Patent · US Expired

System and method for processing non-linear image data from a digital imager

US7349574B1 · kind B1 · utility

67Cited by
3References
13Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateOct 14, 2003
Grant dateMar 25, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 2, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N25/77
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method process non-linear image data, still or video, from a digital imager. Noise generated by analog-to-digital converters is filtered from a pixel of digital image data. Moreover, the effects of single pixel defects in the imager are eliminated by clamping a predetermined pixel of image data within the window when the value of the predetermined pixel is greater than a maximum value of the image data of neighboring pixels or less than a minimum value of the image data of neighboring pixels. Ripples in image data are reduced by eliminating the effects of single pixel defects before filtering for crosstalk caused by electrical crosstalk between sensor elements in an imager. Dark current is removed from image data generated by an imager by subtracting a fraction of a determined dark current value from all image data generated by the imager to compensate for nonlinearities in dark current across the imager. The image data is white balanced by creating a set of scalar color adjustments from determined average color values and constraining the set of scalar adjustments to plausible lighting conditions to prevent overcompensation on images having large regions of similar hu…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.