Dynamic transfer function for reversible encoding

Abstract

The invention provides methods and cameras that digitize scene luminance using a transfer function with a shape that can be changed during use. The transfer function may default to a logarithmic transfer function with a shape that can be changed “on-the-fly”. For example, a user may consider ambient light levels and select a transfer function with steeper or shallower initial slope to adjust what amount of variation in illumination can be encoded. A camera may include an image sensor, a processing device that receives pixel values from the image sensor, and a module on the processing device that converts the pixel values to digital values according to a transfer function, wherein the transfer function defines output digital values for corresponding input values according to a function that can be changed within the camera.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.