Electronic device and method for generating images by synthesizing data

Abstract

An electronic device is provided, which includes an image sensor that receives a first pixel of light of a first duration and a second pixel of light of a shorter second duration, and a processor that acquires first and second raw data, the first and second raw data including a first long pixel value passing through the first pixel and a first short pixel value passing through the second pixel, a second long pixel value passing through the first pixel and a second short pixel value passing through the second pixel, and third raw data based on the first and second raw data. The third raw data includes a third long pixel value and a third short pixel value, and each third long pixel value is an average value of the first and second long pixel values, and each third short pixel value is a value obtained by gamma correcting the sum of the first and second short pixel values.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for improving a dynamic range of an image by acquiring an improved HDR (High Dynamic Range) image using pixel values ​​of a plurality of frames through a plurality of pixels having different light-receiving durations. Background Art

[0002] Various techniques are used to improve the quality of images obtained using a camera. For example, electronic devices can use a method of synthesizing multiple frames to improve the dynamic range of an image.

[0003] There is a method of improving such a dynamic range in one frame using an image sensor including long pixels having a long light receiving duration and short pixels having a short light receiving duration. However, an image acquired through long pixels may have greater noise than an image acquired through short pixels. In addition, an image acquired through short pixels may have clipping in bright parts or black clipping in dark parts.

[0004] The above information is provided as background information only and is helpful for understanding the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above may be applied as prior art with respect to the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0005] Technical issues

[0006] Various aspects of the present disclosure are intended to at least solve the above-mentioned problems and / or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus and method for acquiring an improved HDR (high dynamic range) image using pixel values ​​of multiple frames through multiple pixels with different light receiving durations.

[0007] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

[0008] Solution to the problem

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, which includes an image sensor including a plurality of first pixels configured to receive light for a first duration and a plurality of second pixels configured to receive light for a second duration shorter than the first duration.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to sequentially acquire first raw data and second raw data from an image sensor, wherein the first raw data includes a first long pixel value acquired through a plurality of first pixels and a first short pixel value acquired through a plurality of second pixels, and wherein the second raw data includes a second long pixel value acquired through the plurality of first pixels and a second short pixel value acquired through the plurality of second pixels, and wherein third raw data is acquired based on the first raw data and the second raw data, wherein the third raw data includes a third long pixel value and a third short pixel value.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, each third long pixel value is an average value of the first long pixel value and the second long pixel value corresponding to each third long pixel value.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, each third short pixel value is a value obtained by gamma-correcting a sum of the first short pixel value and the second short pixel value corresponding to each third short pixel value among the first short pixel values ​​and the second short pixel values.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for acquiring a high dynamic range (HDR) image using an image sensor, the image sensor comprising a plurality of first pixels receiving light at a first duration and a plurality of second pixels receiving light at a second duration shorter than the first duration. The method comprises acquiring a first image through a plurality of first pixels, acquiring a second image through a plurality of second pixels, acquiring a third image through a plurality of first pixels, acquiring a fourth image through a plurality of second pixels, acquiring a fifth image using pixel values ​​of the first image and pixel values ​​of the third image, wherein each pixel value of the fifth image is an average value of a corresponding pixel value of the first image and a corresponding pixel value of the third image; acquiring a sixth image using pixel values ​​of the second image and pixel values ​​of the fourth image, wherein each pixel value of the sixth image is a value obtained by gamma-correcting the sum of a corresponding pixel value of the second image and a corresponding pixel value of the fourth image, and acquiring a seventh image using the fifth image and the sixth image.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an image sensor including a plurality of first pixels configured to receive light for a first duration and a plurality of second pixels configured to receive light for a second duration shorter than the first duration.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to sequentially acquire a first image and a second image using an image sensor, wherein the first image includes a first pixel value corresponding to a first pixel and a second pixel value corresponding to a second pixel, and wherein the second image includes a third pixel value corresponding to the first pixel and a fourth pixel value corresponding to the second pixel, combine the first pixel value and the third pixel value using a first image processing scheme to generate first composite data, combine the second pixel value and the fourth pixel value using a second image processing scheme to generate second composite data, and generate a third image using the first composite data and the second composite data, wherein the third image corresponds to a combined image of the first image and the second image.

[0016] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

[0017] Advantageous Effects of the Invention

[0018] The embodiments disclosed in this disclosure may use raw data of multiple frames to improve the dynamic range of an image.

