IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,731,222
Granted Patent B2
US 12,731,222 · App. 18/925,657 · Granted Sep 8, 2026

Image processing device and operating method thereof

Inventors: Soongeun Jang (Suwon-si, KR); Changick Kim (Daejeon, KR); Woo-Shik Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Hongkyu Park (Suwon-si, KR); Sangyun Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Sangyoon Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Junho Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Minbeom Kim (Daejeon, KR); Yooseung Wang (Daejeon, KR); Jaehyuk Jang (Daejeon, KR); Seungjun Jeong (Daejeon, KR)
Assignees: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.; KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
G06T5/50G06T3/4015G06T3/4053G06T7/11G06V10/44G06V10/60H04N1/6008G06T2207/20221
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,731,222
App. No.
18/925,657
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing device includes an image sensor including a unit block including a plurality of pixels arranged adjacent to each other, wherein a plurality of nano-posts are arranged on the unit block, and a processor that processes an input image acquired through the image sensor.

Claims (51)

1 . An image processing device comprising:

an image sensor comprising a unit block comprising a plurality of pixels arranged adjacent to each other, and a plurality of nano-posts arranged on the unit block; and

a processor configured to process an input image acquired through the image sensor by: dividing the input image into a plurality of first sub-images of a Bayer pattern including pixels having a same parallax among the plurality of pixels included in the input image;

converting the plurality of first sub-images into a plurality of RGB demosaic images;

converting the plurality of RGB demosaic images into a plurality of YCbCr images comprising first luminance data and color difference data;

generating second luminance data by applying the first luminance data, from among the plurality of YCbCr images, to a super resolution algorithm;

generating third luminance data by upscaling the first luminance data;

generating fourth luminance data by performing a weighted sum operation on the second luminance data and the third luminance data based on an attention map generated by the super resolution algorithm;

acquiring a plurality of second YCbCr images by updating the first luminance data of the plurality of YCbCr images to the fourth luminance data; and

generating an output image by merging a plurality of second sub-images generated based on the plurality of second YCbCr images.

2 . The image processing device of claim 1 , wherein the super resolution algorithm is an algorithm trained through a generator that learns a data distribution of a plurality of pieces of luminance data and a discriminator that learns to distinguish luminance data of an original image from luminance data generated by the generator.

3 . The image processing device of claim 2 , wherein the generator comprises a shallow feature extraction module, a deep feature extraction module, and a reconstruction module, and the reconstruction module comprises a sub-pixel convolution layer.

4 . The image processing device of claim 3 , wherein the shallow feature extraction module comprises at least one convolution layer configured to extract features for a low-resolution image from the plurality of pieces of luminance data input to the generator.

5 . The image processing device of claim 3 , wherein the deep feature extraction module comprises at least one residual block and at least one convolution layer configured to extract features for an ultra-high-resolution image from the plurality of pieces of luminance data input to the generator.

6 . The image processing device of claim 3 , wherein the reconstruction module is configured to generate the second luminance data by decoding, through the sub-pixel convolution layer, information in which first information extracted through the shallow feature extraction module and second information extracted through the deep feature extraction module are encoded.

7 . The image processing device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

acquire first data by multiplying, by the attention map, the second luminance data generated by passing the first luminance data through the generator;

acquire second data by multiplying a value obtained by subtracting the attention map from 1 by the third luminance data; and

generate the fourth luminance data by summing the second data and the third data.

8 . The image processing device of claim 1 , wherein the attention map is generated by a texture identifier of the super resolution algorithm, the texture identifier being a network in which a data set for a plurality of textures have been trained, and the attention map comprises weight values of each of a plurality of labels labeled in the data set for the plurality of textures.

9 . The image processing device of claim 1 , wherein the unit block is arranged in a 2×2 matrix and comprises four pixels each comprising a color filter of a same color.

10 . The image processing device of claim 1 , wherein the unit block comprises a plurality of unit blocks, and

wherein the image sensor has a quad Bayer pattern array in which the plurality of unit blocks are arranged in a 2×2 matrix.

11 . The image processing device of claim 10 , wherein the quad Bayer pattern array has one of an RGGB pattern, a GBRG pattern, a GRBG pattern, or a BGGR pattern.

12 . The image processing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

convert the plurality of second YCbCr images into a plurality of final RGB images;

convert the plurality of final RGB images into the plurality of second sub-images; and

generate the output image by merging the plurality of second sub-images.

13 . An operating method of an image processing device, the operating method comprising:

acquiring an input image through an image sensor including a unit block including a plurality of pixels arranged adjacent to each other, and a plurality of nano-posts arranged on the unit block;

dividing the input image into a plurality of first sub-images of a Bayer pattern comprising pixels having a same parallax among the plurality of pixels included in the input image;

converting the plurality of first sub-images into a plurality of RGB demosaic images;

converting the plurality of RGB demosaic images into a plurality of YCbCr images comprising first luminance data and color difference data;

generating second luminance data by applying the first luminance data, from among the plurality of YCbCr images, to a super resolution algorithm;

generating third luminance data by upscaling the luminance data;

generating fourth luminance data by performing a weighted sum operation on the second luminance data and the third luminance data based on an attention map generated by the super resolution algorithm;

acquiring a plurality of second YCbCr images by updating the first luminance data of the plurality of YCbCr images to the fourth luminance data; and

generating an output image by merging a plurality of second sub-images generated based on the plurality of second YCbCr images.

14 . The operating method of claim 13 , wherein the super resolution algorithm is an algorithm trained through a generator that learns a data distribution of a plurality of pieces of luminance data and a discriminator that learns to distinguish luminance data of an original image from luminance data generated by the generator.

15 . The operating method of claim 14 , wherein the generator comprises a shallow feature extraction module, a deep feature extraction module, and a reconstruction module, and the reconstruction module comprises a sub-pixel convolution layer.

16 . The operating method of claim 15 , wherein the shallow feature extraction module comprises at least one convolution layer configured to extract features for a low-resolution image from the plurality of pieces of luminance data input to the generator.

17 . The operating method of claim 15 , wherein the deep feature extraction module comprises at least one residual block and at least one convolution layer configured to extract features for an ultra-high-resolution image from the plurality of pieces of luminance data input to the generator.

18 . The operating method of claim 15 , wherein the reconstruction module configured to generate the second luminance data by decoding, through the sub-pixel convolution layer, information in which first information extracted through the shallow feature extraction module and second information extracted through the deep feature extraction module are encoded.

19 . The operating method of claim 14 , wherein the generating of the output image comprises:

converting the plurality of second YCbCr images into a plurality of final RGB images;

converting the plurality of final RGB images into the plurality of second sub-images; and

generating the output image by merging the plurality of second sub-images.

20 . The operating method of claim 13 , wherein the generating of the fourth luminance data comprises:

acquiring first data by multiplying, by the attention map, the second luminance data generated by passing the first luminance data through the generator;

acquiring second data by multiplying a value obtained by subtracting the attention map from 1 by the third luminance data; and

generating the fourth luminance data by summing the second data and the third data.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 24, 2024
From: JANG, SOONGEUN; KIM, CHANGICK; KIM, WOO-SHIK; PARK, HONGKYU; LEE, SANGYUN; LEE, SANGYOON; LEE, JUNHO; KIM, MINBEOM; WANG, YOOSEUNG; JANG, JAEHYUK; JEONG, SEUNGJUN
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.; KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Reel/Frame 069008/0513 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2023-0143172 · Oct 24, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250131533A1 · Apr 24, 2025
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