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 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: A technology of acquiring and processing light field data for images is provided. A light field data acquisition apparatus includes a modulator with an attenuation pattern to spatially modulate a 4D light field for an image, and a sensor to acquire 2D signals of the spatially modulated 4D light field. By utilizing the attenuation pattern of the modulator, more spatial data may be acquired in a low angular frequency region than that acquired in a high angular frequency region.

Abstract: A method and apparatus may include aligning a reference image and an input image through ROI-based image alignment; detecting an ROI associated with an incompletely aligned region in the aligned image; and blending the aligned reference image and input image by using a plurality of weights which are attenuated according to a spatial distance from a boundary of the detected ROI. In addition, the method and apparatus may include aligning a reference image and an input image through image alignment based on an nth region of interest (ROI) which is detected at a previous stage; detecting another ROI associated with an incompletely aligned region in the aligned image; and blending the aligned image in the other ROI and an (n+1)th blended image, which is input from a next stage, in a region outside the other ROI, and outputting the last blended image to the previous stage.

Abstract: A high dynamic range (HDR) image generating apparatus and method is provided. The HDR image generating apparatus may set an auto-exposure time, a long exposure time, a short exposure time, and a reference exposure time. The auto-exposure time may be set to be shorter than the long exposure time, the short exposure time may be set to be shorter than the auto-exposure time, and the reference exposure time may be set to fall within a range between the auto-exposure time and the short exposure time. The image generating apparatus may obtain a first image with the long exposure time and a second image with the reference exposure time, may correct motion in the first image and adjust a dynamic range of the second image, and then may composite the resultant first and second images to generate a high dynamic range image.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system and method counting photons. Photons are counted through a plurality of counters. Each of the counters generates a flag signal indicating the availability of each counter for an output of a photon detector. The generated flag signal is input into a control unit which controls a switching unit. The control unit allows a signal to be input into a counter, which is not in dead time, based on the received flag signal.

Abstract: An X-ray imaging apparatus and method for reducing X-ray scattering are provided. The X-ray imaging apparatus includes an X-ray source, a collimator, a detector, and a controller. The X-ray source emits X-rays, the collimator collimates the X-rays into an X-ray beam, and the detector may include a two-dimensional array of pixels. The controller controls the collimator such that the X-ray beam scans a subject while moving over time. In addition, the controller operates the detector to only operate pixels at an exposure area of the detector where the X-ray beam arrives without scattering such that photocharges generated due to the X-ray exposure can be accumulated and stored in the pixels.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for obtaining a motion adaptive high dynamic range image, in which a motion degree of a first image and a second taken using different exposure times is calculated. The motion calculation intensity is adjusted based on the calculated motion degree. The motion compensation intensity involves a global motion compensation and/or a location motion compensation. Images subjected to compensation are synthesized and output, so that an image having high dynamic range is obtained.

Abstract: The resolution-converting method comprises steps of applying an edge-directed interpolation to an input image and producing an intermediate image; converting a sampling rate with respect to the intermediate image and producing an output image having a predetermined resolution; and improving sharpness of the produced output image. The present invention prevents image-quality degradation factors that can occur in the conventional resolution-converting method as well as obtains an output image having a resolution of a desired size.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for contrast control is provided. The apparatus includes a cumulative density function which provides a second cumulative density function modified from a first cumulative density function based on a first luminance histogram of an input image; a transformer function provider which provides a transform function based on the first cumulative density function and the second cumulative density function; a compensation unit which compensates the transform function based on a predetermined illumination level; and a transform unit which transforms a luminance distribution of the input image based on the compensated transform function.

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 method and apparatus for detecting an object are provided. The method calculates a feature value based on features extracted from an input image by using a classifier of an ith stage, compares the calculated feature value with a first threshold value of the ith stage, compares the feature value with a second threshold value of the ith stage according to a result of the comparison between the feature value and the first threshold value of the ith stage, and jumps to a classifier of an i+2th stage according to a result of the comparison between the feature value and the second threshold value of the ith stage. By doing so, the method can avoid repeated calculations and can rapidly detect the object in the 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 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: 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: Disclosed are an apparatus and method for acquiring light field data using a variable modulator. The apparatus varies a modulator located between an optical system and a sensor adaptively according to objects to be captured or a peripheral environment. Accordingly, 4-dimensional (4D) light field data optimized according to objects to be captured or according to changes in focal distance may be acquired.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method for providing image information about an area of interest are provided. The apparatus and method may perform image processing, including setting at least one area of interest of an input image, analyzing a dynamic range (DR) of the at least one area of interest, and adaptively processing the DR based on a DR of a display device and the analyzed DR of the at least one area of interest, to form a processed image.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus to blend a high dynamic range (HDR) image or a plurality of images captured with different exposure settings to multiple images, and a method thereof. A multiple image blender receives a high dynamic range (HDR) image or a plurality of images captured with different exposure settings, and controls setting of one or more areas of interest or setting of one or more gradation levels, and combines and blends the HDR image or the plurality of images captured with different exposure settings corresponding to each area of interest or at each gradation level, and generates at least one multi-exposure image.

Abstract: A bit resolution-extension method is provided. The bit resolution-extension method includes acquiring the shortest distance from a central pixel to a positive contour and the shortest distance from the central pixel to a negative contour in a filtering region which scans the positive contour comprising large pixels of a fixed value and the negative contour comprising small pixels of a fixed value, based on a value of the central pixel, generating an extension bit of the central pixel by interpolating the shortest distance from the central pixel to the positive contour and the shortest distance from the central pixel to the negative contour, and adding the extension bit as a lower bit of the central pixel.

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.