Assisted Auto White Balance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018098043-A1
Application number	US-201715820286-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 21, 2017
Priority date	Dec 10, 2015
Publication date	Apr 5, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Assisted auto white balance is described to improve the overall quality of a captured image, particularly for a single image scene that contains more than one type of illumination. An image is obtained and a depth map is constructed a depth map for the image. The image is white balanced based, at least in part, on the depth map.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method comprising:
obtaining an image; constructing a depth map for the image; and white balancing the image based, at least in part, on the depth map.

2 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein obtaining the image comprises capturing the image using multiple cameras and constructing the depth map comprises using multiple images to construct the depth map.

3 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein obtaining the image comprises capturing the image using a single camera having phase detection pixels and constructing the depth map comprises using the image captured with the phase detection pixels.

4 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein white balancing the image comprises using a gray world auto white balance algorithm.

5 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein white balancing the image comprises using a white patch auto white balance algorithm.

6 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein white balancing the image comprises white balancing using a single illuminant.

7 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein white balancing the image comprises white balancing using multiple illuminants.

8 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein white balancing the image based, at least in part, on the depth map comprises partitioning the image into a plurality of regions based on the depth map, and white balancing multiple regions independently.

9 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, implement an assisted auto white balance module configured to process a depth map for a captured image and use the depth map to partition the captured image into a plurality of regions which are then independently white balanced by the assisted auto white balance module, the assisted white balance module being further configured to determine an illuminant for each of the white balanced regions and white balance the captured image according to one or more determined illuminants.

10 . The system as recited in claim 9 , wherein the assisted auto white balance module performs white balancing using one or more of a gray world algorithm or a white patch algorithm.

11 . The system as recited in claim 9 embodied as a camera.

12 . The system as recited in claim 9 , wherein the depth map is constructed using information from multiple cameras configured to capture the image.

13 . The system as recited in claim 9 , wherein the depth map is constructed using information from phase detection auto focus sensors of a single camera configured to capture the image.

14 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, implement an assisted auto white balance module configured to:
obtain an image;
construct a depth map for the image; and
white balance the image based, at least in part, on the depth map.

15 . The system as recited in claim 14 , wherein to obtain the image comprises capturing the image using multiple cameras and to construct the depth map comprises using multiple images to construct the depth map.

16 . The system as recited in claim 14 , wherein to obtain the image comprises capturing the image using a single camera having phase detection pixels and to construct the depth map comprises using the image captured with the phase detection pixels.

17 . The system as recited in claim 14 , wherein to white balance the image comprises using a gray world auto white balance algorithm.

18 . The system as recited in claim 14 , wherein to white balance the image comprises using a white patch auto white balance algorithm.

19 . The system as recited in claim 14 , wherein to white balance the image comprises white balancing using a single illuminant.

20 . The system as recited in claim 14 , wherein to white balance the image comprises white balancing using multiple illuminants.

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc

Inventors

• Radakovic Daniela
• Pincenti John C

Classifications

• H04N5/2226 Primary

  Determination of depth image, e.g. for foreground/background separation (determining depth by image analysis in general G06T7/50; segmentation by image analysis in general G06T7/10) · CPC title

• H04N23/88

  for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• G06K9/4661

  Physics · mapped topic