[0019] Furthermore, various effects directly or indirectly recognized in the present disclosure can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2 is another block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 3 is a diagram showing a pixel arrangement of an image sensor of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4a is a flowchart illustrating a method for acquiring an image by an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 4b is a flowchart illustrating a method for acquiring an image by an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a process of processing raw data acquired by an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6a is a graph illustrating output pixel values ​​based on light intensity received by a second pixel of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 6b is a graph showing a sum of two pixel values ​​sequentially acquired through a second pixel based on light intensity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0029] Figure 6c is a graph showing a gamma correction value of a sum of two pixel values ​​according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to denote the same elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details that aid in understanding, but these are considered to be exemplary only. Therefore, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications, equivalents and / or substitutions may be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and configurations may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0032] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0033] It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

[0034] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a network environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] refer to Figure 1, the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 may communicate with the electronic device 102 via the first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or communicate with the electronic device 104 or the server 108 via the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include at least one processor 120, a memory 130, an input device 150, a sound output device 155, a display device 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a user identification module (SIM) 196, and / or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one component (e.g., the display device 160 or the camera module 180) may be omitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. For example, the sensor module 176 (eg, a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illumination sensor) may be implemented to be embedded in the display device 160 (eg, a display).

[0036] The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of the electronic device 101 coupled to the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, the processor 120 may load a command or data received from another component (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) into the volatile memory 132, process the command or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the resultant data in the non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)) and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)), which may operate independently of the main processor 121 or in conjunction with the main processor 121. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or be dedicated to a specific function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented independently from the main processor 121 or as a part of the main processor 121 .

[0037] The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some functions or states related to at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display device 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) instead of the main processor 121 when the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or control these functions or states together with the main processor 121 when the main processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another component (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190) that is functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

[0038] The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, input data or output data of software (e.g., the program 140) and commands related thereto. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 and / or a non-volatile memory 134. The non-volatile memory 134 may include an internal memory 136 and / or an external memory 138.

[0039] The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 , and may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142 , middleware 144 , or applications 146 .

[0040] Input device 150 may receive commands or data from outside of electronic device 101 (e.g., a user) to be used by other components of electronic device 101 (e.g., processor 120). Input device 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus).

[0041] The sound output device 155 can output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes, such as playing multimedia or playing recordings, and the receiver can be used for incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver can be implemented as a part of the speaker or as a part of the speaker.

[0042] The display device 160 can visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user). The display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and a control circuit to control a corresponding one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. According to an embodiment, the display device 160 may include a touch circuit suitable for detecting a touch, or a sensor circuit (e.g., a pressure sensor) suitable for measuring the strength of the force caused by the touch.

[0043] The audio module 170 can convert sound into an electrical signal, and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 can obtain sound via the input device 150, or output sound via the sound output device 155 or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) (e.g., a speaker of a headset) that is directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly coupled to the electronic device 101.

[0044] The sensor module 176 may detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state (e.g., a user's state) outside the electronic device 101, and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illumination sensor.

[0045] The interface 177 may support one or more designated protocols used by the electronic device 101 to couple directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high-definition multimedia (HDMI) interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital card (SD) interface, or an audio interface.

[0046] The connection terminal 178 may include a connector through which the electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the connection terminal 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0047] The haptic module 179 may convert the electrical signal into mechanical stimulation (eg, vibration or motion) or electrical stimulation, which may be recognized by the user through his sense of touch or kinesthetic sense. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0048] The camera module 180 may capture still images or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0049] The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0050] The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0051] The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102, electronic device 104, or server 108), and perform communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor 120 (e.g., an application processor (AP)) and support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a local area network or a wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communication modules can be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or can be implemented as multiple components separated from each other (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 can use the user information (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196 to identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in the communication network (e.g., the first network 198 or the second network 199).

[0052] The antenna module 197 may send or receive a signal or power to or from the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiation element composed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas. In this case, for example, the communication module 190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192) may select at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (e.g., the first network 198 or the second network 199) from a plurality of antennas. The signal or power may then be sent or received between the communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component other than the radiation element (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 197.

[0053] At least some of the above components may be coupled to each other and transmit signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purpose input output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

[0054] According to an embodiment, commands or data may be sent or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via a server 108 coupled to the second network 199. Each of the electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of the same type or a different type as the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, all or some operations to be performed at the electronic device 101 may be performed at one or more of the external electronic devices 102, 104, or 108. For example, when the electronic device 101 should automatically perform a function or service, or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of performing the function or service or in addition to performing the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may perform at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or additional service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result, whether or not the result is further processed, as at least part of the reply to the request. To this end, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technology may be used.

