Eastman-Kodak Company

Robert H Hibbard

Kenneth Alan Parulski

Lionel J D'Luna

Todd A Jackson

Michael E Miller

Richard W Lourette

Peter C Fellegara

Linda M Antos

Eric Gordon Stevens

Edward J Giorgianni

Elizabeth McInerney

Michael C Moorman

Donald C Bellis, Jr

Wayne W Hintz

A camera incorporates a working memory () for storing a working image corresponding to the last captured image. The working image is displayed on a display screen () in a quick review mode of operation in response to a quick review signal entered by the camera operator via a camera control interface () to control processing circuitry () of the camera. The processing circuitry controls the display screen to keep it in an inactive state until the quick review signal is entered, and returns it to an inactive state after a predetermined time period or when the quick review signal is discontinued to conserve energy. In addition, the working image is displayed in the quick review mode regardless of whether a non-volatile memory is available in the camera or, in the case of a hybrid camera, whether a film cartridge is contained in a film chamber () of the camera.

Electronic camera with quick review of last captured image

A camera incorporates a working memory ( ) for storing a working image corresponding to the last captured image. The working image is displayed on a display screen ( ) in a quick review mode of operation in response to a quick review signal entered by the camera operator via a camera control interface ( ) to control processing circuitry ( ) of the camera. The processing circuitry controls the display screen to keep it in an inactive state until the quick review signal is entered, and returns it to an inactive state after a predetermined time period or when the quick review signal is discontinued to conserve energy. In addition, the working image is displayed in the quick review mode regardless of whether a non-volatile memory is available in the camera or, in the case of a hybrid camera, whether a film cartridge is contained in a film chamber ( ) of the camera.

In an electronic camera that can be utilized with a color filter wheel accessory for obtaining a color image composed of a sequence of red, green, and blue records, slight movement of the camera body can produce misregistration in the color records. Such misregistration can be determined by dividing the color image into a plurality of subsections, and selecting the particular subsection that meets a predetermined criterion for color neutrality, and that contains monochrome edge information suitable for correlation. The color records are brought into registration by processing the edge information of the selected subsection to determine the misregistration between the color records, and by shifting the misregistered records first by integer, and then by fractional pixel shift values.

Method for processing color image records subject to misregistration

An electronic imaging system is provided that records both motion and still video images. In a motion mode of operation, the electronic imaging system records NTSC resolution images at a standard thirty frame per second rate. In a still mode of operation, the electronic imaging system records megapixel resolution still images at a much lower frame rate. The electronic imaging system utilizes an electronic image sensor that incorporates column selective 'charge clearing' structures and column selective 'charge parking' structures. The charge clearing structures are used to selectively discard the signal charge from certain color pixels. The charge parking structures are used to sum the charge from multiple vertical pixels. The architecture of the electronic image sensor also allows different image aspect ratios to be provided for the motion and still modes described above.

Motion/still electronic image sensing apparatus

An optical blur filter having a substantially aspherical shape is used in imaging apparatus to limit high spatial frequencies incident upon an image sensor, and thereby to reduce undersampling artifacts. The filter images a circular blur pattern upon an array of nearby photosites. Due to its aspherical shape, the surface of the filter smoothly varies in relation to the field of view of a zoom lens in the apparatus so that the blur pattern maintains a substantially constant radius despite changes in the focal length of the zoom lens.

Aspherical blur filter for reducing artifacts in imaging apparatus

Adaptive interpolation is performed by apparatus operating upon a digitized image signal obtained from an image sensor having color photosites that generate a plurality of color values, but only one color per photosite. A digital processor obtains gradient values from the differences between luminance values in vertical and horizontal image directions. The gradient values are compared to a programmable threshold in order to select one of the directions as the preferred orientation for the interpolation of additional luminance values. The interpolation is then performed upon values selected to agree with the preferred orientation.

Apparatus and method for adaptively interpolating a full color image

An optical fiber array is used as a blur filter in imaging apparatus to limit high spatial frequencies incident upon an image sensor, and thereby to reduce undersampling artifacts. The optical fiber array includes optical fibers disposed in the path of incident image light at an angle to the optical axis of the sensor such that the optical fibers composing the array emit an annular pattern of light over adjacent photosites, thereby producing a blurred image. The annular pattern of light has a mean radius that remains substantially the same regardless of changes in the optical aperture of the imaging path, with only the thickness of the annular pattern changing with aperture.

Angled optical fiber filter for reducing artifacts in imaging apparatus

In an imaging system utilizing a through-the-lens phase-correlation type of autofocus system, architecture for determining absolute distance to one or more subjects to be imaged. In a preferred embodiment, the distance information is provided to means for effecting focal length adjustment so as to accomplish autocomposition of one or more of the subjects.

