Image Processing Device Volume Reconstruction Limited Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tomography techniques often produce unnatural, blurred images when viewing a reconstructed volume from limited imaging directions, and require laborious setup of multiple cameras to capture images simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and method that calculates statistics from initial images, estimates statistics for observation directions, corrects rendered images based on these statistics, and constructs a volume that appears natural even with a small number of images, using techniques like steerable pyramid decomposition and histogram matching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If tomography techniques reconstruct volume from limited imaging directions, then the imaging setup becomes simpler and requires fewer cameras, but the reconstructed images become unnaturally blurred or show unnatural grids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing step between volume reconstruction and final image generation. Statistics (histograms) are calculated from the reconstructed volume and used as a mediator to guide the rendering process, ensuring that the final images match the statistical properties of the original input images while being generated from limited viewing directions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter space by working in the statistical domain (histogram space) rather than directly in the pixel domain. By calculating and matching histogram statistics, the system can generate natural-looking images from limited imaging directions without requiring complex multi-camera setups
2Measurement precision
If multiple cameras are used to capture images simultaneously in multiple directions, then the volume reconstruction accuracy improves, but the setup becomes laborious and the number of cameras required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using statistics calculated from only a subset of the reconstructed volume data. Instead of requiring complete multi-directional image data, the method uses histogram statistics from the available limited-direction images to guide the rendering, achieving satisfactory results with fewer cameras
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates statistical copies (histograms) of the image data that capture the essential visual properties without requiring the original multi-directional images. These statistical copies are then used to generate new images in arbitrary directions, replacing the need for actual multiple camera captures
Data Source
AI summary
A volume of an object is constructed from images obtained by imaging the object or the like and depicting the object. The calculator 102 of the image processing device 101 calculates a statistic of each of first material images depicting an object. The initializer 104 constructs a volume of the object from multiple second material images depicting the object and multiple second imaging directions associated respectively with the multiple second material images. The estimator 103 estimates the statistic associated with an observation direction from the calculated statistics. The render 105 renders an image by observing the constructed volume in the observation direction. The corrector 106 corrects the rendered image based on the statistic estimated in association with the observation direction. The constructor 107 constructs a volume of the object from at least the observation direction and corrected image.