Edge mapping incorporating panchromatic pixels
View Patent ↗A method of enhancing a full-color image of a scene includes capturing an image of the scene using a two-dimensional sensor array having both color and panchromatic pixels, forming an edge map in response to the panchromatic pixels, forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels, and using the edge map to enhance the full-color image.
1. A method of providing an enhanced full-color image of a scene, comprising: using a processor (or computer) to perform the steps of:
a. using a captured image of the scene that was captured by a two-dimensional sensor array having both color pixels corresponding to at least three color photoresponses and panchromatic pixels;
b. forming a high frequency image from the captured image and thresholding the high frequency pixel values in the high frequency image;
c. forming an edge map in response to the panchromatic pixels in the thresholded high frequency image;
d. forming the full-color image in response to the captured color pixels; and
e. using the edge map to enhance the full-color image.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein step c includes using both the captured color pixels and the captured panchromatic pixels to form the edge map.
3. The method according to claim 1 further using the edge map to form the full color image.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the edge map is used to provide noise cleaning.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the edge map is used to provide sharpening.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the edge map is used to provide color correction.
7. The method according to claim 1 further including modifying the captured color pixels or panchromatic pixels or both prior to forming the full-color image.
8. The method according to claim 1 wherein modifying the captured color pixels includes noise cleaning the captured colored pixels prior to forming the full-color image.