Variable Optical Lowpass Filter Control for False Color and Resolution Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging systems with Bayer coding imagers face challenges in restoring lost information, leading to reduced resolution and artifacts like false color, and adjusting lowpass filters to mitigate these issues often results in a trade-off between resolution and false color reduction.
Innovation Solution
A control apparatus and imaging apparatus that adjust the lowpass filter's characteristics based on changes in resolution and false color in multiple image data sets, using a variable optical LPF to optimize image quality by deriving appropriate set values for the filter's effect.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the effect of the lowpass filter is strengthened to reduce false color, then false color is reduced, but image quality is deteriorated due to other factors such as resolution loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a variable optical lowpass filter that can dynamically change its lowpass characteristics based on imaging conditions. The filter's degree of freedom is controlled to adjust the lowpass effect strength, allowing the system to adapt between reducing false color and maintaining resolution depending on the situation, thus resolving the contradiction between these two opposing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the lowpass filter by varying its lowpass characteristics through control signals. By adjusting parameters such as the degree of freedom of the variable optical lowpass filter, the system can optimize the balance between false color reduction and resolution preservation for different imaging scenarios.
2Manufacturing precision
If the effect of the lowpass filter is weakened to maintain resolution, then resolution is maintained, but false color increases
Solution Approach 1:
The variable optical lowpass filter provides dynamic control over the lowpass effect strength. When high resolution is prioritized, the filter's degree of freedom is adjusted to weaken the lowpass effect, thereby maintaining resolution while accepting some false color. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to respond to different imaging priorities in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the lowpass characteristics parameter of the filter, the system can shift the balance between resolution and false color reduction. The control apparatus adjusts the filter parameters based on imaging conditions and user preferences, enabling flexible optimization of the contradiction between these two quality metrics.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a fixed lowpass filter is used to reduce false color, then false color is reduced, but the filter cannot adapt to different imaging conditions and purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces a fixed lowpass filter with a variable optical lowpass filter that can dynamically adjust its characteristics. The degree of freedom of the variable filter is controlled based on imaging conditions, subject types, and user preferences, enabling the system to adapt to diverse scenarios such as portrait photography, landscape imaging, and macro photography, thus resolving the contradiction between false color reduction and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The variable optical lowpass filter serves multiple functions by adapting to different imaging conditions. It can operate in different modes (strong lowpass effect for false color reduction, weak lowpass effect for resolution preservation, or adaptive mode for balanced performance), making the imaging system versatile across various applications and eliminating the need for multiple fixed filters.
Data Source
AI summary
A control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a control apparatus that controls an imaging device including a variable optical lowpass filter and an imaging element that generates image data from light incident via the variable optical lowpass filter. This control apparatus includes a first deriving unit and a second deriving unit. The first deriving unit derives a resolution deterioration amount and a false color generation amount on the basis of a plurality of pieces of image data generated by the imaging element through driving the imaging element while changing an effect of the variable optical lowpass filter. The second deriving unit derives a set value of the variable optical lowpass filter on the basis of the resolution deterioration amount and the false color generation amount derived by the first deriving unit.