US 8,026,964 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for correcting defective imager pixels

AssigneeAptina Imaging Corporation

InventorsNathan Walter, Sachin Datar

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A method and apparatus for correcting defective pixel signals, wherein pixel signals are corrected in accordance with correction information associated with operating conditions under which an image is acquired. A method for acquiring and storing correction information in an imager device is also provided.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method of operating an imager device comprising:

with a plurality of pixels, capturing an image using an exposure condition;
with the plurality of pixels, generating corresponding pixel signals;
with a correction control circuit, receiving the pixel signals, pixel address signals associated with the plurality of pixels, and the exposure condition;
with the correction control circuit, retrieving pixel correction information from memory, wherein the pixel correction information includes entries for each of the plurality of pixels, each entry including (1) a pixel address, (2) a condition selected from the group consisting of:
a never repair condition, a conditional repair condition, and an always repair condition, and (3) a correction scheme;
with the correction control circuit, determining how to correct each pixel using the pixel address for that pixel and the corresponding entry in the pixel correction information;
in response to determining with the correction control circuit that the entry in the pixel correction information for a given pixel corresponds to the never repair condition, leaving the given pixel unrepaired by a pixel correction processor;
in response to determining with the correction control circuit that the entry in the pixel correction information for the given pixel corresponds to the always repair condition, repairing the given pixel using the pixel correction processor and the correction scheme for that entry in the pixel correction information, wherein repairing the given pixel with the pixel correction processor using the correction scheme for that entry comprises performing correction actions that depend on the exposure condition;
and
in response to determining with the correction control circuit that the entry in the pixel correction information for the given pixel corresponds to the conditional repair condition, repairing the given pixel with the pixel correction processor using the correction scheme for that entry to produce a corrected pixel signal, wherein repairing the given pixel with the pixel correction processor using the correction scheme for that entry comprises performing correction actions that depend on the exposure condition.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method of operating an imager device comprising:

with a plurality of pixels, capturing an image using an exposure condition;
with the plurality of pixels, generating corresponding pixel signals;
with a correction control circuit, receiving the pixel signals, pixel address signals associated with the plurality of pixels, and the exposure condition;
with the correction control circuit, retrieving pixel correction information from memory, wherein the pixel correction information includes entries for each of the plurality of pixels, each entry including (1) a pixel address, (2) a condition selected from the group consisting of:
a never repair condition, a conditional repair condition, and an always repair condition, and (3) a correction scheme;
with the correction control circuit, determining how to correct each pixel using the pixel address for that pixel and the corresponding entry in the pixel correction information;
in response to determining with the correction control circuit that the entry in the pixel correction information for a given pixel corresponds to the never repair condition, leaving the given pixel unrepaired by a pixel correction processor;
in response to determining with the correction control circuit that the entry in the pixel correction information for the given pixel corresponds to the always repair condition, repairing the given pixel using the pixel correction processor and the correction scheme for that entry in the pixel correction information, wherein repairing the given pixel with the pixel correction processor using the correction scheme for that entry comprises performing correction actions that depend on the exposure condition;
and
in response to determining with the correction control circuit that the entry in the pixel correction information for the given pixel corresponds to the conditional repair condition, repairing the given pixel with the pixel correction processor using the correction scheme for that entry to produce a corrected pixel signal, wherein repairing the given pixel with the pixel correction processor using the correction scheme for that entry comprises performing correction actions that depend on the exposure condition.

7 more elements