title: Overall well focused catadioptric image acquisition with multi-focal images: a model based method.
abstract: When a catadioptric imaging system suffers from limited depth of field, a single image can not capture all the objects with clear focus. To solve this problem, a set of multi-focal images can be used to extend the depth of field by fusing the best focused image regions to an overall well focused composite image. In this paper, we proposed a novel model based method that avoids the computational cost problem of previous extended-depth-of-field algorithms. Based on the special optical geometry properties of catadioptric systems, the proposed model describes the shapes of the best focused image regions in multi-focal images by a series of neighboring concentric annuluses. Then we proposed a method to estimate the model parameters. Based on this model, an overall well focused image is obtained by combining the best focused regions with a fast and reliable online operation. Experiments on catadioptric images of a variety of different scenes and camera settings verify the validity of the model and the robust performance of the proposed method.
authors.forename: Weiming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Youfu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010781:Photography / Q000379:methods*