Wide Dynamic Range Image Fusion Motion Artifact Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital image processing devices, such as digital cameras and camera phones, face challenges in capturing images with a wide dynamic range due to motion artifacts generated when applying the WDR process, especially when dealing with large differences in luminance between bright and dark areas, leading to deteriorated image quality.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus and method that includes a motion artifact area detecting unit, a non-linear gain adjusting unit, and a fusing unit to correct motion artifacts by non-linearly adjusting the gain of short exposure images to match the luminance of long exposure images and compensate for motion, thereby improving image fusion and reducing artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If WDR process is applied by fusing long exposure and short exposure images, then dynamic range is improved, but motion artifacts are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies motion compensation to the short exposure image before fusing it with the long exposure image. This preliminary action corrects the positional misalignment caused by motion, preventing motion artifacts from appearing in the final WDR image while maintaining the dynamic range improvement benefits
2Manufacturing precision
If gain adjustment is applied to match luminance components, then image fusion quality is improved, but motion distortion is exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs motion compensation before gain adjustment and image fusion. By correcting the positional misalignment first, the subsequent gain adjustment operates on properly aligned images, achieving high fusion quality without amplifying motion distortion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing strategies to different regions of the image. Motion compensation is selectively applied based on detected motion artifact areas, allowing high-quality fusion in static regions while correcting distorted regions, thus improving overall fusion quality without uniformly exacerbating motion distortion
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for processing an image by a wide dynamic range (WDR) process, and for obtaining an image having a wide dynamic area by using a WDR process. The method includes: receiving a long exposure image and a short exposure image having different exposure times; detecting a motion artifact area that may be occur when the long exposure image and the short exposure image are fused; generating a non-linear gain control short exposure image by non-linearly adjusting a gain of the short exposure image such that a luminance component of the short exposure image corresponds to a luminance component of the long exposure image; compensating for motion in the non-linear gain control exposure image based on the detected motion artifact area; and fusing the non-linear gain control short exposure image and the long exposure image to output an image to which a WDR process is performed.