Image processing device and image processing method

• US 9,392,237 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Toyoda, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Camargo, Marly
• Application Number:
  US14/279,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20140347533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 348/294, 348/345, 348/349, 348/308, 348/350
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/672 based on the phase difference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/62 Detection or reduction of noise due to excess charges produced by the exposure, e.g. smear, blooming, ghost image, crosstalk or leakage between pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/704 Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets

Abstract

An image processing device of the present invention comprises an image sensor having phase difference detection pixels for focus detection arranged at positions of some imaging pixels, a crosstalk effect level estimating section for estimating crosstalk effect level for respective pixel values, from pixel values of pixels that are subject to the effects of crosstalk from the phase difference detection pixels, and pixel values of nearby pixels that are not subject to the effect of crosstalk from the phase difference detection pixels, and a correction processing section for correcting pixel values of pixels that have been affected by crosstalk from the phase difference detection pixels based on the crosstalk effect level that has been estimated by the crosstalk effect level estimating section.

Claims

1. An image processing device comprising:

an image sensor having phase difference detection pixels for focus detection arranged at positions of some imaging pixels;

a first mixing section, arranged within a first region of the image sensor, for mixing pixel values of a plurality of same color pixels including pixels that have been affected by crosstalk from the phase difference detection pixels;

a second mixing section, arranged within a second region of the image sensor, for mixing pixel values of a plurality of same color pixels that have not been affected by crosstalk from the phase difference detection pixels;

a crosstalk effect level estimating section for estimating crosstalk effect level of mixed pixel values within the first region and mixed pixel values within the second region, from the respective mixed pixel values; and

a correction processing section for correcting pixel values of pixels that have been affected by crosstalk from the phase difference detection pixels within the first region in accordance with the crosstalk effect level that has been estimated by the crosstalk effect level estimating section.

2. The image processing device of claim 1, wherein

the first region is set so as to be adjacent to at least one or more second regions.

3. The image processing device of claim 2 wherein,

pixel values input to the first mixing section and second mixing section are mixed with pixel values of a plurality of same color pixels within the image sensor.

4. The image processing device of claim 1 wherein,

the correction processing section applies the same processing to all pixels that are the subject of correction, in accordance with crosstalk effect level that has been estimated by the crosstalk effect level estimating section.

5. An image processing method, for an image processing device having an image sensor with phase difference detection pixels for focus detection arranged at positions of some imaging pixels, comprising:

a step of mixing pixel values of a plurality of same color pixels, arranged within a first region of the image sensor, including pixels that have been affected by cross talk from the phase difference detection pixels;

a step of mixing pixel values of a plurality of same color pixels, arranged within a second region of the image sensor, that have not been affected by cross talk from the phase difference detection pixels;

a step of estimating crosstalk effect level of mixed pixel values within the first region and mixed pixel values within the second region, from the respective mixed pixel values; and

a step of correcting pixel values of pixels that have been affected by crosstalk from the phase difference detection pixels within the first region in accordance with the cross talk effect level that has been estimated in the step of estimating crosstalk effect level.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program, for an image processing device, this image processing device having an image sensor with phase difference detection pixels for focus detection arranged at positions of some imaging pixels, the program comprising:

a step of mixing pixel values of a plurality of same color pixels, arranged within a first region of the image sensor, including pixels that have been affected by cross talk from the phase difference detection pixels;

a step of mixing pixel values of a plurality of same color pixels, arranged within a second region of the image sensor, that have not been affected by cross talk from the phase difference detection pixels;

a step of estimating crosstalk effect level of mixed pixel values within the first region and mixed pixel values within the second region, from the respective mixed pixel values; and

a step of correcting pixel values of pixels that have been affected by crosstalk from the phase difference detection pixels within the first region in accordance with the cross talk effect level that has been estimated in the step of estimating crosstalk effect level.