Abstract: There is provided an image sensor including a normal pixel group composed of a plurality of normal pixels, each of the normal pixels having a photoelectric conversion device for photoelectrically converting an incident light, and a detection pixel configured to detect a light incident from a neighboring pixel by the photoelectric conversion device within an effective pixel area of the normal pixel group.

Abstract: A method of generating a digital image is described. The method comprises detecting light from a scene to form an image; identifying an aberration in the image; and implementing a color filter array interpolator based upon the detected aberration in the image. A device for generating a digital image is also described.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus includes a determining part configured to determine, from a difference between information on color of a first pixel in a first image and information on color of a second pixel corresponding to the first pixel in a second image, whether or not the first image includes color blur due to defocus, the first and second images being generated by an image-pickup system and whose focus states are mutually different. The apparatus further includes a correcting part configured to perform on the first image a correction process that corrects the color blur determined by the determining part.

Abstract: There are provided a device and method that correct a false color occurring in a locally highlighted region in an image. A false color pixel is detected in data conversion processing of generating an RGB array image from an RGBW array image, low-band signals corresponding to respective RGBW colors that are different according to whether a pixel is a false color pixel, and the RGBW array is converted by interpolation processing to which the calculated low-band signals are applied to generate the RGB array image. The interpolation processing is performed using the low-band signals on an assumption that a W low-band signal mW, and RGB respective low-band signals mR, mG, and mB have a proportional relation in a local region. When a pixel of interest is a false color pixel, the low-band signal is calculated by an application of a low-pass filter having a coefficient in which a contribute rate of pixel values in the vicinity of the pixel of interest is made relatively lower than that of separated pixels.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises a noise suppression unit configured to perform noise suppression processing to a plurality of color signals obtained by band dividing an image signal by color, a one-plane conversion unit configured to generate a one-plane image having one signal per pixel, from the plurality of color signals to which the noise suppression processing has been done by the noise suppression unit, a processing unit configured to perform image processing in which a frequency characteristic changes, with respect to the one-plane image, a noise extraction unit configured to extract a noise component from the image signal, and an adding unit configured to add the noise component extracted by the noise extraction unit to a signal obtained by the processing unit.

Abstract: According to various embodiments, the system and method of the present invention process light-field image data so as to reduce color artifacts, reduce projection artifacts, and/or increase dynamic range. These techniques operate, for example, on image data affected by sensor saturation and/or microlens modulation. Flat-field images are captured and converted to modulation images, and then applied on a per-pixel basis, according to techniques described herein.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus (100) includes a detection unit (102) configured to detect a first region in which one of a signal level of a color plane corresponding to at least one color filter of an image acquired from an image pickup element including a plurality of color filters and a signal level of a brightness plane generated from the image monotonically increases or monotonically decreases in a first direction in a predetermined section, a determination unit (103) configured to determine a second region in which color bleeding occurs, based on optical information on the color bleeding of an image pickup optical system and information on the first region, and a correction unit (104) configured to correct the image so as to reduce the color bleeding.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a reference image signal outputting unit that outputs a reference image signal in which color information of a plurality of colors is included in a chart image in a display plane or a time axis, a color display information detection unit that detects color display information of an image displayed on a displaying unit based on the reference image signal, a profile generation unit that generates a display characteristic profile of the displaying unit using the detected color display information and the color information of the chart image, a display characteristic correcting unit that generates a color correction image signal obtained by correcting an image signal to be output which is input from a modality based on the display characteristic profile, and a standardization processing unit that converts the generated color correction image signal to a standardization image signal.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for acquiring a first image and a second image, where the first image has a higher optical density than the second image, and combining the first image with the second image to generate an output image with reduced aliasing artifacts.

Abstract: A processing device which obtains distance information of a subject, including: a calculation unit configured to calculate the distance information of the subject from a difference in blur degree of a plurality of images photographed by an imaging optical system; a correcting unit configured to correct the distance information using correction data in accordance with an image height in the imaging optical system; and an extraction unit configured to extract at least one frequency component from each of the plurality of images, wherein the calculation unit calculates the distance information from a difference in blur degree in the plurality of images in the at least one frequency component; and the correcting unit corrects the distance information using correction data in accordance with an image height in the at least one frequency component.

