Lighting control for multi-view image capture

Abstract

An electronic device and method for lighting control for multi-view image capture are provided. The electronic device selects a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of a subject. The electronic device controls a lighting system to irradiate a subject with a first pulse and a second pulse. The illumination intensity increases from a first intensity to a second intensity, the first intensity and the second intensity being associated with the first pulse and the second pulse, respectively. The electronic apparatus controls the illumination system to irradiate the subject with a flash pulse corresponding to the selected set of illumination patterns based on irradiation of the subject with the first pulse and the second pulse. The electronic device controls a multi-view image capturing device group to capture a set of images of the subject based on irradiation of the subject with the selected set of flash pulses.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 986,183, filed in the U.S. Patent Office on November 14, 2022. The entire contents of each of the above-referenced applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to imaging technology. More specifically, various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to electronic devices and methods for controlling a lighting system for image capturing by using a multi-view image capture device. Background Art

[0004] Advances in the field of imaging technology have led to the development of image capture devices with the ability to capture high-fidelity images based on various settings in different lighting environments. In various scenarios, an illumination system may be used in conjunction with an imaging system to illuminate an object to be captured. The illumination system may need to be synchronized with the imaging system to capture high-fidelity images of the object. In particular, under various lighting conditions, if a high-fidelity image of a subject needs to be captured, or if a high-fidelity scan of a subject needs to be obtained, the synchronization process may be a meaningful task. This may be because the lighting conditions may affect the imaging quality (i.e., signal-to-noise ratio), sensitivity, low-light performance, robustness of the image capture device to the motion of the object being captured, etc. Therefore, maintaining synchronization between the illumination system and the imaging system under different lighting conditions may be troublesome.

[0005] Furthermore, images captured using an imaging system may have a shallow depth of field. For example, if the subject is a person and the head (i.e., face) of the person needs to be captured, the entire head portion may be out of focus during capture. Mitigation of the shallow depth of field problem may require manual adjustment of the focus prior to capture. However, manual focus may affect the quality of the captured image or the speed and accuracy of the scan, particularly if the subject is in motion during capture. Furthermore, the manually set focus may be lost if the imaging system is shut down or restarted due to the use of a focus-by-wire technique.

[0006] The limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to those skilled in the art by comparing the described systems with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as set forth in the remainder of this application and with reference to the accompanying figures. Summary of the invention

[0007] As more fully set forth in the claims, there is provided an electronic device and method for controlling a lighting system for image capture using a multi-view image capture device, substantially as shown in and / or described in connection with at least one of the figures.

[0008] These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure may be understood from a review of the following detailed description of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for controlling a lighting system for image capturing by using a multi-view image capturing device group according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a multi-view image capture device for controlling a lighting system and for capturing a set of images of a subject according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary electronic device.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment for capturing an image of a subject illuminated by a set of illumination patterns by using a set of multi-view image capture devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary execution pipeline for controlling a lighting system for image capturing by using a multi-view image capture device group according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5A is an exemplary first timing diagram illustrating synchronization between an illumination system and a multi-view image capture device group for image capture in single-shot mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5B is an exemplary second timing diagram illustrating synchronization between an illumination system and a group of multi-view image capture devices for image capture in burst mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of an exemplary method for controlling a lighting system for image capturing by using a multi-view image capture device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In the disclosed electronic device and method for controlling an illumination system for image capture by using a multi-view image capture device, the implementation described below can be found. Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure provide an electronic device (e.g., a computing device, a desktop, a laptop computer, or a personal computer) that may have the ability to control an illumination system to illuminate a subject and control a multi-view image capture device group to capture a set of images of the subject. The electronic device may select a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns (e.g., an omnidirectional illumination pattern or a gradient illumination pattern) to capture a set of images of the subject. The electronic device may control an illumination system associated with the electronic device to illuminate the subject with a first group of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse. The illumination intensity of the first group of flash pulses may increase from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse. The first intensity associated with the first pulse may be lower than the second intensity associated with the second pulse. The electronic device may also control the illumination system based on the illumination of the subject with the first group of flash pulses to illuminate the subject with a second group of flash pulses. The second group of flash pulses may correspond to the selected group of illumination patterns. The illumination intensity of each of the second group of flash pulses may correspond to the second intensity. The electronic device may also control a set of multi-view image capture devices associated with the electronic device to capture each of a set of images of the subject based on the illumination of the subject with the second set of flash pulses.

[0017] An image capture device may be controlled to capture an image of a subject illuminated by an illumination system. If it is desired to capture an image in a dark environment, the illumination system may trigger a flash pulse to illuminate the subject. Typically, the illumination system may emit intensity pulses of light, which may enable the subject to react instantaneously to a sudden change in the subject's ambient lighting conditions (i.e., dark to light). The subject's reaction may be captured by the image capture device. Therefore, if the subject is not adapted to the ambient lighting conditions, user comfort and image quality may be compromised. Furthermore, the flash pulse triggered by the illumination system may correspond to a typical illumination pattern. However, it may be necessary to carefully and heuristically select the illumination pattern to obtain a high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) facial geometry and material scan. Existing image capture systems cannot control the illumination system to trigger flash pulses corresponding to an appropriate illumination pattern based on such a requirement.

[0018] Typically, the illumination system may not trigger a flash pulse synchronously with the opening and closing of a shutter of the image capture device. For example, the speed of the shutter may not be adjusted or controlled relative to the illumination system triggering the flash pulse. The lack of coordination between the triggering of the flash pulse and the shutter speed may result in lost frames (due to a slow shutter speed), lost flash pulses (due to a high shutter speed), etc. For example, if the duration of the flash pulse is such that the flash pulse remains enabled (ON) while the shutter is closing, the flash pulse may be lost.

[0019] Typically, the characteristics of one or more sensors of the image capture device can affect the depth of field. For example, for an 85mm lens in an F9 aperture for a 35mm sensor, if an image of a subject is captured to obtain a 3D head model, half of the head may be in focus. One or more lenses of the image capture device may employ a focus-by-wire technique to capture the image of the subject. Therefore, a user (e.g., a photographer) may need to manually set or adjust the focus before capturing an image. The necessity of manual focus increases the sensitivity of the imaging system to the slightest movement of the subject during image capture. For example, head movement of the subject during image capture can result in various types of degradation such as blur, degradation of captured image quality, inaccurate estimation of the 3D model of the subject, underestimation of reflective components, and the like. In addition, each time the image capture device is shut down or restarted, one or more lenses of the image capture device may be required to refocus.