[0055] Figure 2 is another block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] refer to Figure 2 , the electronic device may include an image sensor 210 (eg, Figure 1 camera module 180), memory 220 (eg, Figure 1 130) and at least one processor 230 (e.g., Figure 1 processor 120).

[0057] The image sensor 210 may generate an electrical signal in response to light incident from the outside, and may generate digital image data based on the electrical signal.

[0058] The image sensor 210 may include a pixel array in which a plurality of unit pixels are arranged in two dimensions in a grid shape. The pixel array may include several to tens of millions of unit pixels, and each pixel may correspond to one of a plurality of reference colors. For example, a plurality of reference colors may include R, G, B (red, green, blue), or R, G, B and W (red, green, blue, white). The color corresponding to each pixel may be consistent with a specified pattern (e.g., a Bayer pattern). The image sensor 210 may be implemented using, for example, a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS).

[0059] According to an embodiment, the image sensor 210 may include a plurality of pixels having different light receiving durations, such as Figure 3 shown.

[0060] Figure 3 is a diagram showing a pixel arrangement of an image sensor of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 The shading pattern of each pixel in can represent the color corresponding to each pixel.

[0061] Reference Figure 3 , the image sensor 210 may include a plurality of long exposure pixels (LEPs) 310 (in Figure 3 denoted as “L” in FIG. 1 ) and a plurality of short exposure pixels (SEP) 320 (in FIG. Figure 3 denoted as “S” in the figure). The long exposure pixel 310 may be configured to receive light for a first time period (a light receiving time period of the long exposure pixel 310) in response to an input associated with image acquisition. The short exposure pixel 320 may be configured to receive light for a second time duration (a light receiving time duration of the short exposure pixel 320) that is shorter than the first time duration in response to an input associated with image acquisition. For example, the long exposure pixel 310 may receive light for approximately 1 / 60 seconds (a first time duration), while the short exposure pixel 320 may receive light for approximately 1 / 500 seconds (a second time duration). A plurality of long exposure pixels 310 and a plurality of short exposure pixels 320 may be arranged in a repeated pattern, or may be arranged in an irregular pattern. The second time duration may correspond to (be equal to) a value obtained by dividing a predetermined appropriate shutter speed by the number of first raw data and second raw data used to acquire the third raw data. The appropriate shutter speed may be determined experimentally, for example, based on the characteristics of the image sensor 210.

[0062] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the image sensor 210 may transmit raw data including pixel values ​​acquired by a plurality of long-exposure pixels and a plurality of short-exposure pixels to the processor 230 .

[0063] According to one embodiment, the image sensor 210 may include a compressor for compressing raw data. The image sensor 210 may compress the raw data using the compressor and transmit the compressed raw data to the processor 230.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the image sensor 210 may compress at least a portion of the raw data acquired sequentially, and may not compress the remaining portion thereof. For example, the image sensor 210 may compress the first raw data and transmit the compressed first raw data to the processor 230, while the image sensor 210 may not compress the second raw data acquired immediately after the first raw data and may transmit it to the processor 230. According to an embodiment, the image sensor 210 may compress all acquired raw data and transmit it to the processor 230.

[0065] Back to reference Figure 2 , the memory 220 (e.g., the memory 130) may store commands, information, or data associated with the operations of the components 210 and 230 included in the electronic device. For example, the memory 220 may store instructions that, when executed, cause the processor 230 to perform various operations described in the present disclosure.

[0066] The processor 230 (eg, the processor 120 ) may execute instructions stored in the memory 220 to perform various operations described in the present disclosure.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the processor 230 may further include a decompressor for decompressing the compressed raw data.

[0068] In the following, it can be assumed that Figure 2 Electronic equipment performs Figure 4a and Figure 4b The operations described as being performed by the electronic device may be implemented using instructions that can be executed (or run) by the processor 230 of the electronic device. The instructions may be stored in, for example, a computer recording medium or Figure 2 In the memory 220 of the electronic device shown.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the image sensor 210 of the electronic device may include a plurality of first pixels configured to receive light for a first duration and a plurality of second pixels configured to receive light for a second duration shorter than the first duration.