Abstract: An image signal correcting device (15) has at least a color mixing corrector (151) that receives an image signal arising from photoelectric conversion by a color imaging element (12), and corrects a color mixing component included in this image signal, and a storage unit (153) that stores a color mixing correction coefficient set in advance for each of a plurality of areas segmented in matching with the imaging plane of the imaging element (12). The color mixing corrector (151) approximates the color mixing correction coefficient read out from the storage unit (153) by interpolation to acquire a color mixing rate at the necessary pixel position in color mixing correction, and corrects the color mixing component by using the acquired color mixing rate.

Abstract: An image composition apparatus 1 is provided with an information acquisition section 53, an image adjustment section 54 and a synthesis section 56. The information acquisition section 53 acquires numerical values relating to brightness of image regions with a particular hue in corrected exposure image data among plural sets of image data that are sequentially captured with the exposure duration being varied. The synthesis section 56 performs pixel addition of the plural sets of image data by changing a degree of addition of the plural sets of image data, based on the numerical values thus acquired, and generates composite image data with a widened dynamic range.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a photography optical system, and a single plate-type imaging element in which a plurality of pixels including two-dimensionally arranged photoelectric conversion elements and having a different underlayer layout are repeatedly arranged in a predetermined pattern, and color filters on the plurality of pixels, determination unit determines that a ghost is generated when an output level of one of the plurality of pixels and an output level of the same color pixel in the vicinity of the one pixel, which is the other pixel having a different underlayer layout from the one pixel, are different within a range in which the output levels do not exceed a predetermined threshold, and correction unit reducing a difference of the output level between the one pixel and the same color pixel in the vicinity when the determination unit determines that the ghost is generated.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an aberration amount generation unit that calculates an aberration amount of a different color component signal with reference to a position of a color component signal of a criterion color having pixels larger in number than a different color included in image data, based on a luminance value of a pixel signal included in the image data; and a correction unit that generates a color difference signal from the different color component signal and the color component signal of the criterion color and corrects chromatic aberration of the color component signal of the different color present between pixels of the criterion color using the color difference signal based on the aberration amount.

Abstract: A technique is provided for generating sharp, well-exposed, color images from low-light images. A series of under-exposed images is acquired. A mean image is computed and a sum image is generated each based on the series of under-exposed images. Chrominance variables of pixels of the mean image are mapped to chrominance variables of pixels of the sum image. Chrominance values of pixels within the series of under-exposed images are replaced with chrominance values of the sum image. A set of sharp, well-exposed, color images is generated based on the series of under-exposed images with replaced chrominance values.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and image processing method, which enable suppression of coloring that occurs in image recovery processing for a RAW image are disclosed. Pixel interpolation processing is executed for a predetermined reference color component of the RAW image. For each color component other than the reference color component, a first color difference is obtained using a pixel value of the color component and a corresponding pixel value of the reference color component after the pixel interpolation processing. After applying the image recovery processing to each color component, a second color difference is obtained in a similar manner to the first color difference, and a pixel value is corrected according to the difference between the first and second color differences determined before and after the image recovery processing.

Abstract: An image processing device that corrects an obtained image includes: an image acquisition unit that obtains the image; a region setting unit that sets a first region including a main object and a second region not including the main object on the image; an image characteristic amount calculation unit that calculates a first image characteristic amount, which is an occurrence state of a predetermined image characteristic amount, respectively in the first region and the second region; a comparison unit that compares the first image characteristic amounts of the first region and the second region; and an image characteristic adjustment unit that adjusts a second image characteristic amount of the obtained image on the basis of a comparison result obtained by the comparison unit.

