Method and device for removing motion blur effects

#The present invention relates to motion blur detection and removal, and in particular, the invention relates to a method and device for motion correction and generation of motion blur free images.

#Digital photography has gained considerable attention and popularity. This is particularly true for nonprofessional photographers. Digital photography has also found increasing use in business and commerce. Instantaneous turnaround and the simplicity with which digital images can be incorporated into electronic documents have made digital image technology one of the most desirable forms to record images.

#Conventionally, many handheld devices such as digital cameras and the like have been marketed having built-in blur correcting functions for preventing an adverse effect on a captured image caused by a blur such as a camera shake caused by a user during image capture. Also, images captured on handheld devices may suffer from “motion blur” caused by unwanted shake during image capture of fast moving objects. This is particularly the case for still pictures, where the exposure time may be fairly long, as well as for light-weight handheld devices such as mobile phone cameras, which is difficult to stabilize for image capture.

#FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of one of the implementations of an improved method for motion blur removal according to the embodiments of the present invention; and

#FIG. 2 is a schematic functional and block diagram of a device using the method of FIG. 1.

#The invention consists in assisting a digital motion blur removal by motion information extracted from a sequence of images captured immediately before the image to be corrected was captured.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a time sequence diagram 10 for capturing an image. In a preview pane 12 on a first horizontal axis 14 (time T), images 0 to n−1 are captured (capture step 11), immediately prior to the image n which is to be corrected for motion blurs. In other words, for example, when a user takes a picture using a handheld camera device, the device is continuously analyzing a sequence of images for preview on the viewfinder screen of the handheld camera device, prior to the user actually hitting a <<take picture>> actuation button. The preview pane 12 on the first horizontal axis 14 shows these preview images.

#During the sequence of images of the preview pane 12, the motion from each image to the next one is analyzed, the analyzing step 13 being based, for example, on global motion estimation techniques that model the camera motion. Alternatively, the analysis may be performed by a motion field technique, which models the motion of various areas of the image more accurately.