Abstract: A method of enhancing a full-color image of a scene includes capturing an image of the scene using a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels, forming an edge map in response to the panchromatic pixels, forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels, and using the edge map to enhance the full-color image.

Abstract: An image sensor is disclosed for capturing a color image, comprising a two-dimensional array of pixels having a plurality of minimal repeating unit wherein each repeating unit is composed of eight pixels having five panchromatic pixels and three pixels having different color responses.

Abstract: A method for producing a noise-reduced digital color image, includes providing an image having panchromatic pixels and color pixels corresponding to at least two color photoresponses; providing from the image a panchromatic image and at least one color image; and using the panchromatic image and the color image to produce the noise-reduced digital color image.

Abstract: A method of enhancing a full-color image of a scene includes capturing an image of the scene using a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels, forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels, forming a reference panchromatic image in response to the captured panchromatic pixels, forming an edge map in response to the reference panchromatic image and using the edge map to enhance the full-color image.

Abstract: A method for forming a final digital color image, includes: capturing an image using an image sensor having panchromatic pixels and color pixels corresponding to at least two color photoresponses; providing from the captured image a digital high resolution panchromatic image and a digital high resolution color differences image; and using the digital high resolution panchromatic image and the digital high resolution color differences image to produce the final digital high resolution full color image.

Abstract: A method of processing an array of pixels captured by an image capture device, includes providing a first two-dimensional array having first and second groups of pixels wherein pixels from the first group of pixels have narrower spectral photoresponses than pixels from the second group of pixels and wherein the first group of pixels has individual pixels that have spectral photoresponses that correspond to a set of at least two colors and the placement of the first and second groups of pixels define a pattern that has a minimal repeating unit arranged to permit the reproduction of a captured color image under different lighting conditions; responding to ambient lighting conditions, whether panchromatic pixels are to be combined with color pixels; combining pixels to produce a second two-dimensional array of pixels which has fewer pixels than the first two-dimensional array of pixels; and correcting the color pixels.

Abstract: A method of processing an array of pixels captured by an image capture device, having a first two-dimensional array of pixels from the image capture device, some of which are color pixels, and some of which are panchromatic pixels; determining in response to ambient lighting conditions, whether panchromatic pixels are to be combined with color pixels; combining pixels to produce a second two-dimensional array of pixels which has fewer pixels than the first two-dimensional array of pixels; and correcting the color pixels.

Abstract: A method of sharpening a full-color image of a scene includes capturing an image of the scene using a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels; forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels and forming a reference panchromatic image in response to the captured panchromatic pixels; forming a high-frequency panchromatic image from the reference panchromatic image; and providing a sharpened full-color image in response to the high-frequency panchromatic image and the full-color image.

Abstract: An image sensor for capturing a color image, comprising a two-dimensional array of pixels having a plurality of minimal repeating units wherein each repeating unit is composed of eight pixels having four panchromatic pixels, two pixels having the same color response, and two pixels having different color responses that are different than the pixels having the same color response, with the minimal repeating units tiled to cause each row or each column of the image sensor to have color pixels of a single color or to cause each row and each column to have color pixels of only two colors.

Abstract: A method for forming an enhanced digital full-color image having a first pixel aspect ratio includes capturing an image using an image sensor having panchromatic pixels and color pixels corresponding to at least two color photoresponses wherein color and panchromatic pixels each have a second pixel aspect ratio different from the first pixel aspect ratio, providing from the captured image a digital high-resolution panchromatic image and changing the aspect ratio of the panchromatic pixel values from the second pixel aspect ratio to the first pixel aspect ratio to produce a digital aspect corrected high-resolution panchromatic image, providing from the captured image a digital low-resolution color difference color filter array image, providing a digital aspect corrected high-resolution color difference image from the low-resolution color difference color filter array image, and using the aspect corrected high-resolution panchromatic image and an aspect corrected high-resolution color difference image to produc

Abstract: A method of providing an enhanced image including color and panchromatic pixels, includes using a captured image of a scene that was captured by a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels; providing an image having paxels in response to the captured image so that each paxel has color and panchromatic values; converting the paxel values to at least one luminance value and a plurality of chrominance values; and computing scene balance values from the luminance and chrominance values to be applied to an uncorrected image having color and panchromatic pixels that is either the captured image of the scene or an image derived from the captured image of the scene and using the computed scene balance values to provide an enhanced image including color and panchromatic pixels.

Abstract: A method of enhancing a full-color image of a scene includes capturing an image of the scene using a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels, forming an edge map in response to the panchromatic pixels, forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels, and using the edge map to enhance the full-color image.

Abstract: A method of enhancing a full-color image of a scene includes capturing an image of the scene using a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels, forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels, forming a reference panchromatic image in response to the captured panchromatic pixels, forming an edge map in response to the reference panchromatic image and using the edge map to enhance the full-color image.

Abstract: A method of sharpening a full-color image of a scene includes capturing an image of the scene using a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels; forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels and forming a reference panchromatic image in response to the captured panchromatic pixels; forming a high-frequency panchromatic image from the reference panchromatic image; and providing a sharpened full-color image in response to the high-frequency panchromatic image and the full-color image.

Abstract: An image sensor is disclosed for capturing a color image, comprising a two-dimensional array of pixels having a plurality of minimal repeating unit wherein each repeating unit is composed of eight pixels having five panchromatic pixels and three pixels having different color responses.

Abstract: A method of processing an array of pixels captured by an image capture device, having a first two-dimensional array of pixels from the image capture device, some of which are color pixels, and some of which are panchromatic pixels; determining in response to ambient lighting conditions, whether panchromatic pixels are to be combined with color pixels; combining pixels to produce a second two-dimensional array of pixels which has fewer pixels than the first two-dimensional array of pixels; and correcting the color pixels.

Abstract: A method of processing an array of pixels captured by an image capture device, includes providing a first two-dimensional array having first and second groups of pixels wherein pixels from the first group of pixels have narrower spectral photoresponses than pixels from the second group of pixels and wherein the first group of pixels has individual pixels that have spectral photoresponses that correspond to a set of at least two colors and the placement of the first and second groups of pixels define a pattern that has a minimal repeating unit arranged to permit the reproduction of a captured color image under different lighting conditions; responding to ambient lighting conditions, whether panchromatic pixels are to be combined with color pixels; combining pixels to produce a second two-dimensional array of pixels which has fewer pixels than the first two-dimensional array of pixels; and correcting the color pixels.

Abstract: A method for forming a digital color image of a desired resolution, includes providing a panchromatic image of a scene having a first resolution at least equal to the desired resolution and a first color image having at least two different color photoresponses, the first color image having a lower resolution than the desired resolution; and using the color pixel values from the first color image and the panchromatic pixel values to provide additional color pixels and combining the additional color pixels with the first color image to produce the digital color image having the desired resolution.

Abstract: A method for producing a noise-reduced digital color image, includes providing an image having panchromatic pixels and color pixels corresponding to at least two color photoresponses; providing from the image a panchromatic image and at least one color image; and using the panchromatic image and the color image to produce the noise-reduced digital color image.

Abstract: A method for forming a final digital color image, includes: capturing an image using an image sensor having panchromatic pixels and color pixels corresponding to at least two color photoresponses; providing from the captured image a digital high resolution panchromatic image and a digital high resolution color differences image; and using the digital high resolution panchromatic image and the digital high resolution color differences image to produce the final digital high resolution full color image.