Sparse Support Regression for Image Super-Resolution

Abstract

In most optical imaging systems and applications, images with high resolution (HR) are desired and often required. However, charged coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensors may be not suitable for some imaging applications due to the current resolution level and consumer price. To transcend these limitations, in this paper, we present a novel single image super-resolution method. To simultaneously improve the resolution and perceptual image quality, we present a practical solution that combines manifold learning and sparse representation theory. The main contributions of this paper are twofold. First, a mapping function from low-resolution (LR) patches to HR patches will be learned by a local regression algorithm called sparse support regression, which can be constructed from the support bases of LR–HR dictionary. Second, we propose to preserve the geometrical structure of image patch dictionary, which is critical for reducing artifacts and obtaining better visual quality. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method produces high-quality results, both quantitatively and perceptually.