MT9M114
www.onsemi.com
21
Digital Gain
Image stream processing starts with multiplication of all
pixel values by a programmable digital gain. Independent
color channel digital gain can be adjusted with registers.
Adaptive PGA (APGA)
Lenses tend to produce images whose brightness is
significantly attenuated near the edges. There are also other
factors causing fixed pattern signal gradients in images
captured by image sensors. The cumulative result of all these
factors is known as image shading. The MT9M114 has an
embedded shading correction module that can be
programmed to counter the shading effects on each
individual R, Gb, Gr, and B color signal.
In some cases, different illuminants can introduce
different color shading response. The APGA feature on the
MT9M114 will compensate for the dependency of the lens
shading of the illuminant. The MT9M114 will allow for up
to three different illuminants to be compensated.
Color Interpolation and Edge Detection
In the raw data stream fed by the sensor core to the IFP,
each pixel is represented by a 10-bit integer, which can be
considered proportional to the pixel’s response to
a one-color light stimulus, red, green, or blue, depending on
the pixel’s position under the color filter array. Initial data
processing steps, up to and including the defect correction,
preserve the one-color-per-pixel nature of the data stream,
but after the defect correction it must be converted to a
three-colors-per-pixel stream appropriate for standard color
processing. The conversion is done by an edge-sensitive
color interpolation module. The module adds the incomplete
color information available for each pixel with information
extracted from an appropriate set of neighboring pixels.
The algorithm used to select this set and extract the
information seeks the best compromise between preserving
edges and filtering out high-frequency noise in flat field
areas. The edge threshold can be set through variable
settings.
Color Correction and Aperture Correction
To achieve good color fidelity of the IFP output,
interpolated RGB values of all pixels are subjected to color
correction. The IFP multiplies each vector of three pixel
colors by a 3 ×3 color correction matrix. The three
components of the resulting color vector are all sums of three
10-bit numbers. Since such sums can have up to 12
significant bits, the bit width of the image data stream is
widened to 12 bits per color (36 bits per pixel). The color
correction matrix can either be programmed by the user or
automatically selected by the AWB algorithm implemented
in the IFP.
Traditionally this would have been based off two sets of
CCM, one for Warm light like Tungsten and the other for
Daylight (the part would interpolate between the two
matrixes). This is not an optimal solution for cameras used
in a Cool White Fluorescent (CWF) environment, for
example when using a webcam. A better solution is to
provide three CCMs, which would include a matrix for CWF
(interpolation now between three matrixes). The MT9M114
offers this feature which will give the user improved color
fidelity when under CWF type lighting.
Color correction should ideally produce output colors that
are independent of the spectral sensitivity and color
crosstalk characteristics of the image sensor. The optimal
values of the color correction matrix elements depend on
those sensor characteristics and on the spectrum of light
incident on the sensor. The color correction settings can be
adjusted using variables.
To increase image sharpness, a programmable 2D
aperture correction (sharpening filter) is applied. The gain
and threshold for 2D correction can be defined through
variable settings.
Gamma Correction
The gamma correction curve (as shown in Figure 22) is
implemented as a piecewise linear function with 19 knee
points, taking 12-bit arguments and mapping them to 8-bit
output. The abscissas of the knee points are fixed at 0, 64,
128, 256, 512, 768, 1024, 1280, 1536, 1792, 2048, 2304,
2560, 2816, 3072, 3328, 3584, 3840, and 4096. The 8-bit
ordinates are programmable through variables.
The MT9M114 IFP includes a block for gamma
correction that has the capability to adjust its shape, based on
brightness, to enhance the performance under certain
lighting conditions.
Two custom gamma correction tables may be uploaded,
one corresponding to a contrast curve for brighter lighting
conditions, the other one corresponding to a noise reduction
curve for lower lighting conditions. Also included in this
block is a Fade-to-Black curve which sets all knee points to
zero and causes the image to go black in extreme low light
conditions.
The MT9M114 has the ability to calculate the 19 point
knee points based on a small number of variable inputs from
the host, another option is for the host to program one or both
of the 19 knee points. The diagram below shows how the
gamma feature interacts in MT9M114.