Processing of color signals in a color camera

Abstract

A method for processing analog color signals includes analog preprocessing sensor output signals to obtain analog preprocessed signals that cause a reduced amount of digital quantizatlon errors; converting the analog preprocessed signals into digital signals; reconstructing a first basic color signal, a second basic color signal, and a third basic color signal from the digital signals, and correcting the basic color signals, in which a three color signal matrix containing the first, second and third basic color signals is multiplied by a correction matrix containing coefficients that depend on the analog preprocessing. The analog preprocessing may include a white balance adjustment or the horizontal sum values of the correction matrix are adjusted to one for horizontal sum values larger than one, with the analog preprocessing comprising a corresponding multiplication in the analog preprocessing. A color camera includes an RGB Bayer sensor for generating the sensor output signals, and the above-mentioned processing device.