Digital photography system using direct input to output pixel mapping and resizing

• US 6,650,366 B2
• Filed: 03/26/1998
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Adams, James E. Jr., Parulski, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Application Number:
  US09/048,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20030058354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,063 Days
• Field of Search: 348/239, 348/272, 348/273, 348/252, 348/552, 348/581, 348/582, 348/333.1, 348/240, 348/231, 348/231.6
• US Class Current: 348/231.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4007 based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation image demosaicing G06T3/4015; edge-driven or edge-based scaling G06T3/403
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4015 Image demosaicing, e.g. colour filter arrays [CFA] or Bayer patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/046 Colour interpolation to calculate the missing colour values
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

An electronic still imaging system employs an image sensor comprised of discrete light sensitive picture elements overlaid with a color filter array (CFA) pattern to produce color image data corresponding to the CFA pattern, an A/D converter for producing digital CFA image data from the color image data, and a memory for storing the digital CFA image data from a fixed number of input picture elements corresponding to a fixed image size. A user selects at least one output image size different from the fixed image size, such that the output image will have a different number of picture elements than the fixed number of picture elements in the fixed size image. A processor then interpolates full color data for each picture element and produces an interpolated output image having the selected output image size. By directly mapping the input picture elements to the desired output picture elements in a single stage that includes CFA interpolation, interpolation artifacts are minimized.

Claims

1. A digital camera employing a single sensor capture device to capture a color image, said digital camera comprising:

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

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

a user interface for cropping the digital CFA image data to an image size smaller than said fixed image size;

a processor for interpolating full color image data from the cropped digital CFA image data; and

a memory for storing the full color image data.

2. The digital camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processor also responds to a selected output image size to provide an output image size different from the fixed image size.

3. The digital camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processor also sharpens the full color image.

4. The digital camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein the memory is removable.

5. The digital camera as claime din claim 4 wherein the memory is a removable memory card.

6. The digital camera as claimed in claim 5 wherein the memory is Flash EPROM.

7. The digital camera as claimed in claim 2 wherein the output image size is specified in pixels.

8. The digital camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processor uses adaptive interpolation in interpolating the full color image data.

9. A method for capturing and processing color images in a digital camera, said method comprising the steps of:

capturing an array of picture elements through a color filter array (CFA) to produce color image data corresponding to the CFA pattern;

converting the color image data into digital CFA image data;

cropping the digital CFA image data to an image size smaller than said fixed image size;

interpolating full color image data from the cropped digital CFA image data; and

storing the full color image data in a removable memory of the digital camera.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising the step of sharpening the full color image.