Method, apparatus and system providing adjustment of pixel defect map
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of adjusting a pixel array defect map comprising:
- storing an initial pixel defect map corresponding to a pixel sensor array;
obtaining pixel output signals from said pixel sensor array;
using said pixel output signals to determine current defective pixel locations in accordance with pixel defect criteria;
for every current defective pixel location;
if the corresponding location in the stored pixel defect map was previously marked as defective, comparing the data of the corresponding location in the stored pixel defect map with the data of said respective current defective pixel location, updating the mark for the corresponding location in the map to indicate a true defect if the compared stored data is the same as the compared current data, and removing the defect mark for the corresponding location in the map if the compared stored data is different from the compared current data; and
if the corresponding location in the map was not previously marked as defective, marking the corresponding location in the map as defective; and
storing the pixel defect map.
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Abstract
A method, apparatus and system that allows for the identification of defective pixels, for example, defective pixel clusters, in an imager device. The method, apparatus and system determine, during use of the imager device, that a pixel defect, e.g., cluster defect, exists and accurately maps the location of the defective pixel. By analyzing more than one frame of an image, the method increases the accuracy of the defect mapping, which is used to improve the quality of the resulting image data.
21 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method of adjusting a pixel array defect map comprising:
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storing an initial pixel defect map corresponding to a pixel sensor array; obtaining pixel output signals from said pixel sensor array; using said pixel output signals to determine current defective pixel locations in accordance with pixel defect criteria; for every current defective pixel location; if the corresponding location in the stored pixel defect map was previously marked as defective, comparing the data of the corresponding location in the stored pixel defect map with the data of said respective current defective pixel location, updating the mark for the corresponding location in the map to indicate a true defect if the compared stored data is the same as the compared current data, and removing the defect mark for the corresponding location in the map if the compared stored data is different from the compared current data; and if the corresponding location in the map was not previously marked as defective, marking the corresponding location in the map as defective; and storing the pixel defect map. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of operating an imager device comprising:
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saving a pre-trigger pixel defect map having a location for each of a plurality of pixel sensors in an imager device; perceiving a triggering event; subsequently obtaining at least one pixel output signal from a pixel-under-test associated with a first location in said map; determining whether a pixel defect cluster is currently detected at the location for the pixel-under-test; and updating the pre-trigger defect map after the triggering event with data created based on the act of determining if a pixel defect cluster is detected, wherein if a pixel defect cluster is detected at the location, said updating comprises determining a type of the pixel defect cluster, removing a cluster defect from the map if it is determined that the type of the pixel defect cluster is different than a type of defect cluster associated with the location in the pre-trigger defect map. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An imager device comprising:
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an array of pixel image sensors for creating a plurality of signals in response to an applied image; a circuit for sensing a triggering event; a memory for storing a pre-trigger pixel defect map, the map having data on a plurality of locations, each location corresponding a pixel image sensor in the array; and a circuit for obtaining a plurality of pixel output signals for a first location and at least one neighboring location of a pixel image sensor array, determining whether a pixel defect cluster exists at the first location, comparing data in the pre-trigger pixel defect map associated with the first location and the at least one neighboring location to current data based on the obtained pixel output signals, and updating the pixel defect map based on the determination of whether a pixel defect cluster exists at the first location, wherein the updating comprises determining a type of the pixel defect cluster, removing a cluster defect from the map if it is determined that the type of the pixel defect cluster is different than a type of the defect cluster associated with the location in the pre-trigger defect map. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A camera system, comprising:
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an array of image sensors for creating a plurality of signals in response to an applied image; a memory for storing a pixel defect map, the map having data on a plurality of image sensors in the array; and a pixel signal processor for processing said pixel output signals, wherein the processor is designed for; using the pixel output signals to locate current pixel defects in accordance with pixel defect criteria; for every current pixel defect; if the corresponding location in the stored pixel defect map was previously marked as defective, comparing saved data for the corresponding location in the stored pixel defect map to current data of said respective current pixel defect, updating the mark for the corresponding location in the map to indicate a true defect if the compared saved data is the same as the compared current data, and removing the defect mark for the corresponding location in the map if the compared saved data is different from the compared current data; and if the corresponding location in the map was not previously marked as defective, marking the corresponding location in the map as defective; and storing the pixel defect map if updates were made to the pixel defect map. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification