Boosting computer vision performance by enhancing camera ISP

Abstract

Traditional image signal processors (ISPs) are primarily designed and optimized to improve the image quality perceived by humans. However, optimal perceptual image quality does not always translate into optimal performance for computer vision applications. In [1], Wu et al. proposed a set of methods, termed VisionISP, to enhance and optimize the ISP for computer vision purposes. The blocks in VisionISP are simple, content-aware, and trainable using existing machine learning methods. VisionISP significantly reduces the data transmission and power consumption requirements by reducing image bit-depth and resolution, while mitigating the loss of relevant information. In this paper, we show that VisionISP boosts the performance of subsequent computer vision algorithms in the context of multiple tasks, including object detection, face recognition, and stereo disparity estimation. The results demonstrate the benefits of VisionISP for a variety of computer vision applications, CNN model sizes, and benchmark datasets.