Efficient methodologies for real-time image restoration

Abstract

In this thesis we investigate the problem of image restoration. The main focus of our research is to come up with novel algorithms and enhance existing techniques in order to deliver efficient and effective methodologies, applicable in real-time image restoration scenarios. Our research starts with a literature review, which identifies the gaps in existing techniques and helps us to come up with a novel classification on image restoration, which integrates and discusses more recent developments in the area of image restoration. With this novel classification, we identified three major areas which need our attention. The first developments relate to non-blind image restoration. The two mostly used techniques, namely deterministic linear algorithms and stochastic nonlinear algorithms are compared and contrasted. Under deterministic linear algorithms, we develop a class of more effective novel quadratic linear regularization models, which outperform the existing linear regularization models. In addition, by looking in a new perspective, we evaluate and compare the performance of deterministic and stochastic restoration algorithms and explore the validity of the performance claims made so far on those algorithms. Further, we critically challenge the necessity of some complex mechanisms in Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) technique under stochastic image deconvolution algorithms. The next developments are focussed in blind image restoration, which is claimed to be more challenging. Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA) is one of the most popular, computationally simple, tested and best performing blind equalization algorithms in the signal processing domain. In our research, we extend the use of CMA in image restoration and develop a broad class of blind image deconvolution algorithms, in particular algorithms for blurring kernels with a separable prop-