Method and device for generating images having a reduced error rate, high resolution and improved contrast
View Patent ↗The invention relates to a method for generating images having a reduced error rate, high resolution and improved contrast from image sequences containing images having lower resolutions, which can be obtained from an image sensor having adjustable recording parameters. According to the invention, the image sequences of the images (K, R) having low resolutions are subjected to a combination of super-resolution processing (SR) and high dynamic range reconstruction processing (HDR) in order to obtain images having a reduced error rate, high resolution and improved contrast on the basis of redundant and complementary image information contained in the images having low resolution.
1. A method for production of reduced-error, high-resolution and improved-contrast images from first and second image sequences of low-resolution images, which images are obtained by an image sensor with variable recording parameters, the method comprising:
(i) subjecting images in the first image sequence to high-dynamic range reconstruction processing (HDR) in which complementary information components of low resolution images are processed in order to increase contrast and to produce at least one increased-contrast image; and
(ii) subjecting images in the second image sequence to superresolution processing (SR) in which redundant information components of low resolution images are processed in order to increase resolution,
wherein at least one image in the second image sequence is the at least one increased-contrast image (HDR) produced by step (i).
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising varying parameters of the image sensor from one image to another during the high-dynamic-range reconstruction processing (HDR) of the images in the first sequence.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the parameter of the image sensor varied from one image to another is exposure.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein parameters of the image sensor are unchanged during the superresolution processing of the images in the second sequence.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first sequence and the second sequence are different sequences of low-resolution images.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first sequence and the second sequence follow one another alternately in blocks.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first sequence and the second sequence are interleaved in one another.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
fusing, in a first fusion procedure, the images in the first sequence by HDR reconstruction processing to form the at least one increased-contrast images (HDR), wherein the at least one increased-contrast image (HDR) is provided for superresolution processing (SR) in a second fusion procedure in order to attain at least one reduced-error, increased-resolution images (HDR-SR).
9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first and second fusion procedures are performed successively.
10. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first and second fusion procedures are processed in a common algorithm.
11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising producing image sequences of reduced-error, high-resolution and improved-contrast images from the image sequences with low-resolution images.
12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising registering individual low-resolution images of the image sequence with low-resolution images so that the sequences coincide.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the image registration is performed with respect to a reference image from the image sequence with low-resolution images.
14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second sequence of low-resolution images is produced continuously for superresolution processing (SR), and the first sequence of low-resolution images is produced by the high-dynamic-range reconstruction processing (HDR) after initiation of one of an automatic and manual control.
15. A device for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
an image sensor with variable recording parameters.
16. The device as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising at least one processor structured and arranged to subject at least one increased-contrast image produced by the HDR processing from the first image sequence to SR processing in the second image sequence.
17. The device as claimed in claim 16 , further comprising:
a sequencer for arranging the low resolution images to form image sequences.