Patent ID: 8098890

Claim:
An image processing apparatus coupled to receive successive periodically obtained data sets expressing respective input images, including fog-affected images captured under conditions of fog, said image processing apparatus operating on said input images during respective processing cycles to generate corresponding restored images having effects of the fog at least partially removed; wherein: said image processing apparatus comprises image restoration circuitry configured to convert a current pixel block of a current one of said input images to a corresponding restored pixel block, by applying Kalman filter processing to obtain predicted values of a state vector which expresses intrinsic luminance values of said current pixel block, and comprises derivation circuitry configured to derive a deterioration parameter value as a product of an estimated distance of an external location represented by said current pixel block and an estimated value of an extinction coefficient of the atmosphere; said Kalman filter processing is executed by applying a measurement vector expressing measured luminance values of said current pixel block, a measurement matrix, determined based on said deterioration parameter value expressing respective extents of deterioration of said measured luminance values, and a state transition matrix expressing relationships between said measured luminance values of said current pixel block and respective luminance values of a corresponding pixel block in an estimated image, said estimated image having been derived beforehand based on applying said Kalman filter processing to a preceding one said input images; and wherein said restored pixel block is obtained as a restored vector constituted by said predicted values of the state vector, and each of said restored images is obtained as an array of restored pixel blocks.