Device for Image Processing with Recognition and Selection of Light Sources

An electronic device for image processing generating an output image from an input image, the two images being composed of pixels, the input image originating from a first video sensor and representative of a scene having at least one discrete light source, said input image having a first representation of said discrete light source, the output image having a second representation of said discrete light source, said electronic device comprising

• first electronic unit for improving contrast making it possible to provide on the basis of the input image an image with better contrast;
• second electronic unit for selection making it possible to provide on the basis of the image with better contrast a filtered image now having only at least a first set of pixels whose electronic level is situated above a first threshold, said first set corresponding to the representation of at least one potential light source;
• electronic likelihood estimation unit, making it possible to provide on the basis of the first set of pixels of the filtered image an estimated image having a second set of pixels, said second set corresponding to the representation of estimated light sources, the distributions of the pixels of the representation of the estimated sources corresponding to bidimensional mathematical functions;
• with each representation of estimated light source there being associated a likelihood probability;
• third electronic unit for validation providing on the basis of the estimated image the final image, said image containing a representation of the estimated light source if the associated likelihood probability is greater than a second threshold.