Patent ID: 8208043
Filing Date: 2012-06-26
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
1. A lens cleaning warning system for a camera which receives light representing a scene, the system comprising: a pixel array which provides image data from the light received by the camera; a lens unit which focuses the received light onto the pixel array; and an image processing unit which analyzes the image data corresponding to a single image to determine whether the image data corresponding to the single image indicates defects attributable to the lens being contaminated and, if so, provides an indication that the lens is contaminated, wherein the image processing unit is configured to: generate a histogram of the image data corresponding to the single image; and analyze the histogram for an absence of the image data within a first predetermined range of values, for a presence of the image data within a second predetermined range of values and for a presence of image data within a third predetermined range of values, not adjacent to the first or second predetermined ranges, to provide the indication that the lens is contaminated.