Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to performing noise reduction on an input image by first filtering the input image based on coarse noise models of pixels and then subsequently filtering the filtered input image based on finer noise models. The finer noise models use the same or more number of neighboring pixels than the coarse noise filters. The first filtering and subsequent filtering of a pixel in the input image use Mahalanobis distances between the pixel and its neighboring pixels. By performing iterations of filtering using more refined noise models, the noise reduction in the input image can be performed more efficiently and effectively.

Abstract: Displaying wide-gamut images as intended on color-managed wide-gamut display systems while rendering a visually consistent image when rendered on targeted narrow-gamut display systems (regardless of whether the narrow-gamut displays are color-managed). Images represented in accordance with this disclosure are referred to as a dual-target images (DTI): one target being the image's original wide-gamut color space, the other target being a specified narrow-gamut color space. The novel representational scheme retains narrow-gamut rendering for those colors in a wide-gamut image that are within the targeted narrow-gamut color space, transitioning to wide-gamut rendering for those colors in the wide-gamut image that are outside the targeted narrow-gamut color space. This approach minimizes pixel clipping when rendering a wide-gamut image for a narrow-gamut display, while allowing the original wide-gamut pixel values to be recovered when rendering for a wide-gamut display.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an electronic device may be configured to capture still frames during video capture, but may capture the still frames in the 4×3 aspect ratio and at higher resolution than the 16×9 aspect ratio video frames. The device may interleave high resolution, 4×3 frames and lower resolution 16×9 frames in the video sequence, and may capture the nearest higher resolution, 4×3 frame when the user indicates the capture of a still frame. Alternatively, the device may display 16×9 frames in the video sequence, and then expand to 4×3 frames when a shutter button is pressed. The device may capture the still frame and return to the 16×9 video frames responsive to a release of the shutter button.

Abstract: Camera modules that may be dynamically adjusted during capture of an image. The camera may include a sensor that captures images using line scan imaging or other scanning technologies. A controller may dynamically control adjustment or movement of the camera lens by an actuator as an image is scanned by the sensor. The lens may be controlled to be in different positions and in different orientations in relation to the sensor as different lines or areas of pixels of the sensor are read. When capturing an image, a region of the sensor may be read, the lens may be adjusted, and a next region of the sensor may be read according to a pattern. Different focus, depth of field, perspective, and other effects may be achieved at different areas or regions of the image during image capture.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to an architecture of a vision pipe included in an image signal processor. The architecture includes a front-end portion that includes a pair of image signal pipelines that generate an updated luminance image data. A back-end portion of the vision pipe architecture receives the updated luminance images from the front-end portion and performs, in parallel, scaling and various computer vision operations on the updated luminance image data. The back-end portion may repeatedly perform this parallel operation of computer vision operations on successively scaled luminance images to generate a pyramid image.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to color correction circuit operations performed by an image signal processor. The color correction circuit computes optimal color correction matrix on a per-pixel basis and adjusts it based on relative noise standard deviations of the color channels to steer the matrix.

Abstract: An image processing pipeline may apply chroma suppression to image data at a scaler implemented in the image processing pipeline. Image data collected for an image may be received at a scaler that is encoded in a color space that includes a luminance component and chrominance components. When resampling the image data to generate a different size of the image, the scaler may attenuate the chrominance components of the image data according to the luminance component of the image data. The scaler may also perform dot error correction and convert the image data from one subsampling scheme to another.

Abstract: An image processing pipeline may process image data at multiple rates. A stream of raw pixel data collected from an image sensor for an image frame may be processed through one or more pipeline stages of an image signal processor. The stream of raw pixel data may then be converted into a full-color domain and scaled to a data size that is less than an initial data size for the image frame. The converted pixel data may be processed through one or more other pipelines stages and output for storage, further processing, or display. In some embodiments, a back-end interface may be implemented as part of the image signal processor via which image data collected from sources other than the image sensor may be received and processed through various pipeline stages at the image signal processor.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for converting image data from a Bayer format image to a four-plane image format using two memory channels. An example apparatus includes an interface for receiving the Bayer image including repeating pixel groups, where each pixel group includes a first pixel type, a second pixel type, a third pixel type, and a fourth pixel type. The apparatus also includes a memory and a circuit to write the Bayer image to the memory as four-plane data. The four-plane data includes pixels of the first type and the third type in the Bayer image that are written via the first memory channel, and pixels of the second type and the fourth type in the Bayer image that are written via the second memory channel. Embodiments also relate to converting three sensor image data to a Bayer format image using the two memory channels.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to an architecture of a vision pipe included in an image signal processor. The architecture includes a front-end portion that includes a pair of image signal pipelines that generate an updated luminance image data. A back-end portion of the vision pipe architecture receives the updated luminance images from the front-end portion and performs, in parallel, scaling and various computer vision operations on the updated luminance image data. The back-end portion may repeatedly perform this parallel operation of computer vision operations on successively scaled luminance images to generate a pyramid image.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to color correction circuit operations performed by an image signal processor. The color correction circuit computes optimal color correction matrix on a per-pixel basis and adjusts it based on relative noise standard deviations of the color channels to steer the matrix.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a sensor interface circuit that performs scaling of image data in a Bayer pattern without spreading defective pixels across multiple pixels. The sensor interface circuit may include a register circuit storing operating parameters of the sensor interface circuit. The sensor interface circuit includes a scaling circuit with a first defect pixel detection circuit to detect a first defective pixel in an input image by analyzing pixels in a line of an input image data along a first direction. A first scaling circuit is coupled to the first defect pixel detection circuit and generates a scaled line of pixels representing the line of the input image scaled along the first direction according to the operating parameters.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a sensor interface circuit that performs scaling of image data in a Bayer pattern without spreading defective pixels across multiple pixels. The sensor interface circuit may include a register circuit storing operating parameters of the sensor interface circuit. The sensor interface circuit includes a scaling circuit with a first defect pixel detection circuit to detect a first defective pixel in an input image by analyzing pixels in a line of an input image data along a first direction. A first scaling circuit is coupled to the first defect pixel detection circuit and generates a scaled line of pixels representing the line of the input image scaled along the first direction according to the operating parameters.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to image signal processing logic, and in particular, to separating an undecimated image signal data to create two components with lower resolution and full-resolution, generating an interpolation guidance information based on the two components created by separation, forming a difference image data representing the difference between the chroma and luma values of each pixel and its neighboring pixels, and merging the processed image data from the processing pipelines with the unprocessed image data using the interpolation guidance information generated. The generation of the interpolation guidance information is based on determining distances between pixel values from a group comprising pixels from interpolation nodes, pixels diagonally located adjacent to the interpolation nodes, pixels horizontally adjacent to the interpolation nodes, and pixels vertically adjacent to the interpolation nodes.