[0020] To solve such problems, the disclosed electronic device can control an illumination system or a multi-view image capture device group to select a set of illumination patterns. The electronic device can control the intensity and polarization of light emitted by one or more light sources of the illumination system to generate the selected set of illumination patterns. The multi-view image capture device can be controlled to capture an image of a subject illuminated with the selected set of illumination patterns. The image of the subject captured based on the illumination of the subject with the selected set of illumination patterns can be used for high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) facial scanning and accurate estimation of 3D geometry (e.g., facial geometry). The captured image can also be used for high-quality reconstruction of facial shape and texture, accurate performance of material scanning (e.g., scanning of facial material) of the subject (illuminated with the selected set of illumination patterns), etc. Material scanning can be used to estimate the material properties of the skin and generate a photo-realistic 3D representation of the head (or face) of the subject. The electronic device can also control the illumination system to trigger flash pulses of various intensities, wherein the triggering of the flash pulse of higher intensity can be after the triggering of the flash pulse of lower intensity. Such a flash pulse triggering sequence may prevent the subject from being exposed to sudden or abrupt changes in flash pulse intensity, which may be uncomfortable to the subject's eyes and, in some cases, impair the subject's vision.

[0021] The disclosed electronic device may also control the autofocus setting of an image capture device in the multi-view image capture device group before capturing an image of the subject. The autofocus setting may also be controlled before capturing an image of the subject if the detected expression or emotion exhibited by the subject changes or the lighting pattern used to illuminate the subject changes. The control of the automatic focus may ensure that the movement of the subject during image capture has no effect on the accuracy of the 3D facial scan or material scan. The electronic device may also set the shutter speed of each image capture device in the multi-view image capture device group to an optimal value for capturing images in both single shot mode and continuous shooting mode. The electronic device may perform 3D facial scanning and determine 3D color texture in single shot mode. In addition, the electronic device may determine multiple textures (including color structures) in continuous shooting mode.

[0022] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for controlling a lighting system that performs image capture by using a multi-view image capture device group according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 , a network environment 100 is shown. The network environment 100 includes an electronic device 102, a lighting system 104, a multi-view image capture device group 106, and a server 108. In at least one embodiment, the lighting system 104 may include a light source 104A, a light source 104B, ..., and a light source 104N. In at least one embodiment, the multi-view image capture device group 106 may include an image capture device 106A, an image capture device 106B, ..., and an image capture device 106N. In at least one embodiment, the server 108 may include a database 110. The electronic device 102 may communicate with the lighting system 104, the multi-view image capture device group 106, and / or the server 108 via one or more networks, such as a communication network 112. A subject 114 associated with the lighting system 104 and the multi-view image capture device group 106 is also shown. The electronic device 102 may control the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a flash pulse. The electronic device 102 may control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture an image of the subject 114 .

[0023] Figure 1 The N light sources and N image capture devices shown in FIG. 1 are presented only as examples. Without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the lighting system 104 and the multi-view image capture device group 106 may include only one or more than N light sources and image capture devices, respectively. For simplicity, Figure 1 Only N light sources (in the lighting system 104) and N image capture devices (in the multi-view image capture device group 106) are shown in FIG.

[0024] The electronic device 102 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and / or code that may be configured to control the lighting system 104 to trigger flash pulses corresponding to the omnidirectional lighting pattern and the spherical gradient lighting pattern. The electronic device 102 may select a set of lighting patterns including a cross-polarized or parallel-polarized omnidirectional lighting pattern and a cross-polarized or parallel-polarized spherical gradient lighting pattern. The electronic device 102 may control the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with the flash pulses. The electronic device 102 may control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture an image of the subject 114 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the flash pulses corresponding to the omnidirectional or spherical gradient lighting pattern. Examples of the electronic device 102 may include, but may not be limited to, a desktop, a tablet, a laptop computer, a computing device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a mobile phone, a control device associated with an image sensor and a lighting system, or a consumer electronics (CE) device with a display.

[0025] The illumination system 104 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and / or code that may be configured to illuminate the subject 114 with a flash pulse. The illumination system 104 may include a plurality of light sources (e.g., light source 104A, light source 104B, ..., and light source 104N). In at least one embodiment, each of the plurality of light sources may correspond to an electronically controlled lighting fixture. The plurality of light sources may be spatially arranged in an environment to illuminate the subject 114 with a flash pulse from the left hand side of the subject 114, the right hand side of the subject 114, the top of the subject 114, the bottom of the subject 114, the front of the subject 114, or the back of the subject 114. Each of the plurality of light sources may include one or more polarizers (i.e., polarizing filters). The one or more polarizers may linearly (e.g., horizontally or vertically) polarize light emitted by the light source. In at least one embodiment, each of the plurality of light sources may include a circular polarizer that may convert linearly polarized light into a cross-polarized or parallel polarized illumination pattern. Examples of each of the plurality of light sources may include, but are not limited to, an incandescent lamp, a halogen lamp, a light emitting diode (LED) lamp, a metal halide lamp, a low pressure sodium lamp, a fluorescent lamp / tube, a high intensity discharge lamp, or a neon lamp. In an embodiment, the lighting system 104 may correspond to a light cage arrangement (e.g., a light table) that may be positioned around the subject 114 to illuminate the subject 114 from various angles / directions based on a trigger pulse.