Abstract: A noise reduction apparatus for digital cameras is presented that includes groups of one or more connected non-linear filter units. Each of the filter unit groups are driven by decimated input image data at a different level of decimation and the output of at least one of these filter unit groups serves as one of a plurality of inputs to another filter unit group driven at a different decimation level. Filtered image data from one or more filter unit groups is adaptively combined in response to one or more image metrics related to one or more local regional image characteristics.

Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including an image signal correction section that performs an image correction process. The image signal correction section performs a direction determination process of detecting a direction having a minimum pixel value gradient as a pixel value gradient direction in a pixel area including a target pixel; a defect detection process of calculating a Laplacian based on a pixel value of a reference pixel in a minimum gradient direction detected in the direction determination process with respect to the target pixel, and determining presence or absence of a defect of the target pixel; and a defect correction process of performing calculation of a corrected pixel value, which is obtained by applying the pixel value of the reference pixel in the direction detected in the direction determination process, with respect to a target pixel from which a defect has been detected in the defect detection process.

Abstract: A method of eliminating a color cast of image in photographic device includes: obtaining a color cast image; determining a color temperature of the color cast image; analyzing a brightness ratio among a first primary color, a second primary color, and a third primary color of the color cast image; choosing one parameter group from a plurality of color cast calibration parameter groups according to the color temperature; calibrating the brightness ratio among the first primary color, the second primary color, and the third primary color of the color cast image via the chosen color cast calibration parameter group.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an image acquiring unit that acquires an image signal of a monochromatic image acquired by imaging a subject and an image signal of a color image acquired by imaging the subject, the color image having at least a plurality of pieces of color information; and an interpolation processing unit that generates an interpolated image by interpolating color information missing at each pixel forming the color image, based on a signal value of each pixel forming the monochromatic image.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a part estimated to have a high degree of generation of false color for predetermined parts of an input image imaged by different exposure times at a predetermined spatial period is detected. A false color intensity value indicating an estimated degree of generation of false color is calculated for each of the predetermined parts. A high dynamic range image is generated by executing processing to merge long-time exposure pixels and short-time exposure pixels making up the input image. False color correction processing is executed according to the intensity of the false color intensity value, to the high dynamic range image. The present disclosure may be applied to, for example, an image processing unit within a solid state image sensor.

Abstract: An image is obtained with reduced chromatic aberration as well as improved sharpness. An image processing apparatus includes image acquiring means configured to acquire an input image, and image restoration processing means configured to generate a restored image by calculating the input image and an image restoration filter that is based on a transfer function of an image pickup system that is used to form an object image as the input image, wherein the image restoration filter performs restoration so that when an object is a white point light source, a difference between spectra of two color components in the restored image is made smaller than a difference between spectra of the two color components in the input image.

Abstract: An image signal correcting device (15) has at least a color mixing corrector (151) that receives an image signal arising from photoelectric conversion by a color imaging element (12), and corrects a color mixing component included in this image signal, and a storage unit (153) that stores a color mixing correction coefficient set in advance for each of a plurality of areas segmented in matching with the imaging plane of the imaging element (12). The color mixing corrector (151) approximates the color mixing correction coefficient read out from the storage unit (153) by interpolation to acquire a color mixing rate at the necessary pixel position in color mixing correction, and corrects the color mixing component by using the acquired color mixing rate.

Abstract: An imaging device is provided with a lens distortion correction function that requires less circuit scale and does not degrade image resolution.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus includes an estimator configured to estimate an amount of a color blur of each of multiple color components included in a color image, and a processor configured to perform a color blur reduction process to reduce, from the color image, the color blur of each color component by using the estimated amount of the color blur thereof. The apparatus further includes a decider configured to acquire a hue formed by the color blurs of the color components and to decide, depending on the hue, an order of the color components on which the color blur reduction processes are performed.

Abstract: An image-capturing device having an image identification mechanism is provided. The image-capturing device comprises a first and a second flashlight modules, a processing module and an image-capturing module. The first and the second flashlight modules generate a first and a second color lights respectively according to a first and a second currents. The processing module controls the first and the second flashlight modules to flash light at an object sequentially within a time interval. The image-capturing module generates a first frame according to the object and the first color light and generates a second frame according to the object and the second color light. The processing module subtracts the pixels in the first and the second frames to retrieve a foreground area. A color difference between the first and the second frames for each the pixels in the foreground area is larger than a threshold value.

Abstract: Embodiments of an apparatus including a pixel array and a color filter array optically coupled to the pixel array, the color filter array including a plurality of tiled minimal repeating units. Processing circuitry is coupled to the pixel array to correct fixed pattern noise (FPN) in an image captured by the pixel array. The processing circuitry corrects the values of pixels that are part of a correction group, and wherein the corrections comprise a combination of a color ratio correction that is based on the ratios of selected colors within the minimal repeating unit, and one or more crosstalk corrections that are based on a chief ray angle (CRA) correction and the color ratio correction.

Abstract: An image processing device includes an acquisition section, first conversion section, determination section, filtering section, and second conversion section. The acquisition section acquires first image data defined by a plurality of color components. The first conversion section converts, for each pixel data, the plurality of color components into converted pixel data defined by a luminance and a color difference. The determination section determines whether or not each converted pixel data is target pixel data having a black character attribute. The filtering section performs a filtering process on a luminance of each target pixel data using a filter coefficient to obtain processed pixel data defined by the luminance and the color difference. The filter coefficient enhances a difference in the luminance between the each target pixel data and neighboring pixel data. The second conversion section converts each processed pixel data into updated pixel data defined by the plurality of color components.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of executing noise reduction processing and defect compensation processing on an image in an RGBW arrangement are provided. In pixel value compensation processing of a color pixel that makes up image data in the RGBW arrangement that has each color pixel of R, G, and B and a white (W) pixel, the W pixel is interpolated at a position of an attention pixel that is a compensation target, and at a position of a reference pixel which has the same color as an attention pixel within a reference area, smoothing weight is calculated based on each pixel value of the interpolation W pixel, and thus a compensation pixel value of the attention pixel is calculated by executing smoothing processing to which the calculated smoothing weight is applied. Moreover, by applying the W pixel in the neighborhood of the color pixel, it is determined whether or not the color pixel is in a texture area, and only if the color pixel is not in the texture, defect compensation processing is executed.

Abstract: An image sensor may include an image pixel array. The image sensor may be provided with automatic conversion gain selection on a pixel-by-pixel basis to produce a high-dynamic-range image. Each image pixel may include a capacitor and a conversion gain transistor coupled in series between a power supply line and a floating diffusion node. The conversion gain transistor may be coupled to a control line through a gating transistor. The gating transistor may have a gate connected to a row select line. The image pixel may have an output line that is coupled to a column amplifier and a comparator. The column amplifier may generate a difference voltage based on reset and image signals. The comparator may compare the difference voltage with a predetermined threshold to determine whether to place the selected pixel in a high or low conversion gain mode.

Abstract: A method for correcting a defect pixel includes extracting a pixel value of a central pixel, and pixel values of each of a plurality of neighboring pixels around the central pixel in an image sensor by using a color filter; calculating reference levels by multiplying each the pixel value of the plurality of neighboring pixels by a weight value; calculating a total number of cases where the pixel value of the central pixel is larger or smaller than the reference level as a first comparison value or second comparison value, respectively; determining the central pixel is a defect pixel where the first or second comparison value is larger than a first or second control register value, by comparing the comparison values with the control register values, respectively; and correcting the central pixel determined as the defect pixel.

Abstract: A technique is provided for generating sharp, well-exposed, color images from low-light images. A series of under-exposed images is acquired. A mean image is computed and a sum image is generated each based on the series of under-exposed images. Chrominance variables of pixels of the mean image are mapped to chrominance variables of pixels of the sum image. Chrominance values of pixels within the series of under-exposed images are replaced with chrominance values of the sum image. A set of sharp, well-exposed, color images is generated based on the series of under-exposed images with replaced chrominance values.

