Abstract: Color filter array interpolation with directional derivatives using all eight nearest neighbor pixels. The interpolation method applies to Bayer pattern color CCDs and MOS detectors and is useful in digital still cameras and video cameras.

Abstract: A method is provided having the first step of generating a first signal representing a first amount of light detected by a first pixel sensor, where the first amount of light is composed of light in a first spectrum and in a second spectrum. The method continues with generating a second signal representing a second amount of light detected by a second pixel sensor, where the second amount of light is composed of light in the second spectrum. Then, subtracting the second signal from the first signal. An architecture is also provided having a photodiode with a first output signal. A mirror circuit is coupled to the photodiode to duplicate the first output signal into a set of duplicated photodiode output signals. A filter array is coupled to the photodiode having a first infrared pass spectrum.

Abstract: A solid state image pickup device has: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements for generating and accumulating electric charges corresponding to an amount of incidence light; color filters of a plurality of colors disposed on the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; a control signal generating unit for independently setting for each color a charge storage time of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements formed with color filters and generating for each color a read control signal of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; a reading member for reading electric charges from the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements for each color in response to each read control signal; a transfer member for transferring electric charges read by the reading member; and an output member for outputting electric charges transferred by the transfer member to an output circuit.

Abstract: An interpolation device performs interpolation of an image in which grid points that output a predetermined color and empty grid points that do not output the predetermined color are arrayed in a checkered configuration. A recording medium stores an image interpolation processing program. A first similarity calculator calculates a first vertical direction similarity and a first horizontal direction similarity. A second similarity calculator calculates a second vertical direction similarity and a second horizontal direction similarity. A similarity calculator determines the similarity in the vertical direction of an empty grid point based on the first vertical similarity and the second horizontal similarity and determines the similarity in the horizontal direction of the empty grid point based on the first horizontal similarity and the second horizontal similarity.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging device having a square row-column pixel matrix, and having units for transferring pixel signals in the row direction and the column direction of the matrix. The rows and columns of the pixel matrix are oriented at angles of forty-five degrees with respect to the vertical axis of the imaging apparatus. After being read from the imaging apparatus in row-column order, the pixel signals are reordered to conform to a scanning sequence with horizontal or vertical scanning lines. Alternatively, the pixel signals are read from the imaging device in this scanning sequence. Improved horizontal and vertical resolution is thereby obtained from an imaging apparatus with a conventional square pixel matrix.

Abstract: A color interpolation technique may use a Bayer matrix or pattern. In one embodiment, a color intensity gradient may be calculated between data from a center pixel in the Bayer pattern and the sensor spaced from the center pixel. A minimum and maximum gradient for a plurality of pixels may then be determined. Minimum and maximum intensity values for a group of pixel data values may be determined and these may be averaged to determine a value which may be utilized for interpolation purposes. The technique can use only a simple shift and does not require large dividers.

Abstract: This invention is to provide an image sensing apparatus capable of improving white balance adjustment when an electronic flash device is used. In order to achieve this object, the image sensing apparatus has a control device for acquiring a first control value, acquiring a second control value by applying the first control value to a predetermined function, and adjusting the white balance of an image signal to be output from an image sensing device on the basis of the first and second control values.

Abstract: There is provided an image pickup apparatus including a plurality of pixels which are arranged in a horizontal and a vertical direction and which generate charges corresponding to optical signals, in which a color filter arrangement of a first order are arranged in horizontal pixel rows of odd numbers and a color filter arrangement of a second order are arranged in horizontal pixel rows of even numbers; and a drive circuit having a first mode for reading out pixel data of 2k+1 fields (k is a natural number) by an interlace operation from the plurality of pixels, a second mode for reading out pixel data of one field among the 2k+1 fields from said plurality of pixels, and a third mode for reading out images of a plurality of fields, the number of which is smaller than the of the 2k+1 fields, among the 2k+1 fields from said plurality of pixels.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an image sensor includes an area pixel array, column readout lines, and array readout lines, wherein the area pixel array includes columns of pixels, each including pixels of a first type, each column readout line is selectively coupled to outputs of the pixels of the first type that are included in a respective column of pixels, and each array readout line is selectively coupled to at least one of the first column readout lines. In another embodiment, an image sensor includes a pixel array, column readout lines, and array readout lines, wherein the pixel array includes a row of pixels which includes pixels of a first type, each column readout line is selectively coupled to an output of a respective pixel of the first type that is included in the row of pixels, and each array readout line is selectively coupled to at least one of the column readout lines.

