Imaging processor

• US 8,243,160 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Azuma, Takeo, Komobuchi, Hiroyoshi, Imagawa, Taro
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, HUNG H
• Application Number:
  US12/914,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20110043670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/208.13, 348/208.16
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/12 with one sensor only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/11 Arrangement of colour filter arrays [CFA]; Filter mosaics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/583 with different integration times
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51

Abstract

An imaging and processing device includes: an optical element; a single imager with a color filter array of a plurality of colors attached thereto for outputting a value according to an amount of light which has been guided by the optical element and transmitted through the color filter array, thereby enabling to obtain separate images of the plurality of colors for every frame time point; a first adder section for adding together values, associated with a first color of the plurality of colors, of different images obtained over a plurality of frame time points; a second adder section for adding together a plurality of values, associated with a second color of the plurality of colors other than the first color, of an image captured at a single frame time point; and an image restoring section for restoring an image including a plurality of colors at each frame time point from an image based on the first color which has been subjected to the addition by the first adder section, and an image based on the second color which has been subjected to the addition by the second adder section.

Claims

1. An imaging and processing device comprising:

an optical element;

a single imager with a color filter array of a plurality of colors attached thereto for outputting a value according to an amount of light which has been guided by the optical element and transmitted through the color filter array, thereby enabling to obtain separate images of the plurality of colors for every frame time point;

a first adder section for adding together values, associated with a first color of the plurality of colors, of different images obtained over a plurality of frame time points;

a second adder section for adding together a plurality of values, associated with a second color of the plurality of colors other than the first color, of an image captured at a single frame time point; and

an image restoring section for restoring an image including a plurality of colors at each frame time point from an image based on the first color which has been subjected to the addition by the first adder section, and an image based on the second color which has been subjected to the addition by the second adder section.

2. The imaging and processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the color filter array includes, as one of the plurality of colors, a third color which is different from the first color and the second color;

the second adder section adds together a plurality of values, associated with the third color, of an image captured at the single frame time point; and

the image restoring section includes;

a motion detection section for detecting a motion from an image of the second color and an image of the third color which have been subjected to the addition by the second adder section so as to output motion information regarding the detected motion; and

a restoring section for restoring an image including a plurality of colors at each frame time point based on the image of the first color, the image of the second color, the image of the third color, and the motion information detected by the motion detection section.

3. The imaging and processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a control section for controlling an operation of the second adder section and an operation of the first adder section,

wherein the control section controls the number of pixels to be added together by the second adder section and the first adder section according to one of:

an amount of light or a pixel value received by the single imager; and

a mode of operation specified by a user.

4. The imaging and processing device according to claim 1, wherein the single imager is of a stacked type.

5. The imaging and processing device according to claim 2, wherein the single imager is of a stacked type.

6. The imaging and processing device according to claim 3, wherein the single imager is of a stacked type.

7. The imaging and processing device according to claim 2, wherein the first color is green, and the second color and the third color are red and blue.

8. An imaging and processing device comprising:

a single imager with a color filter array of red, green, blue and white attached thereto for outputting a value according to an amount of light which has been transmitted through the color filter array, thereby enabling to obtain an image for each color of the color filter array for every frame time point;

a first adder section for adding together values associated with each of the images of red, green and blue obtained over a plurality of frame time points;

a motion detection section for detecting a motion from the image of white so as to output motion information regarding the detected motion; and

an image restoring section for restoring an image including red, green and blue at each frame time point based on the images of red, green and blue which have been subjected to the addition by the first adder section, the image of white, and the motion information.

9. The imaging and processing device according to claim 8, wherein:

the first adder section adds together values associated with each of the images of red, green and blue by setting an exposure time of the single imager to a length that spans a plurality of frame time points; and

the first adder section changes the exposure time between red, green and blue.

10. An imaging and processing device comprising:

a single imager with a color filter array of red, green, blue and white attached thereto for outputting a value according to an amount of light which has been transmitted through the color filter array, thereby enabling to obtain an image for each color of the color filter array for every frame time point;

a first adder section for adding together values associated with each of the images of red, green and blue obtained over a plurality of frame time points;

a second adder section for adding together a plurality of values associated with an image of white captured at a single frame time point;

a motion detection section for detecting a motion from the image of white which has been subjected to the addition by the second adder section so as to output motion information regarding the detected motion; and

an image restoring section for restoring an image including red, green and blue at each frame time point based on the images of red, green and blue which have been subjected to the addition by the first adder section, the image of white which has been subjected to the addition by the second adder section, and the motion information.

11. The imaging and processing device according to claim 10, wherein:

the first adder section adds together values associated with each of the images of red, green and blue by setting an exposure time of the single imager to a length that spans a plurality of frame time points; and

the first adder section changes the exposure time between red, green and blue.

12. A computer program, stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, to be executed by a computer provided in an imaging and processing device, the imaging and processing device comprising:

an optical element; and

a single imager with a color filter array of a plurality of colors attached thereto for outputting a value according to an amount of light which has been guided by the optical element and transmitted through the color filter array, thereby enabling to obtain separate images of the plurality of colors for every frame time point, the computer program causing the computer to execute the steps of;

adding together values, associated with a first color of the plurality of colors, of different images obtained over a plurality of frame time points;

adding together a plurality of values, associated with a second color of the plurality of colors other than the first color, of an image captured at a single frame time point; and

restoring an image including a plurality of colors at each frame time point from an image based on the first color which has been subjected to the addition by the first addition step, and an image based on the second color which has been subjected to the addition by the second addition step.