Abstract: A method for performing lens shading compensation is provided. The method includes: receiving at least two series of source images of different exposure settings; performing first lens shading compensation on the at least two series of source images respectively; analyzing luminance distribution of the at least two series of compensated source images; composing a series of HDR images from the at least two series of compensated source images according to the luminance distribution; performing second lens shading compensation on the series of HDR image; and performing tone mapping on the series of compensated HDR images. A system for performing lens shading compensation is also provided.

Abstract: An image signal correcting device (15) has at least a color mixing corrector (151) that receives an image signal arising from photoelectric conversion by a color imaging element (12), and corrects a color mixing component included in this image signal, and a storage unit (153) that stores a color mixing correction coefficient set in advance for each of a plurality of areas segmented in matching with the imaging plane of the imaging element (12). The color mixing corrector (151) approximates the color mixing correction coefficient read out from the storage unit (153) by interpolation to acquire a color mixing rate at the necessary pixel position in color mixing correction, and corrects the color mixing component by using the acquired color mixing rate.

Abstract: Methods and circuits can be provided to correct crosstalk artifacts by generating image data correction matrices for respective pixel locations in an image sensor, based on pre-calibration matrices associated with the respective pixel locations. The image data correction matrices can be applied to the respective pixel locations to reduce imaging crosstalk artifacts associated with at least one of disparity, luminance, and chrominance.

Abstract: It is determined whether or not an input image is an image converted from an image with a relatively low resolution based on one frame of an image. A resolution determination device includes: an edge strength calculator configured to obtain an edge strength of a pixel included in an input image based on luminance of the pixel and luminance of a pixel adjacent to the pixel, for each of a plurality of pixels included in the input image; and a resolution determiner configured to determine whether or not the input image is an image upconverted from an image with a predetermined resolution or less, based on distribution of the edge strengths.

Abstract: An imaging device and an image crosstalk analysis device are described that may be used to reduce optical crosstalk and radial fall-off in image data. The imaging device may include an image processing unit that applies corrections to the raw image data using newly developed correction algorithms and correction parameters that are generated for the imaging device by the image crosstalk analysis device based on an analysis of uncorrected image data generated by the imaging device. The correction parameters generated for a single imaging device may be loaded to imaging devices of the same make and model as part of the imaging device manufacturing process. Due to the flexible nature of the described processing techniques in which the control parameters are used, improved image quality may be achieved in every image generated by the respective manufactured cameras.

Abstract: An apparatus reduces color fringing in a color image, so that a post-processed color image is positioned in a restricted area in a chromaticity diagram. Where a first line passes a first point corresponding to a target pixel of the pre-processed color image and an origin, the restricted area is located on a side of the origin with respect to a line that is perpendicular to the first line and passes the first point, and held between two parallel lines separated from the first line by an equal distance that is equal to or smaller than half a distance between the origin and the first point. The restricted area is held by two lines each of which passes the origin and represents a boundary between one of the two color components and an area representing a color component made by mixing the one color component and another color component.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for performing rolling shutter distortion corrections are described. A video clip captured by a user is received and each of a plurality of predefined affine transforms for rolling shutter distortion correction is applied to the received video clip. Further, a visual indication of results from each of the plurality of the predefined affine transforms is presented to the user and input is received from the user selecting one of the visual indications. Furthermore, the predefined affine transform corresponding to the selected visual indication is associated with a device that acquired the received video clip. Additionally, the association can be stored, and the stored association can be used later to automatically perform a rolling shutter distortion correction on another video clip upon detecting that the other video clip comes from same device that already went through a calibration sequence.

