Image Processing Noise Reduction via Motion-Aware Frame Accumulation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing techniques struggle to effectively reduce noise in cumulative average images while accurately detecting motion, leading to artefacts and higher noise levels when motion is present, due to the challenge of distinguishing between noise and actual motion.
Innovation Solution
A method that stores accumulated image data and performs motion detection on new frames, updating the data by prioritizing recent pixel intensity values in motion-detecting regions, which reduces noise by delaying motion correction until subsequent frames are combined, thereby reducing noise in output images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple frames of image data are averaged together to reduce noise, then noise in the cumulative average image is reduced, but motion artefacts are introduced and motion detection accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing into two separate operations: (1) accumulating multiple frames to reduce noise in static regions, and (2) detecting motion in individual frames. By separating these functions, the system can leverage the noise-reduction benefits of frame averaging without being compromised by motion artefacts that would arise from simply averaging moving objects across frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts motion detection from the cumulative averaging process. Instead of detecting motion in the noisy cumulative average image, the system performs motion detection on individual frames before accumulation, or uses the cumulative image only for noise reduction in static regions. This extraction eliminates the conflict between motion detection and noise reduction.
2Reliability
If only the most recently captured image is used in motion regions, then motion artefacts are reduced, but noise level increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different processing strategies to different regions of the image based on their content. In regions identified as containing motion, only the most recent frame is used to avoid motion artefacts. In static regions, multiple accumulated frames are used to reduce noise. This local differentiation allows the system to optimize for noise reduction where appropriate and for artefact avoidance where needed.
3Reliability
If motion detection is performed on noisy image data, then motion can be detected, but noise is misinterpreted as motion resulting in underutilization of accumulated image data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary motion detection on individual frames before they are accumulated into the cumulative average image. By detecting motion in advance on the raw frame data, the system can identify which regions contain motion and handle them appropriately during accumulation, preventing noise from being misinterpreted as motion and ensuring full utilization of the accumulated data where static.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for processing image data is provided. The method comprises storing accumulated image data, obtaining a new frame of image data, performing motion detection based at least on the new frame of image data, updating the accumulated frame of image data, and generating output image data. The motion detection identifies a pixel location in which motion is detected. For the pixel location identified by the motion detection, a pixel intensity value of the new frame of image data contributes more to a pixel intensity value representing the identified pixel location in the updated accumulated imaged data than to a pixel intensity value representing the identified pixel location in the output image data.