[0026] The multi-view image capture device group 106 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and / or code that may be configured to capture a set of images of the subject 114 based on the illumination of the subject 114 by the illumination system 104. The multi-view image capture device group 106 may include a plurality of image capture devices (e.g., image capture device 106A, image capture device 106B, ..., and image capture device 106N). In an embodiment, the multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture a 360-degree view of the subject 114. Each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may be configured to capture a portion of the 360-degree view of the subject 114. In an embodiment, a three-dimensional (3D) scan of the subject 114 may be generated using the 360-degree view of the subject 114. The lens of each image capture device may be coupled to a circular polarization filter. The circular polarization filter may receive horizontally or vertically polarized light and generate a cross-polarized or parallel polarized (omnidirectional or spherical gradient) illumination pattern. In at least one embodiment, each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 can be a high-resolution still camera with continuous shooting capability. The image capture devices of the multi-view image capture device group 106 can capture fine skin details and generate high-resolution meshes and textures. In addition, the image capture device can have a large bit depth (for example, the image capture device can generate a 14-bit RAW file for a high dynamic range (HDR) texture). The image capture device can provide optimal low-light performance and have low sensor noise. Examples of each image capture device may include, but are not limited to, an image sensor, a wide-angle camera, an action camera, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, a camcorder, a digital camera, a camera phone, a time-of-flight camera (ToF camera), a night vision camera, and / or other image capture devices.

[0027] The server 108 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and / or code that may be configured to receive a set of captured images of the subject 114 from the electronic device 102. In at least one embodiment, the server 108 may determine a 3D facial geometry associated with the subject 114 based on the captured images of the subject 114 to build a photo-realistic relightable model of the head of the subject 114. The 3D geometry may be determined based on information extracted from the captured images of the subject 114. The server 108 may be configured to perform (facial) shape reconstruction or separation between diffuse and specular components based on illumination of the subject 114 with a selected set of illumination patterns (e.g., cross-polarized or parallel-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns). The diffuse and specular components may correspond to light reflected from a facial surface associated with the subject 114 and captured by the multi-view image capture device set 106. The server 108 may also be configured to generate a normal map and a height map based on illumination of the subject 114 with a selected set of illumination patterns (e.g., cross-polarized or parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns). The server 108 may perform operations via a web application, a cloud application, HTTP requests, repository operations, file transfers, etc. Example implementations of the server 108 may include, but are not limited to, a database server, a file server, a web server, an application server, a mainframe server, a cloud computing server, or a combination thereof.

[0028] In at least one embodiment, the server 108 can be implemented as multiple distributed cloud-based resources using several techniques well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the scope of the present disclosure may not be limited to implementing the server 108 and the electronic device 102 as two separate entities. In some embodiments, the functionality of the server 108 may be incorporated in whole or in part into the electronic device 102 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] The database 110 may include suitable logic, interfaces, and / or code that may be configured to store a set of images of a subject 114 captured by the multi-view image capture device group 106. The database 110 may be derived from data in a relational or non-relational database or a set of comma-separated value (csv) files in a conventional or large data storage device. The database 110 may be stored or cached on a device such as the electronic device 102 or the server 108. In some embodiments, the database 110 may be hosted at the same or different locations on multiple servers or devices. The operation of the database 110 may be performed using hardware including a processor, a microprocessor (e.g., for performing one or more operations or controlling its performance), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In certain other instances, the database 110 may be implemented using software.

[0030] The communication network 112 may include a communication medium through which the electronic device 102, the lighting system 104, the multi-view image capture device group 106, and the server 108 can communicate with each other. The communication network 112 may be a wired or wireless communication network. Examples of the communication network 112 may include, but are not limited to, the Internet, a cloud network, a cellular or wireless mobile network (such as, Long Term Evolution and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR)), a satellite communication system (using, for example, low earth orbit satellites), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network, a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), or a metropolitan area network (MAN). Various devices in the network environment 100 may be configured to connect to the communication network 112 according to various wired and wireless communication protocols. Examples of such wired and wireless communication protocols may include, but are not limited to, at least one of Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), ZigBee, EDGE, IEEE802.11, Light Fidelity (Li-Fi), 802.16, IEEE802.11s, IEEE802.11g, multi-hop communication, wireless access point (AP), device-to-device communication, cellular communication protocol, and Bluetooth (BT) communication protocol.

[0031] In operation, the electronic device 102 may be configured to select a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture an image of the subject 114. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 102 may receive a user input indicating the selection of a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns. The subject 114 may be illuminated with a set of illumination patterns selected via a flash pulse. According to an embodiment, the plurality of predefined illumination patterns may include omnidirectional illumination patterns, directional illumination patterns, cross-polarized illumination patterns, and parallel polarized illumination patterns. A set of illumination patterns selected from the plurality of predefined illumination patterns may be classified into a first set of illumination patterns and a second set of illumination patterns. The first set of illumination patterns may include cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns and parallel polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns. The second set of illumination patterns may include cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns and parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns.

[0032] According to an embodiment, the classification may be based on information that may be extracted based on illuminating the subject 114 with flash pulses corresponding to the selected set of illumination patterns. The extracted information may include details associated with facial skin, a high-resolution 3D facial mesh (i.e., 3D facial geometry), a high-resolution facial texture map, material properties associated with facial skin, a facial diffuse component, a specular component, a normal map, and a height map, etc. For example, in Figure 3 and Figure 4Details of selecting a set of lighting patterns from a plurality of predefined lighting patterns are further described in (at 402).

[0033] The electronic device 102 may also be configured to control the lighting system 104 associated with the electronic device 102 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first group of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse. The illumination intensity of the first group of flash pulses may increase from a first intensity to a second intensity. The first intensity may be associated with the first pulse, and the second intensity may be associated with the second pulse. The first intensity may be lower than the second intensity. According to an embodiment, the first pulse may correspond to modeled light, and the first intensity may correspond to a predefined intensity. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 102 may control the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first pulse of lower intensity. Thereafter, the lighting system 104 may illuminate the subject 114 with a second pulse of higher intensity. The gradual increase in illumination intensity from a first intensity associated with the first pulse (i.e., a lower intensity) to a second intensity associated with the second pulse (i.e., a higher intensity) may adapt the subject 114 to the second intensity (i.e., a higher intensity).

[0034] Since the subject 114 may be illuminated with a flash pulse corresponding to the second intensity to capture an image of the subject 114, adaptation may be necessary. Adaptation may prevent the subject 114 from being exposed to sudden changes in light intensity, which may be uncomfortable for the subject 114. For example, if the subject 114 is not adapted to the second intensity, the sudden triggering of the second pulse of the second intensity may cause the subject 114 to close their eyes voluntarily or involuntarily. Illuminating the subject 114 with the first pulse of the first intensity before illuminating the subject 114 with the second pulse of the second intensity may ensure eye comfort for the subject 114. For example, in Figure 3 and Figure 4 Details of controlling the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with the first set of flash pulses are further described in (at 404 ).

