Patent ID: 8610976
Filing Date: 2013-12-17
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. An image enhancement method for an image capture device comprising: illuminating an object placed on, in or adjacent to the image capture device and capturing an image of the object from a first position to obtain a first set of raw pixel data; illuminating the object placed on, in or adjacent to the image capture device, capturing an image of the object from a second position, to obtain a second set of raw pixel data, where each pixel in the second set of raw pixel data corresponds to a pixel in the first set of raw pixel data representing a point on the object; calibrating each of the first and second sets of raw pixel data using a first set of image calibration pixel data to create a first set of image pixel data and using a second set of image calibration pixel data to create a second set of pixel image data, wherein each pixel in the second set of image calibration pixel data corresponds to a pixel in the first set of image calibration pixel data, and each pixel in the first and second sets of image calibration pixel data corresponds to a pixel in each of the first and second sets of raw pixel data respectively; for a first pixel in the first set of image pixel data: i) calculating the modulus of the pixel intensity of said pixel in the first set of image pixel data minus the pixel intensity of the corresponding pixel in the second set of image pixel data and comparing the modulus to a pre-determined threshold value; ii) if the modulus is greater than the threshold value, selecting the one of the pixel in the first set of image pixel data and the pixel in the second set of image pixel data with the lowest pixel intensity as the output pixel; iii) if the modulus is less than the threshold value, determining the one of the corresponding pixel in the first set of image calibration pixel data and the corresponding pixel in the second set of image calibration pixel data having the highest pixel intensity, and selecting the corresponding pixel in either the first set of image pixel data or the second set of image pixel data as the output pixel; and repeating steps i), ii) and iii) for at least a second pixel in the first set of image pixel data and forming a set of final pixel data from the resulting output pixels.