[0070] Figure 4a is a flowchart illustrating a method for acquiring an image through an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] refer to Figure 4aIn operation 401, the processor 230 may acquire first raw data including a first long pixel value and a first short pixel value from the image sensor 210. The first long pixel value may be acquired through a plurality of first pixels (e.g., long exposure pixels 310), and the first short pixel value may be acquired through a plurality of second pixels (e.g., short exposure pixels 320).

[0072] In operation 403, the processor 230 may acquire second original data including a second long pixel value and a second short pixel value from the image sensor 210. The second long pixel value may be obtained through a plurality of first pixels, and the second short pixel value may be obtained through a plurality of second pixels.

[0073] According to an embodiment, the processor 230 may acquire compressed first raw data in operation 401, and may acquire uncompressed second raw data from the image sensor 210 in operation 403. The processor 230 may decompress the compressed first raw data, and may perform operations 405 and 407 based on the decompressed first raw data and the second raw data.

[0074] According to an embodiment, the processor 230 may acquire compressed first original data through the image sensor 210 in operation 401, and may acquire compressed second original data in operation 403. The processor 230 may decompress the compressed first original data and the compressed second original data, and may then perform operations 405 and 407 based on the decompressed first original data and the decompressed second original data.

[0075] In operations 405 and 407 , the processor 230 may acquire third original data including a third long pixel value and a third short pixel value based on the first original data and the second original data.

[0076] In operation 405 , the processor 230 may calculate an average value of the first long pixel value and the second long pixel value to obtain a third long pixel value.

[0077] For example, each acquired third long pixel value may be an average value of a corresponding first long pixel value and a corresponding second long pixel value.

[0078] In operation 407 , the processor 230 may perform gamma correction on the sum of the first short pixel value and the second short pixel value to obtain a third short pixel value.

[0079] For example, each third short pixel value may be a value obtained by gamma-correcting the sum of a first short pixel value corresponding to each third short pixel value and a second short pixel value corresponding to each third short pixel value.

[0080] According to an embodiment, the gamma correction may be a bicubic gamma correction. The bicubic gamma correction may extract some pixel values ​​of the third short pixel value by, for example, bicubic filtering, and may perform gamma correction on the first short pixel value and the second short pixel value corresponding to the extracted some pixel values, and then bicubic interpolation may be applied thereto. Therefore, in one embodiment, the amount of calculation of the gamma correction may be reduced.

[0081] According to an embodiment, the processor 230 may perform white balance correction on the sum of the first short pixel value and the corresponding second short pixel value before gamma correction. The processor 230 may perform gamma correction on the white balance correction value, and may perform inverse white balance correction on the gamma correction value to obtain a third short pixel value. For example, the processor 230 may perform white balance correction on the sum of the first short pixel value and the corresponding second short pixel value using a predefined first parameter value, then perform gamma correction on the white balance correction value, and then perform inverse white balance correction on the gamma correction value using a predefined second parameter value. The first parameter and the second parameter may be defined to prevent white balance distortion caused, for example, by gamma correction.

[0082] In operation 409 , the processor 230 may acquire an image using third original data including third long pixel values ​​and third short pixel values.

[0083] According to an embodiment, the processor 230 may acquire an image (eg, an HDR image) by performing interpolation on the third long pixel value and the third short pixel value.

[0084] According to various embodiments, the processor 230 may further acquire the third original data based on at least one fourth original data. For example, the processor 230 may acquire the first original data and the second original data, and then may acquire the fourth original data (corresponding to at least one fourth original data), the fourth original data including the fourth long pixel value acquired from the image sensor through the plurality of first pixels and the fourth short pixel value acquired through the plurality of second pixels. The processor 230 may acquire the fifth original data (replacing the third original data) including the fifth long pixel value and the fifth short pixel value based on the first original data, the second original data, and the fourth original data. Each fifth long pixel value may be an average value of the first long pixel value, the second long pixel value, and the third long pixel value corresponding to each fifth long pixel value in the first long pixel value, the second long pixel value, and the third long pixel value. Each fifth short pixel value may be a value obtained by performing gamma correction on the sum of the first short pixel value, the second short pixel value, and the third short pixel value corresponding to each fifth short pixel value in the first short pixel value, the second short pixel value, and the third short pixel value. In this case, the second duration may be adjusted to correspond to a value obtained by dividing a predefined appropriate shutter speed by the total number of the first raw data, the second raw data, and the at least one raw data.