Abstract: A CMOS active pixel color linear image sensor is operable in line-packed readout mode, and at very high speed. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the sensor is formed entirely on a single-chip and may be further configurable for operation in parallel-packed and/or pixel-packed modes. Line-packed pixel readout is accomplished by spreading same color pixel signal sampled values in storage elements across each of plural readout register arrays in a “cyclic” manner. Facility is introduced for starting the reading of a next pixel (e.g., R pixel 2) even before the previous pixel (R pixel 1) has been read out to increase the effective pixel readout rate.

Abstract: An image-capturing device captures a subject image through an exchangeable lens. A white balance sensor that is set at a position conjugate with the position of the image-capturing device relative to the exchangeable lens to receive the light from the subject image and outputs color signals. A white balance adjustment signal calculation circuit calculates white balance adjustment basic signals based upon the color signals output from the white balance sensor and weighting points in conformance to the photographic range, the number of sets of red color data and the subject brightness value. Adjustment signals to be used for white balance adjustment are determined based upon the weighting points and the adjustment basic signals.

Abstract: A method and device for processing analog color signals, comprising:

Abstract: A signal processing method for estimating luminance is provided, for use with matrix patterned image sensors where elected sensor pixels (G), preferably green pixels, from which luminance-representative signals are taken, only occupy alternate horizontal and vertical positions in the matrix pattern. The method is designed for detecting luminance contour edges and/or stripes in an image so as to enable images obtained form the sensor to be enhanced. Each pixel site (Hc) which is at the centre of both a row and a column of five pixels, and which is not the site of an elected (green) pixel, is identified and, for each such identified site (Hc), the signals output from the immediately adjacent four pixels (Gn,Ge,Gs,Gw) in said row and column are processed to establish both signal amplitude and pixel position.

Abstract: A semiconductor based image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels formed upon a major surface of a semiconductor substrate, a majority of the pixels having a photodetector with a plurality of color filters of at least two different colors arranged over a second majority of the pixels a sense node formed within each of the pixels and operatively connected to CMOS control circuitry a plurality of busses arranged such that there is at least one unique bus operatively connected to the pixels for each color and interface means for providing an electrical connection to a timing circuit, the interface means having individual connections to each of the busses and capable of providing the predetermined voltage on the busses at a desired time.

Abstract: A system and method for demosaicing raw data (“mosaiced”) images utilizes an asymmetric interpolation scheme to equalize color discontinuities in the resulting demosaiced images using discontinuities of a selected color component of the mosaiced images. Discontinuities of the selected color component are assumed to be equal to discontinuities of the other remaining color components. Thus, color discontinuity equalization is achieved by equating the discontinuities of the remaining color components with the discontinuities of the selected color component. The asymmetric interpolation scheme allows the system and method to reduce color aliasing and non-colored “zippering” artifacts along feature edges of the resulting demosaiced images, as well as colored artifacts.

Abstract: The image capturing method and apparatus capture an image of a subject with an image capturing device using image capturing optics and subject an image capturing signal from the image napturing device to specified processing schemes including a color separating process, thereby producing an image signal. The method and apparatus determine whether sensitivity of the image capturing device is insufficient or not during image capturing; when the sensitivity of the image capturing device is insufficient, relatively increase at least one of an overlapping region of spectral sensitivity of the image capturing device and intensity of the color separation process; and when the sensitivity of the image capturing device is sufficient, relatively decrease at least one of the overlapping region of the spectral sensitivity of the image capturing device and the intensity of the color separating process.

