Patent ID: 8233737
Filing Date: 2012-07-31
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A noise correction circuit that detects and corrects noise included in an image signal output from an image sensor, the noise correction circuit comprising: a noise detecting unit that calculates an average value of a signal level in a predetermined range of the image signal output from the image sensor and uses the calculated average value to calculate a noise component in a predetermined direction; a subtractor that removes noise from the image signal output from the image sensor in response to the noise component determined by the noise detecting unit; and an adder that adds a random number at a level not determined by quantization of the image signal to the image signal after removal of the noise by the subtractor; a further subtractor that subtracts the average value from the image signal; and an integrator that integrates the image signal, from which the average value has been subtracted, in a predetermined direction to calculate a fixed pattern noise component in the form of stripes in a vertical direction, wherein the adder adds the random number to least significant bits generated at a level not determined by quantization of the image signal and subsequently discards the least significant bits.