Image Processing Device Unifying Photoelectric Conversion for Dynamic Range Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image processing technologies for image pickup apparatuses often result in degraded images due to differences in space frequency between central and peripheral parts of a subject image, and inconsistencies in photoelectric conversion characteristics, leading to incomplete dynamic range compression and interpolation issues.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and method that unify photoelectric conversion characteristics, perform optical correction by interpolating distorted image data, and dynamically compress the image data's range by extracting illumination components based on space frequency, ensuring uniform resolution and consistent photoelectric conversion across the image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If dynamic range compression is applied to image data with different space frequencies from central and peripheral parts, then compression is performed, but image data corresponding to some part may be compressed while other part remains uncompressed depending on image pickup position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies optical correction processing before dynamic range compression to pre-unify the space frequency characteristics across the image. By correcting lens distortion and standardizing resolution distribution in advance, the subsequent compression processing can uniformly handle all image data regardless of pickup position, eliminating the problem of partial compression.
2Ease of operation
If correction processing is applied to image sensor with two kinds of photoelectric conversion characteristics, then interpolation is performed, but pixels having different photoelectric conversion characteristics may be subjected to linear interpolation resulting in output image data with different characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent unifies the photoelectric conversion characteristics of pixels with different characteristics (linear and logarithmic) before performing interpolation processing. By converting all pixel data to a common characteristic basis, the interpolation operation produces consistent output across all pixels, eliminating the problem of mixed characteristics in the final image data.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple photoelectric conversion characteristics are used in image pickup section, then dynamic range is increased, but inconsistencies in photoelectric conversion characteristics lead to incomplete processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of photoelectric conversion characteristics by unifying multiple different characteristics into a single characteristic before subsequent processing. This parameter transformation enables complete and consistent processing while preserving the ability to capture both bright and dark areas through the initial multi-characteristic sensor design.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing device includes a corrector for performing an optical correction of correcting a distortion of an image by interpolating image data of the distorted picked-up image resulting from an optical characteristic of an image pickup section, and locally changing a resolution of the image; and a compressor for performing a dynamic range compression of compressing a dynamic range of the image data by extracting an illumination component from the image data based on a space frequency of the image, and compressing the extracted illumination component, wherein the compressor performs the dynamic range compression with respect to image data of an after-correction-image to be obtained after the optical correction is performed by the corrector.