Abstract: An apparatus and method to control the focusing of a photographing device, in which a light source portion is removed from an image, is provided. The focusing of the photographing device is controlled according to whether the image is in a high- or low-illuminance state. The apparatus includes a luminance detection unit detecting respective luminance values of pixels included in an image; a filter unit outputting values corresponding to the detected luminance values; a threshold calculation unit counting a number of pixels having luminance values greater than a predetermined value among the luminance values of the pixels included in the image and calculating a threshold value using a ratio of the counted number of pixels to a total number of pixels included in the image; and a control unit controlling a position of a lens using output values greater than the calculated threshold value among the output values.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for correcting an edge are provided. The apparatus includes a luminance corrector obtaining a corrected luminance value of a center pixel in a first window of a predetermined size, the first window located at the edge of the input image, by using weights assigned according to a luminance difference between the center pixel and each of a plurality of adjacent pixels in the first window or a predetermined difference of variance (DoV) value representing the degree of uniformity in the luminance between the center pixel and each of the plurality of adjacent pixels; and a chrominance corrector correcting a chrominance value of the edge using weights assigned according to a luminance difference between a center pixel and a plurality of adjacent pixels to the center pixel in a second window of a predetermined size based on the corrected luminance value.

Abstract: A noise reduction method, medium, and system. The noise reduction method includes calculating a noise level of an input image and removing noise from a central pixel within a window of a predetermined size in the input image using a weight determined based on a difference between signal intensities of the central pixel and a plurality of adjacent pixels within the window and the calculated noise level.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to generate an image in which images having different exposure amounts are generated, and by synthesizing the generated images, a high-sensitivity (or quality) image can be generated. The apparatus to generate an image includes an exposure adjustment unit to adjust an exposure amount, an image generation unit to generate a plurality of images of different exposure amounts and different resolutions, and an image synthesis unit to synthesize the plurality of generated images.

Abstract: An image photographing device and method, with the image photographing device enhancing image sensitivity. The image photographing device may include a lens unit, a filter unit including a first filter region which filters a complementary color of a predetermined color from light incident through the lens unit, a second filter region limiting the incident light to a predetermined primary color, a third filter region which passes all wavelength bands of the incident light, and a fourth filter region which filters outs an infrared wavelength band of the incident light, and an image sensor unit detecting light that passed through the filter unit and sensing an image.

Abstract: A white balancing detecting method, medium, and system. The white balancing method includes setting an illuminant detection region of an input image in accordance with an exposure integration time indicative of a collected amount of light when the image is taken, and detecting an illuminant by using data contained in the illuminant detection region in a color gamut of the image.

Abstract: An image capturing device and method, with the image capturing device including a lens, a filter unit, and an image sensor unit. The filter unit has a first filter region which limits incident light, having passed through the lens, to primary color light, a second filter region which passes the incident light in all wavelength ranges, and a third filter region which limits light in an infrared wavelength range. The image sensor unit senses an image using light passing through the filter unit. Thereby, the ability to sense an image can be improved.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and medium for adjusting the image quality of a display device are provided. The apparatus for adjusting image quality of a display device includes a memory unit, an image quality evaluation unit and an image quality adjustment unit. The memory unit stores sample data about a predetermined color and characteristics of the display device. The image quality evaluation unit evaluates the quality of an image which is input to the display device based on at least one of the stored sample data and the characteristics of the display device. The image quality adjustment unit adjusts the quality of the input image based on the results of the evaluation.

Abstract: Provided are an image brightness controlling apparatus and method, and an adaptive brightness controlling apparatus and method based on the brightness degree and/or brightness range of an image. The image brightness controlling apparatus includes a brightness increment arithmetic unit for outputting a brightness increment for a pixel, and an individual component brightness increment arithmetic unit for outputting the brightness increments of individual components constituting the pixel in response to the brightness increment for a pixel. The individual component brightness increment arithmetic unit multiplies the brightness increment of the pixel by each of the unit vectors of the components constituting the pixel to obtain the brightness increments of the individual components. The image brightness controlling apparatus further includes an adder for adding the components constituting the pixel to the brightness increments of the components.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for estimating noise determination criteria in an image sensor. The method includes calculating a color characteristic value for each of a plurality blocks constituting an input image, comparing the color characteristic value of a first block among the blocks with a initial noise criterion, sorting the color characteristic value of the first block as a first group of a color characteristic class and accumulating a result of the comparing into the first group, and modifying the initial noise criterion using a result of the accumulating and calculating a first group noise criterion to be applied to corresponding blocks belonging to the sorted first group of the color characteristic class.