[0035] The electronic device 102 may also be configured to control the lighting system 104 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the first group of flash pulses to illuminate the subject 114 with a second group of flash pulses. According to an embodiment, the second group of flash pulses may correspond to a selected set of illumination patterns. The selected set of illumination patterns may correspond to at least one of the first group of illumination patterns or the second group of illumination patterns, but is not limited to the first group of illumination patterns or the second group of illumination patterns. The second group of flash pulses corresponding to the first group of illumination patterns (i.e., cross-polarized or parallel-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns) in the selected set of illumination patterns may be used for shape (e.g., facial shape or geometric shape) reconstruction or separation of diffuse reflection components from specular reflection components. The illumination intensity of each flash pulse in the second group of flash pulses corresponding to the first group of illumination patterns may be equal to the second intensity.

[0036] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 102 may control the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a second group of flash pulses corresponding to a second group of illumination patterns (i.e., cross-polarized or parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns). The electronic device 102 may control the illumination intensity associated with the second group of flash pulses based on the position of the light source of the lighting system 104 that triggers the second group of flash pulses and a specific spherical gradient illumination pattern in the second group of illumination patterns used to illuminate the subject 114. The second group of flash pulses corresponding to the second group of illumination patterns in the selected group of illumination patterns (i.e., cross-polarized or parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns) may be used for normal map generation and height map generation.

[0037] In some embodiments, the electronic device 102 may control the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a second group of flash pulses corresponding to vertical polarization or horizontal polarization illumination. The second group of flash pulses corresponding to vertical polarization illumination may be transformed into a cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern or a cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern. Similarly, the second group of flash pulses corresponding to horizontal polarization illumination may be transformed into a parallel polarization omnidirectional illumination pattern or a parallel polarization spherical gradient illumination pattern. For example, in Figure 3 and Figure 4 Details of controlling the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with the second set of flash pulses are further described in (at 406 ).

[0038] The electronic device 102 may also be configured to control the multi-view image capture device group 106 associated with the electronic device 102 to capture an image of the subject 114 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second group of flash pulses. For example, the selected set of illumination patterns may include 11 illumination patterns. For each illumination pattern (i.e., the illumination pattern with which the subject 114 is illuminated), the electronic device 102 may capture a set of images. The images in each set of images may be captured simultaneously by all image capture devices (e.g., image capture device 106A) in the multi-view image capture device group 106. The number of images in each set of images may be based on the number of image capture devices of the multi-view image capture device group 106. For example, if the multi-view image capture device group 106 includes 6 image capture devices, a set of images captured for each illumination pattern may include 6 images (captured simultaneously). Therefore, in this case, for each illumination pattern, the electronic device 102 may capture 6 images. Therefore, since the electronic device 102 may capture 6 images for each of the selected 11 illumination patterns (ie, 6 images for each illumination pattern), the second set of flash pulses may include 66 (ie, 6×11=66) flash pulses.

[0039] According to an embodiment, the multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture each of a set of images based on receiving a second set of flash pulses corresponding to a selected set of illumination patterns reflected from a surface (e.g., skin) of the subject 114. According to another embodiment, the multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture each of a set of images based on receiving reflected light corresponding to vertically or horizontally polarized illumination. The multi-view image capture device group 106 may transform the vertically or horizontally polarized illumination pattern into a cross-polarized or parallel-polarized (omnidirectional or spherical gradient) illumination pattern based on the capture of each of a set of images.

[0040] The electronic device 102 may also be configured to generate a photo-realistic re-lightable head model associated with the subject 114 based on the captured set of images of the subject 114. The electronic device 102 (by using each of the captured set of images) may determine details associated with facial skin, extract a high-resolution 3D facial mesh (3D facial geometry), generate a high-resolution facial texture map, reconstruct facial shape, estimate material properties associated with facial skin, separate facial diffuse and specular components, generate a normal map and a height map, etc. A photo-realistic re-lightable head model may be generated based on one or more of facial skin details, a 3D facial mesh, a facial texture map, material properties associated with facial skin, diffuse and specular separation, or a normal map and a height map. For example, in Figure 3 and Figure 4 Details of controlling multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture images of subject 114 are further described in (at 408 ).

[0041] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a multi-view image capture device for controlling a lighting system and for capturing a set of images of a subject according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary electronic device. Figure 2 It is a combination Figure 1 The components in the reference Figure 2 , a block diagram 200 of an electronic device 102 is shown. The electronic device 102 may include circuitry 202, memory 204, input / output (I / O) devices 206, a network interface 208, a lighting system 104, and a multi-view image capture device group 106. In at least one embodiment, the I / O device 206 may also include a display device 210. The circuitry 202 may be communicatively coupled to the memory 204, the I / O device 206, the network interface 208, the lighting system 104, and the multi-view image capture device group 106 via wired or wireless communication of the electronic device 102.

[0042] The circuit 202 may include suitable logic, circuits, and interfaces that may be configured to execute program instructions associated with different operations to be performed by the electronic device 102. The operation may include selecting a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of the subject 114. The operation may also include controlling the illumination system 104 associated with the electronic device 102 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first set of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse. The operation may also include controlling the illumination system 104 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the first set of flash pulses to illuminate the subject 114 with a second set of flash pulses corresponding to the selected set of illumination patterns. The operation may also include controlling the multi-view image capture device group 106 associated with the electronic device 102 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second set of flash pulses to capture each of the set of images of the subject 114. The circuit 202 may include one or more dedicated processing units, which may be implemented as an integrated processor or a processor cluster that collectively performs the functions of the one or more dedicated processing units. The circuit 202 may be implemented based on a variety of processor technologies known in the art. Examples of implementations of circuit 202 may be an x86-based processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a microcontroller, a central processing unit (CPU), and / or other computing circuits.

