Metadata-Driven Unwarping for Distorted Image Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image stitching methods fail to effectively align and unwarp images with excessive distortion, such as those captured with wide-angle or fisheye lenses, due to large distortions that exceed the capabilities of conventional alignment workflows and introduce errors and inefficiencies like aliasing and the need for custom code for each lens and camera combination.
Innovation Solution
A metadata-driven method that precomputes lens profiles for various camera and lens combinations, allowing for automatic determination of distortion and application of appropriate unwarping functions based on image metadata, which unwarps feature points rather than entire images, avoiding the creation of large intermediate images and enabling efficient alignment and stitching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional image stitching methods are used to align images with excessive distortion, then the alignment process becomes computationally intensive and error-prone, but the quality and efficiency of image alignment deteriorates due to large distortions exceeding conventional capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precomputes unwarping functions for various lens and camera combinations and stores them in a database. This preliminary action allows the system to quickly retrieve and apply appropriate unwarping functions during image stitching, avoiding computationally intensive real-time calculations while maintaining high alignment quality for distorted images
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from attempting to align distorted images directly to first applying precomputed unwarping functions that correct lens distortion parameters. This parameter transformation converts excessively distorted images into properly aligned images, resolving the contradiction between alignment quality and processing efficiency
2Reliability
If conventional alignment workflows are used for distorted images, then errors and inefficiencies like aliasing occur, but the reliability of the stitching process deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces precomputed unwarping functions as an intermediary between the distorted input images and the alignment process. These functions serve as a mediator that corrects lens distortion before the images are stitched, eliminating alignment errors and improving both reliability and accuracy without requiring custom code for each lens-camera combination
Solution Approach 2:
By precomputing and storing unwarping functions in a database, the system performs the complex distortion correction work in advance. This preliminary action ensures that when images are stitched, the correction has already been applied, preventing alignment errors and improving reliability
3Ease of operation
If entire distorted images are unwarped instead of feature points, then large intermediate images are created requiring significant memory, but the device complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential feature points from distorted images rather than processing entire images. By applying unwarping functions specifically to these extracted feature points, the system achieves the necessary alignment correction without creating large intermediate images, thereby reducing memory requirements while maintaining automation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing quality levels to different parts of the image data. Instead of uniformly warping entire images, it applies unwarping functions locally to feature points only, where precision is needed for alignment. This local approach reduces computational overhead and memory requirements while maintaining ease of operation through automation
4Manufacturing precision
If custom code is written for each lens and camera combination to handle distortion, then accuracy for specific combinations improves, but the adaptability and versatility of the system deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal system that works with multiple lens and camera combinations through a single interface. By precomputing unwarping functions for various combinations and storing them in a database, the system provides accurate distortion correction for many different lenses and cameras without requiring custom code for each one, thereby maintaining both precision and adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
A method for aligning and unwarping distorted images in which lens profiles for a variety of lens and camera combinations are precomputed. Metadata stored with images is used to automatically determine if a set of component images include an excessive amount of distortion, and if so the metadata is used to determine an appropriate lens profile and initial unwarping function. The initial unwarping function is applied to the coordinates of feature points of the component images to generate substantially rectilinear feature points, which are used to estimate focal lengths, centers, and relative rotations for pairs of the images. A global nonlinear optimization is applied to the initial unwarping function(s) and the relative rotations to generate optimized unwarping functions and rotations for the component images. The optimized unwarping functions and rotations may be used to render a panoramic image.