Abstract: A memory unit stores as conversion information which is derived based on a correction coefficient which provides, in a predetermined allowable range from a minimum value, a sum of a norm of a difference between a color difference of a correction target color and a target color which is a target of correction of the correction target color and a correction color obtained by correcting the correction target color using the correction coefficient, and a norm of the correction coefficient to which a predetermined weight coefficient is applied. A color correcting unit converts a color of each pixel of an image captured by an image capturing unit based on the conversion information.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting chroma dropout errors in one or more fields associated with various video frames are provided. Pixels associated with a current field are divided into a set of pixel pairs. Co-occurrences matrices are calculated for previous and subsequent fields. A first pixel pair associated with the current field is selected. First and second set of entries are selected from the co-occurrence matrices corresponding to the previous and subsequent fields. The first pixel pair is searched in the first and second set of entries. An absence of the first pixel pair in the first and second set of entries satisfies a first criterion of chroma dropout error. Other criteria in addition to the first criterion are evaluated to label the first pixel pair as erroneous.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes, a color correction unit performing color correction on RGB signals to generate color-corrected RGB signals; a YC conversion unit converting the color-corrected RGB signals into a first luminance signal and a color-difference signal; a Y conversion unit generating a second luminance signal based on the RGB signals; an edge combination unit combining the first luminance signal with the second luminance signal; an edge adjustment unit obtaining an edge-adjusted signal based on a result of the combining by the edge combination unit; and an adder adding the first luminance signal to the edge-adjusted signal.

Abstract: A digital image acquisition system having no photographic film, such as a digital camera, has a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture and a red-eye filter for detecting a region within a captured image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, the detection being based upon a comparison of the captured image and a reference image of nominally the same scene taken without flash. In the embodiment the reference image is a preview image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by up-sampling the preview image and/or sub-sampling the captured image. The filter also aligns at least portions of the captured image and reference image prior to comparison to allow for, e.g. movement in the subject.

Abstract: A system for decoding a video sequence includes a first sequence of images corresponding to a first image acquisition device of a stereoscopic pair of image acquisition devices and a second sequence of images corresponding to another image acquisition device of the stereoscopic pair of image acquisition devices, wherein at least one of the images of at least one of the sequence of images and the second sequence of images has an exposure different than the exposure of other images. A high dynamic range image sequence is created, having a dynamic range greater than the dynamic range of the first sequence and the second sequence, based upon at least one of the first sequence of images and the second sequence of images together with at least one of the images of at least one of the first sequence of images and the second sequence of images having exposure different than the exposure of other images.

Abstract: An integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate and a color image sensor array on the substrate. The color image sensor array has a first configuration of color pixels for collecting color image data, and at least one crosstalk test pattern on the substrate proximate the color image sensor array. The crosstalk test pattern includes a plurality of color sensing pixels arranged for making color crosstalk measurements. The test pattern configuration is different from the first configuration.

Abstract: An input image is divided into images composed of luminance signals of a plurality of bands that make up the Laplacian pyramid, noise suppression is applied to each divided image, and then the divided images are composited by addition. The input image is also divided into images composed of color signals of a plurality of bands that make up the Gaussian pyramid, noise suppression is applied to each divided image, and the divided images are composited at an image-based ratio. By thus compositing the luminance signals and color signals, excellent noise suppression can be realized while alleviating deterioration in the image quality during the compositing.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to method and apparatus for image recovery and image correction. In an embodiment, the present disclosure relates to recovering images that are occluded due to some material in the optical path while capturing the images. The detection of noisy region is performed by taking the residual image between the images yielded by large sized and small sized Gaussian window smoothening filters on red, green and blue channels. The recovery of the image that alleviates the noise is obtained by point-wise multiplication of the above said residue image with a suitably synthesized Gaussian distributed co-efficient of same size.

Abstract: An image processing device of the present application detects a color drift of an input image, and includes a saturation reducing section and a color drift detecting section. The saturation reducing section reduces a saturation of the input image and generates a saturation reduction image. The color drift detecting section detects a color drift of the saturation reduction image.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for image processing. The method includes: setting a block including at least one pixel and a window including the at least one block, with a center pixel as a reference; converting an input image in a YCbCr format to a monochrome image; determining a magnitude of an edge component and an edge direction in the window; determining a weight of the block in consideration of the magnitude of the edge component and the edge direction; and determining a color signal value of the center pixel by reflecting the weight of the block in the monochrome-converted window.