Megachips Corporation

Junji Moriguchi

Hiromu Hasegawa

Provided are a pixel interpolation apparatus, imaging apparatus, program, and integrated circuit that appropriately perform pixel interpolation on an image signal obtained by a single-chip image sensor with a four-color array filter whatever array pattern the four-color array filter has. An imaging apparatus includes an imaging circuitry, a signal processing circuitry, and a pixel interpolation processing circuitry. The apparatus calculates a degree of correlation for pairs in two orthogonal directions for an image signal obtained by the imaging circuitry including a single-chip image sensor having a four-color array filter using pixel data in an area around a target pixel, and performs pixel interpolation using the correlation degree as a determination criterion. When a color component pixel with a color identical to a color of a color component pixel subjected to pixel interpolation is not located in the direction having the high correlation, the pixel interpolation apparatus obtains a change ratio in a direction orthogonal to the direction having the high correlation by using a pixel value resulting from color space conversion in the direction orthogonal to the direction having the high correlation, and performs pixel interpolation processing based on the change ratio.

Pixel interpolation apparatus, imaging apparatus, pixel interpolation processing method, and integrated circuit

A pixel interpolation processing apparatus and an image capturing apparatus are provided that are capable of performing a pixel interpolation process properly even when the pattern of color filter array is unknown. An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit having a single-chip image sensor having four-color filter array for obtaining an image signal, and the imaging apparatus uses pixel data for a surrounding area around a target pixel to calculate a plurality of sets of correlation values in two directions orthogonal to each other, and determines the correlation direction based on these correlation values. The imaging apparatus obtains first to fourth color component pixel values for the target pixel relying on the fact that the high-frequency components of pixel signals in a direction orthogonal to a direction with high correlation have high correlation regardless of the color of color filters, thus allowing for performing pixel interpolation processing properly even if the four colors of color filters are unknown.

Pixel interpolation processing apparatus, imaging apparatus, interpolation processing method, and integrated circuit

An image capture apparatusincludes an image capture unit C, a signal processor unit C, and a pixel interpolation unit. In the image capture apparatus, with respect to an image signal captured by the image capture unit Cwhich includes a single image sensor having three-color filters in arbitrary colors, a plurality of pairs of correlation degrees of two directions which are perpendicular to each other are obtained using image data of pixels provided around an observed pixel, and a pixel interpolation process is carried out using the correlation degrees as a reference for determination. Then, in the image capture apparatus, even if a color component pixel in the same color as a color component pixel on which the pixel interpolation process is to be carried out is not provided in a direction where there is strong correlation, a rate of change in a direction perpendicular to the direction where there is strong correlation is obtained using a pixel value which is obtained though color space conversion in the direction perpendicular to the direction where there is strong correlation. Thus, a pixel interpolation process is carried out based on the obtained rate of change.

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Osaka, Japan

Junji Moriguchi