A method includes obtaining multiple images of a scene using at least one red-green-blue-white (RGBW) image sensor. The method also includes generating multi-channel frames at different exposure levels from the images. The method further includes estimating motion across exposure differences between the different exposure levels using a white channel of the multi-channel frames as a guidance signal to generate multiple motion maps. The method also includes estimating saturation across the exposure differences between the different exposure levels to generate multiple saturation maps. The method further includes using the generated motion maps and saturation maps to recover saturations from the different exposure levels and generate a saturation-free RGBW frame. In addition, the method includes processing the saturation-free RGBW frame to generate a final image of the scene.

This application provides a method and an apparatus for controlling a light compensation time of a camera module. An example method includes: determining a first target area in a first image shot by a camera before a current frame; determining a first exposure time period of a first target photosensitive chip row in the current frame based on the first target area; and indicating, based on the first exposure time period, an infrared light source to perform light compensation in response to at least that the photosensitive chip is exposed in the current frame.

This application provides a method and an apparatus for controlling a light compensation time of a camera module. An example method includes: determining a first target area in a first image shot by a camera before a current frame; determining a first exposure time period of a first target photosensitive chip row in the current frame based on the first target area; and indicating, based on the first exposure time period, an infrared light source to perform light compensation in response to at least that the photosensitive chip is exposed in the current frame.

Devices, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed describing an adaptive approach for image bracket selection and fusion, e.g., to generate low noise and high dynamic range (HDR) images in a wide variety of capturing conditions. An incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, wherein the incoming image stream comprises a variety of differently-exposed captures, e.g., EV0 images, EV− images, EV+ images, long exposure (or synthetic long exposure) images, EV0/EV− image pairs, etc., which are received according to a particular pattern. When a capture request is received, a set of rules and/or a decision tree may be used to evaluate one or more capture conditions associated with the images from the incoming image stream and determine which two or more images to select for a fusion operation. A noise reduction process may optionally be performed on the selected images before (or after) the registration and fusion operations.

An electronic device and method are provided. The electronic device includes a camera, a communication circuit, and a processor configured to be operably coupled to the camera and the communication circuit. The processor is further configured to receive first image data from the camera by controlling the camera based on a first parameter, transmit the first image data to an external electronic device by using the communication circuit in response to acquisition of the first image data, identify a second parameter for controlling the camera at least based on the external electronic device having received the first image data, and acquire second image data by controlling the camera based on the second parameter in response to the identification of the second parameter.

Described examples relate to an apparatus comprising a first sensor configured to scan an area of interest during a first time period and a second sensor configured to capture a plurality of images of a field of view. The apparatus may include at least one controller configured to receive the plurality of images captured by the second sensor, compare the timestamp information associated with at least one image of the plurality of images to at least one time period of the first time period, and select a base image from the plurality of images based on the comparison.

The present disclosure provides systems, apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media that support improved image signal processing, particularly in low-light or high dynamic range (HDR) scenes. The image processing techniques may include performing two automatic exposure control (AEC) operations, in which a first AEC operation targets obtaining good conditions for autofocus (AF) operation, and a second AEC operation follows the AF operation and targets obtaining good conditions for an image capture. The image processing techniques may also include communication between the AEC operations and AF operations to coordinate the operations by locking and releasing exposure levels and focus positions as part of the image signal processing. In one aspect, a processing technique may include an AF measuring statistics from target, coordinating with AEC, and performing interleaving of a lock-and-resume state machine to achieve better AF result in challenging low-light or HDR scenes while maintaining an overall image quality.

An imaging system includes a light source, an image sensor and a processing unit. The image sensor alternatively captures a first bright image, a first dark image, a second bright image and a second dark image, wherein the first bright image is captured with a first exposure time corresponding to activation of the light source within a first time interval, the first dark image is captured with the first exposure time corresponding to deactivation of the light source within the first time interval, the second bright image is captured with a second exposure time corresponding to activation of the light source within a second time interval, and the second dark image is captured with the second exposure time corresponding to deactivation of the light source within the second time interval, wherein the second exposure time is longer than the first exposure time. The processing unit adjusts the second exposure time according to an object image size in the second dark image, and controls the image sensor to stop capturing the first bright and dark images with the first exposure time when no object image is contained in the second dark image.

There is provided a system for performing ambient light image correction. The system comprises a light source, a rolling shutter imaging unit configured to capture a plurality of images of the object at an exposure time shorter than the wave period of the pulsed illumination from the light source, and a control unit configured to generate a first composite image comprising a plurality of bright bands from the plurality of captured images by combining sections from the plurality of captured images which correspond to bright bands, generate a second composite image comprising a plurality of dark bands from the plurality of captured images by combining sections from the plurality of captured images which correspond to dark bands, and generate an ambient light corrected image based on a difference in pixel information between the first composite image and the second composite image.

A method of generating a high dynamic range (HDR) image is provided that includes capturing a long exposure image and a short exposure image of a scene, computing a merging weight for each pixel location of the long exposure image based on a pixel value of the pixel location and a saturation threshold, and computing a pixel value for each pixel location of the HDR image as a weighted sum of corresponding pixel values in the long exposure image and the short exposure image, wherein a weight applied to a pixel value of the pixel location of the short exposure image and a weight applied to a pixel value of the pixel location in the pixel long exposure image are determined based on the merging weight computed for the pixel location and responsive to motion in a scene of the long exposure image and the short exposure image.