Image-capturing apparatus

• US 20040233300A1
• Filed: 04/22/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Satoh, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/46 by combining or binning pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/155 Control of the image-sensor operation, e.g. image processing within the image-sensor

Abstract

Outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at an image-capturing unit having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally are added to the output of the given pixel. During this process, the addition pattern with which the pixel outputs are added together is determined in correspondence to a specific type of image processing to be executed at a subsequent stage, and an image is generated by adding together the pixel outputs constituting image signals output from the image-capturing unit based upon the addition pattern. The image resulting from the addition then undergoes the image processing and the processed image is output.

Claims

1. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an image-capturing unit having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally;

an adding unit that generates an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at the image-capturing unit to an output of the given pixel;

an image processing unit that processes the image resulting from addition executed by the adding unit; and

an addition pattern generating unit that generates an addition pattern with which pixel outputs are added together by the adding unit in correspondence to a type of image processing to be executed by the image processing unit.

2. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

when the image processing unit is to execute image processing for detecting an edge in the image, the addition pattern generating unit generates the addition pattern in correspondence to a type of edge to be detected by the image processing unit.

3. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

when the image processing unit is to execute image processing for detecting a predetermined target object, the addition pattern generating unit generates the addition pattern in correspondence to the target object to be detected by the image processing unit.

4. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

when the image processing unit changes the type of image processing for each captured image frame, the addition pattern generating unit generates the addition pattern in correspondence to the type of image processing for the each captured image frame.

5. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

when the image processing unit changes the type of edge to be detected for each captured image frame, the addition pattern generating unit generates the addition pattern in correspondence to the type of edge to be detected which is altered for the each captured image frame.

6. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a number of pixels the outputs of which are added together with the addition pattern generated by the addition pattern generating unit in correspondence to the type of image processing is adjusted in conformance to one of a frame rate and a length of exposure time set for the image-capturing unit.

7. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

a number of pixels the outputs of which are added together with the addition pattern generated by the addition pattern generating unit in correspondence to the type of edge to be detected is adjusted in conformance to one of a frame rate and a length of exposure time set for the image-capturing unit.

8. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

a number of pixels the outputs of which are added together with the addition pattern generated by the addition pattern generating unit in correspondence to the target object to be detected is adjusted in conformance to one of a frame rate and a length of exposure time set for the image-capturing unit.

11. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an A/D converter that converts an analog image signal to a digital image signal, wherein;

a number of bits output from the A/D converter is set to a value obtained by adding log₂ (number of pixels used for addition) to a number of bits output from the adding unit.

9. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an image-capturing unit having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally;

an adding unit that generates an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at the image-capturing unit to an output of the given pixel;

an image processing unit that processes the image resulting from addition executed by the adding unit; and

an addition pattern generating unit that generates an addition pattern with which pixel outputs are added together by the adding unit in correspondence to vehicular behavior detected by a vehicular behavior detection unit.

12. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

an A/D converter that converts an analog image signal to a digital image signal, wherein;

a number of bits output from the A/D converter is set to a value obtained by adding log₂ (number of pixels used for addition) to a number of bits output from the adding unit.

10. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an adding unit that generates an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at an image-capturing unit having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally to an output of the given pixel;

an image processing unit that processes the image resulting from addition executed by the adding unit; and

an addition pattern generating unit that generates an addition pattern with which pixel outputs are added together by the adding unit in correspondence to results of a vibration detection executed by a vibration detection unit that detects a vibration of the image-capturing apparatus.

13. An image-capturing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

an A/D converter that converts an analog image signal to a digital image signal, wherein;

a number of bits output from the A/D converter is set to a value obtained by adding log₂ (number of pixels used for addition) to a number of bits output from the adding unit.

14. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an image-capturing means having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally;

an adding means for generating an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at the image-capturing means to an output of the given pixel;

an image processing means for processing the image resulting from addition executed by the adding means; and

an addition pattern generating means for generating an addition pattern with which pixel outputs are added together by the adding means in correspondence to a type of image processing to be executed by the image processing means.

15. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an image-capturing means having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally;

an adding means for generating an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at the image-capturing means to an output of the given pixel;

an image processing means for processing the image resulting from addition executed by the adding means; and

an addition pattern generating means for generating an addition pattern with which pixel outputs are added together by the adding means in correspondence to vehicular behavior detected by a vehicular behavior detection means.

16. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an adding means for generating an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at an image-capturing means having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally to an output of the given pixel;

an image processing means for processing the image resulting from addition executed by the adding means; and

an addition pattern generating means for generating an addition pattern with which pixel outputs are added together by the adding means in correspondence to results of a vibration detection executed by a vibration detection means for detecting a vibration of the image-capturing apparatus.

17. An image-capturing method comprising:

generating an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at an image-capturing unit having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally to an output of the given pixel;

processing the image resulting from addition of pixel outputs; and

generating an addition pattern with which the pixel outputs are added together in correspondence to a type of image processing to be executed.

18. An image-capturing method comprising:

generating an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at an image-capturing unit having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally to an output of the given pixel;

processing the image resulting from addition of pixel outputs; and

generating an addition pattern with which the pixel outputs are added together in correspondence to vehicular behavior detected by a vehicular behavior detection unit.

19. An image-capturing method comprising:

generating an image by adding outputs of pixels present around a given pixel at an image-capturing unit having a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally to an output of the given pixel;

processing the image resulting from addition of pixel outputs; and

generating an addition pattern with which the pixel outputs are added together in correspondence to a vibration that causes the image to be blurred.