Fujifilm Corporation

Chugai Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisha

Noriko Kawamura

Kenkichi Hayashi

Seiji Tanaka

Tomoyuki Kawai

Takashi Aoki

Hiroshi Endo

Kazuki Inoue

Hidekazu Kurahashi

Yoichi Iwasaki

Hisashi Endo

Tetsuro Ashida

Takehiro Kouguchi

Tomoki Inoue

Hirofumi Horii

Yoshinori Furuta

Yasushi Murakami

Issei Suzuki

Masayuki Takahira

Masuo Koizumi

Masamitsu Honda

Takashi Dan

Yoshikazu Hinohara

Akinori Kawamura

Shoko Takishima

Hideaki Nagai

Hideki Nakano

Yoshio Takagaki

Kousuke Takahashi

An image processing method according to an aspect of the present invention includes acquiring a mosaic image composed of pixels of a first color that contributes most to acquisition of a luminance signal among three colors for pixels, and pixels of second colors other than the first color, a first color image corresponding to pixels of the first color and a second color image corresponding to pixels of the second colors having respective different frequency ranges that are reproducible; extracting a region containing a spatial frequency at which the second color image is not reproducible while the first color image is reproducible, in an entire image area corresponding to the mosaic image; and reducing a chroma of an image corresponding to that region in an image acquired by demosaic processing on the mosaic image.

Image processing device, method, recording medium and imaging device

According to a color imaging element and an imaging device of the present invention, it is possible to simplify processing in a subsequent stage compared to the case of a random array, improve reproduction precision of de-mosaic processing in a high frequency range, facilitate de-mosaic processing as a result of increase in types of peripheral colors, discern a direction with high correlation between a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, and suppress aliasing upon de-mosaic processing.

Color imaging element and imaging device

The color imaging element and the imaging device according to the present invention can improve reproduction precision of demosaicing processing in a high frequency region and suppress aliasing. Further, the color imaging element can achieve high resolution by reducing occurrence of color moire (false color). Furthermore, the color imaging element and the imaging device can perform pixel demosaicing processing with high precision. Still furthermore, a basic array pattern including a square pattern and a grating filter line is repeated in a first direction and a second direction, and thus a color filter array can perform signal processing in a subsequent stage according to a repeating pattern of the square pattern and the grating filter line, and can simplify the processing in a subsequent stage more than a conventional random array.

In the present invention, effective thinned reading is performed when using an imaging device provided with a color filter other than a Bayer array. This imaging device () is provided with: an imaging element () containing a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arrayed in a first and second direction; a color filter, wherein a basic array pattern resulting from a first and second filter being disposed in a predetermined pattern of N&#xd7;M pixels and the first and second filter being disposed in a first and second direction is disposed repeatedly, and the first filter is disposed in a first-third direction in the color filter; a line image data generation means that, from the imaging element (), reads the pixel signals of a plurality of pixels at a set cycle, and from the read pixel signals, generates line image data comprising pixel signals of pixels arrayed along the second direction and arrayed in an (N+k) line cycle in the first direction among the plurality of pixels; and an image data generation means that generates image data on the basis of the line image data.

Imaging device, method for controlling imaging device, and storage medium storing a control program where a basic color filter array pattern is repeated to reduce false color generation when image is thinned

In the color imaging element and the imaging device according to an aspect of the present invention, a basic array pattern is repeatedly placed in a first direction and in a second direction, the basic array pattern includes four or more rectangular patterns each corresponding to 3&#xd7;2 pixels each composed of a first filter, a color filter array includes therein grating filter lines surrounding the four directions of the rectangular pattern, the color filter array includes therein the first filters each disposed in each line in the first direction, in the second direction, in a third direction, and in a fourth direction, and the basic array pattern includes therein one or more second filters of each color, each disposed in each line in the first direction in the second direction.

An AF evaluation value is computed with excellent precision. An imaging apparatus () includes: an image pickup device () including plural photoelectric conversion elements arrayed in a first direction and a second direction; a color filter having repeatedly disposed basic array patterns that each include plural array lines that each run along the second direction and include in the second direction at least one of each of a first filter or second filters with the plural array lines including plural matching array lines in which the second direction positions of the first filter match each other and including at least one array line that has a different array of the first filters in the second direction to that of the matching array lines; and an image processing section () that reads pixel signals of the plurality of pixels at a set cycle from the image pickup device (), and, from the read pixel signals, generates line image data of the matching array lines in the base array pattern, sums together pixels of the first color out of the generated line image data, generates pixel data based on the line image data that has been pixel summed, and computes an evaluation value for contrast AF based on the generated image data.

Imaging device, method for controlling imaging device, and storage medium storing a control program

A large difference in exposure timing is prevented from arising in cases in which plural pixels have a common amplifier, even when image data is read by thinning An imaging apparatus () includes: an image pickup device () including plural photoelectric conversion elements arrayed in first and second directions; an amplification means that treats (K&#xd7;L) pixels as respective common pixels and amplifies an image capture signal for each of the common pixels; a color filter that is provided with a repeatedly disposed basic array pattern or first and second filters placed in a predetermined pattern of (N&#xd7;M) pixels; and an image processing section () and a drive section () that perform charge sweeping by applying sequential shutter pulses to the image pickup device () in turn to each pixel, or to each scan line, or to each of plural pixels on a scan line, that read pixel signals of the plural pixels at a set cycle, that, from the read pixel signals, generate line image data of pixels that are arrayed running along the second direction at a cycle of from K pixels to N pixels in the first direction, and that generate image data based on the line image data.

