Image Resolution Enhancement via Network Patch Replacement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional computing device cameras produce lower quality images due to size and resource limitations, which negatively impacts the user experience.

Innovation Solution

A network service enhances image quality by analyzing and modifying images based on associated properties such as geolocation, orientation, and temporal data, using a library of image patches to replace lower resolution sections with higher resolution versions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If a smaller camera is used in computing devices, then the device size and resource requirements are reduced, but the image quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecamera sizeVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The image is divided into multiple image portions, and each portion is processed independently to identify and replace low-resolution areas with corresponding high-resolution portions from reference images, thereby improving overall image quality without requiring a larger camera

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Reference images are introduced as intermediary elements to provide additional image portions that can be used to enhance the resolution and quality of the captured image, bypassing the limitation of the small camera sensor

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If image processing is performed to enhance resolution, then image quality improves, but processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage resolutionVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of processing the entire image uniformly, only specific image portions that require enhancement are processed, reducing the overall computational load and processing time while still achieving the desired resolution improvement in critical areas

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

Reference images are pre-processed and stored in a library before being needed, with image portions extracted and organized in advance, allowing for faster retrieval and matching during the actual image enhancement process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9058674B1Enhancing resolution of single images

Publication Date: 2015.06.16 AMAZON TECH INC

AI summary

A computing device can capture an image using a camera of the device. The computing device can also determine or receive an image property (i.e., information related to the image). The device can transmit the image and the information related to the image to a network service. The network service can communicate with an image patch library which includes a plurality of image patches. The network service can select a subset of image patches from the library based on the information related to the image. The network service can compare image portions of the image to the image patches in the subset to determine one or more image patches that match one or more image portions. In some embodiments, the one or more image patches can have corresponding higher resolution versions. The network service can modify image portions of the image using available higher resolution versions of matching image patches.