Patent ID: 8357899

Claim:
A method of capturing an image comprising: with a plurality of light-sensitive pixels and a plurality of IR filters in an imager, simultaneously generating image signals from light in a first wavelength band that is associated with near-infrared light and a second wavelength band from light that is associated with visible light; and with color correction circuitry, generating a color corrected image from the image signals, wherein generating the image signals from light in the first wavelength band that is associated with near-infrared light and from light that is associated with visible light with the plurality of light-sensitive pixels in the imager comprises: with a first plurality of light-sensitive pixels in the image sensor, generating first image signals from light in the first wavelength band and from light in a second wavelength band that is associated with visible light; with a second plurality of light-sensitive pixels in the image sensor, generating second image signals from light in the first wavelength band and from light in a third wavelength band that is associated with visible light; and with a third plurality of light-sensitive pixels in the image sensor, generating third image signals from light in the first wavelength band and from light in a fourth wavelength band that is associated with visible light, wherein generating the color corrected image from the image signals with the color correction circuitry comprises: comparing the first image signals to the second image signals; comparing the third image signals to either the first image signals or the second image signals; and selecting one of a plurality of color correction matrices based on the comparison between the first image signals and the second image signals and based on the comparison between the third image signals and either the first image signals or the second image signals, wherein each of the color correction matrices defines a unique set of first, second, and third weighting factors.