A method for determining whether or not a transparent protective cover of a video camera comprising a lens-based optical imaging system is partly covered by a foreign object is disclosed. The method comprises: obtaining (402) a first captured image frame captured by the video camera with a first depth of field; obtaining (404) a second captured image frame captured by the video camera with a second depth of field which differs from the first depth of field; and determining (406) whether or not the protective cover is partly covered by the foreign object by analysing whether or not the first and second captured image frames are affected by presence of the foreign object on the protective cover such that the difference between the first depth of field and the second depth of field results in a difference in a luminance pattern of corresponding pixels of a first image frame and a second image frame. The first image frame is based on the first captured image frame and the second image frame is based on the second captured image frame.

In order to realize a device that can reduce the influence of errors, the device includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire first information including an error via an image formation optical system, a second acquisition unit configured to acquire second information of which the error is less than that of the first information, a correction information generation unit configured to calculate a correction value for correcting the error of the first information on the basis of the second information, and a correction unit configured to correct the first information by using the correction value.

Systems and methods are disclosed for image signal processing. For example, methods may include receiving a current image of a sequence of images from an image sensor; combining the current image with a recirculated image to obtain a noise reduced image, where the recirculated image is based on one or more previous images of the sequence of images from the image sensor; determining a noise map for the noise reduced image, where the noise map is determined based on estimates of noise levels for pixels in the current image, a noise map for the recirculated image, and a set of mixing weights; recirculating the noise map with the noise reduced image to combine the noise reduced image with a next image of the sequence of images from the image sensor; and storing, displaying, or transmitting an output image that is based on the noise reduced image.

An electronic device may include: a camera; a display positioned between an object to be photographed by the camera and the camera; a processor connected to the camera and the display; and a memory operatively connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive an original image from the camera; input the original image as an input value to an artificial intelligence model trained for improving image quality, and obtain a correction image from a result value output from the artificial intelligent model; detect a saturated area in which a light source is depicted in the correction image; and obtain a compensation image by blurring a boundary between the saturated area and a periphery thereof in the correction image by using the original image.

Disclosed herein is an image data transmission method including, by an image generation apparatus, generating an image to be merged with a display image and data of an α value representative of a transparency of a pixel of the image to be merged, generating data for merging representing the image to be merged and the data of the α value on one image plane, and transmitting the data for merging to an apparatus that generates the display image.

Disclosed are a solid-state imaging apparatus, a signal processing method of a solid-state imaging apparatus, and an electronic device, which are capable of correcting uneven sensitivities generated by multiple factors in a broad area and realizing the higher-precision image quality. A correction circuit 710 weight a sensitivity Pi corresponding to a pixel signal of each pixel related to correction in a pixel unit PU that is the correction target and a sensitivity Pi corresponding to a pixel signal of each pixel related to correction in at least one same color pixel unit PU and adjacent to the pixel unit PU that is the correction target by a weighting coefficient Wi. Consequently, the correction coefficient μ is calculated by dividing a sum of the weighted sensitivities by a total number n of pixels related to correction.

Disclosed are a solid-state imaging apparatus, a signal processing method of a solid-state imaging apparatus, and an electronic device, which are capable of correcting uneven sensitivities generated by multiple factors in a broad area and realizing the higher-precision image quality. A correction circuit 710 weight a sensitivity Pi corresponding to a pixel signal of each pixel related to correction in a pixel unit PU that is the correction target and a sensitivity Pi corresponding to a pixel signal of each pixel related to correction in at least one same color pixel unit PU and adjacent to the pixel unit PU that is the correction target by a weighting coefficient Wi. Consequently, the correction coefficient μ is calculated by dividing a sum of the weighted sensitivities by a total number n of pixels related to correction.

A method for designing an optical system for providing reliable, robust and successful realization of a distortion variation function is presented. In a preferred embodiment, the proposed distortion variation optical system includes at least two non-symmetrical elements, which are moving in the transverse direction. The proposed freeform lens contains two transmissive refractive surfaces. The freeform elements designed with this method have preferably a flat surface and a non-symmetrical freeform surface. The two plano-surfaces are preferably made to face each other, so that a miniature camera can be offered. The value of the non-symmetrical freeform surface is used to produce variable optical power when the two freeform elements undergo a relative movement in the vertical direction. Using this method, an optical system with an active distortion, smaller form factor, and better imaging quality can be obtained.

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup apparatus, a correction method, and an electronic apparatus, enabled to suppress an apparent uncomfortable feeling of an image output from a solid-state image pickup apparatus in which pixels of different OCL shapes are mounted mixedly. A solid-state image pickup apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a pixel array in which a first pixel in which an OCL (On Chip Lens) of a standard size is formed and a second pixel in which an OCL of a size different from the standard size is formed are present mixedly, and a correction section that corrects a pixel value of the first pixel that is positioned in the vicinity of the second pixel among the first pixels on the pixel array. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a CMOS image sensor.

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup apparatus, a correction method, and an electronic apparatus, enabled to suppress an apparent uncomfortable feeling of an image output from a solid-state image pickup apparatus in which pixels of different OCL shapes are mounted mixedly. A solid-state image pickup apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a pixel array in which a first pixel in which an OCL (On Chip Lens) of a standard size is formed and a second pixel in which an OCL of a size different from the standard size is formed are present mixedly, and a correction section that corrects a pixel value of the first pixel that is positioned in the vicinity of the second pixel among the first pixels on the pixel array. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a CMOS image sensor.