COMBINING IMAGES CAPTURED WITH DIFFERENT COLOR PATTERNS

• US 20120106840A1
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Singhal, Amit, Gallagher, Andrew C.
• Application Number:
  US12/913,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20120106840A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/167
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4015 Image demosaicing, e.g. colour filter arrays [CFA] or Bayer patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

A method for enhancing a digital image of a scene, includes acquiring a first digital image of the scene having pixel values corresponding to a first predetermined color pattern and a second digital image of the scene having pixel values corresponding to a second different predetermined color pattern, wherein the first and second digital images were captured at substantially the same time. The method further includes using a processor to align the first and second digital images; and using pixel values of the second image based on the alignment between the first and second images to operate on the first digital image to produce the enhanced digital image having corrected color values.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing a digital image of a scene, the method comprising:

(a) acquiring a first digital image of the scene having pixel values corresponding to a first predetermined color pattern and a second digital image of the scene having pixel values corresponding to a second different predetermined color pattern, wherein the first and second digital images were captured at substantially the same time; and

(b) using a processor to align the first and second digital images; and

using pixel values of the second image based on the alignment between the first and second images to operate on the first digital image to produce the enhanced digital image having corrected color values.

2. The method of claim 1, further including providing a stereo lens arrangement for producing the first and second digital images and using the processor to operate on the enhanced digital image and the second digital image, or an enhanced version thereof, for producing an enhanced stereo digital image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second images have pixel values associated with color filters, and wherein the set of color filters associated with the first image is different from the set of color filters associated with the second image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of color filters is luminance and the second set of color filters is red, green, and blue.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of color filters is primary colors and the second set of color filters is secondary colors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of color filters are luminance, red, green, and blue.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of color filters are the same.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of color filters is green and luminance and the second set of color filters is red, and blue.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of color filters is green and luminance and the second set of color filters is red, blue, and luminance.