[0043] The memory 204 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and / or code that may be configured to store program instructions to be executed by the circuit 202. The program instructions stored on the memory 204 may enable the circuit 202 to perform the operations of the circuit 202 (and / or the electronic device 102). In at least one embodiment, the memory 204 may store images of the subject 114 that have been captured by the multi-view image capture device group 106. The memory 204 may also store information associated with a selected illumination pattern (such as an omnidirectional or spherical gradient illumination pattern that may be cross-polarized or parallel-polarized) used to capture a set of images. The memory 204 may also store a determined 3D geometry of the head (face) of the subject 114, a material scan (i.e., a scan of facial skin material), or properties associated with facial skin (such as reflection or scattering). The memory 204 may store a photo-realistic re-lightable model of the subject 114 (head) derived based on the 3D geometry and material scan. Examples of implementations of the memory 204 may include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), CPU cache, and / or a secure digital (SD) card.

[0044] The I / O device 206 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and / or code that may be configured to receive input and provide output based on the received input. For example, the I / O device 206 may receive user input associated with selecting a set of lighting patterns from a plurality of predefined lighting patterns. The I / O device 206 may also receive user input indicating instructions (for the lighting system 104) to trigger a first set of flash pulses and a second set of flash pulses (to illuminate the subject 114). The I / O device 206 may also receive user input indicating instructions (for the multi-view image capture device group 106) to capture an image of the subject 114 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second set of flash pulses. The I / O device 206 may also receive user input indicating that a first set of images has been captured based on the illumination of the subject 114 with an illumination pattern in a set of lighting patterns. In some embodiments, the I / O device 206 may receive user input indicating instructions to generate a photo-realistic re-lightable model of the face (head) of the subject 114. Examples of I / O devices 206 may include, but are not limited to, a touch screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a microphone, a display device 210, and a speaker. Examples of I / O devices 206 may also include Braille I / O devices such as a Braille keyboard and a Braille reader.

[0045] I / O device 206 may include display device 210. Display device 210 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to receive input from circuit 202 to present a captured image of subject 114 on a display screen. Display device 210 may also be configured to present parameters determined based on the captured image of subject 114. According to an embodiment, display device 210 may be configured to present a photo-realistic relightable model of the head of subject 114. In at least one embodiment, the touch screen may be at least one of a resistive touch screen, a capacitive touch screen, or a thermal touch screen. Display device 210 or display screen may be implemented by several known technologies such as, but not limited to, at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) display, a light emitting diode (LED) display, a plasma display, or an organic LED (OLED) display technology or other display devices.

[0046] The network interface 208 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to facilitate communication between the circuit 202, the lighting system 104, the multi-view image capture device group 106, and the server 108 via the communication network 112. The network interface 208 may be implemented using various known techniques to support wired or wireless communication between the electronic device 102 and the communication network 112. The network interface 208 may include, but is not limited to, an antenna, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a coder-decoder (CODEC) chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, or a local buffer circuit.

[0047] The network interface 208 may be configured to communicate with a network such as the Internet, an intranet, or a wireless network such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN), a short-range communication network, and a metropolitan area network (MAN) via wireless communication. The wireless communication may use one or more of a variety of communication standards, protocols, and technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) (such as IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.11g, or IEEE802.11n), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Light Fidelity (Li-Fi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-MAX), Near Field Communication Protocol, and Wireless Peer-to-Peer Protocol.

[0048] By Figure 1 The functions or operations performed by the electronic device 102 described in the above may be performed by the circuit 202. For example, in Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5A and Figure 5B The operations performed by circuit 202 are described in detail in FIG.

[0049] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment for capturing an image of a subject illuminated by a set of illumination patterns by using a set of multi-view image capture devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 It is a combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 The components in the reference Figure 3, an exemplary environment 300 is shown. The exemplary environment 300 may be an indoor or outdoor environment that a photographer or a professional associated with a creative industry (such as the gaming industry or the film industry) may use to capture an image of a subject sitting on a platform (e.g., a chair) in the exemplary environment 300. In an embodiment, the captured image may be used to generate a photo-realistic relightable model of the head of the subject sitting on the platform. Figure 3 , a subject 306 is shown in environment 300. Subject 306 may be illuminated by a set of light sources (eg, represented by light sources 302A ... 302F) to capture images using a set of image capture devices (eg, represented by image capture devices 304A ... 304F).

[0050] For example, in environment 300, a lighting system including a group of light sources, namely 302A, 302B, 302C, 302D, 302E, and 302F (hereinafter, 302A ... 302F) is shown. The group of light sources 302A ... 302F may be an exemplary implementation of the light sources 104A ... 104N. The functions of the group of light sources 302A ... 302F may be the same as the functions of the light sources 104A ... 104N. In an example, the light source 302A may trigger a flash pulse to illuminate the subject 306 from the left hand side of the subject 306. The light source 302B may trigger a flash pulse to illuminate the subject 306 from the right hand side of the subject 306. In addition, the light source 302C may trigger a flash pulse to illuminate the subject 306 from the top of the subject 306, and the light source 302D may trigger a flash pulse to illuminate the subject 306 from the bottom of the subject 306. Similarly, the light source 302E may trigger a flash pulse to illuminate the subject 306 from the front side of the subject 306 , and the light source 302F may trigger a flash pulse to illuminate the subject 306 from the back side of the subject 306 .

[0051] Also shown is a set of image capture devices, namely 304A, 304B, 304C, 304D, 304E, and 304F (hereinafter, 304A...304F). The set of image capture devices 304A...304F may be an exemplary implementation of image capture devices 106A...106N. The functionality of the set of image capture devices 304A...304F may be the same as the functionality of image capture devices 106A...106N. Image capture device 304A may capture a left-hand side view of subject 306. Image capture device 304B may capture a right-hand side view of subject 306. In addition, image capture device 304C may capture a top view of subject 306, while image capture device 304D may capture a bottom view of subject 306. Similarly, image capture device 304E may capture a front side view of subject 306, while image capture device 304F may capture a back side view of subject 306.

[0052] Figure 3 The six light sources (i.e., light sources 302A, 302B, 302C, 302D, 302E, and 302F) and six image capture devices (i.e., image capture devices 304A, 304B, 304C, 304D, 304E, and 304F) shown in FIG. 3 are presented only as examples. Environment 300 may include only one or more than six light sources and only one or more than six image capture devices without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For simplicity, in FIG. Figure 3 Only 6 light sources and 6 image capture devices are shown.

