Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of providing a sharper image by preventing the deterioration of an image caused by the difference in dynamic ranges of a center part and a surrounding part of the image photographed by an image sensor or by the difference of lens resolution. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an image edge detection apparatus and a method thereof, a sharpness emphasis apparatus and a method thereof, and a recoding medium recorded with a program performing the method can acquire the sharpness and quality of a desired image by detecting an edge of a surrounding part by use of an edge detection filter having a different filter area size and/or a weight of a computed edge value in a center part and the surrounding part, respectively, of the image, and then by giving a weight to the detected edge.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of smoothing the brightness of an image photographed in an image sensor without amplifying a noise component of a surrounding part of the image are disclosed.

Abstract: A method for detecting color temperature and an apparatus thereof are disclosed. According to the present invention, the apparatus for detecting color temperature converts RGB color information, generated by interpolating an image signal sequentially inputted in units of pixel from an image sensor, to a three-dimensional coordinate value of luminance, R-G color difference information, and B-G color difference information, and then renews the added value per color, if included in a filtering zone corresponding to a characteristic curve of the image sensor. Then, an average value per color is generated in units of frame, and the compensation rate per color is determined such that the average value per color becomes identical to each other. With the present invention, accurate colors can be displayed by detecting the color temperature of the current light source and correcting the distorted color information.

Abstract: A histogram generating device is disclosed. An embodiment has a brightness signal generating module generating a brightness signal by use of RGB component data of an input frame, an image component data selecting module outputting a single component frame consisting of image component data, which is one of the RGB component data and the brightness signal, an interval histogram generating module generating a level value by calculating the number of image component data belonging to each level grouped by a histogram resolution as a detection interval of the plurality of successive single component frames is changed, and a memory storing a plurality of level values generated for each of the single component frames.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a method and an apparatus for processing a dead pixel, more specifically to a method and an apparatus thereof for detecting and compensating a dead pixel that can maintain a good image quality by reducing image distortion and deterioration. With the present invention, the distortion of an image, caused by erroneously classifying a normal pixel of an inputted image as a dead pixel, is significantly reduced, thereby improving the quality of a processed image. Moreover, based on the characteristics of the inputted image, the algorithm and accuracy of detecting a dead pixel can be adjusted.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a method and an apparatus for processing a dead pixel, more specifically to a method and an apparatus thereof for detecting and compensating a dead pixel that can maintain a good image quality by reducing image distortion and deterioration. With the present invention, the distortion of an image, caused by erroneously classifying a normal pixel of an inputted image as a dead pixel, is significantly reduced, thereby improving the quality of a processed image. Moreover, based on the characteristics of the inputted image, the algorithm and accuracy of detecting a dead pixel can be adjusted.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of providing a sharper image by preventing the deterioration of an image caused by the difference in dynamic ranges of a center part and a surrounding part of the image photographed by an image sensor or by the difference of lens resolution. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an image edge detection apparatus and a method thereof, a sharpness emphasis apparatus and a method thereof, and a recoding medium recorded with a program performing the method can acquire the sharpness and quality of a desired image by detecting an edge of a surrounding part by use of an edge detection filter having a different filter area size and/or a weight of a computed edge value in a center part and the surrounding part, respectively, of the image, and then by giving a weight to the detected edge.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of smoothing the brightness of an image photographed in an image sensor without amplifying a noise component of a surrounding part of the image are disclosed.

Abstract: Color deviation compensating apparatus and method of compensating distortion of captured image caused by lens of the image sensor. According to the one embodiment of the present invention comprises n image analyzer, configured to receive a reference image, divide the reference image into n regions, and perform sampling on data of at least one sampling pixel from each of the regions, wherein n is a natural number, and a mask generator, configured to generate a mask for compensation based on the sampling data from the image analyzer. All distortion such as white balance, irregular color deviation caused by micro lens of image sensor can be compensated.

