Minimizing a data pedestal level in an image sensor

    公开(公告)号:US10205898B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-02-12

    申请号:US14882361

    申请日:2015-10-13

    申请人: Apple Inc.

    IPC分类号: H04N5/361 H04N5/378

    摘要: A pedestal level for an image sensor can be dynamically adjusted based on one or more parameters. The parameters include one or more operating conditions associated with the image sensor, pre-determined image sensor characterization data, the number of unused digital codes, and/or the number of clipped pixel signals. The operating conditions can include the temperature of the image sensor, the gain of at least one amplifier included in processing circuitry operably connected to at least one pixel, and/or the length of the integration period for at least one pixel in the image sensor. Based on the one or more of the parameters, the pedestal level is adjusted to reduce a number of unused digital codes in a distribution of dark current. Additionally or alternatively, the variance of the pixel signals can be reduced to permit the use of a lower pedestal level.

    Dynamic optical shift/tilt lens
    12.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US10033917B1

    公开(公告)日:2018-07-24

    申请号:US14941309

    申请日:2015-11-13

    申请人: Apple Inc.

    IPC分类号: H04N5/232 G02B27/00 G02B27/64

    摘要: Camera modules that may be dynamically adjusted during capture of an image. The camera may include a sensor that captures images using line scan imaging or other scanning technologies. A controller may dynamically control adjustment or movement of the camera lens by an actuator as an image is scanned by the sensor. The lens may be controlled to be in different positions and in different orientations in relation to the sensor as different lines or areas of pixels of the sensor are read. When capturing an image, a region of the sensor may be read, the lens may be adjusted, and a next region of the sensor may be read according to a pattern. Different focus, depth of field, perspective, and other effects may be achieved at different areas or regions of the image during image capture.

    CORRECTING PIXEL DEFECTS BASED ON DEFECT HISTORY IN AN IMAGE PROCESSING PIPELINE
    15.
    发明申请
    CORRECTING PIXEL DEFECTS BASED ON DEFECT HISTORY IN AN IMAGE PROCESSING PIPELINE 审中-公开
    基于图像处理管道中的缺陷历史校正像素缺陷

    公开(公告)号:US20170070692A1

    公开(公告)日:2017-03-09

    申请号:US14845659

    申请日:2015-09-04

    申请人: Apple Inc.

    IPC分类号: H04N5/367 H04N5/217

    摘要: An image signal processor may include a pixel defect correction component that tracks defect history for frames captured by an image sensor and applies the history when identifying and correcting defective pixels in a frame. The component maintains a defect pixel location table that includes a defect confidence value for pixels of the image sensor. The component identifies defective pixels in a frame, for example by comparing each pixel's value to the values of its neighbor pixels. If a pixel is detected as defective, its defect confidence value may be incremented. Otherwise, the value may be decremented. If a pixel's defect confidence value is over a defect confidence threshold, the pixel is considered defective and thus may be corrected. If a pixel's defect confidence value is under the threshold, the pixel is considered not defective and thus may not be corrected even if the pixel was detected as defective.

    摘要翻译: 图像信号处理器可以包括跟踪由图像传感器捕获的帧的缺陷历史的像素缺陷校正组件,并且在识别和校正帧中的缺陷像素时应用历史。 该组件保持缺陷像素位置表,其包括图像传感器的像素的缺陷置信度值。 组件识别帧中的缺陷像素,例如通过将每个像素的值与其相邻像素的值进行比较。 如果像素被检测为缺陷,则其缺陷置信度值可以增加。 否则,该值可能会减少。 如果像素的缺陷置信度值超过缺陷置信度阈值,则该像素被认为是有缺陷的,因此可被校正。 如果像素的缺陷置信度值低于阈值,则认为像素不是有缺陷的,因此即使像素被检测为有缺陷,也可能不被校正。

    DYNAMICALLY DETERMINING FILTERING STRENGTH FOR NOISE FILTERING IN IMAGE PROCESSING
    16.
    发明申请
    DYNAMICALLY DETERMINING FILTERING STRENGTH FOR NOISE FILTERING IN IMAGE PROCESSING 审中-公开
    图像处理中噪声滤波的动态滤波强度的动态确定

    公开(公告)号:US20170061584A1

    公开(公告)日:2017-03-02

    申请号:US14841384

    申请日:2015-08-31

    申请人: Apple Inc.

    IPC分类号: G06T5/00 H04N9/04 G06T1/20

    摘要: An image processing pipeline may dynamically determine filtering strengths for noise filtering of image data. Statistics may be collected for an image at an image processing pipeline. The statistics may be accessed and evaluated to generate a filter strength model that maps respective filtering strengths to different portions of the image. A noise filter may determine a filtering strength for image data received at the noise filter according to the filter strength model. The noise filter may then apply a filtering technique according to the determined filtering strength.

    摘要翻译: 图像处理流水线可以动态地确定图像数据的噪声滤波的滤波强度。 可以在图像处理流水线上为图像收集统计数据。 可以访问和评估统计信息以产生将各自的过滤强度映射到图像的不同部分的过滤器强度模型。 噪声滤波器可以根据滤波强度模型确定在噪声滤波器处接收的图像数据的滤波强度。 然后,噪声滤波器可以根据确定的滤波强度来应用滤波技术。

    Image tone adjustment using local tone curve computation

    公开(公告)号:US09369684B2

    公开(公告)日:2016-06-14

    申请号:US14623332

    申请日:2015-02-16

    申请人: Apple Inc.

