Color-Deficient Video Image Processing via Selective Hue Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image processing methods fail to effectively distinguish colors for color blind viewers while maintaining the natural appearance for trichromatic viewers, especially in dynamic content like video, leading to difficulties in identifying similar colors in sports broadcasts.

Innovation Solution

A method that identifies problem hues by simulating color vision deficiency, forms color groups, and adjusts these hues in a perceptually uniform color space to enhance distinguishability for color blind viewers while minimizing changes for others, using a lookup table for efficient processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If color hues are adjusted to improve distinguishability for color blind viewers, then color distinguishability for color blind viewers is improved, but the natural appearance for trichromatic viewers deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor distinguishabilityVSAvoidunnatural appearance
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies selective color adjustment by identifying specific problem hues that cause confusion for color blind viewers and adjusting only those hues, while leaving other hues unchanged. This localized approach improves color distinguishability for problematic colors without unnecessarily altering the natural appearance of other colors in the image.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms colors from a standard color space to a perceptually uniform color space, adjusts the problematic hue parameters, and then transforms back. This parameter transformation approach allows precise control over color adjustments while maintaining overall image fidelity for trichromatic viewers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If comprehensive color adjustment is applied to all hues, then color distinguishability for color blind viewers is improved, but computational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor distinguishabilityVSAvoidcomputational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and identifies only the specific problem hues that cause confusion for color blind viewers using similarity criteria, rather than processing all hues uniformly. This extraction of problematic colors reduces the scope of adjustment needed and lowers computational complexity while maintaining effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the color spectrum into distinct hue groups, identifies which groups contain problem hues, and applies adjustments only to those specific segments. This segmentation approach avoids unnecessary processing of entire color spectra and reduces overall computational burden.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Measurement precision

If color similarity threshold is set low for accurate problem hue identification, then identification accuracy is improved, but more colors are affected increasing processing overhead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproblem hue identification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a similarity criterion that may identify slightly more problem hues than strictly necessary (excessive action), but this ensures comprehensive coverage of all potentially confusing colors. The adjustment process then handles these identified hues efficiently through systematic transformation and lookup table generation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4625963A1Image processing
Publication Date: 2025.10.01 BRITISH TELECOM PLC
  • EP4625963A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4625963A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4625963A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A computer implemented image processing method is described, which comprises identifying a degree of similarity between two or more hues as viewed by a colour vision deficient viewer, and determining two or more hues to be problem hues if the degree of similarity satisfies a similarity criterion. For one or more of the problem hues, the method defines an original colour group, the original colour group including the problem hue and related hues within a colour range of the problem hue. The method adjusts the hues of the original colour group(s) to generate a corresponding adjusted colour group. Then, when video images are received, the method replaces pixels within each video image having a hue corresponding to the original colour group(s) with the adjusted hue of the corresponding adjusted colour group(s). In this way, problem colours can be identified for a viewer with colour vision deficiency, and those particular colours (and variants thereof) can be adjusted to be more distinguishable for the colour deficient viewer, while leaving other colours unchanged to minimise the visual impact for other viewers.