This relates generally to imaging systems, and more particularly, to imaging systems with data encryption capabilities.
Modern electronic devices such as cellular telephones, cameras, and computers often use digital image sensors. Imagers (i.e., image sensors) often include a two-dimensional array of image sensing pixels. Each pixel typically includes a photosensor such as a photodiode that receives incident photons (light) and converts the photons into electrical signals. These electrical signals are converted into image data (i.e., digital image data) that is be used to generate an image.
It is sometimes desirable to include additional data in an image generated by an image sensor. For example, images can include data related to the image sensor that captured the image (i.e., manufacturer information, serial number, sensor specifications or statistics, etc.), information relating to the environment in which the image was captured (i.e., date, time, location, other environmental information, etc.), image headers, timestamps, checksums, watermarks, or other desired information.
Additional data included in images generated by conventional image sensors is typically accessible to any user that has access to the image. For example, any user with access to an image generated by a conventional image sensor will be able to access and alter the additional data that is included in the image, such as data identifying the image sensor that captured the image or a timestamp indicating when the image was captured. The digital image data in images generated by conventional image sensors can also be altered (i.e., the digital image data may be modified by a user with access to the image). In this way, images generated by conventional image sensors are susceptible to unauthorized tampering and other alterations that change the information included in the image. These alterations can be undetectable to another user who subsequently views the image. Such unauthorized tampering with the image and additional data included with the image can make it difficult for a desired end user of the image to determine the authenticity of the image and the additional data included with the image.
It would therefore be desirable to provide systems and methods for generating images including embedded information.