail

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The de-noising process dynamically adapts to local image characteristics by adjusting processing intensity based on gradient detection. In regions with high gradients (edges, details), the processing is reduced to preserve information. In smooth regions with low gradients, stronger de-noising is applied. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between noise reduction and detail preservation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses gradient information as feedback to control the de-noising process. Gradient calculations provide real-time information about image structure, which feeds back into the de-noising algorithm to adjust processing strength. This feedback mechanism ensures that de-noising operations preserve important image details while removing noise.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS10467730B2Image-processing apparatus to reduce staircase artifacts from an image signal

Publication Date: 2019.11.05 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

An image-processing apparatus and method for reducing or removing staircase artifacts comprises an image sensor and circuitry. The image sensor is configured to capture an input image signal. The circuitry is configured to identify a first portion of the input image signal that exhibits a staircase artifact. The circuitry is further configured to generate a slope signal based on a steepness parameter of a slope that corresponds to the first region-of-interest based on the identification. The circuitry is configured to generate a difference signal based on a difference between the first portion of the input image signal and the generated slope signal. The circuitry is configured to generate a de-noised image signal based on the generated difference signal and the generated slope signal to reduce the staircase artifact in the first portion of the input image signal.