Wide-Angle Image Encoding Region Resizing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing techniques fail to effectively address image distortions caused by wide-angle lenses, particularly in capturing and displaying panoramic images, leading to suboptimal encoding and decoding processes.
Innovation Solution
The method involves encoding and decoding images using a technique that compensates for distortions by resizing image regions according to an encoder mapping, allowing for dynamic variation based on image content and viewpoint, and mapping spherical panoramic images to planar images with varying pixel contributions according to latitude, enabling efficient encoding and decoding for display on devices like head-mountable displays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional image processing techniques are used for wide-angle images, then encoding and decoding can be performed, but image distortions are not effectively addressed leading to suboptimal quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different encoding strategies to different regions of the image based on their importance. Central regions that correspond to the viewer's focal point are encoded with higher quality and resolution, while peripheral regions are encoded with lower quality. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by maintaining high image quality where it matters most while accepting lower quality in less important areas, thereby addressing distortions without uniformly degrading the entire image.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the wide-angle image into multiple regions or tiles, allowing independent processing and encoding of each segment. This segmentation enables selective application of distortion correction and encoding parameters to different parts of the image, resolving the technical contradiction by treating distorted and non-distorted regions differently, thus improving overall encoding quality while managing distortion effects.
2Ease of manufacture
If spherical panoramic images are mapped to planar images with uniform pixel contribution, then encoding is simplified, but distortion and inefficient pixel usage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements non-uniform pixel contribution when mapping spherical panoramic images to planar representations. Pixels corresponding to central viewing angles are given higher weight and resolution, while pixels at peripheral angles are reduced. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining encoding simplicity through planar mapping while improving pixel usage efficiency through localized quality adjustment based on viewing importance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic resolution allocation that adapts to the viewer's orientation and focal point. The encoding parameters are dynamically adjusted based on the current viewing direction, allocating more pixels to regions the viewer is currently observing. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction by making the encoding process adaptable rather than static, simplifying the overall structure while efficiently utilizing pixels based on real-time viewing conditions.
3Ease of manufacture
If fixed resolution encoding is used for wide-angle images, then encoding process is straightforward, but bandwidth utilization is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic resolution encoding where the image resolution is adjusted based on the viewer's current orientation and focal point. When the viewer looks in a particular direction, that region is encoded at higher resolution while other regions use lower resolution. This resolves the contradiction by making the encoding process adaptive rather than fixed, maintaining simplicity in the encoding framework while dramatically improving bandwidth utilization efficiency through on-demand resolution adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent encodes only the necessary portions of the wide-angle image at high resolution, rather than encoding the entire image uniformly. The encoder selectively applies high-quality encoding only to regions that are currently relevant to the viewer, using partial action rather than excessive full-image encoding. This resolves the contradiction by reducing overall bandwidth consumption while maintaining high quality where needed, making the encoding process both simpler and more efficient.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of encoding an input image captured using a wide-angle lens comprises for at least some of a set of image regions, increasing or decreasing the size of those image regions relative to others of the set of image regions according to an encoder mapping between image region size in the input image and image region size in the encoded image.