Omnivision Technologies, Inc.

Bae Systems Imaging Solutions Inc.

Fairchild Imaging, Inc.

Bo Mu

Alberto M Magnani

Rui Jiang

Luis Eduardo García Capel

Boyd Fowler

Andreas Suess

Menghan Guo

Stephen W Mims

Albert M Magnani

The present disclosure provides a camera system and an event-assisted image processing method. The camera system includes an image sensor, an event-based sensor, and a processing unit. The image sensor is configured to capture visual images of a targeted scene to obtain image sensing frames with a first frequency. The event-based sensor is configured to capture event data of the targeted scene to obtain event frames with a second frequency higher than the first frequency. The processing unit is configured to: receiving the image sensing frames within a predetermined time period; accumulating the event frames within the predetermined time period; generating a temporal-spatial mask indicating interested areas for the event frames; determining geometric features in the temporal-spatial masks; synchronizing the image sensing frames and the event frames at timestamps within the predetermined time period; and fusing the temporal-spatial mask with the image sensing frames to obtain a masked visual image.

Camera systems and event-assisted image processing methods

An event-based vision sensor is provided. The event-based vision sensor comprises an event-based vision sensor pixel array, an always-on row scanner, an always-on column scanner, a major row scanner and a major column scanner. The event-based vision sensor pixel array comprises a plurality of always-on pixels and a plurality of major pixels. The always-on row scanner and the always-on column scanner are for the plurality of always-on pixels. The major row scanner and the major column scanner are for the plurality of major pixels. When the event-based vision sensor is configured to be operated in an always-on mode, the plurality of major pixels are powered down, and the plurality of always-on pixels, the always-on row scanner and the always-on column scanner are in operation.

Low-power always-on event-based vision sensor

An image processing method and a device configured to implement the same are disclosed. The method comprises: obtaining optical input from a hybrid imaging device, wherein an obtained optical input comprises a first component and a second component that temporally corresponds to the first component; wherein the first component of the obtained optical input corresponds to a first temporal resolution, while the second component of the obtained optical input corresponds to a second temporal resolution higher than that of the first component; performing image restoration operation on a first subset of the first component of the obtained optical input in accordance with data from the second component of the obtained optical input; and performing image fusion operation to generate fused image data from an output of the image restoration operation and a second subset of the first component of the obtained optical input.

Image processing method and apparatus implementing the same

In some embodiments, an image sensor is provided. A signal processing unit of the image sensor is configured with executable instructions that cause the signal processing unit to perform actions comprising: reading a captured scene from a pixel array; reading a value from a test initiation register; in response to determining that the value indicates a test mode: processing the captured scene to detect a region of interest associated with the value; and providing the region of interest to a first interface for transmission to a host device; and in response to determining that the value does not indicate the test mode: analyzing the captured scene using a computer vision technique to selectively generate a signal based on the analysis of the captured scene; and selectively providing the signal to a second interface for transmission to the host device.

Privacy-preserving image sensor

An imaging system including an image sensor coupled to a controller to image an external scene is described. The controller includes logic storing instructions that when executed causes the imaging system to perform operations including capturing images, including a first image and a second image, of an external scene, and generating reduced representations of the images including a first reduced representation associated with the first image and a second reduced representation associated with the second image. The operations further include comparing the first reduced representation with the second reduced representation to determine a difference between the first image and the second image and identifying an occurrence of an occlusion affecting the image sensor imaging the external scene when the difference is greater than a threshold value.

Image sensor with on-chip occlusion detection and methods thereof

A focus method and an image sensing apparatus are disclosed. The method includes capturing, by a plurality of event sensing pixels, event data of a targeted scene, wherein the event data indicates which pixels of the event sensing pixels have changes in light intensity, accumulating the event data for a predetermined time interval to obtain accumulated event data, determining whether a scene change occurs in the targeted scene according to the accumulated event data, obtaining one or more interest regions in the targeted scene according to the accumulated event data in response to the scene change, and providing at least one of the one or more interest regions for a focus operation. The image sensing apparatus comprises a plurality of image sensing pixels, a plurality of event sensing pixels, and a controller configured to perform said method.

Event-assisted autofocus methods and apparatus implementing the same

The present invention includes an imaging apparatus that includes a two dimensional array of pixel sensors. Each pixel sensor includes a main photodiode, an autofocus photodiode, and a microlens that concentrates light onto the main photodiode and the autofocus photodiode. The imaging array of pixel sensors includes first and second autofocus arrays of pixel sensors, the pixel sensors in the first autofocus array of pixel sensors having the autofocus photodiodes positioned such that each autofocus photodiode receives light preferentially from one half of the microlens in that pixel sensor, and the pixel sensors in the second autofocus array of pixel sensors having each autofocus photodiode positioned such that each autofocus photodiode receives light preferentially from the other half of the microlens in that pixel sensor. The autofocus photodiodes can be constructed from the parasitic photodiodes associated with the floating diffusion nodes in each pixel sensor or conventional photodiodes.

Autofocus system for CMOS imaging sensors

An apparatus having a rectangular imaging array characterized by a plurality of pixel sensors and a plurality of readout lines is disclosed. The apparatus has a plurality of column processing circuits, each column processing circuit being connected to a corresponding one of the readout lines and a plurality of signal injectors, one signal injector being connected to each of the readout lines. Each signal injector causes one of a predetermined number of voltages to be coupled to that readout line. An exposure for each of the pixel sensors is determined during image recording periods. The signal injectors inject a plurality of calibration voltages into the readout lines during calibration periods, and determines a gain function of an amplifier in one of the column processing circuits by measuring an output of the amplifier for the plurality of calibration voltages, the calibration period is between the imaging recording periods.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Bo Mu