Image demosaicing method utilizing directional smoothing

Abstract

A method for operating a data processing system to generate a full color image from a partially sampled version of the image. The full color image includes a first two-dimensional array of vectors having components representing the intensity of a pixel in the full color image in a corresponding spectral band at a location determined by the location of the vector in the first two-dimensional array. The method generates the first two-dimensional array from a two-dimensional array of scalars. Each scalar determines one of the first, second, or third intensity values at a corresponding location in the two-dimensional array of vectors. The method determines the remaining ones of the first, second, and third intensity values. The method starts by assigning a value to each one of the components of the vectors in the first two-dimensional array of vectors that is not determined by one of the scalars. A luminance image and first and second chrominance images are then generated from the first two-dimensional array of vectors. The chrominance images are filtered with an isotropic low-pass spatial filter to generate filtered chrominance images. The two-dimensional array of vectors is then regenerated from the luminance image and the first and second filtered chrominance images. The scalars that are originally given by the sensors are reset in the regenerated two-dimensional array of vectors. The decomposition, filtering, resetting, and regenerating steps are iterated to provide the final full-color image. In the preferred embodiment, the luminance image is also filtered. However, the filtering of the luminance image utilizes a low-pass spatial filter having an anisotropy that varies with location in the luminance image.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.