Self-Healing Image Sensor Using Defective Pixel Correction Loop

Abstract

This paper presents the construction of a control loop for the concealment of defective pixels in an image or an image sensor. The proposed control loop is based on defective pixel detection methods, and the concealment of the detected defective pixels. Two detection algorithms have been used in the process. The first is based on distance between the to-be-tested pixel and its neighbor pixels, by browsing the input image pixel by pixel. While, the second defective pixel detection method is based on the evaluation and analysis of the median, range and other local dispersion parameters of the pixel blocks in the input image. The concealment process substitutes the defective value of the pixel by a median of the pixel block around this defective pixel. The proposed control loop takes as input an image and a defective pixel number threshold into an image, and outputs the final corrected image, after passing through defective pixel detection and correction phases if necessary. 144 distorted images (24 reference images with six defect types) are used to test the studied methods.