Abstract: There are provided a method for driving a solid-state image pickup apparatus, a solid-state image pickup device and a camera which enables fast operation and makes applicable of the conventional algorithm in signal processings by reducing the number of samples in the horizontal and vertical directions. Three or more odd number pixels in the solid-state image pickup device (1) are made one block, signal charges of predetermined pixels being thinned out to be transferred to transfer registers (4, 7), resulting signal charges being added within the transfer registers (4, 7) so that the center of gravity of pixels (pixel center) may coincide with a pixel at the center of one block and resulting mixed charge being transferred.

Abstract: A method for correcting for defects in a digital image taken by an image sensor when there is a pre-existing defect in at least one pixel of the image sensor which causes a line of pixels in the digital image to have corrupted data, includes the steps of capturing the digital image in the image sensor and reading out such digital image to provide the digital image with the line of pixels in the digital image having corrupted data; computing classifiers based on adjacent non-corrupted pixel data which indicate that there is a horizontal edge or a diagonal edge feature which passes through the defective column; and adaptively replacing the data in the corrupted image pixels by selecting an algorithm which correponds to the edge feature identified by the classifier and using the valid data in the neighboring non-corrupted pixels of the selected edge feature.

Abstract: A method and system for providing data transfers which support image rotation is disclosed. In one aspect, the method and system include determining the orientation of the image capture device and transferring the data from a memory in an order. The order depends on the orientation of the image capture device. In a second aspect, the method and system include determining the orientation of the image capture device and defining an image area of the image sensor based on the orientation of the image capture device. In a third aspect, the method and system include transferring data in a plurality of computational units and processing each computational unit of the plurality of computational units of data. At least a portion of a computational unit is processed while at least a portion of a subsequent computational unit is transferred.

Abstract: This camera is formed by a sensor (3) composed of elements sensitive to various color components in the view exhibiting an entire spectrum of spatial frequencies, and at least a first image filtering device (10) for the low frequencies in the spectrum with a view to processing the signals issuing from said sensitive elements.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to appropriately interpolate an image signal having a frequency close to the Nyquist frequency of an image sensing device.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device includes photoelectric converters in row-column matrix configuration, VCCDs, one for each column, a color filter disposed above each converter to form a color filter array including layouts each including n rows, and a drive circuit for conducting readout treating (m*n) rows as one set, and selecting from the sets a plurality of units symmetrically distributed. Electric charge is read from the plural units. A first readout operation reads electric charge from a first group of rows having asymmetric distribution. A j-row transfer operation transfers the electric charge for j rows. A second readout operation reads electric charge from a second group of rows having asymmetric distribution at positions to which the electric charges are transferred by the j-row transfer operation. The electric charges are added in the VCCDs.

Abstract: A method for eliminating unwanted portions of an image comprising the steps of generating a panoramic image including a plurality of image pixels, identifying a first set of the image pixels that correspond to the unwanted portions of the image, determining particular characteristics of the image pixels positioned adjacent to the image pixels in the first set of image pixels, and replacing the first set of image pixels with replacement pixel data generated by using the particular characteristics of the image pixels adjacent to the first set of image pixels. The replacement pixel data can be generated by interpolating or extrapolating pixel data from the image pixels positioned adjacent to the image pixels in the first set of image pixels. A panoramic photographic system that operates in accordance with the above method is also included.

Abstract: A digital still camera easily adds information relating to a pick-up time to a picked-up image. The digital still camera is connected to Internet through communication function of a cellular phone based on a download time interval of each URL and obtains an HTML file from a URL specified by information downloaded from the Internet. When an image is picked-up and stored in a flash memory as a JPEG file, the obtained HTML file is written into a comment region of the JPEG file.