Abstract: A method for detecting color temperature and an apparatus thereof are disclosed. According to the present invention, the apparatus for detecting color temperature converts RGB color information, generated by interpolating an image signal sequentially inputted in units of pixel from an image sensor, to a three-dimensional coordinate value of luminance, R-G color difference information, and B-G color difference information, and then renews the added value per color, if included in a filtering zone corresponding to a characteristic curve of the image sensor. Then, an average value per color is generated in units of frame, and the compensation rate per color is determined such that the average value per color becomes identical to each other. With the present invention, accurate colors can be displayed by detecting the color temperature of the current light source and correcting the distorted color information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for storing a location address of a defective pixel are disclosed. The method for storing a location address of a defective pixel includes (a) partitioning the pixel array into windows in a predetermined quantity of n, n being a natural number; (b) determining whether successively inputted pixel data is a defective pixel; (c) storing a count value of pertinent pixel data on a window corresponding to the defective pixel as the location address if the inputted pixel data is a defective pixel; and (d) repeating the steps (b) and (c) whenever pixel data corresponding to the pixel array is inputted. With the present invention, the location address can be efficiently stored.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method for providing image evaluation information is provided. The image processing apparatus includes: an encoder to encode an external image signal input from an image sensor to generate encoded image data; an evaluation factor collecting unit to collect evaluation factor information associated with evaluating of the external image signal; and an interface unit to externally transmit the collected evaluation factor information.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method for providing image evaluation information is provided. The image processing apparatus includes: an encoder to encode an external image signal input from an image sensor to generate encoded image data; an evaluation unit to evaluate the image data based on analysis information associated with the external image signal to generate evaluation information; and an interface unit to externally transmit the evaluation information associated with the image data.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of reducing a noise component existed in a surrounding part of an image photographed in an image sensor. According to an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus differentially reducing a noise of an image according to an area of the image includes a filter area selecting unit, selecting a filter area including a plurality of adjacent pixels based on an object pixel; and a noise reducing unit, computing pixel data of the object by using pixel data of the plurality of adjacent pixels in the filter area, whereas the filter area selecting unit determines the size of the filter area according to the distance between the object pixel and a center pixel of the image. The present invention can prevent a noise component of a surrounding part from being amplified by using a different low pass filter in a center part and a surrounding part of an image and can acquire the resolution and quality of the desired image.

Abstract: Methods of processing an image signal and signal processing devices can lessen a work load of a processor for processing a photographed image signal, can process photographed image signal, and can display the image signal in real time. The method includes performing first image processing on a first image frame to generate first image data, performing second image processing on the first image frame to generate second image data, outputting the first image data based on a first vertical synchronization signal, causing image processing not to be performed on a second image frame subsequent to the first image frame, and outputting the second image data. Accordingly, the JPEG image and the thumbnail image for the photographed image are generated by the image signal processor, thereby lessening a work load of the processor and improving image processing speed.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention features an apparatus for compensating color deviation of an image that has uneven color deviation.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for removing noise in an image sensor, more specifically to a method and an apparatus for removing noise caused by a dark current. Through the method for removing noise caused by a dark current that comprises initializing a frame and receiving a digital image signal and converting a value of a clamp bit among bits of the pixel data, included in the digital image signal, to a predetermined value, wherein the clamp bit is a bit stream of sequential digits having a predetermined size comprising a least significant bit among the bits of the pixel data, clearer and shaper images can be displayed through the image sensor.

Abstract: An image processing method and a device thereof are disclosed. In an image signal processor of the present invention, a process clock rate or an output clock rate for a preview mode is applied differently from a process clock rate or an output clock rate for a capture mode. When performing the capture mode, however, the process clock rate can be controlled to be the same as or larger than the output clock rate. With the present invention, the lagging can be reduced during the image processing.

Abstract: Disclosed are a lens shading compensation apparatus and a lens shading compensation method in an image sensor that compensate the difference in signal amplitude according to the position of pixels to preserve the quality of a primitive image. The lens shading compensation apparatus includes a pixel value analyzing part, an auto exposure value setting part, a central pixel detecting part, a table generating part, a pixel location calculating part, a mask image generating part and a compensation part. The above apparatus and method perform a color interpolation individually for red, green and blue, and then compensate a lens shading image for each color in accordance with its characteristics. Also the above apparatus and method can analyze and compensate a lens shading phenomenon without considering other colors or being interrupted by other colors.

Abstract: A method of transferring a deferred vertical synchronous signal and an image signal processor executing the method thereof are disclosed. Once the vertical synchronous signal for a kth frame is inputted from an encoding unit after a capture command is inputted, the method transmits a defer control command for a (k+1)th frame to an image sensor. Then, a return control command is transmitted to the image sensor if encoding of the kth frame is completed. With the present invention, complete encoding of image data becomes possible.