[0053] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 of the electronic device 102 may control each of a group of light sources 302A ... 302F to trigger a first group of flash pulses. The first group of flash pulses may include a first pulse and a second pulse. The subject 306 may be initially illuminated with the first pulse and then with the second pulse. The illumination intensity of the first group of flash pulses may increase from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse. The second intensity may be greater than the first intensity. Irradiating the subject 306 with the (lower intensity) first pulse may promote the subject 306 to adapt to the second pulse associated with the (higher intensity) second intensity.

[0054] According to an embodiment, each of the group of light sources 302A...302F may include a linear polarizer. The linear polarizer may transform the unpolarized light emitted by each of the group of light sources 302A...302F into horizontally polarized light or vertically polarized light. The group of light sources 302A...302F may also include a circular polarizer (which may include a linear polarizer and a quarter wave plate). The circular polarizer may transform the horizontally polarized light into a parallel polarized light illumination pattern. Similarly, the circular polarizer may transform the vertically polarized light into a cross polarized light illumination pattern.

[0055] In some embodiments, circuit 202 can be configured to control a group of image capture devices 304A...304F to capture an image of subject 306 based on illumination of subject 306 with horizontally polarized light or vertically polarized light. Each image capture device in a group of image capture devices 304A...304F can include a circular polarizer. The circular polarizer can be coupled to a lens of an image capture device (e.g., image capture device 304A). The circular polarizer can transform the horizontally polarized reflected light or the vertically polarized reflected light into a parallel polarized illumination pattern or a cross polarized illumination pattern, respectively. The transformation can be based on the capture of an image of subject 306.

[0056] The circuit 202 of the electronic device 102 may also be configured to select a set of illumination patterns to capture an image of the subject 306. The set of illumination patterns may be selected from a first set of illumination patterns and a second set of illumination patterns. According to an embodiment, the first set of illumination patterns may include at least one of a cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern or a parallel-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern. According to an embodiment, the second set of illumination patterns may include a first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns and a second subset of parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns. The first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns includes a cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern that may illuminate the subject 306 from at least one of the left-hand side of the subject 306, the right-hand side of the subject 306, the top of the subject 306, the bottom of the subject, the front side of the subject 306, and the back side of the subject 306. Similarly, the second subset of parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns includes parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns that can illuminate the subject 306 from at least one of the left hand side of the subject 306, the right hand side of the subject 306, the top of the subject 306, the bottom of the subject 306, the front side of the subject 306, and the back side of the subject 306.

[0057] According to an embodiment, the selection of a set of illumination patterns may be based on the control of a circular polarizer included in each of the set of light sources 302A...302F. The circuit 202 may control the circular polarizer so that the set of light sources 302A...302F can illuminate the subject 306 with one of the first set of illumination patterns and the second set of illumination patterns.

[0058] In some embodiments, selection of a set of illumination patterns may be based on control of a circular polarizer coupled to a lens of each of a set of image capture devices 304A ... 304F. Based on the capture of an image of subject 306, the circular polarizer may enable selection of one of the first set of illumination patterns and the second set of illumination patterns.

[0059] The circuit 202 may also be configured to control each of a group of light sources 302A ... 302F to trigger a second group of flash pulses based on the illumination of the subject 306 with the first group of flash pulses. In at least one embodiment, the second group of flash pulses may be triggered after the illumination of the subject 114 with the first group of flash pulses. The second group of flash pulses may correspond to a selected group of illumination patterns. For example, at a first moment, each light source in a group of light sources 302A ... 302F may trigger a first flash pulse of the second group of flash pulses. The illumination intensity of the first flash pulse triggered by each light source in a group of light sources 302A ... 302F may correspond to a second intensity. Therefore, at a first moment, six first flash pulses (triggered by light sources 302A, 302B, 302C, 302D, 302E, and 302F) may be triggered simultaneously. The six first flash pulses may correspond to a cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control each image capture device in a group of image capture devices 304A ... 304F to capture an image of the subject 306. Thus, six images may be captured at a first moment in time based on illumination of the subject 306 with a cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern (via six first flash pulses).

[0060] Similarly, at a second moment in time, a group of light sources 302A...302F may trigger six second flash pulses having an illumination intensity corresponding to the second intensity. The six second flash pulses may correspond to a parallel polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern. A group of image capture devices 304A...304F may simultaneously capture six images based on illumination of the subject 306 with the parallel polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern (via the six second flash pulses) at the second moment in time.

[0061] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to select all illumination patterns in the first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns and three illumination patterns in the second subset of parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns. The selected illumination patterns may include cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns that may illuminate the subject 306 from the left-hand side, the right-hand side, the top, the bottom, the front side, and the back side. The selected illumination patterns may also include parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns that may illuminate the subject 306 from the left-hand side, the top, and the front side.

[0062] At a third time instant, based on selecting an illumination pattern from the first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns, a set of light sources 302A...302F can simultaneously trigger six third flash pulses. The third flash pulses can correspond to a cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern that can illuminate the subject 306 from the left-hand side. In at least one embodiment, the illumination intensity of the third flash pulse triggered by light source 302A can be greater than the illumination intensity of the third flash pulse triggered by light source 302B. A set of image capture devices 304A...304F can capture six images at the third time instant based on illuminating the subject 306 from the left-hand side with the cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern (via the six third flash pulses).

[0063] Similarly, a set of image capture devices 304A ... 304F may capture six images at each of the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth moments. The six images captured at each of the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth moments may be based on illumination of the subject 306 from the right-hand side (via light source 302B), the top (via light source 302C), the bottom (via light source 302D), the front side (via light source 302E), and the back side (via light source 302F), respectively. The six images captured at each of the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth moments may be based on illumination of the subject 306 with a cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern (via six fourth flash pulses, six fifth flash pulses, six sixth flash pulses, six seventh flash pulses, and six eighth flash pulses, respectively).

