US 7,551,800 B2
Detection of airborne flash artifacts using preflash image
Peter Corcoran, Claregalway (Ireland); Eran Steinberg, San Francisco, Calif. (US); Alexandru Drimbarean, Galway (Ireland); Constantin Vertan, Bucuresti (Romania); and Adrian Zamfir, Bucuresti (Romania)
Assigned to FotoNation Vision Limited, Galway (Ireland)
Filed on Aug. 09, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/836,773.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/821956, filed on Aug. 09, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2008/0069433 A1, Mar. 20, 2008
Int. Cl. G06K 9/40 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 382—275  [382/254] 83 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of using a processor to correct a flash image orb artifact arising from specular reflections from airborne particles, comprising:
(a) acquiring an image of a scene using flash illumination;
(b) acquiring a reference image of substantially the same scene;
(c) subtracting the reference and flash images to generate a difference image;
(d) determining an edge feature of an orb artifact within the difference image;
(e) determining a feature of an interior region of an orb artifact within the difference image;
(f) matching the edge feature with the feature of the interior region;
(g) correcting the orb artifact from the flash image based on the matching, thereby generating a corrected image; and
(h) displaying, transmitting, communicating or digitally storing or otherwise outputting the corrected image or a further processed version, or combinations thereof.