Patent ID: 8004588
Filing Date: 2011-08-23
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image processing apparatus for receiving mosaic image data having settings of only one color component, R, G, or B, in each pixel and subjects the received mosaic image data to a series of image processing to generate color image data with settings of all the three color components R, G, and B in each pixel; wherein the mosaic image data is expressed as a Bayer color filter; and the image processing apparatus comprises: a processing unit comprising: a vertical-direction color difference component computation module configured to obtain the G component in the pixel location of another color component or to obtain another color component in the G component pixel location using vertically neighboring available components in order to compute a vertical-direction color difference component between the G component and the another color component in each pixel included in each of the pixel columns of the mosaic image; a horizontal-direction color difference component computation module configured to obtain the G component in the pixel location of another color component or to obtain another color component in the G component pixel location using horizontally neighboring color components in order to compute a horizontal-direction color difference component between the G component and the another color component in each pixel included in each of the pixel rows of the mosaic image; an edge direction determination module configured to determine an edge direction in a pixel by selecting from among said mosaic image data a pixel in which said R component or said B component is set, and comparing an amount of variation of said vertical color difference component and an amount of variation of said horizontal color change component of the selected pixel; an edge direction map generation module configured to generate an edge direction map in which the edge direction is set in each pixel of said R component and each pixel of said B component, by storing said determined edge direction for each said selected pixel; an edge noise removal module configured to detect edge noise that is an erroneously determined edge direction by comparing said edge direction set in said edge direction map with the edge directions of surrounding pixels, and removing the edge noise; and a missing color component interpolation module configured to interpolate a missing color component, which is a color component not set in the pixel for each pixel of said mosaic image data, on the basis of said color component set in the mosaic image data while referencing said edge direction map from which said edge noise has been removed: and wherein said edge noise removal module comprises: target pixel setting module configured to select from among said edge direction map a single pixel in which said edge direction is set, and setting the pixel as a target pixel for determining whether the edge direction is said edge noise; an edge noise detection module configured to select two pixels in a position of a second pixel in said vertical direction from said target pixel, or two pixels in a position of a second pixel in said horizontal direction from the target pixel, and detecting the edge direction of the target pixel as said edge noise when said two edge directions set in the two pixels selected from any one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are the same as each other and different than the edge direction set in the target pixel; and an edge direction changing module configured to change said edge direction detected as said edge noise to a different edge direction.