Patent · US Active

Automatic tone mapping for cameras

US8358351B2 · kind B2 · utility

9Cited by
2References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 5, 2009
Grant dateJan 22, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 16, 2031

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N23/82
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A device, method, computer useable medium, and processor programmed to automatically generate tone mapping curves in a digital camera based on image metadata are described. By examining image metadata from a digital camera's sensor, such as the light-product, one can detect sun-lit, high-light, and low-light scenes. Once the light-product value has been calculated for a given image, a tone mapping curve can automatically be generated within the sensor and adjusted appropriately for the scene based on predetermined parameters. Further, it has been determined that independently varying the slopes of the tone mapping curve at the low end (S0) and high end (S1) of the curve results in more visually appealing images. By dynamically and independently selecting S0 and S1 values based on image metadata, more visually pleasing images can be generated.

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