US 12,075,170 B2
Method of generating infrared image
Soeren Smits, Neustadt (DE); Ulrich Pitz, Siefersheim (DE); and Stepan Pazekha, Wuppertal (DE)
Assigned to Aptiv Technologies AG, Schaffhausen (CH)
Filed by Aptiv Technologies AG, Schaffhausen (CH)
Filed on Aug. 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/819,586.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/236,430, filed on Aug. 24, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 22186391 (EP), filed on Jul. 22, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0074718 A1, Mar. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. H04N 25/131 (2023.01); H04N 9/64 (2023.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 23/76 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 25/131 (2023.01) [H04N 9/64 (2013.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 23/76 (2023.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of generating an infrared image, comprising:
processing pixel values provided at an output of an image sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of pixels including a mix of IR pixels and color pixels, wherein processing includes, for each color pixel:
determining a local color-related ratio indicative of a part of infrared light reception in the color pixel; and
estimating an infrared portion value from a color pixel value based on the local color-related ratio;
generating an infrared image from pixel values from the IR pixels and the estimated infrared portion values from the color pixels;
prior to processing the pixel values, first preprocessing including adjusting an infrared transmittance of the color pixels in the array of pixels to a target level; and
second preprocessing performed after the first preprocessing, for each IR pixel, the second preprocessing including:
determining color portion values, representative of the part of color light reception in the IR pixel, in all color channels, from the pixel value of said IR pixel and predetermined color-related IR contamination gain coefficients; and
filtering the pixel value of said IR pixel by removing the determined color portion values.