Patent · US Active

Image pickup apparatus and method

US7880783B2 · kind B2 · utility

8Cited by
4References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 7, 2008
Grant dateFeb 1, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 1, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N2101/00
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A digital still camera has a CCD image sensor, which includes an active pixel area for image pickup of an image to produce image data. A black pixel area is disposed outside the active pixel area, and produces black pixel data. The image pickup apparatus includes an amplifier for adjusting white balance of the image data. A smear detection unit detects a smeared portion of a smear phenomenon in the image according to the black pixel data. A tone correction unit reduces chroma of the image in a predetermined hue area according to a smear level of the smear phenomenon determined from the black pixel data, to carry out color correction of the smeared portion for the image data after adjusting the white balance.

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