[0064] It may be noted that the illumination intensity of the fourth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302B (at the fourth moment) may be greater than the illumination intensity of the fourth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302A. Similarly, the illumination intensity of the fifth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302C (at the fifth moment) may be greater than the illumination intensity of the fifth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302D, and the illumination intensity of the sixth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302D (at the sixth moment) may be greater than the illumination intensity of the sixth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302C. Furthermore, the illumination intensity of the seventh flash pulse triggered by the light source 302E (at the seventh moment) may be greater than the illumination intensity of the seventh flash pulse triggered by the light source 302F, and the illumination intensity of the eighth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302F (at the eighth moment) may be greater than the illumination intensity of the eighth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302E.

[0065] Based on selecting an illumination pattern from the second subset of parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns, a set of image capture devices 304A ... 304F may simultaneously capture six images at each of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh moments. The six images captured at each of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh moments may be based on illumination of the subject 306 from the left-hand side (via light source 302A), the top (via light source 302C), and the front side (via light source 302E), respectively. The six images captured at each of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh moments may be based on illumination of the subject 306 with the parallel polarized spherical gradient pattern (via six ninth flash pulses, six tenth flash pulses, and six eleventh flash pulses, respectively).

[0066] It may be noted that the illumination intensity of the ninth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302A (at the ninth moment) may be greater than the illumination intensity of the ninth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302B. Similarly, the illumination intensity of the tenth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302C (at the tenth moment) may be greater than the illumination intensity of the tenth flash pulse triggered by the light source 302D. Furthermore, the illumination intensity of the eleventh flash pulse triggered by the light source 302E (at the eleventh moment) may be greater than the illumination intensity of the eleventh flash pulse triggered by the light source 302F.

[0067] Thus, a group of image capture devices 304A...304F may capture 11 groups of images (each group including 6 images) based on illumination of subject 306 with a second group of flash pulses (i.e., six first flash pulses, six eleventh flash pulses). The second group of flash pulses may correspond to the selected 11 illumination patterns (i.e., a cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern, a parallel-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern, six cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns, and three parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns). Thus, the second group of flash pulses may include 66 flash pulses, and a group of image capture devices 304A...304F may capture 66 images of subject 306. It may be noted that subject 306 may exhibit a single expression during the capture of the 66 images.

[0068] It should be noted that Figure 3 Environment 300 is for exemplary purposes and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0069] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary execution pipeline for controlling a lighting system for image capturing by using a multi-view image capture device group according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 It is a combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The components in the reference Figure 4, an exemplary pipeline 400 is shown. The exemplary pipeline 400 may include Figure 1 The electronic device 102 may be configured to control the illumination system 104 to trigger flash pulses corresponding to a set of illumination patterns, and control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture images of the subject 114 illuminated by the flash pulses.

[0070] At 402, a set of illumination patterns 402B may be selected from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns 402A. The electronic device 202 may be configured to select a set of illumination patterns 402B from the plurality of predefined illumination patterns 402A to capture an image of the subject 114. According to an embodiment, the plurality of predefined illumination patterns 402A may include one or more of an omnidirectional illumination pattern, a directional illumination pattern, a cross-polarized illumination pattern, and a parallel polarized illumination pattern. The selected set of illumination patterns 402B may include a first set of illumination patterns and a second set of illumination patterns. The first set of illumination patterns may include a cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern and a parallel polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern. The first set of illumination patterns may be used for shape (e.g., 3D facial geometry or mesh) reconstruction (associated with a facial surface) and separation of diffuse reflection classification from specular reflection components.

[0071] The second set of illumination patterns may include a first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns and a second subset of parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns. The first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns may include cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns that may illuminate the subject 114 from the left hand side, the right hand side, the top, the bottom, the front side, and the back side of the subject 114. Similarly, the second subset of parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns may include parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns that may illuminate the subject 114 from the left hand side, the right hand side, the top, the bottom, the front side, and the back side of the subject 114. The second set of illumination patterns may be used to generate normal maps and height maps.

[0072] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to select one or more illumination patterns from the first group of illumination patterns, the first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns, and one or more illumination patterns from the second subset of parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns. The second group of illumination patterns may be used to generate a normal map and a height map. The quality of the generated normal map and height map may depend on the number of illumination patterns from the selected group of illumination patterns 402B. For example, the circuit 202 may select the first group of illumination patterns (i.e., 2 illumination patterns), all illumination patterns from the first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns (i.e., 6 illumination patterns), and three illumination patterns from the second subset of parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns. The illumination patterns selected from the second subset may include parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns that may illuminate the subject 114 from the left hand side, the top, and the front side of the subject 114.

[0073] The circuit 202 may select all illumination patterns in the first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns because the diffuse reflection component in the image of the subject 114 captured when the subject 114 is illuminated with the cross-polarized gradient illumination pattern may not include high-frequency details. In addition, in this case, the quality of the image may not be affected by the motion of the subject 114 during the image capture. Using all illumination patterns in the first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns may maximize the reconstruction quality of the captured image. The circuit 202 may select three illumination patterns in the second subset of parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns because the image of the subject 114 captured when the subject 114 is illuminated with the parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern may include high-frequency details. The circuit 202 may select at least three illumination patterns in the second subset of parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns to avoid motion-related blur in the extracted specular reflection component (including high-frequency details).

[0074] At 404, illumination of the subject 114 with a first group of flash pulses 404A may be controlled. The subject 114 may be illuminated based on control of the illumination system 104. The circuit 202 may be configured to control the illumination system 104 associated with the electronic device 102 to illuminate the subject 114 with the first group of flash pulses 404A. The first group of flash pulses 404A may include a first pulse and a second pulse. The illumination intensity of the first group of flash pulses 404A may increase from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse. Thus, the first intensity may be lower than the second intensity. For example, the increase in illumination intensity from the first intensity to the second intensity may be a linear increase. The linear increase in illumination intensity may adapt the subject 114 to the second pulse of the second intensity (i.e., a higher light intensity). According to an embodiment, the first pulse may correspond to a modeled light, and the first intensity may correspond to a predefined intensity.

