Noise enhanced histograms

1. Apparatus provided at an image processing pipeline for binning an input value into one of a plurality of bins which collectively represent a histogram of input values for use by one or more image processing algorithms in said pipeline, each of the plurality of bins representing a corresponding range of input values, the apparatus comprising:

an input for receiving an input value;

a noise source configured to generate an error value according to a predetermined noise distribution; and

a binning controller configured to mix the received input value with the error value so as to generate a modified input value and to allocate the modified input value to the bin corresponding to that modified input value.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the noise source being configured to generate the error value by selecting the error value from a pseudorandom sequence of error values which collectively represent the predetermined noise distribution.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , the binning controller being configured to combine each input value it receives for binning with a new error value from the pseudorandom sequence.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , each of the plurality of bins being a counter maintained by the binning controller, wherein the binning controller is configured to increment the count value of a counter when a modified input value is allocated to the counter.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the plurality of bins collectively spanning the possible range of input values.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the noise distribution being symmetric about zero.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the predetermined noise distribution having a variance which is substantially equal to the average width of the bins or the width of the largest bin.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the noise distribution being one of a Gaussian distribution, a triangular distribution, and a rectangular distribution.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the image processing pipeline being an image processing pipeline of a camera and the image processing algorithms being at least one of an automatic exposure algorithm, an automatic white balance algorithm, and an autofocus algorithm.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the input values representing at least one of exposure, brightness, sharpness, contrast, hue, saturation, lightness, chroma, and colorfulness.

11. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having stored thereon machine readable code which when executed causes an integrated circuit manufacturing system to generate an apparatus provided at an image processing pipeline for binning an input value into one of a plurality of bins which collectively represent a histogram of input values for use by one or more image processing algorithms in said pipeline, each of the plurality of bins representing a corresponding range of input values, the apparatus comprising:

an input for receiving an input value;

a noise source configured to generate an error value according to a predetermined noise distribution; and

a binning controller configured to mix the received input value with the error value so as to generate a modified input value and to allocate the modified input value to the bin corresponding to that modified input value.

12. A method for generating a histogram of input values for use by one or more image processing algorithms provided an image processing pipeline, the histogram comprising a plurality of bins each representing a corresponding range of input values, the method comprising:

receiving an input value;

generating an error value according to a predetermined noise distribution;

mixing the received input value with the error value so as to generate a modified input value; and

allocating the modified input value to the bin corresponding to that modified input value.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 , each of the plurality of bins of the histogram being a counter and the method comprising allocating the modified input value to the bin by incrementing the count value of its counter.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 , the predetermined noise distribution having a variance which is substantially equal to the average width of the bins or the width of the largest bin.

15. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions, which when executed causes at least one processor to generate a histogram of input values according to the method of claim 12 .