Hybrid Monochrome Color Sensor Pixel Array for Accurate Color Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bayer pattern image sensor pixel arrays fail to accurately capture images of predominantly red, green, or blue scenes due to the limitations of the gray world algorithm, which assumes equal pixel values across colors, leading to incorrect color correction and output errors, such as an 'all red' scene being processed as 'all white'.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array with a subset of monochrome pixels and a subset of color pixels, utilizing a color correction processing module that determines color scale values and applies specific white balance algorithms based on the dominant color in the scene, allowing for accurate color correction by distinguishing between multicolor, red, green, and blue tones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a gray world algorithm is used for color correction, then processing is simple and fast, but color accuracy fails in predominantly red, green, or blue scenes
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between different color correction algorithms based on scene analysis. It starts with a gray world algorithm for fast processing, then analyzes the scene using monochrome pixels to detect dominant colors, and selectively applies white balance correction only when needed. This dynamic approach maintains high processing speed while improving color accuracy for predominantly colored scenes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the processing parameters adaptively by detecting scene characteristics. When monochrome pixels indicate a predominantly red, green, or blue scene, the system changes from using the gray world algorithm to applying white balance correction, thereby adjusting the color correction parameters based on actual scene conditions rather than using a fixed approach.
2Measurement precision
If a hybrid monochrome and color pixel array is used, then color correction accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image sensor is segmented into two functional subsets: monochrome pixels for scene analysis and color pixels for image capture. This segmentation allows the system to use monochrome pixels exclusively for detecting dominant scene colors and determining whether white balance correction is needed, while color pixels handle the actual color image capture, thereby improving color correction accuracy without requiring all pixels to be complex color sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
Monochrome pixels serve as an intermediary between the scene and the color correction processing. These pixels provide intermediate information about scene luminance and dominant color without the complexity of full color sensors, enabling the system to make informed decisions about color correction needs before processing the color image data.
3Measurement precision
If white balance correction is always applied, then color accuracy improves for colored scenes, but processing errors occur in multicolor scenes
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from monochrome pixel analysis to control the application of white balance correction. By continuously monitoring scene characteristics through monochrome pixels and using this feedback to determine whether white balance correction should be applied, the system avoids erroneous correction in multicolor scenes while ensuring accurate correction in predominantly colored scenes.
Solution Approach 2:
The white balance correction application is made dynamic rather than static. The system adjusts its correction strategy in real-time based on scene analysis results, applying correction only when the scene is determined to be predominantly red, green, or blue, and skipping correction when the scene contains multiple colors, thereby improving processing reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an imaging terminal comprising a hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array having a first subset of pixels provided by color pixels having color filter elements and a second subset of pixels provided by monochrome pixels without color filter elements. The terminal can be operative to capture a frame of image data including monochrome image data representative of light incident on the monochrome pixels and color image data representative of light incident on the color pixels. The terminal can be operative to activate a color correction processing module that utilizes the monochrome color image data.