Stereoscopic Image Compression via Block Matching Confidence

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image processing methods face challenges in reducing bit rate while maintaining image quality, particularly in prioritizing moving objects and distinguishing noise from motion, leading to inefficient compression and poor image quality in conditions like darkness, rain, or fog.

Innovation Solution

A method that uses block matching algorithms to determine confidence metrics between pairs of digital images from different views, allowing for variable compression ratios based on the confidence of pixel matches, enabling more efficient encoding of detailed textured regions and noisy areas with lower compression.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If motion-based prioritization is used to allocate higher bit rate to moving objects, then important moving objects are preserved with higher quality, but uninteresting moving objects and noise consume unnecessary bit rate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage quality of important objectsVSAvoidbit rate consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating compression strength across different image regions based on their importance. Regions containing important objects are preserved with higher quality (lower compression), while regions with uninteresting content or noise are compressed more aggressively. This is achieved through region segmentation and adaptive quantization parameters that vary spatially across the image.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the image into multiple regions based on content analysis, motion characteristics, and noise detection. By dividing the image into distinct regions with different importance levels, the system can apply differentiated compression strategies to each segment, allocating bit rate efficiently according to regional priority rather than using a uniform approach.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of energy

If higher compression is applied to reduce bit rate, then storage and transmission efficiency improve, but image quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebit rateVSAvoidimage quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements local quality by applying different compression ratios to different image regions. Important regions (containing objects of interest) are encoded with lower compression to preserve quality, while less important regions (background, uninteresting areas) are encoded with higher compression. This spatially adaptive approach optimizes the overall bit rate while maintaining quality where it matters most.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3313077B1A method and apparatus for controlling a degree of compression of a digital image
Publication Date: 2019.09.25 AXIS
  • EP3313077B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3313077B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4
  • EP3313077B1 patent drawingFigure 5a~7

AI summary

The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for controlling a degree of compression of a digital image, and more specifically to such method and apparatus which receives (S802) a stereoscopic digital image, and controls (S810) a degree of compression of the digital image based on block matching characteristics between the two images of the stereoscopic digital image.