Method for compressing an image from a sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image sensing device

• US 6,765,611 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2000
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Gallagher, Andrew C., Gray, Robert T., Rabbani, Majid, Gindele, Edward B.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOE, AUNG SOE
• Application Number:
  US09/718,887
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/294, 348/241, 348/242, 348/362, 348/272, 348/273, 348/229.1, 250/208.1
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/13 characterised by the spectral characteristics of the filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/585 with pixels having different sensitivities within the sensor, e.g. fast or slow pixels or pixels having different sizes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/155 Control of the image-sensor operation, e.g. image processing within the image-sensor

Abstract

A method of producing a compressed image from a full resolution sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image produced by a sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image sensing device having fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure for producing fast pixel values and slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure for producing slow pixel values, including the steps of: providing a full resolution sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image; separating the full resolution sparsely sampled image into a fast image comprising only fast pixel values and a slow image comprising only slow pixel values; and separately compressing the fast image and the slow image.

Claims

1. A method of producing a compressed image from a full resolution sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image produced by a sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image sensing device having fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure for producing fast pixel values and slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure for producing slow pixel values, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a full resolution sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image;

b) separating the full resolution sparsely sampled image into a fast image comprising only fast pixel values and a slow image comprising only slow pixel values; and

c) separately compressing the fast image and the slow image.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the fast and slow images are compressed using JPEG compression.

3. The method claimed in claim 2, wherein the fast and slow photosites values are arranged in a checkerboard pattern, the fast and slow images are quincunx arrays of pixel values, and further comprising the step of further separating the fast and slow images into rectangular arrays of pixel values and separately compressing the rectangular arrays of pixel values.

4. A software program for performing the method of claim 3.

5. A software program for performing the method of claim 2.

6. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the image sensing device includes a color filter array having two or more colors and further comprising the steps of further separating the fast and slow images into differently colored images and separately compressing the differently colored images.

7. The method claimed in claim 6, wherein the color filter array includes red, green, and blue color filters, and there are twice as many green filters as either red or blue filters.

8. A software program for performing the method of claim 7.

9. The method claimed in claim 6, further comprising the steps of further separating at least one of the differently colored images into rectangular arrays of pixel values and separately compressing the rectangular arrays of pixel values.

10. A software program for performing the method of claim 9.

11. The method claimed in claim 9, wherein the color filter array includes red green and blue color filters, and there are twice as many green filters as either red or blue filters.

12. A software program for performing the method of claim 11.

13. The method claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of using the values of one of the rectangular arrays of pixel values to predict the actual values of another of the rectangular arrays of pixel values, forming a difference array representing the difference between the predicted values and the actual values, and compressing the difference array.

14. The method claimed in claim 13, further comprising the steps of compressing and decompressing the one of the rectangular arrays of pixel values and using the decompressed values of the one rectangular array to predict the values of the other rectangular array of pixel values.

15. A software program for performing the method of claim 14.

16. A software program for performing the method of claim 13.

17. The method claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of using the values of one of the rectangular arrays to compress the values of another of the rectangular arrays.

18. A software program for performing the method of claim 17.

19. The method claimed in claim 9, further comprising the steps of compressing and decompressing the one of the rectangular arrays of pixel values and using the decompressed values of the one rectangular array to compress the values of another of the rectangular arrays.

20. A software program for performing the method of claim 19.

21. The method claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of using the values of one of the differently colored images derived from the slow image to compress the values of another differently colored image derived from the fast image.

22. A software program for performing the method of claim 21.

23. The method claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of using the values of one of the differently colored images derived from the fast image to compress the values of another differently colored image derived from the slow image.

24. A software program for performing the method of claim 23.

25. A software program for performing the method of claim 6.

26. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of decompressing the compressed slow and fast images and combining the decompressed slow and fast images to form a decompressed digital image.

27. A software program for performing the method of claim 26.

28. A software program for performing the method of claim 1.

29. A digital image capture system, comprising:

a) a sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image sensing device having fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure for producing fast pixel values and slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure for producing slow pixel values for producing a full resolution sparsely sampled image;

b) means for separating the full resolution sparsely sampled image into a fast image comprising only fast pixel values and a slow image comprising only slow pixel values; and

c) means for separately compressing the fast image and the slow image.

30. The system claimed in claim 29, wherein compressing means is a JPEG compressor.

31. The system claimed in claim 30, wherein the fast and slow photosites values are arranged in a checkerboard pattern, the fast and slow images are quincunx arrays of pixel values, and further comprising the means for further separating the fast and slow images into rectangular arrays of pixel values and separately compressing the rectangular arrays of pixel values.

32. The system claimed in claim 29, wherein the image sensing device includes a color filter array having two or more colors and further comprising means for further separating the fast and slow images into differently colored images and separately compressing the differently colored images.

33. The system claimed in claim 32, wherein the color filter array includes red, green, and blue color filters, and there are twice as many green filters as either red or blue filters.

34. The system claimed in claim 32, further comprising means for further separating at least one of the differently colored images into rectangular arrays of pixel values and means for separately compressing the rectangular arrays of pixel values.

35. The system claimed in claim 34, wherein the color filter array includes red, green, and blue color filters, and there are twice as many green filters as either red or blue filters.

36. The system claimed in claim 34, further comprising means for using the values of one of the rectangular arrays of pixel values to predict the actual values of another of the rectangular arrays of pixel values;

means for forming a difference array representing the difference between the predicted values and the actual values; and

means for compressing the difference array.

37. The system claimed in claim 36, further comprising means for compressing and decompressing the one of the rectangular arrays of pixel values and means for using the decompressed values of the one rectangular array to predict the values of the other rectangular array of pixel values.

38. The system claimed in claim 34, further comprising means for using the values of one of the rectangular arrays to compress the values of another of the rectangular arrays.

39. The system claimed in claim 34, further comprising means for compressing and decompressing the one of the rectangular arrays of pixel values and means for using the decompressed values of the one rectangular array to compress the values of another of the rectangular arrays.

40. The system claimed in claim 32, further comprising means for using the values of one of the differently colored images derived from the slow image to compress the values of another differently colored image derived from the fast image.

41. The system claimed in claim 32, further comprising means for using the values of one of the differently colored images derived from the fast image to compress the values of another differently colored image derived from the slow image.

42. The system claimed in claim 29, further comprising means for decompressing the compressed slow and fast images and means for combining the decompressed slow and fast images to form a decompressed digital image.

43. The system claimed in claim 29 wherein the image sensor and means for compressing are in a camera.

44. The system claimed in claim 29 wherein the image sensor and means for compressing are in a film or reflection scanner.

45. The system claimed in claim 29, further comprising means for decompressing the compressed slow and fast images and means for combining the decompressed slow and fast images to form a decompressed digital image and wherein the image sensor and means for compressing are in a camera.

46. The system claimed in claim 45, wherein the means for decompressing are located remote from the camera.

47. The system claimed in claim 29, further comprising means for decompressing the compressed slow and fast images and means for combining the decompressed slow and fast images to form a decompressed digital image and wherein the image sensor and means for compressing are in a film or reflection scanner.

48. The system claimed in claim 47, wherein the means for decompressing are located remote from the film or reflection scanner.