Efficient thinned reading is performed in a case in which an image pickup device equipped with a color filter having an array different from a Bayer array is employed. An imaging apparatus () includes: an image pickup device () containing plural photoelectric conversion elements arrayed in first and second directions; a color filter having a repeatedly disposed basic array pattern of array lines that include the first and second filters in the second direction, and include a plurality of matching array lines that have the same array as each other along the second direction, and at least one array line that has a different array for the first or second filters in the second direction to that of the matching array lines; and an image processing section () that reads pixel signals of the plural pixels at a set cycle from the image pickup device (), generates line image data for each of the matching array lines in the basic array pattern from out of the plural pixels, and sums together pixels that are the same color pixel as each other in the generated line image data, and generates image data based on the line image data that has been pixel summed.

An imaging apparatus includes a solid-state imaging device that has a plurality of pairs of a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element, which have different spectral sensitivity characteristics, respectively. A wavelength range where the first photoelectric conversion element of each pair mainly has a spectral sensitivity and a wavelength range where the second photoelectric conversion element of the pair mainly has a spectral sensitivity fall within wavelength ranges of specific colors of visible light respectively. The plurality of pairs include a plurality of types of pairs having different specific colors. A half-width in a spectral sensitivity characteristic of the second photoelectric conversion element of each pair is wider than a half width in a spectral sensitivity characteristic of the first photoelectric conversion element of the pair.

Imaging apparatus and imaging method

An image capturing element is provided with: a color filter in which a basic arrangement pattern having first and second arrangement patterns arranged to be symmetrical about a point is repeated. The first arrangement pattern comprises first filters arranged on pixels in 2&#xd7;2 arrangement located at the upper-left portion and a pixel located at the lower-right in a 3&#xd7;3 pixel square arrangement, second filters arranged on the center and lower end lines in the vertical direction of the square arrangement, and third filters arranged on the center and right lines in the horizontal direction of the square arrangement. The second arrangement pattern comprises the first filters having the same arrangement as in the first arrangement pattern, and the second filters and the third filters having the arrangements interchanged with each other compared to the arrangements in the first arrangement pattern.

Color imaging element, imaging device, and storage medium storing an imaging program

An imaging apparatus includes a solid-state imaging device and a driving unit. The solid-state imaging device has a plurality of pairs of first and second photoelectric conversion elements having different spectral sensitivity characteristics. The driving unit independently controls an exposure time of a first group of the plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements and an exposure time of a second group of the plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements. A wavelength range where the first photoelectric conversion element of each pair mainly has a spectral sensitivity and a wavelength range where the second photoelectric conversion element of each pair mainly has spectral sensitivity fall within the respective wavelength ranges of specific colors of visible light. A half width in the spectral sensitivity characteristic of each first photoelectric conversion element is wider than a half width in the spectral sensitivity characteristic of each second photoelectric conversion element of the pair.

Imaging apparatus and method of driving solid-state imaging device

An image pickup device includes: a color filter having repeatedly disposed basic array patterns configured with first and second array patterns disposed symmetrically about a point, wherein the first array pattern has a first filter placed at the 4 corner and center pixels of a 3&#xd7;3 pixel square array, a second filter placed in a line at the horizontal direction center of the square array, and a third filter placed in a line at the vertical direction center of the square array, and the second array pattern has the same placement of the first filter as the first array pattern and has placement of the second filter and placement of the third filter swapped over to that of the first array pattern; and phase difference detection pixels placed at positions corresponding to the first filter at a top and bottom edge sides in the array pattern.

Interpolation precision of phase difference detection pixels is raised. An image pickup device includes: a color filter disposed with a repeating basic array pattern configured by 3&#xd7;3 pixel square arrays of a first array pattern and a second array pattern disposed symmetrically about a point; a first phase difference detection pixel that is placed at a position of a pixel corresponding to 1 corner portion out of the 4 corner portions of at least one array pattern in 1 pair of the first array pattern and the second array pattern out of 2 pairs of the first array pattern and the second array pattern configuring the basic array pattern; and a second phase difference detection pixel that is placed at a position of a pixel corresponding to 1 corner portion out of the 4 corner portions in the array pattern, out of the first array pattern.

Color imaging element, imaging device, and storage medium storing a control program for imaging device

The precision of phase difference AF control is raised. An image pickup device includes a color filter that is provided with repeatedly disposed basic array patterns configured with a first array pattern and a second array pattern disposed symmetrically about a point, wherein the first array pattern includes a first filter placed over 2&#xd7;2 pixels at the top left and a pixel at the bottom right of a 3&#xd7;3 square array, a second filter placed over a right end pixel of a vertical direction center line of the square array and over a left end pixel a lower edge line, and a third filter placed over a pixel at the right end of the vertical direction upper edge line of the square array and over a center pixel of the lower edge line, and the second array pattern has the same placement of the first filter as that in the first array pattern and has a placement of the second filter and a placement of the third filter swapped over therefrom; and phase difference detection pixels that are placed at positions corresponding to 2 pixels that are adjacent in the horizontal direction out of the 2&#xd7;2 pixels of at least one side of the upper side or lower side disposed first and second array patterns out of the 2 first array patterns and the 2 second array patterns configuring the basic array pattern.

An image pickup device includes: a color filter having basic array patterns with first and second array patterns disposed symmetrically, wherein the first array pattern has a first filter at the 4 corner and center pixels of a 3&#xd7;3 pixel square array, a second filter in a line at the horizontal direction center of the square array, and a third filter placed in a line at the vertical direction center of the square array, and the second array pattern has the same placement of the first filter as the first array pattern and has placement of the second filter and placement of the third filter swapped to that of the first array pattern; and phase difference detection pixels placed on pixels corresponding to positions of centers of at least 1 pair of patterns out of 2 pairs of the first array pattern and the second array pattern.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Noriko Kawamura