Underwater Image Color Correction via Adaptive Red Channel Amplification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Images captured underwater often suffer from poor quality due to the filtering of red light by water, resulting in images appearing shifted to the blue or green spectrum, with low contrast and sharpness, and current solutions require cumbersome equipment, expertise in image manipulation, or are not tailored to individual conditions.
Innovation Solution
An automated method using a computer system to analyze digital images, calculate statistical measurements, and apply predetermined modification functions based on a database of sample images to adjust pixel values in the red, green, and blue channels, improving image quality without requiring expensive equipment or expertise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a filter is placed over the camera's lens to improve image quality by passing red wavelengths, then color accuracy is improved, but overall light level decreases and the filtering maintains a fixed ratio between color channels which is inadequate for varying depths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the amplification factors for the red channel based on detected image characteristics such as depth and color balance. Instead of using a fixed filter ratio, the system modifies the red channel gain adaptively to compensate for light attenuation at different depths while maintaining natural color relationships.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static filter approach to a dynamic processing approach where the red channel amplification is adjusted in real-time based on image analysis. The processing pipeline dynamically determines the appropriate correction level by analyzing the captured image's color distribution and depth characteristics.
2Illumination intensity
If flash systems are used to provide illumination, then red illumination is improved, but the distance between subject and camera must be minimized which limits practical application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical solution of using flash systems with a digital post-processing solution. Instead of relying on additional light sources and strict distance constraints, the system uses computational methods to restore red channel information by analyzing and amplifying the captured signal based on detected scene characteristics.
3Manufacturing precision
If post capture image modification is performed manually with expensive software tools, then image quality can be improved, but the process requires expertise and is very tedious
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically analyzing the captured image and applying appropriate red channel amplification without requiring user intervention or expertise. The processing pipeline autonomously detects image characteristics, determines optimal correction parameters, and applies the necessary adjustments to restore natural colors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complex image analysis and processing functions from manual operation and embeds them within an automated pipeline. The system separates the detection of image characteristics from the application of corrections, allowing the complex algorithms to operate transparently without requiring user understanding or manual configuration.
4Productivity
If the same image improvement techniques are applied to all underwater images, then processing efficiency is improved, but the variance in underwater conditions requires tailored corrections for each image
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring the red channel amplification to each individual image based on its specific characteristics. The system analyzes each image's color distribution, depth indicators, and water conditions to determine the appropriate correction level, ensuring that each image receives customized processing rather than a uniform approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of each image's characteristics before applying corrections. By pre-detecting depth indicators, color balance, and water conditions, the system can automatically select optimal processing parameters for each specific scenario, enabling efficient batch processing while maintaining individualized correction quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for image processing, the method executed at least in part by a computer system, acquires a digital image as a collection of image pixels and calculates from a plurality of the image pixels, at least one statistical measurement. The at least one calculated statistical measurement is associated with a predetermined modification function setting according to a best-fit function that has been calculated from a database of sample images. A processed image is formed by adjusting the acquired collection of image pixels according to the associated predetermined modification function setting and the processed image is displayed.