Electronic image capture device and image file format providing raw and processed image data

• US 7,453,498 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Parulski, Kenneth A., Prentice, Wayne E., Yamagata, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vieaux, Gary C
• Application Number:
  US11/296,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20060152609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/223.1, 348/234, 348/231.6, 348/231.2, 348/231.99, 348/252, 348/273, 348/272
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• 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.