Apparatuses, systems, and methods for managing auto-exposure of image frames depicting color-biased content
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
InventorsZhen He, Jeffrey M. DiCarlo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An illustrative apparatus may determine a color-skew metric for an image frame captured by an image capture system. The color-skew metric may be indicative of an extent to which the image frame skews to a particular color. Based on the color-skew metric and an adaptive target control function, the apparatus may determine a frame auto-exposure target. Based on the frame auto-exposure target, the apparatus may update one or more auto-exposure parameters for use by the image capture system to capture an additional image frame. Corresponding apparatuses, systems, and methods for managing auto-exposure of image frames are also disclosed.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- one or more hardware processors;
- and
- memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
- determine a color-skew metric for an image frame captured by an image capture system, the color-skew metric quantifying how much the image frame is skewed to a particular color;
- determine, based on the color-skew metric and an adaptive target control function, a frame auto-exposure target;
- and
- update, based on the frame auto-exposure target, one or more of an exposure time parameter, a shutter aperture parameter, or an illumination intensity parameter for use by the image capture system to capture an additional image frame,
- wherein the determining the color-skew metric for the image frame includes:
- determining pixel color-skew metrics for a plurality of pixels included in the image frame, the pixel color-skew metrics indicative of an extent to which the plurality of pixels skew to the particular color;
- and
- determining, based on the pixel color-skew metrics and weight values associated with the plurality of pixels, the color-skew metric for the image frame.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to:
- determine a color-skew metric for an image frame captured by an image capture system, the color-skew metric quantifying how much the image frame is skewed to a particular color;
- determine an output of an adaptive target control function given an input of the color-skew metric;
- and
- update, based on the output of the adaptive target control function, one or more of an exposure time parameter, a shutter aperture parameter, or an illumination intensity parameter for use by the image capture system to capture an additional image frame,
- wherein the determining the color-skew metric for the image frame includes:
- determining pixel color-skew metrics for a plurality of pixels included in the image frame, the pixel color-skew metrics indicative of an extent to which the plurality of pixels skew to the particular color;
- and
- determining, based on the pixel color-skew metrics and weight values associated with the plurality of pixels, the color-skew metric for the image frame.
A method comprising:
- determining, by a computing device, a color-skew metric for an image frame captured by an image capture system, the color-skew metric quantifying how much the image frame is skewed to a particular color;
- determining, by the computing device and based on the color-skew metric, a frame auto-exposure target;
- determining, by the computing device, a frame auto-exposure value;
- and
- updating, by the computing device and based on the frame auto-exposure target and the frame auto-exposure value, one or more of an exposure time parameter, a shutter aperture parameter, or an illumination intensity parameter for use by the image capture system to capture an additional image frame,
- wherein the determining the color-skew metric for the image frame includes:
- determining pixel color-skew metrics for a plurality of pixels included in the image frame, the pixel color-skew metrics indicative of an extent to which the plurality of pixels skew to the particular color;
- and
- determining, based on the pixel color-skew metrics and weight values associated with the plurality of pixels, the color-skew metric for the image frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.