Rotating Imager Panoramic Image Deblurring and Denoising

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing imaging systems face challenges in generating high-quality panoramic images from sequences captured by rotating imagers due to issues like motion blur, noise, and spatiotemporal inconsistencies, particularly when using a rolling shutter methodology.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that process sequences of images captured during continuous rotation of an image sensor, involving deblurring using a point-spread function associated with the rotation speed, and denoising based on noise power spectral density, to generate a panoramic image. This includes spatial noise removal, motion deblurring, and denoising stages, with a block-based spatiotemporal filter and adaptive filtering operations to mitigate noise and artifacts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If images are captured during continuous rotation of the image sensor, then the field of view is widened and panoramic coverage is achieved, but motion blur occurs due to the rotation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefield of viewVSAvoidimage sharpness

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies deblurring processing as a preliminary action to restore image sharpness after motion blur has occurred during rotation. By using point-spread functions and deconvolution algorithms, the system pre-compensates for the expected blur based on rotation speed, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision (image sharpness) while achieving widened field of view through continuous rotation capture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Area of stationary object

If images are captured during continuous rotation, then panoramic coverage is achieved, but noise increases in the captured images

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepanoramic coverageVSAvoidnoise

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes noise from the captured images while preserving the panoramic coverage. Through noise modeling and filtering techniques that analyze noise power spectral density, the system separates noise components from actual image data, thereby achieving panoramic coverage while eliminating the harmful noise factor that increases during rotation capture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful noise introduced by rotation into beneficial information by analyzing noise patterns to infer rotation parameters and motion characteristics. The noise, rather than being merely removed, is utilized to improve the overall image processing and panoramic reconstruction accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Ease of manufacture

If a rolling shutter methodology is used during rotation, then image capture is simplified, but spatiotemporal inconsistencies occur in the captured sequences

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapture simplicityVSAvoidspatiotemporal consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies feedback mechanisms to detect and correct spatiotemporal inconsistencies introduced by rolling shutter during rotation. By continuously monitoring image data for temporal artifacts and using this feedback to adjust processing parameters, the system maintains capture simplicity while restoring spatiotemporal consistency through adaptive correction algorithms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

4Manufacturing precision

If multiple imagers are used to achieve wide field of view, then image quality may be maintained, but system cost and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple image capture operations into a single rotating imager system. By combining the functions of multiple static imagers into one rotating device with sophisticated processing, the system achieves comparable image quality while reducing device complexity and cost. The merging of capture and processing functions allows a single sensor to perform what would otherwise require multiple sensors

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11416970B2Panoramic image construction based on images captured by rotating imager

Publication Date: 2022.08.16 TELEDYNE FLIR COMMERICAL SYST INC

AI summary

Techniques are disclosed for panoramic image construction based on images captured by rotating imagers. In one example, a method includes receiving a first sequence of images associated with a scene and captured during continuous rotation of an image sensor. Each image of the first sequence has a portion that overlaps with another image of the first sequence. The method further includes generating a first panoramic image. The generating includes processing a second sequence of images based on a point-spread function to mitigate blur associated with the continuous rotation to obtain a deblurred sequence of images, and processing the deblurred sequence based on a noise power spectral density to obtain a denoised sequence of images. The point-spread function is associated with the image sensor's rotation speed. The second sequence is based on the first sequence. The first panoramic image is based on the denoised sequence.