US 12,114,081 B2
Systems and methods for creating a full-color image in low light
Peter W. J. Jones, Belmont, MA (US); Ellen Cargill, Norfolk, MA (US); and Dennis W. Purcell, Medford, MA (US)
Assigned to Chromatra, LLC, Lincoln, MA (US)
Filed by Chromatra, LLC, Lincoln, MA (US)
Filed on Feb. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/651,698.
Application 17/651,698 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2020/048565, filed on Aug. 28, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/894,435, filed on Aug. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0174245 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. H04N 23/84 (2023.01); H04N 23/71 (2023.01); H04N 23/741 (2023.01); H04N 25/13 (2023.01); H04N 25/133 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/843 (2023.01) [H04N 23/71 (2023.01); H04N 23/741 (2023.01); H04N 25/13 (2023.01); H04N 25/133 (2023.01); H04N 25/134 (2023.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method performed by an imaging device for generating a color image from a low-light scene, the method comprising:
filtering light from the low-light scene by a two-channel color filter array to produce a first light channel having light filtered by a first filter and a second light channel having unfiltered light;
receiving the first light channel and the second light channel by a radiation sensitive sensor;
producing a first information channel and a second information channel by the radiation sensitive sensor, wherein the first information channel includes first brightness information corresponding to the first light channel and the second information channel includes second brightness information corresponding to the second light channel;
receiving the first information channel and the second information channel by an image processor;
stretching, by the image processor, a histogram of the first brightness information so that a dynamic range of the histogram of the first brightness information is substantially matched to a dynamic range of the second brightness information;
assigning, by the image processor, the first brightness information to a first color channel;
assigning, by the image processor, the second brightness information to second color channel;
processing, by the image processor, the first color channel and the second color channel to produce a full-color image stream; and
outputting the full-color image stream.