METHOD FOR ACTIVATING A FUNCTION, NAMELY AN ALTERATION OF SHARPNESS, USING A COLOUR DIGITAL IMAGE

• US 20110109749A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DXO Labs
• Original Assignee: DXO Labs
• Inventors: Chanas, Laurent, Guichard, Frédéric, Tarchouna, Imène, Meniere, Jérôme, Liege, Bruno
• Application Number:
  US12/820,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20110109749A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/164
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/959 by adjusting depth of field during image capture, e.g. maximising or setting range based on scene characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/615 involving a transfer function modelling the optical system, e.g. optical transfer function [OTF], phase transfer function [PhTF] or modulation transfer function [MTF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/6153 for colour signals

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for activating a function by using a measurement taken from at least one digital image (10) having at least two colours (195, 196) and originating from an image-capturing apparatus, the method including measuring the relative sharpness (190) between at least two colours in at least one region R of the image, and controlling at least one action (191) depending on the measured relative sharpness.

Claims

1. A sensor for a digital image-capturing apparatus comprising:

pixels, serving to generate the digital image, and

other pixels, serving to measure the relative sharpness between at least two colours on at least one region R of the image.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the pixels, serving to measure the relative sharpness, have a spectral response within a spectral band which entails little overlapping with the spectral band of the pixels, mainly serving to generate the image.

3. The sensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pixels, serving to generate the digital image, have a spectral response, mainly within the field visible to the human eye, and the other pixels have a spectral response, mainly beyond the field visible to the human eye.

4. A capturing apparatus comprising a sensor according to claim 1.

5. A digital image-capturing apparatus comprising:

a sensor representing spectral response pixels within the field visible to the human eye, and

additional pixels having a spectral response beyond the spectre visible to the human eye, the sharpness of the part of the image stemming from these additional pixels exceeding, within at least one range of distances between the capturing apparatus and the imaged scene, the sharpness of the part of the image provided by the pixels whose spectral response is within the field visible to the human eye.

6. The digital image-capturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the additional pixels have a spectral response within the ultraviolet and/or infrared field.