Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for image processing. The method includes: setting a block including at least one pixel and a window including the at least one block, with a center pixel as a reference; converting an input image in a YCbCr format to a monochrome image; determining a magnitude of an edge component and an edge direction in the window; determining a weight of the block in consideration of the magnitude of the edge component and the edge direction; and determining a color signal value of the center pixel by reflecting the weight of the block in the monochrome-converted window.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for processing an image of an image signal projected through a digital camera lens. The apparatus includes an image sensor module to transform an optical signal projected through the digital camera lens into an electric signal, to generate and output an image signal. The apparatus includes a light receiving module to receive a light source, wherein the light receiving module is disposed close to the image sensor module. The apparatus also includes a light source characteristic detector to detect a frequency of the light source received by the light receiving module. The apparatus further includes an auto color adjustment controller to identify a kind of light source based on the frequency of the light source, and control a white balance gain of the image signal based on the kind of the light source.

Abstract: A method of operating an electronic device for image interpolation is provided. The method includes estimating a direction of pixels using a plurality of filters respectively corresponding to a plurality of angles, correcting the direction of the pixels using a direction of neighboring pixels, determining whether the direction estimation has an error according to a direction distribution of the neighboring pixels, and when the direction estimation is determined to have error, correcting the error in the direction estimation.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing an image of an image signal projected through a digital camera lens are provided. The apparatus includes an image sensor module for transforming an optical signal into an electric signal, to generate and output an image signal, and a light receiving module for detecting a light source. The apparatus also includes a light source characteristic detector for detecting a frequency of the light source, a white balance controller for controlling a white balance, a color corrector for removing interferences of red, green, and blue channels, and a gamma corrector for performing a gamma correction. The apparatus further includes an auto color adjustment controller for identifying a kind of light source based on the frequency of the light source, and controlling a white balance gain of the image signal based on the kind of the light source.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting flicker in a camera module is provided. The method including generating a first image frame and a second image frame, setting up a first sampling area in the first image frame and a second sampling area in the second image frame, sampling a plurality of horizontal lines from among all of the horizontal lines contained in each of the first sampling area and the second sampling area, accumulating brightness values of pixels located on each of the sampled horizontal lines to generate first accumulated brightness values for the first image frame and second accumulated brightness values for the second image frame, and detecting flicker based on the first accumulated values and the second accumulated values, wherein the first sampling area and the second sampling area have the same sizes and the same horizontal starting points but have different vertical starting points.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling an actuator in a camera module is provided. The apparatus includes a position controller for producing a control voltage to move a lens of the camera module, a hall sensor for detecting an amount of change in magnetic lines of force generated by a magnet as a hall voltage, a voice coil motor for moving the lens according to a current applied thereto, and a current controller for using a voltage applied to the voice coil motor to detect an interference voltage created by the current applied to the voice coil motor, for generating an interference-eliminated hall voltage by removing the interference voltage from the hall voltage, and for controlling the current applied to the voice coil motor based on the control voltage and the interference-eliminated hall voltage.

Abstract: An image generating apparatus and method for emphasizing an edge, based on image characteristics by extracting an edge region from an input original image, and an edge gain indicating a degree for emphasizing the edge region and an edge threshold indicating a degree of complexity between pixels are calculated for each of a plurality of image regions of the original image. The extracted edge region is combined with the calculated edge gain. Thresholding is performed by adjusting the calculated edge threshold for the edge region combined with the edge gain, and the thresholding-applied edge region is combined with the original image to output a final image. By adaptively adjusting an edge gain and an edge threshold for a portion where an edge needs to be emphasized and the other portions in an image having multiple image characteristics, both edge emphasis and noise cancellation can be achieved together.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for efficiently removing noise of an image sensor. To this end, the present invention enables: an area to be divided into an edge area, a sensitivity difference generation area, and a pattern area relative to an input image of a Bayer pattern; and different noise removing methods to be applied according to each of the divided areas. By doing this, noise can be removed efficiently since the noise is adaptively removed in each area. Further, sensitivity differences between Gr and Gb are considered in such a manner that resolution can be improved.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for automatically adjusting a focus in an image capturing device are provided. The method includes generating an image by capturing a subject through a lens when a flash unit is enabled, dividing the image into a plurality of windows, determining a brightest window from among the plurality of windows, and setting an Auto Focus (AF) detection area for performing an AF function centering on the determined window.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for haptic interaction in augmented reality that can effectively remove noise from real images captured by an image capturing device and minimize discontinuity of force generated in the haptic interaction for the stable and smooth haptic interaction in the augmented reality. The augmented reality system comprising: a marker detecting unit that detects a markers in images; a marker position extracting unit that extracts the positions of the detected markers; a noise removing unit that removes noise from positional information of the markers; a visual rendering unit that augments virtual objects; a motion estimating unit that estimates the motion of the markers over a time; a collision detecting unit that detects collision between the virtual objects and an end point of the haptic device; and a haptic rendering unit that calculates reaction force to be provided through the haptic device.

