Visual-experience-optimized super-resolution frame generator

摘要

An image processor generates a Super-Resolution (SR) frame by upscaling. A Human Visual Preference Model (HVPM) helps detect random texture regions, where visual artifacts and errors are tolerated to allow for more image details, and immaculate regions having flat areas, corners, or regular structures, where details may be sacrificed to prevent annoying visual artifacts that seem to stand out more. A regularity or isotropic measurement is generated for each input pixel. More regular and less anisotropic regions are mapped as immaculate regions. Higher weights for blurring, smoothing, or blending from a single frame source are assigned for immaculate regions to reduce the likelihood of generated artifacts. In the random texture regions, multiple frames are used as sources for blending, and sharpening is increased to enhance details, but more artifacts are likely. These artifacts are more easily tolerated by humans in the random texture regions than in the regular-structure immaculate regions.

主权项

1. A visual-experience optimized image processor comprising:
an input receiving an input frame of pixels in a sequence of input frames having a low resolution; an output for outputting an output frame of pixels in a sequence of output frames having a high resolution, wherein the output frame comprises at least two times a number of pixels in the input frame; an upscaler for generating additional pixels in the output frame from pixels in the input frame using image processing routines that also generate visual artifacts that are not present in the input frame; a region classifier that identifies structured regions and random-texture regions within a frame of pixels, the region classifier indicating a random-texture region when a measurement of anisotropy among pixels in a region is higher than a threshold, the region classifier indicating a structured region when the measurement of anisotropy among pixels in the region is lower than the threshold; wherein the random-texture regions have a degree of anisotropy that is lower than in the structured regions; and an optimizer that selects an image processing routine that generates fewer visual artifacts and diminishes visual details when the upscaler processes the structured regions, the optimizer selecting an image processing routine that generates more visual artifacts and enhances visual details when the upscaler processes the random-texture regions,whereby visual artifacts and visual details are diminished for the structured regions and are enhanced for the random-texture regions in the output frame.