Abstract: A photographing lens focuses and forms incident light from a photographed body as an image on an image pickup face. An image pickup element photoelectrically converts the incident light focused and formed as an image by the photographing lens and converts the incident light to an image signal. A first control section obtains a first image signal by reading the image signal from each of pixels of a first area in all image pickup areas of the image pickup element. A second control section obtains a second image signal by reading the image signal from each of pixels of a second area smaller than the first area in all the image pickup areas of the image pickup element. A display section displays the first image signal obtained by the first control section. A third control section controls a level of the first image signal obtained by the first control section and a level of the second image signal obtained by the second control section such that these levels are substantially equal to each other.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus including a pixel area including a plurality of pixels, and a substrate on which the pixel area is integrated, wherein the centers of the pixel area and substrate substantially coincide with each other. This apparatus can attains reduction of the size thereof.

Abstract: In short, the image processing device for obtaining a single image by using a plurality of image-pickup elements comprises a plurality of image-pickup signal processing circuits that are provided for each of the image-pickup elements, an image arrangement conversion circuit which converts the read-out order of the images corresponding to the respective image-pickup elements that are output from the image-pickup signal processing circuits, an image splitting processing circuit for performing image splitting on the image that is output from the image arrangement conversion circuit, an image processing circuit for performing image processing in parallel on each of the split images, and an image compression circuit for compressing in parallel each of the split images that are output from the image processing circuit.

Abstract: A digital camera with interchangeable displays having a built-in display device and an image output terminal for transmitting image signals to an external monitor device, characterised in that it has a plurality of means for processing the image, outputting a suitable image to the built-in display device or to the external monitor device by switching between the means for processing the image on the basis of prescribed signals.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a hue adjusting device and a hue adjusting method that adjust finely the hue of a color image signal. The CPU calculates an off set matrix B that is in a pair with an off set matrix A to a central matrix X when the matrix X and the off set matrix A are inputted from an operating part. Then the CPU carries out the following operation when a parameter a is inputted from the operating part. X′=(a·A+(1−a)B)/2 It is possible to execute matrix conversion to adjust the hue by setting a matrix coefficient of each component of the matrix X′ the multiplication circuits.

Abstract: A color shooting solid state image pickup apparatus is composed by using a solid state image pickup device having a number of color pixels disposed in a plurality of rows and columns in a pixel shift layout with distributing at least one color-type color pixels in a square lattice pattern aligned in row and column directions and by using a video signal proceeding unit being able to perform interpolation processes using color information obtained from pixel signals output from the solid state image pickup device excepting one piece of color information obtained from pixel signals of the color pixels distributed in a square lattice pattern. A moving image having a smooth motion can be reproduced on a monitor even if the process performance of the video signal proceeding unit is not improved so much.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for acquiring a monochromatic image of high resolution within a short time by using the pixel shift method for a color imaging device. The apparatus comprises an imaging optical system, a color imaging device including a plurality of sets of four filters two of which are used for a single color selected from the three primary colors for generating pixel data for each color, a shift drive unit for shifting the imaging optical system and the color imaging device relatively to each other by a length corresponding to a predetermined number of pixels in the imaging surface, and an image synthesizing unit, the color imaging device being arranged on the imaging surface of the imaging optical system. The image synthesizing unit generates one monochromatic image only from the pixel data of the same color in different relative positions before and after the shift.

Abstract: A CMOS active pixel color linear image sensor is operable in line-packed readout mode, and at very high speed. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the sensor is formed entirely on a single-chip and may be further configurable for operation in parallel-packed and/or pixel-packed modes. Line-packed pixel readout is accomplished by spreading same color pixel signal sampled values in storage elements across each of plural readout register arrays in a “cyclic” manner. Facility is introduced for starting the reading of a next pixel (e.g., R pixel 2) even before the previous pixel (R pixel 1) has been read out to increase the effective pixel readout rate.

Abstract: In a single plate type solid-state image pickup device having a color filter with primary color filters, gray filters are disposed at specific pixels of the arrangement of the primary color filters, whereby variation of the sense of resolution with respect to color can be prevented, and outline emphasis is applied to achieve an excellent image.

Abstract: A color camera comprises a light sensitive area (13) comprising light sensitive elements, and a color filter layer (12) associated with the sensitive elements comprising Red, Green and Blue (R-G-B) filter layer elements.

