In an imaging apparatus, a two-dimensional surface on which imaging elements are arranged has a first region that includes one or more lines, and a second region other than the first region that includes a plurality of lines, each line including a light shielded region that is shielded from light and an effective region other than the light shielded region. The imaging apparatus determines a correction value for use in offset correction for each line in the first region according to the representative value derived with respect to the first region and a first determination method, and determines correction value for use in the offset correction for each line in the second region according to the representative value derived with respect to the second region and a second determination method that is independent from the first determination method.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An imaging apparatus comprising: an imaging element in which a plurality of pixels are arranged on a two-dimensional surface, each line of pixels in the two-dimensional surface having an optical black region which is light-shielded and a region other than the optical black region; a derivation unit configured to derive, for the lines of pixels, a representative value based on pixel values in the optical black region; a first determination unit configured to determine, based on a first representative value derived with respect to a line in a first region that includes one or more lines, a correction value for an offset correction for the line in the first region; and a second determination unit configured to determine, based on a second representative value derived with respect to a line in a second region that includes one or more lines and a third representative value derived with respect to a line adjacent to that line in the second region, a correction value for offset correction for that line in the second region.
2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first determination unit determines a representative value derived for each line as the correction value, and the second determination unit determines the correction value for each line by using a function for determining a correction value for a line based on a plurality of representative values including representative values of lines adjacent to that line.
3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the function is an average of representative values in the second region, a moving average obtained based on representative values of adjacent lines, a median of representative values of adjacent lines, or a fitting curve obtained based on representative values of the second region.
4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first determination unit determines, with respect to each line in the first region, the correction value for that line with the use of a first function for determining a correction value for a line based on a plurality of representative values including representative values of lines adjacent to that line, and the second determination unit determines, with respect to each line in the second region, the correction value for that line with the use of a second function for determining a correction value for a line based on a plurality of representative values including representative values of lines adjacent to that line.
5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first function is an average of representative values in the first region, a moving average obtained based on representative values of adjacent lines, a median of representative values of adjacent lines, or a fitting curve obtained based on representative values of the first region, and the second function is an average of representative values of the second region, a moving average obtained based on representative values of adjacent lines, a median of representative values of adjacent lines, or a fitting curve obtained based on representative values of the second region.
6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second determination units use the same determination method between the first region and the second region without distinguishing therebetween, if a difference between the representative value obtained in the first region and the representative value obtained in the second region is a first threshold value or less.
7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the same determination method determines the correction value with the use of the same function for determining a correction value for a line based on a plurality of representative values including representative values of lines adjacent to that line, the function involving smoothing.
8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein, if a difference between a plurality of representative values obtained in the second region exceeds a second threshold value, both the first determination unit and the second determination unit determine representative values derived for respective lines as the correction values.
9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, if the light shielded region includes a defective pixel, the derivation unit determines a pixel value of the defect pixel by interpolation using pixels adjacent to the defective pixel and calculates a representative value based on the determined pixel value.
10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, if the light shielded region includes a defective pixel, the derivation unit derives the representative value without using the defective pixel.
11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a correction unit configured to subtract the correction values for respective lines obtained by the first determination unit and the second determination unit from pixel values in the lines.
12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first region is constituted by a line in the vicinity of which a vertical scanning circuit is arranged.
13. A method for controlling an imaging apparatus including an imaging element in which a plurality of pixels are arranged on a two-dimensional surface, each line of the pixels in the two-dimensional surface having an optical black region which is light-shielded and a region other than the optical black region, the method comprising: deriving, for the lines of pixels, a representative value based on pixel values in the optical black region; determining, based on a first representative value derived with respect to a line in a first region that includes one or more lines, a correction value for an offset correction for the line in the first region; and determining, based on a second representative value derived with respect to a line in a second region that includes one or more lines and a third representative value derived with respect to a line adjacent to that line in the second region, a correction value for offset correction for that line in the second region.
14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling an imaging apparatus including an imaging element in which a plurality of pixels are arranged on a two-dimensional surface, each line of the pixels in the two-dimensional surface having an optical black region which is light-shielded and a region other than the optical black region, the method comprising: deriving, for the lines of pixels, a representative value based on pixel values in the optical black region; determining, based on a first representative value derived with respect to a line in a first region that includes one or more lines, a correction value for an offset correction for the line in the first region; and determining, based on a second representative value derived with respect to a line in a second region that includes one or more lines and a third representative value derived with respect to a line adjacent to that line in the second region, a correction value for offset correction for that line in the second region.
15. An imaging apparatus comprising an imaging element in which a plurality of pixels are arranged on a two-dimensional surface, each line of the pixels in the two-dimensional surface having an optical black region which is light-shielded and a region other than the optical black region, the imaging apparatus comprising: a derivation unit configured to derive, for the lines of pixels, a representative value based on pixel values in the optical black region; a first determination unit configured to determine, based on a first representative value derived with respect to a predetermined line and a second representative value derived with respect to a line adjacent to the predetermined line, a correction value for the offset correction for the predetermined line; and a second determination unit configured to determine, based on a third representative value derived with respect to a line other than the predetermined line, a correction value for an offset correction for the line other than the predetermined line.
16. A method for controlling an imaging apparatus comprising an imaging element in which a plurality of pixels are arranged on a two-dimensional surface, each line of the pixels in the two-dimensional surface having an optical black region which is light-shielded and a region other than the optical black region, the method comprising: deriving, for the lines of pixels, a representative value based on pixel values in the optical black region; determining, based on a first representative value derived with respect to a predetermined line and a second representative value derived with respect to a line adjacent to the predetermined line, a correction value for the offset correction for the predetermined line; and determining, based on a third representative value derived with respect to a line other than the predetermined line, a correction value for an offset correction for the line other than the predetermined line.
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February 24, 2014
February 23, 2016
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