Image processing method
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsChoon Hwee Yap, John M Baron
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a method for processing an image, a scene to be captured is divided into multiple zones and statistical values for a plurality of the multiple zones are obtained. In addition, a short-exposure time and a long-exposure time from the statistical values of the plurality of zones are determined. A long-exposure frame is captured at the long-exposure time and a short-exposure frame is captured at the short-exposure time. The long-exposure frame and the short-exposure frame are combined into a combined image while correcting for motion estimated to have occurred between the long-exposure frame and the short-exposure frame, and the combined image is stored.
Claims20
A method for processing an image, said method comprising:
- imaging a scene to be captured;
- dividing the scene into multiple zones;
- obtaining statistical values for a plurality of the multiple zones;
- determining a short-exposure time and a long-exposure time from the statistical values of the plurality of zones;
- capturing a long-exposure frame at the long-exposure time;
- capturing a short-exposure frame at the short-exposure time;
- combining the long-exposure frame and the short-exposure frame into a combined image while correcting for motion estimated to have occurred between the long-exposure frame and the short-exposure frame;
- and
- storing the combined image.
An image capture apparatus comprising:
- an image sensor configured to convert light from a scene into electrical signals;
- a signal processing unit for processing the electrical signals;
- a scene dividing unit for dividing the scene into multiple zones;
- a statistics computing unit for computing independent statistical values for a plurality of the multiple zones;
- an exposure time determining unit for determining a short-exposure time and a long-exposure time from the statistical values of the plurality of zones;
- a controller for capturing a long-exposure frame at the long-exposure time and for capturing a short-exposure frame at the short-exposure time;
- a motion estimating and correcting unit for estimating motion between the long-exposure frame and the short-exposure frame and for determining a correction for the estimated motion;
- and
- a frame combining unit for combining the long-exposure frame and the short-exposure frame while applying the correction for the estimated motion to obtain a combined image.
A computer readable storage medium on which is embedded one or more computer programs, said one or more computer programs implementing a method for processing an image, said one or more computer programs comprising a set of instructions for:
- imaging a scene to be captured;
- dividing the scene into multiple zones;
- obtaining independent statistical values for a plurality of the multiple zones;
- determining a short-exposure time and a long-exposure time from the independent statistical values of the plurality of zones, said short-exposure time being selected to substantially ensure that pixel values in the zones having relatively brighter objects are not saturated nor require clipping and said long-exposure time being selected to substantially ensure that pixel values in zones having relatively darker objects are adequately exposed;
- capturing a long-exposure frame at the long-exposure time;
- capturing a short-exposure frame at the short-exposure time;
- combining the long-exposure frame and the short-exposure frame into a combined image while correcting for motion estimated to have occurred between the long-exposure frame and the short-exposure frame;
- and
- storing the combined image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.