Signal Processing Device for Low Noise Image Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In low light intensity environments, image capturing devices produce luminance signals with significant noise components due to the mixing of visible and infrared signals, making it difficult to obtain clear images.
Innovation Solution
A signal processing device that includes a noise reduction section to remove noise from invisible light and luminance signals, and an image signal generation section that adjusts these signals while maintaining their ratio, generating low noise image signals by using the adjusted luminance and color difference signals based on the noise-reduced invisible light and luminance signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If visible light signal is mixed with infrared signal to generate luminance signal in low light environment, then image capturing capability is improved, but noise component increases making clear image difficult to obtain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the luminance signal processing into multiple stages: first generating a preliminary luminance signal by mixing visible and infrared signals, then separately processing this signal through noise reduction algorithms to remove noise components while preserving image quality. This segmentation allows independent optimization of signal mixing and noise removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary noise reduction processing on the luminance signal before final image generation. By applying noise reduction algorithms in advance to the mixed luminance signal, the system prepares a cleaner signal that maintains the benefits of infrared mixing while minimizing noise impact on the final image.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If noise reduction processing is applied to luminance signal, then noise component is reduced, but image clarity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality processing by adapting noise reduction strength to different regions of the image. Areas with high frequency content (edges, details) receive less aggressive noise reduction to preserve clarity, while uniform areas receive stronger noise reduction. This region-adaptive approach maintains image clarity while effectively removing noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts noise reduction parameters based on local image characteristics such as gradient magnitude, texture complexity, and frequency content. By changing processing parameters adaptively across different image regions, the system removes noise while preserving important image details and clarity.
Data Source
AI summary
To generate a low noise image signal, even in image capturing in a low light intensity environment. In a signal processing device of an image capturing device; a noise reduction section removes noise from one of an invisible light signal and a color difference signal and from a luminance signal, and generates a group of signals from which noise is removed; and an image signal generation section generates an image signal including an adjusted luminance signal and an adjusted color difference signal at a ratio that is substantially equal to a ratio between the luminance signal and the color difference signal by adjusting the luminance signal and the color difference signal, and generates one of the adjusted luminance signal and the adjusted color difference signal based on the invisible light signal and the group of signals from which the noise is removed.