# US 2017/0287141 A1 · Macropixel processing system, method and article > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0287141 A1 - Document ID: US20170287141A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/089,077 - Filed: 2016-04-01 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-01 - Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Grenoble 2) SAS - Applicants: STMicroelectronics (Grenoble 2) SAS - Inventors: Mathieu Thivin; Stephane Drouard - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170287141A1 ## CPC - H04N 1/00: Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof - G06T 1/20: Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining - G06T 7/20: Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) - H04N 1/6005: {with luminance or chrominance signals, e.g. LC1C2, HSL or YUV} - H04N 23/86: for controlling the colour saturation of colour signals, e.g. automatic chroma control circuits - G06T 2200/28: involving image processing hardware - H04N 23/88: for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract Digital image processing circuitry converts images in a color filter array (CFA) color space to images in a luminance-chrominance (YUV) 4:2:0 color space, and the images in the YUV 4:2:0 color space are processed by the digital image processing circuitry in the YUV 4:2:0 color space, for example, to apply noise filtering, etc. The converting includes simultaneously receiving pixel data defining a macro-pixel in the CFA color space. The processing in the YUV color space is applied on a macro-pixel level to the macro-pixel of the image in the YUV color space. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: converting, using image processing circuitry, a macro-pixel defined in a first color space to a macro-pixel defined in a luminance-chrominance YUV 4:2:0 color space, wherein a macro-pixel comprises at least two pixel rows and at least two pixel columns and the converting includes simultaneously receiving pixel data defining the macro-pixel in the first color space; and applying, on a macro-pixel level and using the image processing circuitry, at least one operation to the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space is defined by two chrominance components and four luminance components. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one operation includes an operation applying luminance noise reduction processing to the four luminance components of the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space in a single clock cycle of the image processing circuitry. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the first color space is a color filter array (CFA) color space. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein the first color space is a Bayer color space. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one operation applied on a macro-pixel level to the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space includes at least one of: luminance noise reduction; chrominance noise reduction; matrixing operations; cropping; scaling; brightness and saturation operations; sharpening; and post decoding deblocking. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein an operation of the at least one operation applied to the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space is applied in a single clock cycle of the image processing circuitry. ### Claim 8 A device, comprising: conversion circuitry configured to convert a macro-pixel defined in a first color space to a macro-pixel defined in a luminance-chrominance (YUV) 4:2:0 color space, wherein the macro-pixel comprises at least two pixel rows and at least two pixel columns and the conversion circuitry simultaneously receives pixel data defining the macro-pixel in the first color space; and YUV processing circuitry configured to perform at least one operation on the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space, wherein each operation of the at least one operation is applied on a macro-pixel level. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space is defined by two chrominance components and four luminance components. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The device of claim 9 wherein the at least one operation includes an operation applying luminance noise reduction processing to the luminance components of the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein the first color space is a color filter array (CFA) color space. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 wherein the CFA color space is a Bayer color space. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein the at least one operation performed on a macro-pixel level on the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space includes at least one of: luminance noise reduction; chrominance noise reduction; matrixing operations; cropping; scaling; brightness and saturation operations; sharpening; and post decoding deblocking. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein an operation of the at least one operation is applied to the macro-pixel in a single clock cycle of the YUV processing circuitry. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, comprising: a bus system configured to transport macro-pixels defined in the YUV 4:2:0 color space as macro-pixels between the conversion circuitry and the YUV processing circuitry and to transport macro-pixels defined in the YUV 4:2:0 color space as macro-pixels within the YUV processing circuitry. ### Claim 16 A system, comprising: one or more image capture devices, which, in operation, capture digital images; and digital image processing circuitry, which, in operation: converts, using image processing circuitry, a macro-pixel defined in a first color space to a macro-pixel defined in a luminance-chrominance YUV 4:2:0 color space, wherein the macro-pixel comprises at least two pixel rows and at least two pixel columns and the converting includes simultaneously receiving pixel data defining the macro-pixel in the first color space; and applies, on a macro-pixel level and using the image processing circuitry, at least one operation to the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space is defined by two chrominance components and four luminance components. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the first color space is a color filter array (CFA) color space. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having contents which cause digital image processing circuitry to process digital images by: converting a macro-pixel defined in a first color space to a macro-pixel defined in a luminance-chrominance YUV 4:2:0 color space, wherein the macro-pixel comprises at least two pixel rows and at least two pixel columns and the converting includes simultaneously receiving pixel data defining the macro-pixel in the first color space; and applying, on a macro-pixel level, at least one operation to the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space is defined by two chrominance components and four luminance components and the first color space is a Bayer color space. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the at least one operation includes an operation applying luminance noise reduction processing to the four luminance components of the macro-pixel in the YUV 4:2:0 color space in a single clock cycle of the digital image processing circuitry.