Patent ID: RE42555

Claim:
A digital-image processor comprising: a line buffer, receiving mono-color pixels captured by an image sensor, the line buffer for storing only a fraction of a whole frame of an image, the fraction being less than 5 percent of a number of pixels in the whole frame; a merged pipeline, receiving an array of mono-color pixels from the line buffer, for generating missing color values for a middle pixel, the middle pixel being a mono-color pixel in a middle of the array from the line buffer; the merged pipeline also for generating an upper primary color value for an upper pixel immediately above the middle pixel and a lower primary color value for a lower pixel immediately below the middle pixel; an edge detector, receiving the upper primary color value and the lower primary color value and a primary color value for the middle pixel, the edge detector for detecting an edge between the middle pixel and a neighboring pixel; and an edge enhancer, activated by the edge detector when the edge is detected, for increasing a magnitude of the middle pixel when the edge is detected; the merged pipeline outputting interpolated color values for the middle pixel, whereby interpolation and edge detection are performed by the merged pipeline using the line buffer.