[0085] Figure 4b is a flowchart illustrating a method for acquiring an image through an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0086] refer to Figure 4b In operation 402, the processor 230 may acquire a first image through a first pixel (eg, a long-exposure pixel 310), and acquire a second image through a second pixel (eg, a short-exposure pixel 320).

[0087] According to an embodiment, the processor 230 may acquire first raw data including a first long pixel value and a first short pixel value through the image sensor 210. The first long pixel value may be obtained through a plurality of first pixels, and the first short pixel value may be obtained through a plurality of second pixels. The processor 230 may acquire a first image by performing interpolation on the first long pixel value. The processor 230 may acquire a second image by performing interpolation on the first short pixel value.

[0088] According to an embodiment, in operation 402, the processor 230 may acquire compressed first raw data from the image sensor 210. The processor 230 may decompress the compressed first raw data and acquire a first image and a second image using the decompressed first raw data.

[0089] In operation 404 , the processor 230 may acquire a third image through the first pixel and acquire a fourth image through the second pixel.

[0090] According to an embodiment, the processor 230 may acquire second raw data including a second long pixel value and a second short pixel value through the image sensor 210. The second long pixel value may be obtained through a plurality of first pixels, and the second short pixel value may be obtained through a plurality of second pixels. The processor 230 may acquire a third image by performing interpolation on the second long pixel value. The processor 230 may acquire a fourth image by performing interpolation on the second short pixel value.

[0091] According to an embodiment, in operation 404, the processor 230 may acquire compressed second raw data from the image sensor 210. The processor 230 may decompress the compressed second raw data and may then acquire third and fourth images using the decompressed second raw data.

[0092] In operation 406, the processor 230 may obtain a fifth image by calculating the average of the pixel values ​​of the first image and the pixel values ​​of the third image. For example, each pixel value of the fifth image may be the average of the corresponding pixel value of the first image and the corresponding pixel value of the third image.

[0093] In operation 408, the processor 230 may obtain a sixth image by gamma correcting the sum of the pixel values ​​of the second image and the pixel values ​​of the fourth image. For example, each pixel value of the sixth image may be a value obtained by gamma correcting the sum of the corresponding pixel values ​​of the second image and the corresponding pixel values ​​of the fourth image.

[0094] According to an embodiment, the gamma correction may be a bicubic gamma correction.

[0095] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 230 may perform white balance correction on the sum of the corresponding pixel values ​​of the second image and the corresponding pixel values ​​of the fourth image before gamma correction. The processor 230 may perform gamma correction on the white balance correction value, and may perform inverse white balance correction on the gamma correction value to obtain pixel values ​​of the sixth image.

[0096] In operation 410 , the processor 230 may acquire a seventh image using the fifth image and the sixth image.

[0097] According to an embodiment, the processor 230 may acquire a seventh image by applying HDR correction to the fifth image and the sixth image.

[0098] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 5 The above-described operations 401 to 407 are described again.

[0099] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing raw data acquired by an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] refer to Figure 2 , 4a In operation 401 , the processor 230 may acquire first raw data 510 including a first long pixel value and a first short pixel value from the image sensor 210 .

[0101] In operation 403 , the processor 230 may acquire second original data 520 including a second long pixel value and a second short pixel value from the image sensor 210 .

[0102] In operation 405 , the processor 230 may obtain an average value of the first long pixel value and the second long pixel value in module 540 .

[0103] In operation 407 , the processor 230 may sum the first short pixel value and the second short pixel value at module 550 , and may perform gamma correction on the sum value at module 560 .

[0104] According to an embodiment, the processor 230 may perform operation 405 and operation 407 at the same time, and may acquire the third original data 530 by performing operation 405 and operation 407 .

[0105] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 6a to 6c Processing of a pixel value acquired by a second pixel having a short light reception duration (eg, the short exposure pixel 320 ) is described.

[0106] In an embodiment, pixel values ​​processed by processor 230 for final image acquisition may be assumed to have values ​​from 0 to 1023.

[0107] Figure 6a is a graph illustrating an output pixel value based on light intensity received by a second pixel of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0108] Figure 6b is a graph showing the sum of two pixel values ​​sequentially acquired through a second pixel based on light intensity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0109] Figure 6c is a graph showing a gamma correction value of a sum of two pixel values ​​acquired through a second pixel sequence according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0110] According to an embodiment, the interface between the image sensor 210 and the processor 230 may be configured to transmit / receive parallel 10-bit data (eg, raw data). In contrast, the image sensor 210 may be configured to acquire data (pixel values) greater than 10 bits, for example, approximately 12 bits.