Abstract: A color filter array and its signal process circuit in which vertical interpolation process is not needed, which can be applied to the field of image signal input and signal process such as video camera, digital camera and color scanner, and color copier which process image signal. The color filter array is constituted such that the number of green color filter becomes double of those of red and blue color filter respectively in order to make human color recognition easy, and that the red and blue color filters are placed every four pixels and green color filter is placed every other pixel, such as a filter pattern consisting of R-G-B-G, G-R-G-R and B-G-R-G filter groups.

Abstract: A dielectric interference filter system with at least filter elements of different spectral characteristics on the same carrier substrate is provided. The filter elements have the same height and/or adjoin each other without gaps. The system is used for, inter alia, interference color filter systems in the form of an LCD-display or CCD-arrangement. A process for manufacturing the system includes preparing at least one filter element by coating and subsequent etching, and preparing at least one subsequent filter element by coating and subsequent structuring utilizing lift-off in which the etching mask is used as the lift-off mask.

Abstract: A method for producing electronic video signals representative of color images of a scene, includes the following steps: providing a sensor having a color filter thereover; providing a motion picture film camera type of lens system that focuses light from the image onto said color filter and sensor; and producing electronic video signals from the output of the sensor; said color filter having a pattern RYRY . . . on alternating lines, and a pattern YRYR . . . on every other line.

Abstract: A digital camera is provided with a whole-frame recording mode in which image data covering an angle of view corresponding to an entire image sensor is recorded, a partial recording mode in which image data covering an angle of view corresponding to part of the image sensor is recorded, a unity-magnification display mode in which an image covering the same angle of view as image data for recording is displayed, and an enlarged display mode in which an image covering a smaller angle of view than image data for recording is displayed with enlargement. In the partial recording mode or enlarged display mode, electric charges are read out from rows of pixels located within a predetermined area on the image sensor, or from one out of a predetermined number of consecutive rows of pixels over the entire image sensor.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device comprising: a plurality of photosensitive pixels for scanning an optical image signal falling thereon and converting the same photoelectrically which are arranged in parallel to one another in a main scan direction, wherein the photosensitive pixels are respectively formed in a triangle or in a trapezoid, the two mutually adjoining ones of the photosensitive pixels are positioned in point symmetry in which the two mutually adjoining photosensitive pixels are rotated in 180° about a point from each other, and the oblique sides of the two mutually adjoining photosensitive pixels are opposed to and in contact with each other.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus wherein plural elements simultaneously pick up the image and the state of the incident light includes a plurality of image pickup elements for generating an object image signal on the basis of a signal output from at least one of the plurality of image pickup elements, and for generating an incident light state signal on the basis of a signal from another image pickup element having substantially the same photographing region as a photographing region of said at least one image pickup element which generates the object image signal. A read-out period for one frame of said at least one image pickup element which generates the object image signal being different from the read-out period for one frame of said another image pickup signal which generates the incident light state signal.

Abstract: Missing color values for pixels in a color filter array created by a digital camera and having a Bayer pattern are generated by determining values for all missing green color values for pixels in the color filter array by interpolation of known green color values adjacent along diagonal lines and determining values for all missing red and blue color values for the pixels from the sum of an interpolation term and a luminance correction term based on differences between green color values of adjacent pixels. The missing green color values are determined by computing temporary values for green which lie at the corners of pixels having known green color values using cubic B-spline filters oriented along diagonally adjacent green color pixels, determining final values for green at the centers of pixels having known red and blue values by using cubic B-spline filters oriented along diagonally adjacent red and blue color pixels, and by sampling the temporary green values.

Abstract: The present invention has been made in consideration of accommodating a higher sensor clock signal to increase the pixel readout rate from a regular image sensor and has particular applications to generating high-resolution and high-speed images from scanning objects. The sensing module in the present invention uses a number of readout passages in parallel to produce several segmented outputs from the image sensor and subsequently combine the outputs to produce an interleaved scanning signal under a sequence of control signals derived from a sensor clock signal.