    IPC分类号: H04N9/64 G06T5/40 G06T5/00

    摘要: Image tone adjustment using local tone curve computation may be utilized to adjust luminance ranges for images. Image tone adjustment using local tone curve computation may reduce the overall contrast of an image, while maintaining local contrast in smaller areas, such as in images capturing brightly lit scenes where the difference in intensity between brightest and darkest areas is large. A desired brightness representation of the image may be generated including target luminance values for corresponding blocks of the image. For each block, one or more tone adjustment values may be computed, that when jointly applied to the respective histograms for the block and neighboring blocks results in the luminance values that match corresponding target values. The tone adjustment values may be determined by solving an under-constrained optimization problem such that optimization constraints are minimized. The image may then be adjusted according to the computed tone adjustment values.

    SENSOR DATA RESCALER FOR IMAGE SIGNAL PROCESSING
    18.
    发明申请
    SENSOR DATA RESCALER FOR IMAGE SIGNAL PROCESSING 有权
    用于图像信号处理的传感器数据保持器

    公开(公告)号:US20160110843A1

    公开(公告)日:2016-04-21

    申请号:US14977384

    申请日:2015-12-21

    申请人: Apple Inc.

    IPC分类号: G06T3/40 H04N9/64 H04N9/07

    摘要: An input rescale module that performs cross-color correlated downscaling of sensor data in the horizontal and vertical dimensions. The module may perform a first-pass demosaic of sensor data, apply horizontal and vertical scalers to resample and downsize the data in the horizontal and vertical dimensions, and then remosaic the data to provide horizontally and vertically downscaled sensor data as output for additional image processing. The module may, for example, act as a front end scaler for an image signal processor (ISP). The demosaic performed by the module may be a relatively simple demosaic, for example a demosaic function that works on 3×3 blocks of pixels. The front end of module may receive and process sensor data at two pixels per clock (ppc); the horizontal filter component reduces the sensor data down to one ppc for downstream components of the input rescale module and for the ISP pipeline.

    摘要翻译: 在水平和垂直维度上执行传感器数据的交叉色相关缩小的输入重定标模块。 模块可以执行传感器数据的第一遍去马赛克,应用水平和垂直缩放器对水平和垂直尺寸的数据进行重新取样和缩小,然后重新绘制数据,以提供水平和垂直缩小的传感器数据作为附加图像处理的输出 。 该模块可以例如用作图像信号处理器(ISP)的前端缩放器。 由模块执行的去镶嵌可以是相对简单的去马赛克,例如在3×3像素块上工作的去马赛克功能。 模块的前端可以以每个时钟两个像素(ppc)接收和处理传感器数据; 水平滤波器组件将传感器数据减少到输入重定标模块的下游组件和ISP管线的一ppc。

    SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR STATISTICS COLLECTION USING CLIPPED PIXEL TRACKING
    19.
    发明申请
    SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR STATISTICS COLLECTION USING CLIPPED PIXEL TRACKING 有权
    使用剪辑像素跟踪统计收集的系统和方法

    公开(公告)号:US20140010480A1

    公开(公告)日:2014-01-09

    申请号:US14023359

    申请日:2013-09-10

    申请人: Apple Inc.

    IPC分类号: G06T1/20

    CPC分类号: G06T1/20 H04N17/002

    摘要: Systems and methods are provided for selectively performing image statistics processing based at least partly on whether a pixel has been clipped. In one example, an image signal processor may include statistics collection logic. The statistics collection logic may include statistics image processing logic and a statistics core. The statistics image processing logic may perform initial image processing on image pixels, at least occasionally causing some of the image pixels to become clipped. The statistics core may obtain image statistics from the image pixels. The statistics core may obtain at least one of the image statistics using only pixels that have not been clipped and excluding pixels that have been clipped.

    摘要翻译: 系统和方法被提供用于至少部分地基于是否已经剪切像素来选择性地执行图像统计处理。 在一个示例中,图像信号处理器可以包括统计信息收集逻辑。 统计信息采集逻辑可以包括统计图像处理逻辑和统计核心。 统计图像处理逻辑可以对图像像素执行初始图像处理,至少偶尔导致一些图像像素被削波。 统计核心可以从图像像素获取图像统计。 统计核心可以仅使用未被裁剪的像素并且排除已经被裁剪的像素来获得至少一个图像统计信息。

    SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REDUCING FIXED PATTERN NOISE IN IMAGE DATA

    公开(公告)号:US20230336888A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-10-19

    申请号:US18330973

    申请日:2023-06-07

    申请人: Apple Inc.

    IPC分类号: H04N25/67

    CPC分类号: H04N25/67

    摘要: The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for image data processing. In certain embodiments, an image processing pipeline may be configured to receive a frame of the image data having a plurality of pixels acquired using a digital image sensor. The image processing pipeline may then be configured to determine a first plurality of correction factors that may correct each pixel in the plurality of pixels for fixed pattern noise. The first plurality of correction factors may be determined based at least in part on fixed pattern noise statistics that correspond to the frame of the image data. After determining the first plurality of correction factors, the image processing pipeline may be configured to configured to apply the first plurality of correction factors to the plurality of pixels, thereby reducing the fixed pattern noise present in the plurality of pixels.