[0111] Reference Figure 6a , the greater the light intensity received by the second pixel, the greater the pixel value output by the second pixel. The interface may allow the pixel values ​​that the processor 230 can identify from the raw data to be clipped at 1024.

[0112] refer to Figure 6b , since the maximum value of each of the two pixel values ​​sequentially acquired by the second pixel of the image sensor 210 is 1024, the sum of the two pixel values ​​is clipped at 2048.

[0113] Since the maximum value of the pixel value that the processor 230 can process for image acquisition is 1024, the processor 230 may not use the sum value as it is. In order to use the sum, the processor 230 may perform gamma correction on the sum of the pixel values ​​so that the maximum value of the correction value is 1024.

[0114] refer to Figure 6c , the processor 230 may Figure 6b The sum of the pixel values ​​shown is gamma corrected to convert the sum into Figure 6cThe maximum value of the gamma correction value is 1024. As the light intensity increases, the correction value also increases. Therefore, the processor 230 can obtain pixel values ​​with minimized white clipping.

[0115] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 101 may include an image sensor (eg, Figure 2 image sensor 210) and at least one processor (e.g., Figure 2 The image sensor includes a plurality of first pixels (eg, Figure 3 long exposure pixel 310) and a plurality of second pixels (eg, Figure 3 The at least one processor is configured to: sequentially acquire first raw data and second raw data from the image sensor, wherein the first raw data includes first long pixel values ​​acquired through a plurality of first pixels and first short pixel values ​​acquired through a plurality of second pixels, wherein the second raw data includes second long pixel values ​​acquired through a plurality of first pixels and second short pixel values ​​acquired through a plurality of second pixels; and acquire third raw data based on the first raw data and the second raw data, wherein the third raw data includes third long pixel values ​​and third short pixel values, wherein each third long pixel value is an average value of the first long pixel values ​​and the second long pixel values ​​corresponding to each third long pixel value in the first long pixel value and the second long pixel value, wherein each third short pixel value is a value obtained by gamma correcting the sum of the first short pixel values ​​and the second short pixel values ​​corresponding to each third short pixel value in the first short pixel value and the second short pixel value.

[0116] The second duration corresponds to a value obtained by dividing a predefined appropriate shutter speed by the number of first raw data and second raw data used to acquire third raw data, wherein when the at least one processor further acquires third raw data based on at least one fourth raw data, the second duration is adjusted to correspond to a value obtained by dividing the appropriate shutter speed by the total number of the first raw data, the second raw data, and the at least one raw data.

[0117] The at least one processor may be configured to acquire an image using the third raw data.

[0118] The gamma correction may be a bicubic gamma correction.

[0119] The at least one processor can be configured to: perform white balance correction on the sum of the first short pixel value and the second short pixel value corresponding to the first short pixel value; perform gamma correction on the white balance correction value; and perform inverse white balance correction on the gamma correction value to obtain a third short pixel value.

[0120] The at least one processor may be configured to: acquire first raw data compressed using an image sensor; decompress the compressed first raw data; and acquire third raw data based on the decompressed first raw data and the second raw data.

[0121] The at least one processor may be configured to: acquire first raw data and second raw data compressed using an image sensor; decompress the compressed first raw data and second raw data; and acquire third raw data based on the decompressed first raw data and the decompressed second raw data.

[0122] In one embodiment, a method using an image sensor (e.g., Figure 2 A method for acquiring a high dynamic range (HDR) image using an image sensor 210 in the image sensor, the image sensor comprising a plurality of first pixels receiving light at a first duration and a plurality of second pixels receiving light at a second duration shorter than the first duration, the method may include: acquiring a first image through the plurality of first pixels; acquiring a second image through the plurality of second pixels; acquiring a third image through the plurality of first pixels; acquiring a fourth image through the plurality of second pixels; acquiring a fifth image using pixel values ​​of the first image and pixel values ​​of the third image, wherein each pixel value of the fifth image is an average value of a corresponding pixel value of the first image and a corresponding pixel value of the third image; acquiring a sixth image using pixel values ​​of the second image and pixel values ​​of the fourth image, wherein each pixel value of the sixth image is a value obtained by gamma correcting the sum of a corresponding pixel value of the second image and a corresponding pixel value of the fourth image; and acquiring a seventh image using the fifth image and the sixth image.