Method and apparatus for through-the-lens distance determination

An optical fiber array is used as a blur filter in imaging apparatus to limit high spatial frequencies incident upon an image sensor, and thereby to reduce undersampling artifacts. The optical fiber array is disposed in the path of incident image light a predetermined distance from the image sensor such that at least some of the optical fibers composing the array emit a cone of light over adjacent photosites, thereby producing a blurred image. The blurring effect can also be obtained by using a pseudo-random array of fibers, and the imaging assembly can be additionally simplified by using the fiber optic array as a protective cover plate for the sensor.

Optical fiber filter for reducing artifacts in imaging apparatus

A sensor 11 for a video camera includes a color filter array 12 of color filter elements covering a like array 14 of image sensing elements. Two fields of a video frame are provided by interlaced transfer of image signals from the sensor 11. The color filter array 12 is configured in relation to the sensor array 14 such that at least 75% of the image sensing elements are luminance-sensing (e.g., green) elements and the rest are chrominance-sensing (e.g., red and blue) elements. Furthermore, the chrominance-sensing elements of the same type (red or blue) are separated in a horizontal direction by at least three luminance-sensing (green) elements. The horizontal sampling frequency of the chrominance-sensing elements is increased by arranging horizontal lines containing the chrominance-sensing elements of the same type in staggered line pairs with the chrominance-sensing elements of one line appearing in different columns of the sensor in relation to chrominance sensing elements of the other line.

Solid state color image sensor using a field-staggered color filter

Anamorphic optics in a phase correlation autofocussing system modify the aspect ratio of separation images that are incident on a separation image signal conversion means such as a CCD array, thus enabling the autofocussing to be carried out with respect to a plurality of subjects at the extremes of a subject field.

Autofocussing system having anamorphic optics

A bar code scanner having a lens, a reflector, a sensor, and a detection unit. The lens is arranged to focus an image of a bar code to be scanned along an image path. The reflector is angled obliquely to the image path so as to reflect images at an angle to the image path. The reflector has reflector surface shaped so as to provide a plurality of reflected images of the scanned bar code, with one of the reflected image being an in-focus image and a remainder of the reflected images being out-of-focus images. The sensor is in the image path and simultaneously senses the plurality of reflected images and provides a sensor output signal corresponding to the sensed images. The detection unit is coupled to the sensor and decodes the sensor output signal and provides a bar code output signal that corresponds to the scanned bar code.

Code sensor with multi-faceted reflector for sensing plural image

The present invention involves taking a three color signal produced by an electronic color image sensor, such as the Kodak KAF-1400 sensor with a 3G CFA filter, and performing additive-type color correction processing in a linear domain suitable for performing additive-type color correction. The additive-type processing can be performed by a matrix multiplier using three 3 element correction equations. The linear color corrected signals are converted into a domain, such as the log domain, suitable for performing subtractive-type color correction. Subtractive-type color correction is performed using three 3 element correction equations, or three 9 element correction equations. The color corrected sigtnals are then converted to an appropriate format for input to a color printer. To reduce noise enhancement problems, the color correction is performed on lowpass color signals, and the color corrected lowpass signals are combined with the original high frequency color signals. To enhance the sharpness of the color print, edge enhancement is performed in a three color enhancement space using an appropriately quantized and filtered green color signal, and coring and clipping type noise removal.

Method and apparatus for improving the color rendition of hardcopy

A digital processing system is described for processing luminance and chrominance signals from a single, multi-color image sensor. By concentrating signal improvements and corrections into an application-dependent post-processing phase, the pre-processing functions are isolated in a signle, generic pre-processor integrated circuit that provides fully interpolated color signals in a real-time system by utilizing a fully pipelined architecture. The pre-processor circuit separates luminance and chrominance interpolation so as to operate partly in quantized linear space and partly in quantized logarithmic space. The image signals are processed in a black reference clamp, a defect concealment circuit and a color separation and luminance interpolation circuit in linear space, using right shifts and additions to approximate predetermined multiplications. The signals are then transformed into hue signals and processed in log space for white balance and chroma (hue) interpolation. With the log green signal separately adjusted for gain, quantized red, green and blue signals are output from the pre-processor integrated circuit.

Real-time digital processor for producing full resolution color signals

The circuit includes a cascaded array of digital circuit blocks that together implement a matrix multiplication in each channel of a color video signal processing system. Each circuit block includes two registers for multiplying or dividing two input digital signals by respective powers of two according to programmable bit shifts. The resultant signals are arithmetically combined according to a programmable arithmetic function to provide an output signal. By mask programming the arithmetic function and the bit lenghts of the shifts for each block and by cascading the programmed blocks, the multipler coefficients of the matrix are established and the output signal represents a specified color matrix operation.

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Fairport, NY, United States of America

Robert H Hibbard