Digital camera with reduced image buffer memory and minimal processing for recycling through a service center

• US 7,612,803 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2003
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zoran Corporation (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meitav, Ohad, Seltz, Daniel, Shenberg, Itzhak
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bemben; Richard M
• Application Number:
  US10/458,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,338 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/266, 382162-167, 382/312, 382/313
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• 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 2201/3212 of data relating to a job, e.g. communication, capture or filing of an image
• 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 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

A digital camera system in which capture, processing and storage functions are partitioned differently than in existing systems. A hand-held digital camera is used with a workstation that may exist in a commercial image processing service center. A minimal amount of image data processing is performed in the digital camera, thereby allowing significant digital camera cost reductions due to lower memory requirements, lower processing requirements, and lower power requirements. Real-time single pass image compression techniques are employed within this digital camera to permit rapid gathering and storage of raw or minimally processed image data. The workstation to which the image data are transferred performs the image processing normally done within existing cameras. This processing takes advantage of the increased computational power that is possible to have in such a workstation, compared to that of a small camera, and the increased time over which such processing may be performed.

Claims

1. A method of capturing and processing optical radiation data, comprising:

within a hand-held camera, generating digital data of at least one frame of a pattern of optical radiation from a sensor having an array of photosensitive pixels upon which the pattern of optical radiation is incident, wherein generating the digital data comprises;

independently compressing each of a plurality of color arrays of pixel data within a single image frame based at least in part on at least one scale factor and one or more quantization tables, wherein each color array comprises a subset of pixel data of one primary color detected by a portion of the sensor from the pattern of optical radiation, and wherein each scale factor is applied to a plurality of quantization table values within at least one quantization table to adjust each quantization table value within the single image frame such that the subset of pixel data of each color array is compressed a single time; and

buffering, in a volatile memory within the camera, each of a plurality of corresponding compressed color arrays, wherein the buffering includes interleaving the plurality of compressed color arrays into the volatile memory in an order corresponding to a line-by-line mosaic arrangement of the sensor;

storing, in a non-volatile memory within the camera, the generated data and support data necessary to perform at least a first processing of the generated data to improve the quality of a resulting optical radiation pattern display frame formed therefrom,

subsequently transferring the generated data and support data from the camera'"'"'s non-volatile memory to a workstation, and

performing the first processing of the generated data within the workstation with use of the support data to produce processed data from which the resulting optical radiation pattern display frame has the improved quality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the support data include data of responses of at least some of the photosensitive pixels without optical radiation incident thereon, and

said first processing includes combining said data of responses with the generated data to correct for noise generated in the array of photosensitive pixels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the support data include data of characteristics of an optical system within the camera that directs the pattern of optical radiation onto the sensor, and

said first processing includes combining said data of optical system characteristics with the generated data to correct for at least imperfect optical characteristics of the optical system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the imperfect optical characteristics that are corrected are distortions created by the optical system in the pattern of optical radiation incident on the sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the support data include data of defective ones of the photosensitive pixels of the array, and

said first processing includes combining said data of defective photosensitive pixels with the generated data to correct for the effect of the defective photosensitive pixels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

the support data include digital data of a second frame of a pattern of optical radiation generated by the sensor within a predefined interval of said at least one frame, and

said first processing includes combining said at least one frame and the second frame of digital data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein combining said at least one frame and the second frame of digital data corrects for defective ones of the photosensitive pixels of the array.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein combining said at least one frame and the second frame of digital data corrects for effects of motion of at least a portion of the incident pattern of optical radiation of one of the first or second frames relative to the sensor.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein combining said at least one frame and the second frame of digital data expands an effective dynamic range of the photosensitive pixels.

10. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising compressing the support data prior to storing them within the camera.

11. A method of capturing and processing data of image frames, comprising:

generating digital data representative of pixels of a plurality of image frames in sequence in a plurality of primary colors from an image sensor within a hand held camera that includes an array of photosensitive elements, wherein generating the digital data includes;

reading from the sensor, a strip of pixel data comprising a subset of pixel data corresponding to a predefined number of rows of pixels in a portion of the sensor, wherein each row comprises color pixels in an alternating sequence of two of the plurality of primary colors, and wherein the rows of pixels are arranged in a line-by-line mosaic of the sensor;

defining a plurality of color arrays from the strip of pixel data, wherein each color array comprises a subset of the strip of pixel data such that the subset corresponds to one of the plurality of primary colors;

independently compressing each of the plurality of color arrays within a single image frame based at least in part on at least one scale factor and one or more quantization tables, wherein each scale factor is applied to a plurality of quantization table values within at least one quantization table to adjust each quantization table value within the single image frame such that each color array is compressed one time; and

storing in a volatile memory internal to the camera, the compressed data of each of the plurality of color arrays;

storing data representative of the generated digital data in a non-volatile memory internal to the camera without affecting the stored data by any of the following within the camera;

(a) processing the generated digital data sufficient to be able to display images of said plurality of image frames,

(b) processing the generated digital data into a luminance/chrominance format, and

(c) storing at least one fill frame of data representative of the generated digital data in a frame buffer at one time,

subsequently transferring the stored digital data from the non-volatile memory of the camera to a workstation, and

processing the stored digital data within the workstation in a manner sufficient to be able to display images of said plurality of image frames including processing the transferred digital data into a YUV format.

12. The method of claim 11, which additionally comprises transferring support data from the camera to the workstation, and use of the support data when processing the acquired image frame data within the workstation.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein processing within the workstation includes de-mosaicing of the image frame data rather than performing de-mosaicing processing within the camera.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein processing within the workstation additionally includes edge enhancement of the image frame data rather than performing edge enhancement processing within the camera.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein processing within the workstation includes white correction of the image frame data rather than performing white correction processing within the camera.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein processing within the workstation includes gamma correction of the image frame data rather than performing gamma correction processing within the camera.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the support data transferred from the camera to the workstation includes data of an image frame acquired without light on the sensor, and processing within the workstation includes correction of the image frame data for black level noise with use of the support data rather than performing correction processing for black level noise within the camera.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the support data transferred from the camera to the workstation includes data of unevenness of imaging by an optical system within the camera onto the image sensor, and processing within the workstation includes correction of the image frame data for unevenness of imaging by the camera optical system with use of the support data rather than performing correction processing for processing for unevenness of imaging by the camera optical system within the camera.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the support data transferred from the camera to the workstation includes data of defective pixels of the image sensor, and processing within the workstation includes correction of the image frame data for defective pixels with use of the support data rather than performing correction processing for the defective pixels within the camera.

20. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising compressing the support data and then storing the compressed support data in the camera.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the volatile memory has a capacity of less than fifteen percent of that necessary to store an image frame.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein acquiring digital data of at least one image frame includes acquiring digital data of first and second image frames from the image sensor within a predefined interval of each other, and wherein processing of the acquired image frame data within the workstation includes use of the second image data to correct, enhance or modify the data of the first image.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the processing includes use of the second image data to supply missing data of the first image due to defective pixels.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the processing includes use of the second image data to correct for fixed pattern noise of the first image.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the processing includes use of the second image to correct for motion of first image.

26. The method of claim 22 where the second image is used to extend the dynamic range of the first image beyond that provided by the sensor.

27. The method of claim 11 wherein the non-volatile memory is non-removable.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein transferring data from the non-volatile camera memory into the workstation is performed wirelessly.