[0123] The gamma correction may be a bicubic gamma correction.

[0124] Acquisition of the sixth image may include: performing white balance correction on the sum of pixel values ​​of the second image and corresponding pixel values ​​of the fourth image; performing gamma correction on the white balance correction value; and performing inverse white balance correction on the gamma correction value to obtain pixel values ​​of the sixth image.

[0125] Acquiring the first image and the second image may include: acquiring first original data including first long pixel values ​​acquired through multiple first pixels and first short pixel values ​​acquired through multiple second pixels; and applying interpolation to the first long pixel values ​​to acquire the first image, and applying interpolation to the first short pixel values ​​to acquire the second image.

[0126] Acquisition of the third image and the fourth image may include: acquiring second original data including second long pixel values ​​acquired through multiple first pixels and second short pixel values ​​acquired through multiple second pixels; and applying interpolation to the first long pixel values ​​to acquire the first image, and applying interpolation to the first short pixel values ​​to acquire the second image.

[0127] In one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 101 in the embodiment may include: an image sensor (eg, Figure 2 The image sensor 210 in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of first pixels (eg, Figure 3 ) and a plurality of second pixels (eg, long exposure pixels 310 in FIG. 5 ) receiving light at a second duration shorter than the first duration. Figure 3 short exposure pixel 320 in the image sensor); and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: sequentially acquire a first image and a second image using the image sensor, wherein the first image includes a first pixel value corresponding to the first pixel and a second pixel value corresponding to the second pixel, and the second image includes a third pixel value corresponding to the first pixel and a fourth pixel value corresponding to the second pixel; combine the first pixel value and the third pixel value using a first image processing scheme to generate first composite data; combine the second pixel value and the fourth pixel value using a second image processing scheme to generate second composite data; and generate a third image using the first composite data and the second composite data, wherein the third image corresponds to a combined image of the first image and the second image.

[0128] The first image processing scheme may calculate an average of each first pixel value and each third pixel value.

[0129] The second image processing scheme may perform gamma correction on the sum of each second pixel value and each fourth pixel value.

[0130] The gamma correction may be a bicubic gamma correction.

[0131] The second image processing scheme may perform white balance correction on the sum of each second pixel value and each fourth pixel value, and perform gamma correction on the white balance correction value, and perform inverse white balance correction on the gamma correction value.

[0132] The image sensor can compress a first pixel value and a second pixel value, wherein at least one processor is configured to: decompress the compressed first pixel value and the second pixel value; generate first synthetic data using the decompressed first pixel value and the third pixel value; generate second synthetic data using the decompressed second pixel value and the fourth pixel value; and generate a third image using the first synthetic data and the second synthetic data, wherein the third image corresponds to a combined image of the first image and the second image.

[0133] The image sensor can compress a first pixel value, a second pixel value, a third pixel value, and a fourth pixel value, wherein at least one processor is configured to: decompress the compressed first pixel value, the second pixel value, the third pixel value, and the fourth pixel value; generate first synthetic data using the decompressed first pixel value and the decompressed third pixel value; generate second synthetic data using the decompressed second pixel value and the decompressed fourth pixel value; and generate a third image using the first synthetic data and the second synthetic data, wherein the third image corresponds to a combined image of the first image and the second image.

[0134] The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a household appliance. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to those described above.

[0135] It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to specific embodiments, but include various variations, equivalents or substitutes of the corresponding embodiments. With respect to the description of the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It should be understood that the singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "at least one of A, B or C" and "at least one of A, B or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together in a corresponding phrase. As used herein, terms such as "first" and "second" or "one" and "two" may be used to simply distinguish the corresponding component from another, and do not limit the component in other aspects (e.g., importance or order). It should be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being "coupled with another element (e.g., a second element)", "coupled to", "connected to" or "connected to" with or without the term "operably" or "communicatively", this means that the element can be coupled to the other element directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or via a third element.

[0136] As used herein, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms, such as "logic," "logic block," "portion," or "circuit." A module may be a single integral component suitable for performing one or more functions, or its smallest unit or portion. For example, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit.

[0137] The various embodiments described herein may be implemented as software (e.g., program 140), including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101). For example, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of a machine (e.g., electronic device 101) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and execute it with or without one or more other components under the control of the processor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executed by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Among them, the term "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), but the term does not distinguish between a location where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and a location where data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.