Abstract: An input rescale module that performs cross-color correlated downscaling of sensor data in the horizontal and vertical dimensions. The module may perform a first-pass demosaic of sensor data, apply horizontal and vertical scalers to resample and downsize the data in the horizontal and vertical dimensions, and then remosaic the data to provide horizontally and vertically downscaled sensor data as output for additional image processing. The module may, for example, act as a front end scaler for an image signal processor (ISP). The demosaic performed by the module may be a relatively simple demosaic, for example a demosaic function that works on 3×3 blocks of pixels. The front end of module may receive and process sensor data at two pixels per clock (ppc); the horizontal filter component reduces the sensor data down to one ppc for downstream components of the input rescale module and for the ISP pipeline.

Abstract: Systems and methods for correcting intensity drop-offs due to geometric properties of lenses are provided. In one example, a method includes receiving an input pixel of the image data, the image data acquired using an image sensor. A color component of the input pixel is determined. A gain grid is determined by pointing to the gain grid in external memory. Each of the plurality of grid points is associated with a lens shading gain selected based upon the color of the input pixel. A nearest set of grid points that enclose the input pixel is identified. Further, a lens shading gain is determined by interpolating the lens shading gains associated with each of the set of grid points and is applied to the input pixel.

Abstract: Systems and methods for local tone mapping are provided. In one example, an electronic device includes an electronic display, an imaging device, and an image signal processor. The electronic display may display images of a first bit depth, and the imaging device may include an image sensor that obtains image data of a higher bit depth than the first bit depth. The image signal processor may process the image data, and may include local tone mapping logic that may apply a spatially varying local tone curve to a pixel of the image data to preserve local contrast when displayed on the display. The local tone mapping logic may smooth the local tone curve applied to the intensity difference between the pixel and another nearby pixel exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A controller for an image sensor includes a mode selector that receives a selection between image capture mode and data capture mode. An exposure sensor collects exposure data for a scene falling on the image sensor. A command interface sends commands to the image sensor to cause the image sensor to capture an image with a rolling reset shutter operation in which an integration interval for the image sensor is set based on the exposure data if the image capture mode is selected. The integration interval for the image sensor is set to less than two row periods, preferably close to one row period, without regard to the exposure data if the data capture mode is selected. An analog gain may be increased to as large a value as possible in data capture mode. All pixels in a row may be summed before AD conversion in data capture mode.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an electronic device may be configured to capture still frames during video capture, but may capture the still frames in the 4×3 aspect ratio and at higher resolution than the 16×9 aspect ratio video frames. The device may interleave high resolution, 4×3 frames and lower resolution 16×9 frames in the video sequence, and may capture the nearest higher resolution, 4×3 frame when the user indicates the capture of a still frame. Alternatively, the device may display 16×9 frames in the video sequence, and then expand to 4×3 frames when a shutter button is pressed. The device may capture the still frame and return to the 16×9 video frames responsive to a release of the shutter button.

Abstract: In general, techniques are disclosed for displaying wide-gamut images as intended on color-managed wide-gamut display systems while rendering a visually consistent image when rendered on targeted narrow-gamut display systems (regardless of whether the narrow-gamut displays are color-managed). For this reason, an image represented in accordance with this disclosure is referred to as a dual-target image (DTI): one target being the image's original wide-gamut color space, the other target being a specified narrow-gamut color space. The novel representational scheme described herein retains narrow-gamut rendering for those colors in a wide-gamut image that are within the targeted narrow-gamut color space, transitioning to wide-gamut rendering for those colors in the wide-gamut image that are outside the targeted narrow-gamut color space.