Apple Patent | Techniques for Correction of Visual Artifacts in Multi-View Images

Patent: Techniques for Correction of Visual Artifacts in Multi-View Images

Publication Number: 20190005709

Publication Date: 2019-01-03

Applicants: Apple

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for correcting artifacts in multi-view images that include a plurality of planar views. Image content the planar views may be projected from the planar representation to a spherical projection. Thereafter, a portion of the image content may be projected from the spherical projection to a planar representation. The image content of the planar representation may be used for display. Extensions are disclosed that correct artifacts that may arise during deblocking filtering of the multi-view images.

Background

The present disclosure relates to techniques for correcting image artifacts in multi-view images.

Some modern imaging applications capture image data from multiple directions about a camera. Many cameras have multiple imaging systems that capture image data in several different fields of view. An aggregate image may be created that represents a merger or “stitching” of image data captured from these multiple views.

Oftentimes, the images created from these capture operations exhibit visual artifacts due to discontinuities in the fields of view. For example, a “cube map” image, described herein, may be generated from the merger of six different planar images that define a cubic space about a camera. Each planar view represents image content of objects within the view’s respective field of view. Thus, each planar view possesses its own perspective and its own vanishing point, which is different than the perspectives and vanishing points of the other views of the cube map image. Visual artifacts can arise at seams between these images. The artifacts are most pronounced when parts of a common object are represented in multiple views. Parts of the object may appear as if they are at a common depth in one view but other parts of the object may appear as if they have variable depth in the second view.

The inventors perceive a need in the art for image correction techniques that mitigate such artifacts in multi-view images.