Digital imaging system and file format providing raw and processed image data

• US 20060152609A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Prentice, Wayne E., Parulski, Kenneth A., Yamagata, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,453,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/272
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/32 Image data format
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4015 Image demosaicing, e.g. colour filter arrays [CFA] or Bayer patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/36 Scalability techniques involving formatting the layers as a function of picture distortion after decoding, e.g. signal-to-noise [SNR] scalability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3252 Image capture parameters, e.g. resolution, illumination conditions, orientation of the image capture device H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

An electronic image capture device for capturing a color image, comprising an image sensor comprised of discrete light sensitive picture elements overlaid with a color filter array (CFA) pattern to produce sensor color image data corresponding to the CFA pattern; an A/D converter for producing uninterpolated digital CFA image data from the sensor color image data; a processor for processing the uninterpolated digital CFA image data to produce interpolated image data and for forming a TIFF image file containing both the uninterpolated CFA image data and the interpolated image data; and a memory for storing the TIFF image file.

Claims

1. An electronic image capture device for capturing a color image, comprising:

an image sensor comprised of discrete light sensitive picture elements overlaid with a color filter array (CFA) pattern to produce sensor color image data corresponding to the CFA pattern;

an A/D converter for producing uninterpolated digital CFA image data from the sensor color image data;

a processor for processing the uninterpolated digital CFA image data to produce interpolated image data and for forming a TIFF image file containing both the uninterpolated CFA image data and the interpolated image data; and

a memory for storing the TIFF image file.

2. The image capture device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interpolated image data is stored in a JPEG compressed bitstream within the TIFF image file.

3. The image capture device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processor uses at least one parameter to perform the image processing operations used to produce the interpolated image data, and the TIFF image file further stores the at least one parameter.

4. The image capture device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the processor sharpens the interpolated image data, and the TIFF image file stores a parameter specifying the amount of sharpening.

5. The image capture device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the processor adjusts the white balance of the interpolated image data, and the TIFF image file stores a parameter specifying the white balance adjustment.

6. The image capture device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the TIFF image file also stores data that defines the type of color filter array pattern used on the image sensor.

7. The image capture device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processor also produces a reduced size, uninterpolated CFA image data, and the TIFF file also contains the reduced size uninterpolated CFA image data.

8. A single image file for storing images obtained from a color image capture device having an image sensor overlaid with a color filter array (CFA) pattern to produce uninterpolated CFA image data corresponding to the CFA pattern, the CFA image data subject to further processing to form interpolated and compressed image data, said single image file comprising:

a first file area for storing the uninterpolated CFA image data;

a second file area for storing the interpolated and compressed image data as JPEG image data within the single image file; and

a third file area for storing a first image processing parameter used to produce the interpolated and compressed image data.

9. The single image file as claimed in claim 8, wherein the single image file also includes a fourth file area for storing modified interpolated and compressed image data, and a fifth file area for storing a second image processing parameter used to produce the modified interpolated and compressed image data.

10. The single image file as claimed in claim 8, wherein the single image file is a TIFF file.

11. The single image file as claimed in claim 10, wherein the single image file is a TIFF/EP file.

12. The single image file as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first file area is a TIFF SubIFD area.

13. A method for capturing and processing color images, said method comprising:

(a) in a digital image capture device, capturing an array of picture elements through a color filter array (CFA) and producing CFA image data;

color image data corresponding to the CFA pattern;

(b) processing the CFA image data using image processing parameter(s) stored in the digital image capture device to produce interpolated image data;

(c) storing a single image file in a memory of the digital image capture device, the single image file including the CFA image data, the interpolated image data, and the image processing parameter(s);

(d) transferring the single image file to a second device;

(e) determining whether the second device is capable of processing the CFA image data; and

(f) if the second device is capable of processing the CFA image data, accessing the CFA image data and the image processing parameter(s) in the single image file.

14. The method of claim 13 further including:

(g) if the second device is not capable of processing the CFA image data, accessing the interpolated image data in the single image file;

15. The method of claim 13 further including:

(h) modifying the image processing parameter(s) and processing the CFA image data using the modified image processing parameter(s) to produce modified interpolated image data.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 further including

(i) storing the modified image processing parameters and the modified interpolated image data in the single image file.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 further including:

(j) printing the modified interpolated image data.

18. The method according to claim 13 wherein the single image file is a TIFF compliant file.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the interpolated image data is stored as JPEG compressed image data.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein the digital image capture device also produces a reduced size CFA image, and stores the reduced sized CFA image data in the single image file.