Abstract: Provided are an image brightness controlling apparatus and method, and an adaptive brightness controlling apparatus and method based on the brightness degree and/or brightness range of an image. The image brightness controlling apparatus includes a brightness increment arithmetic unit for outputting a brightness increment for a pixel, and an individual component brightness increment arithmetic unit for outputting the brightness increments of individual components constituting the pixel in response to the brightness increment for a pixel. The individual component brightness increment arithmetic unit multiplies the brightness increment of the pixel by each of the unit vectors of the components constituting the pixel to obtain the brightness increments of the individual components. The image brightness controlling apparatus further includes an adder for adding the components constituting the pixel to the brightness increments of the components.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rendering an image signal by adding another one color different from an inputted color, to an image signal composed of a predetermined number (for example, RGB) of components, is provided.

Abstract: An image display apparatus and method are provided. The image display apparatus includes an external light detection module which detects an intensity of external illumination; a storage module which stores a plurality of light emitting unit control values; and a control module which selectively performs, according to a result of a determination, a lightness compensation operation for compensating a lightness of a light emitting unit and a visibility adjustment operation for adjusting the visibility of the original input image. The method includes detecting an intensity of external illumination; determining whether a visibility of an original input image can be ensured according to an input light emitting control value and the detected external illumination intensity; and selectively performing, according to the determination, a lightness compensation operation for compensating a lightness of a light emitting unit and a visibility adjustment operation for adjusting the visibility of the original input image.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for reducing noise of an image sensor are provided. The apparatus includes a noise level setting module setting a noise level representing an image frame expressed as a component in a color space; a kernel generation module generating a kernel for filtering pixels that constitute the image frame based on the set noise level; and a filter application module convoluting the pixels using the generated kernel and normalizing the pixels using the convolution result. Since noise generated by the image sensor can be adaptively reduced, the quality of an output image can be improved.

Abstract: An image browsing apparatus capable of calculating color temperature of an image and browsing the image based on the color temperature, and a method of browsing an image are provided. The image browsing apparatus includes a data storage unit for storing a plurality of image data; a color temperature calculator for calculating the color temperature of each image and storing the calculated color temperature in the data storage unit; a command input unit for inputting an image browsing mode; and a color temperature browser for classifying images corresponding to the browsing mode using the color temperature as an image search condition and then, browsing the classified images. The method of browsing images includes determining the color temperature of an input image when a browsing mode is input; and browsing images when the color temperature falls within the color temperature range of the browsing mode.

Abstract: An auto white controlling method and apparatus are provided. The method includes providing a plurality of feature points having color features of an image if the image includes an object having dominant chroma; detecting a first illuminant according to the feature points; calculating a mean chroma of data showing a chroma difference within a threshold value with a chroma of the first illuminant among data constituting the image; and providing a second illuminant by mapping the mean chroma to an illuminant locus. The apparatus includes a feature-analyzing module that provides a plurality of feature points having color features of an image; and an illuminant-detecting module that detects a first illuminant by using the feature points, calculates a mean chroma of data showing the color difference within a threshold value with the chroma of the first illuminant, and provides a second illuminant by mapping the mean chroma to an illuminant locus.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for an image adaptive color adjustment of pixels in a color gamut is disclosed. The method includes calculating a representative value that shows color characteristics of pixels included in a color gamut, calculating a final target color required to convert the representative value to approach a reference target point existing in the color gamut, and converting the pixels included in the color gamut to approach the final target color. The apparatus includes a color gamut boundary storage module; a reference target point storage module; a target color determination module which calculates a representative value that shows color characteristics of pixels included in a color gamut and calculates a final target color required to convert the representative value to approach the reference target point; and a color conversion module which converts the pixels included in the color gamut to approach the final target color.

Abstract: A method of enhancing contrast includes obtaining a first luminance histogram of an input image; generating a second luminance histogram through pixel redistribution for the first luminance histogram; computing a conversion function based on both a first cumulative density function based on the first luminance histogram and a second cumulative density function based on the second luminance histogram; and changing the luminance distribution of the input image based on the conversion function.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for correcting a color reproduced by a video device according to peripheral brightness so that the visibility of the video device is guaranteed under peripheral conditions brighter than the video device. The apparatus for correcting a color reproduced by a video device according to peripheral brightness includes: a lookup-table-creation unit which creates a lookup table based on saturation of the video device and brightness of peripheral conditions; a color-correction unit which corrects the color reproduced by the video device according to the created lookup table; and a color-error-compensation unit which compensates for color error resulting from correction of the color.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for reducing noise from an image sensor are provided. The apparatus includes a noise-estimation unit which estimates a noise level representing an image frame expressed as a component in a color space, a filter-strength-calculation unit which determines filter strength based on the estimated noise level, and a filter-application unit which filters pixels constituting the image frame according to the determined filter strength.