Image Pickup Apparatus Chromatic Aberration Correction Pipeline

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image pickup systems face challenges in efficiently correcting chromatic and distortion aberrations while performing pixel shift processing, which increases the required buffer memory capacity and transmission band, especially when generating high-resolution images.

Innovation Solution

The system performs chromatic aberration correction in normal resolution state and then conducts pixel shift composition processing, followed by demosaicking, to reduce the necessary buffer memory capacity and transmission band, and maintains equivalent image processing regions for both normal and high-resolution processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If chromatic aberration correction and pixel shift composition are performed simultaneously in pipeline processing, then processing speed is improved, but buffer memory capacity and transmission band requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidbuffer memory capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the image processing into separate pipelines: one for chromatic aberration correction and another for pixel shift composition. This segmentation allows each pipeline to operate independently with smaller buffer memory requirements, avoiding the need to allocate large buffers for simultaneous processing of both functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs chromatic aberration correction on individual color channel images before composing them through pixel shift. By correcting aberrations in advance on separated color channels rather than simultaneously processing full-color images, the buffer memory capacity required is significantly reduced.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If chromatic aberration correction is performed on high-resolution pixel shift images, then image quality is improved, but transmission band requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidtransmission band

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image data into separate color channel images (R, G, B) and performs chromatic aberration correction on each channel independently at normal resolution. This segmentation reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and processed simultaneously, thereby reducing transmission band requirements while maintaining correction effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates and processes separate copies of color channel images for chromatic aberration correction rather than processing the full high-resolution color image. This approach allows aberration correction to be performed on simplified data representations, reducing transmission band requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If pipeline processing is used for both chromatic aberration correction and pixel shift composition, then processing efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing efficiencyVSAvoidprocessing pipeline complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements separate processing pipelines for chromatic aberration correction and pixel shift composition rather than attempting to combine them into a single complex pipeline. This segmentation of processing functions reduces overall system complexity while maintaining high processing efficiency through parallel operation of the separate pipelines.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10306164B2Image pickup apparatus, image pickup method, and recording medium having recorded image pickup program

Publication Date: 2019.05.28 OLYMPUS CORPORATION(JP)

AI summary

An image pickup apparatus includes: an image pickup device that includes pixels in a predetermined color array and is configured to be able to acquire a plurality of color array images corresponding to the color array through pixel shift; a chromatic aberration correction processing section configured to receive the plurality of color array images and to perform chromatic aberration correction processing on each of the plurality of color array images; a pixel shift composition processing section configured to perform pixel shift composition processing on the plurality of color array images that are subjected to the chromatic aberration correction processing by the chromatic aberration correction processing section, to acquire a pixel shift high-resolution image; and a demosaicking processing section configured to perform demosaicking processing on the pixel shift high-resolution image.