[0138] According to an embodiment, the method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product can be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product can be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., PlayStore), or distributed directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). If distributed online, at least a portion of the computer program product can be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium, such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, a server of an application store, or a relay server.

[0139] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) of the above-mentioned components may include a single entity or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-mentioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as performed by a corresponding one of the multiple components before integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, a program or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly or heuristically, or one or more operations may be performed or omitted in a different order, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0140] While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: Image sensors, including: a plurality of first pixels configured to receive light for a first duration, and a plurality of second pixels configured to receive light for a second duration that is shorter than the first duration; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: sequentially acquiring first raw data and second raw data from the image sensor, wherein the first raw data includes first long pixel values ​​acquired through the plurality of first pixels and first short pixel values ​​acquired through the plurality of second pixels, and wherein the second raw data includes second long pixel values ​​acquired through the plurality of first pixels and second short pixel values ​​acquired through the plurality of second pixels, and Acquire third original data based on the first original data and the second original data, wherein the third original data includes a third long pixel value and a third short pixel value, wherein each of the third long pixel values ​​is an average value of the first long pixel value and the second long pixel value corresponding to each of the third long pixel values, and Each of the third short pixel values ​​is a value obtained by gamma-correcting the sum of the first short pixel value and the second short pixel value corresponding to each of the third short pixel values.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second duration corresponds to a value obtained by dividing a predefined shutter speed by the number of first raw data and second raw data used to acquire the third raw data, and wherein, When the at least one processor further acquires third raw data based on at least one fourth raw data, the second duration is adjusted to correspond to a value obtained by dividing the shutter speed by a total of the first raw data, the second raw data, and the at least one fourth raw data.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to acquire an image using the third raw data. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the gamma correction is a bicubic gamma correction.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: performing white balance correction on a sum of a first short pixel value and a second short pixel value corresponding to the first short pixel value, performing gamma correction on the white balance correction value, and An inverse white balance correction is performed on the gamma correction value to obtain a third short pixel value.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: acquiring first raw data compressed using the image sensor, decompressing the compressed first original data, and The third original data is acquired based on the decompressed first original data and the second original data.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: acquiring first raw data and second raw data compressed using the image sensor, decompressing the compressed first original data and the second original data, and The third original data is acquired based on the decompressed first original data and the decompressed second original data.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the image sensor comprises: Multiple long exposure pixels (LEP); and Multiple Short Exposure Pixels (SEP).

9. A method of acquiring a high dynamic range (HDR) image using an image sensor, the image sensor comprising a plurality of first pixels receiving light for a first duration and a plurality of second pixels receiving light for a second duration shorter than the first duration, the method comprising: Acquire a first image through a plurality of first pixels; Acquire a second image through a plurality of second pixels; Acquire a third image through the plurality of first pixels; Acquire a fourth image through the plurality of second pixels; obtaining a fifth image using the pixel values ​​of the first image and the pixel values ​​of the third image, wherein each pixel value of the fifth image is an average value of a corresponding pixel value of the first image and a corresponding pixel value of the third image; obtaining a sixth image using the pixel values ​​of the second image and the pixel values ​​of the fourth image, wherein each pixel value of the sixth image is a value obtained by gamma-correcting the sum of a corresponding pixel value of the second image and a corresponding pixel value of the fourth image; and A seventh image is acquired using the fifth image and the sixth image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the gamma correction is a bicubic gamma correction.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein: Acquiring the sixth image further includes: performing white balance correction on the sum of the pixel values ​​of the second image and the corresponding pixel values ​​of the fourth image; performing gamma correction on the white balance correction value; and An inverse white balance correction is performed on the gamma correction value to obtain pixel values ​​of a sixth image.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein acquiring the first image and the second image further comprises: Acquire a first long pixel value acquired through the plurality of first pixels and a first short pixel value acquired through the plurality of second pixels; applying interpolation to the first long pixel values ​​to obtain a first image; as well as Interpolation is applied to the first short pixel values ​​to obtain a second image.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein acquiring the third image and the fourth image further comprises: Acquire a second long pixel value acquired through the plurality of first pixels and a second short pixel value acquired through the plurality of second pixels; applying interpolation to the second long pixel values ​​to obtain a third image; as well as Interpolation is applied to the second short pixel values ​​to obtain a fourth image.

Images