Abstract: A color CCD solid-state image pickup device having a color filter array such that it is not possible to mix pixels adjacent in the column direction. Even rows and odd rows of pixels arrayed in a matrix respectively have the same filter arrays and it is thereby made possible for signal charges of light-receiving parts in pixels of a Kth row (K being a positive integer) and signal charges of light-receiving parts in pixels of either of the K±2th rows to be mixed and vertically transferred in the vertical shift registers.

Abstract: Active pixel sensor with separated pixel areas, each sensing a different primary color, red, green or blue. Each of the colors is sensed using a different size color filter element to allow receiving an amount of light dependent on the responses of the image sensor to the specific color.

Abstract: The present invention has been made in consideration of accommodating a higher sensor clock signal to increase the pixel readout rate from a regular image sensor and has particular applications to generating high-resolution and high-speed images from scanning objects. The sensing module in the present invention uses a number of readout passages in parallel to produce several segmented outputs from the image sensor and subsequently combine the outputs to produce an interleaved scanning signal under a sequence of control signals derived from a sensor clock signal.

Abstract: There is provided a signal processing apparatus for processing input three primary color signals, which is capable of providing natural color reproduction. Input color signals R to B are subjected to a matrix operation to obtain color difference signals (R-Y)0 and (B-Y)0. The color signals R to B are compressed by means of high luminance compression circuits 12R to 12B, respectively, and these output color signals R1, G1 and B1 are subjected to obtain a luminance signal Y1, color difference signals (R-Y)1 and (B-Y)1. The respective outputs obtained from the matrix operation are operated by means of look-up tables 43 to 45 and 52 to obtain color difference signals (R-Y)3 and (B-Y)3 for representing a color which has the same hue as a hue .theta. 0 of color represented by color signals R to B and a saturation same with the saturation r1 of color represented by color signals R1, G1 and B1.

Abstract: A luminance signal producing circuit comprises a signal input portion to which an image pickup signal is supplied from a solid-state image sensor provided with a color filter array comprising a plurality of color filter units arrayed in the manner of a checkered green-line sequential red and blue arrangement, a wide band luminance signal generator, a low frequency compensation luminance signal generator and a signal synthesizer for synthesizing a wide band luminance signal and a low frequency compensation luminance signal obtained based on the image pickup signal respectively from the wide band luminance signal generator and the low frequency compensation luminance signal generator with each other to produce a luminance signal.

Abstract: In a color image sensor having alternating rows of photosensitive pixels of first and second patterns of spectral sensitivity to one or more of first, second, and third colors, the method of reading out the sensor comprising the steps of:reading out a group of three sequential rows of pixels, by combining the two rows having pixels of the same pattern of spectral sensitivity into a single read-out row of pixels and dumping the row of pixels having the different pattern of spectral sensitivity; andrepeating the readout step until the sensor is completely read out so that sequential readout rows of pixels read out from the sensor have alternating rows of pixels of first and second patterns of spectral sensitivity to one or more of the first, second and third colors, the sensor thereby being read out at a faster frame rate while preserving the color pixel pattern of the sensor.

Abstract: A method for correcting a color video signal for white balance comprising the steps of:providing a digital color image signal having a sequence of monocolor pixels, wherein each of the pixels represents one color of first, second, and third different colors, which are repeated in a preset pattern;coarse white balance processing each monocolor pixel for a coarse white balance;spatial processing the sequence of monocolor pixels to produce a sequence of tricolor pixels, wherein each of the tricolor pixels represents the first, second, and third different colors; andcolor correction and fine white balance processing each of the tricolor pixels by means of a matrix multiplier for color correction and fine white balance.

Abstract: A color imaging device of a plurality of light selective elements. The light selective elements include a first light selective element selective to light having a wavelength corresponding to the Magenta region of the spectrum, a second light selective element selective to light having a wavelength corresponding to the White region of the spectrum, and a third light selective element selective to light having a wavelength corresponding to the Yellow region of the spectrum.