Interpolation of panchromatic and color pixels

• US 7,830,430 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Adams, James E. Jr., Hamilton, John F. Jr., O'Brien, Michele
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flohre; Jason A
• Application Number:
  US11/341,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20070024934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 348/276, 348/277
• US Class Current: 348/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4015 Image demosaicing, e.g. colour filter arrays [CFA] or Bayer patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/133 including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

A method for forming a final digital color image, includes: capturing an image using an image sensor having panchromatic pixels and color pixels corresponding to at least two color photoresponses; providing from the captured image a digital high resolution panchromatic image and a digital high resolution color differences image; and using the digital high resolution panchromatic image and the digital high resolution color differences image to produce the final digital high resolution full color image.

Claims

1. A method for forming a final digital color image, comprising:

(a) capturing an image using an image sensor having panchromatic pixels (P) and color pixels, red (R), green (G), and blue (B), in the following arrangement;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) includes using pixel neighborhood predictor values responsive to pixel neighborhood classifier values to produce the digital high resolution panchromatic image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes averaging and subsampling the digital high resolution panchromatic image to produce the low resolution panchromatic image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes summing or averaging and subsampling a digital RGBP CFA image to produce the low resolution RGB CFA image.

5. A method for forming a final digital color image, comprising:

(a) capturing an image using an image sensor having panchromatic pixels (P) and color pixels, red (R), green (G), and blue (B), in the following arrangement;

6. The method of claim 5, wherein step (b) includes using pixel neighborhood predictor values responsive to pixel neighborhood classifier values to produce the digital high resolution panchromatic image.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein step (b) further includes averaging and subsampling the digital high resolution panchromatic image to produce the low resolution panchromatic image.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein step (b) further includes summing or averaging and subsampling a digital RGBP CFA image to produce the low resolution RGB CFA image.

9. A method for forming a final digital color image, comprising:

(a) capturing an image using an image sensor having panchromatic pixels (P) and color pixels, red (R), green (G), and blue (B), in the following arrangement;

10. The method of claim 9, wherein step (b) includes using pixel neighborhood predictor values responsive to pixel neighborhood classifier values to produce the digital high resolution panchromatic image.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein step (b) further includes averaging and subsampling the digital high resolution panchromatic image to produce the low resolution panchromatic image.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein step (b) further includes summing or averaging and subsampling a digital RGBP CFA image to produce the low resolution RGB CFA image.

13. A method for forming a final digital color image, comprising:

(a) capturing an image using an image sensor having panchromatic pixels (P) and color pixels, red (R), green (G), and blue (B), in the following arrangement;

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (b) includes using pixel neighborhood predictor values responsive to pixel neighborhood classifier values to produce the digital high resolution panchromatic image.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein step (b) further includes averaging and subsampling the digital high resolution panchromatic image to produce the low resolution panchromatic image.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein step (b) further includes summing or averaging and subsampling a digital RGBP CFA image to produce the low resolution RGB CFA image.