Apple Inc.

Elena Lamburn

Maxim W Smirnov

Oren Kerem

David R Pope

Chihsin Wu

Embodiments relate to fusion processing between two images captured with two different exposure times to generate a fused image with a higher dynamic range. An unscaled single color version of a first image is blended with another unscaled single color version of a second image to generate an unscaled single color version of the fused image. A downscaled multi-color version of the first image is blended with a downscaled multi-color version of the second image to generate a downscaled multi-color version of the fused image of a plurality of downscaled versions of the fused image. A first downscaled multi-color version of the fused image is generated by upscaling and accumulating the plurality of downscaled versions of the fused image. The first downscaled multi-color version of the fused image has a pixel resolution lower than a pixel resolution of the unscaled single color version of the fused image.

Image fusion processing module

A portable electronic device may include an image signal processor that includes a clipping circuit, a pyramid generator circuit, and an image fusion processor. The clipping circuit clips pixel values that are under-exposed or over-exposed. The pyramid generator circuit applies a filter to the pixels of the image to generate a filtered image. Some of the filtered pixels may be generated from one or more clipped pixel values. The pyramid generator circuit identifies those filtered pixels that are generated from one or more clipped pixel values and marks the identified filtered pixels with a tag. The pyramid generator circuit decimates the filtered image to generate a downscaled image, which may include one or more filtered pixels that are marked with the tags. The image fusion processor fuses the downscaled image with another image. The pixels that are marked with the tags may be disregarded in the fusion process.

Tagging clipped pixels for pyramid processing in image signal processor

Embodiments relate to two stage multi-scale processing of an image. A first stage processing circuitry generates an unscaled single color version of the image that undergoes noise reduction before generating a high frequency component of the unscaled single color version. A scaler generates a first downscaled version of the image comprising a plurality of color components. A second stage processing circuitry generates a plurality of sequentially downscaled images based on the first downscaled version. The second stage processing circuitry processes the first downscaled version and the downscaled images to generate a processed version of the first downscaled version. The unscaled single color high frequency component and the processed version of the first downscaled version of the image are merged to generate a processed version of the image.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Elena Lamburn