Abstract: A method and apparatus for calibrating a sensor for highlights and for processing highlights is described. In an embodiment, a method includes identifying highlight regions in an image of a scene. The method further includes calculating flare intensity values for the image using the locations of the highlight regions. The method also includes subtracting the flare intensity values from the image.

Abstract: A front end signal processing method and apparatus for processing a signal from an image sensor are provided for readily clamping a black level, improving the manufacturing yield, and reducing the power consumption. A luminance detector/digitizer receives a sensor output signal from an image sensor, detects luminance information included in the sensor output signal, and generates a digital luminance signal representative of the detected luminance information. A digital processor receives the digital luminance signal, and multiplies the digital luminance signal by a predetermined gain code to generate the multiplication result as a front end processed signal output. An optical black clamp receives the digital luminance signal from the luminance signal detector/digitizer and supplies a feedback signal produced from the digital luminance signal to the luminance signal detector/digitizer to clamp a black level of the luminance signal to a constant value.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a solid-state imaging device, an accumulating section, first and second imaging parameter setting sections, a calculating section, a flicker detecting section, and a switching section. The accumulating section calculates a projection output value of a predetermined line in a frame. The calculating section calculates inter-frame variations of the projection output values, and calculates a flicker index from the variations of a predetermined number of frames. The flicker detecting section detects the flicker from the index, and controls the switching section in response to the detection result of the flicker, so that the switching section selects either the setting signals from the first imaging parameter setting section or the setting signals from the second imaging parameter setting section.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining a type of an illuminant including a spectrum diffraction unit and a sensor coupled to the spectrum diffraction unit. An illuminant discrimination unit is coupled to the sensor and configured to receive a set of signals representative of a set of spectral components in the illuminant and to determine the type.

Abstract: There is provided a method outputting multi-band image data, including the steps of obtaining a spectral waveform per pixel of an image photographed by a multi-band camera; performing conversion of the thus obtained spectral waveform per pixel into control signals corresponding to a plurality of image reproduction processes, for outputting to an image outputting machine; and obtaining a final control signal synthesizing the plurality of control signals. There is also provided an apparatus for implementing the above method. The image reproduction processes can be consecutively switched in accordance with the purpose of the image reproduction, whereupon the image can be outputted in the image reproduction process suited most to the purpose for reproducing the color with a higher priority given to which factor, the coincidence of the visual appearance between the original image and the duplicate image or the stability of visual appearance.

Abstract: An auto white balancing apparatus includes a block split circuit for splitting an image into a plurality of blocks; a representative color calculating circuit which for each split block, derives a representative color of each block on the basis of pixel values within each block; and a block reliability estimating circuit which for each block and for each light source determines the distance between color difference components of the color of a white object under each light source and color difference components of the representative color of each block, to thereby estimate a reliability signal with which each light source lights a scene of each block on the basis of the distances.

Abstract: An adaptive color enhancer applies different scale factors to different pixels in a digital image. More color enhancement occurs for bright pixels and for dim pixels than for average-intensity pixels. Also, more color enhancement is applied to the more colorful pixels while less color enhancement is applied to dull, less-colorful pixels. Rather than enhance all pixels to the same extent, the bright, colorful pixels are enhanced further than the average. Likewise, dim areas are color enhanced more than average. A calculation unit receives a YUV pixel. The Y value is compared to range limits and a piece-wise-linear (PWL) function generates an intermediate scale factor. The absolute values of the U and V color values are combined to create a colorfulness factor. The colorfulness factor is also used with a PWL function and the intermediate scale factor to generate a final scale factor for that pixel. The final scale factor is then multiplied by the U and V values of the pixel to generate a color-corrected pixel.

Abstract: A method of correcting white balance in a video camera is provided, which controls the red gain and blue gain of a captured image signal to allow the average of color difference signals of a picture, the method including the steps of (a) dividing the captured image of one picture into a predetermined number of unit cells, and accumulating the color difference signals by cells divided, (b) extracting an effective cell according as the accumulated data of each of the unit cells is data required for white balance correction or not, (c) judging whether data of the effective cell extracted in step (b) is monochrome data or mixed color data, (d) performing white balance correction without using the effective cell when the data of the effective cell is judged to be mixed color data in step (c), and (e) carrying out white balance correction using the effective cell when the data of the effective cell is judged to be monochrome data in step (c).

Abstract: In white balance adjustment adopting a feedback control technique, after white balance has been established at a certain color temperature, a lead-in limiting frame may be shifted following the establishment of the white balance, causing an incorrect operation to be carried out for a next change in color temperature.

Abstract: An image input apparatus. A detection section detects a change cycle of an intensity of an external light inputted to a camera. A timing control section synchronizes the change cycle of the intensity of the external light with a plurality of input timings of the camera by changing a phase difference in order. An evaluation section compares each storage quantity of the external light inputted to the camera at the plurality of input timings synchronized by the timing control section for each phase difference. A selection section selects the phase difference whose difference of the storage quantities of the external light is smallest from all phase difference changed by the timing control section.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention involves a method for processing an image. A sensor output is provided. An automatic gain control of the sensor output is performed to generate a first output. An automatic white balance correction to the first output is performed to generate a second output. A gamma correction of the second output is performed to generate a third output. A color interpolation is performed to the third output to generate a fourth output. A low-pass spatial filtration of the fourth output is performed to generate a fifth output. A color saturation and correction of the fifth output is performed to generate a sixth output, and a high-pass spatial filtration of the sixth output is performed to generate an image output.

Abstract: An image pick-up apparatus includes: an image sensing section which photoelectrically converts light from an object into an electrical output having a logarithmic function in relation to an amount of the light to produce image data regarding a light image of the object; an extracting section which extracts a particular portion having a specified luminance from the light image; a discriminating section which discriminates whether the particular portion has a light source; a data generating section which generates white balance adjustment data of the image data at a specified interval; and a changing section which changes the generation interval based on a result of the discriminating section. This apparatus can assure suitable and accurate color correction in accordance with a changed light source and for each of a variety of photographic scenes.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an image input unit into which image information is input and which can output the image information as electronic data; and an intensity computation unit for computing smoothing intensity for smoothing the electronic data, from the intensity of a predetermined color component included in the electronic data output from the image input unit. The smoothing intensity is set on the basis of a relationship between the intensity of a predetermined color component and the frequency of noise. When the intensity of a predetermined color component output from the pixel of interest is high, a rate at which the intensity of the predetermined color component output from the pixel of interest is to be distributed to surrounding pixels constituting the matrix is set to a large value. When the intensity of the predetermined color component is low, the rate is set to a small value.