Abstract: Provided is a mobile communication terminal having an aromatic function and a terminal charger for the same. The terminal charger for charging a mobile terminal having an absorbent material disposed therein includes a charger body having a mounting space formed at one part thereof and in which the terminal is mounted; and an aromatic supply part installed in the charger body for supplying an aromatic agent into the absorbent material.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for video telephony in a mobile terminal includes: extracting, after establishment of a video call, a facial feature from a video image captured by a camera unit of the mobile terminal, comparing the extracted facial feature with that of a pre-stored reference image, and correcting the video image according to the facial feature of the reference image. The corrected video image is transmitted to a counterpart of the video call.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photographing apparatus using an infrared ray in a portable terminal, the apparatus includes: a camera module for photographing an image; a display unit for providing a preview for the image photographed by the camera module; and an infrared sensor unit for determining if light is obstructed by emitting and receiving an infrared ray through an infrared sensor upon photographing by the camera module, and outputting a photographing signal for the image.

Abstract: A method for automatically controlling image brightness in an image photographing device by calculating a histogram for an image; obtaining a brightness average for the histogram; determining if a number of pixels of a histogram distribution within a first range and a number of pixels of a histogram distribution within a second range are included within a preset range; and when the number of pixels of the histogram distribution within the first range and the number of pixels of the histogram distribution within the second range are included within the preset range, as a result of a determination, adjusting the brightness average to be a reference brightness.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing an image of an image signal projected through a digital camera lens are provided. The apparatus includes an image sensor module for transforming an optical signal into an electric signal, to generate and output an image signal, and a light receiving module for detecting a light source. The apparatus also includes a light source characteristic detector for detecting a frequency of the light source, a white balance controller for controlling a white balance, a color corrector for removing interferences of red, green, and blue channels, and a gamma corrector for performing a gamma correction. The apparatus further includes an auto color adjustment controller for identifying a kind of light source based on the frequency of the light source, and controlling a white balance gain of the image signal based on the kind of the light source.

Abstract: An auto focus (AF) apparatus and method for a camera that improves the AF action by reducing the number of time and steps required of a conventional apparatus and method. An encoder initial value is detected by measuring an initial position of a lens unit by means of an encoder; matching the measured encoder initial value to an initial position value to which the lens unit is to move while performing the auto focus; performing the auto focus starting from the matched initial position value, and dividing a distance that the lens unit is to cover into sections corresponding to a preset number of steps; detecting an edge value which shows a brightness change for a contour of a subject for as many as the number of the preset steps. The AF is completed by moving the lens unit to a position corresponding to a maximum edge value selected from among the detected edge values.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for auto-focusing a camera, which includes the steps of detecting an initial value of an encoder by measuring an initial position of a lens system, matching the measured initial value of the encoder with the initial position value of the lens system to be moved, measuring a distance value of a subject through a distance measuring sensor, determining a displacement that a focus lens has to be moved with respect to the measured distance value, and adjusting a position of the focus lens such that a position value of the focus lens actually moved is the same as the displacement value.

Abstract: A motion compensation apparatus for a camera module with a half-shutter function is provided. The apparatus includes an initialization unit for selecting a subject, a motion of which is to be detected, from images secured in a half-shutter state, and calculates motion information of the subject; a tracking unit for tracking the selected subject and the motion information provided from the initialization unit, and calculates prediction information of the subject; and a controller for generating a control signal for controlling a speed of a shutter and a sensibility of an image sensor based on the prediction information provided from the tracking unit.

Abstract: A device and method for reducing color noise of an image by using a distance weight depending on a distance from a central pixel for each pixel of an image and an edge weight depending on the difference in luminance and chrominance with the central pixel is provided, which can effectively reduce the color noise of the image by using the correlation between the luminance and the chrominance and edge characteristics.

Abstract: A method for removing defective pixels using a signal processing scheme with a Bayer pattern, by determining an output value of the inter-channel according to whether or not a difference between a center pixel and an average of neighboring pixels, which have the same color as that of the center pixel, is greater than or equal to a threshold value; and using values of neighboring pixels nearest to a center pixel as an input, obtaining an output value of the cross-channel by finding a median value among a median value of vertical and horizontal lines including the center pixel, a median value of diagonal lines including the center pixel, and a value of the center pixel. Then, a defective pixel is removed, through the use of the output value of the inter-channel, the output value of the cross-channel, and the value of the center pixel.