[0075] At 406, illumination of the subject 114 with a second group of flash pulses 406A may be controlled. The subject 114 may be illuminated based on the control of the illumination system 104. The circuit 202 may be configured to control the illumination system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with the second group of flash pulses 406A. According to an embodiment, the second group of flash pulses 406A may correspond to the selected set of illumination patterns 402B. Thus, the second group of flash pulses 406A may correspond to the first group of illumination patterns, the first subset of cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns, and the selected one or more parallel polarized illumination patterns.

[0076] In some embodiments, the second group of flash pulses 406A may correspond to linear polarized illumination (i.e., horizontal polarized illumination or vertical polarized illumination). The circuit 202 may be configured to control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to transform the linear polarized illumination into a first group of illumination patterns (i.e., cross- or parallel polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns) or a second group of illumination patterns (i.e., cross- or parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns) based on image capture of the subject 114. For example, the second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to horizontal polarized illumination may be transformed into a parallel polarized omnidirectional or parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern. Similarly, the second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to vertical polarized illumination may be transformed into a cross polarized omnidirectional or cross polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the illumination intensity of the second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to the first group of illumination patterns (i.e., the cross-polarized or parallel-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns) may be equal to the second intensity. The illumination intensity of the second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to the second group of illumination patterns may vary based on the selected illumination pattern in the second group of illumination patterns. For example, the illumination intensity of the first flash pulse in the second group of flash pulses 406A triggered by the light source 104A may be greater than the illumination intensity of the second flash pulse in the second group of flash pulses 406A triggered by the light source 104B. In the first scenario, if the light source 104A is positioned on the left-hand side of the subject 114 and the light source 104B is positioned on the right-hand side of the subject 114, the first flash pulse and the second flash pulse may correspond to the cross-polarized or parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the left-hand side. In the second scenario, if the light source 104A is positioned on the right-hand side and the light source 104B is positioned on the left-hand side, the first flash pulse and the second flash pulse may correspond to a cross-polarized or parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the right-hand side. Similarly, in other scenarios, the first flash pulse and the second flash pulse correspond to a cross-polarized or parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the top, bottom, front, or back of the subject 114.

[0078] At 408, the capture of each of the set of images of the subject 114 may be controlled. Each of the set of images may be captured via control of the multi-view image capture device group 106. The circuit 202 may be configured to control the multi-view image capture device group 106 associated with the electronic device 102 to capture each of the set of images of the subject 114 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second set of flash pulses 406A. The second set of flash pulses 406A may correspond to a (selected) set of illumination patterns 402B. Thus, the circuit 202 may control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture each of the set of images of the subject 114 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with each illumination pattern in the set of illumination patterns 402B selected via the second set of flash pulses 406A. For example, the selected set of illumination patterns 402B may include 11 illumination patterns, namely, a cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern, a parallel-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern, six cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns, and three parallel-polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns. Circuitry 202 may control multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture 11 sets of images of subject 114. Each of the 11 sets of images may be captured based on illumination of subject 114 with one of the 11 illumination patterns. Furthermore, each of the 11 sets of images may include six images, one for each capture direction of subject 114, such as left, right, top, bottom, front, and back.

[0079] According to an embodiment, the number of images in each of the 11 groups of images may be based on a capture mode associated with the multi-view image capture device group 106 and the number of image capture devices in the multi-view image capture device group 106. The capture mode may correspond to a single shot mode or a continuous shot mode. In the single shot mode, each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture a single image during a time interval between the opening and closing of a shutter of the image capture device (or a time interval during which the shutter of the image capture device may be in an open state). The circuit 202 may also be configured to synchronize the opening and closing of the shutters of all image capture devices in the multi-view image capture device group 106. The circuit 202 may control each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 to set a time interval. The time interval may correspond to a shutter speed associated with each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106.

[0080] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may set a shutter speed associated with each image device in the multi-view image capture device group 106 based on a capture mode (i.e., a single shot mode or a continuous shot mode) associated with the capture of each of a set of images. For example, for the single shot mode, the shutter speed associated with each image capture device in the multi-view image capture device group 106 may be set to 1 / 60 seconds. The circuit 202 may control a light source (e.g., light source 104A) of the illumination system 104 to trigger a flash pulse corresponding to a cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern in the second group of flash pulses 406A. The flash pulse may be triggered during a time interval (i.e., 1 / 60 seconds) to capture an image. According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may set a delay and a flash duration associated with the illumination system 104 (i.e., light sources 104A ... 104N) based on the shutter speed (associated with each image capture device in the multi-view image capture device group 106). For example, in the case where the flash duration is set to 1 / 1000 seconds, the delay may be set to 1 / 120 seconds. The delay may ensure that the light source 104A triggers the flash pulse at the center (eg, at 1 / 30 second) of the time interval (ie, at 1 / 60 second).

[0081] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to synchronize the illumination system 104 with the multi-view image capture device group 106 based on the delay and the flash duration to capture each of a set of images of the subject 114. For example, the circuit 202 may synchronize the light source 104A of the illumination system 104 with the image capture device 106A of the multi-view image capture device group 106. The circuit 202 may control the image capture device 106A to capture an image of the subject 114 illuminated with a flash pulse (in the second set of flash pulses 406A) corresponding to the cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern. The flash pulse may be triggered at the center of a time interval between the opening and closing of a shutter associated with the image capture device 106A.

[0082] Similarly, each of the other image capture devices in the multi-view image capture device group 106 can capture an image of the subject 114 based on irradiation of the subject 114 with a flash pulse (in the second group of flash pulses 406A) corresponding to the cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern. The capture of the image of the subject 114 can be based on synchronization of the light sources 104B...104N of the illumination system 104 with the image capture devices 106B...106N. Each of the light sources 104B...104N can trigger a flash pulse in the second group of flash pulses 406A at the center of the time interval between the opening and closing of the shutter associated with each of the image capture devices 106B...106N. Therefore, the multi-view image capture device group 106 can capture N images of the subject 114 in the single-shot mode based on irradiation of the subject 114 with the second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to the cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern.

[0083] Similarly, for each of the remaining 10 illumination patterns in the selected set of illumination patterns 402B, the circuit 202 may be configured to control the multi-view image capture device group 106 in the single-shot mode to capture N images of the subject 114. The multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture a total of 11×N images of the subject 114 in the single-shot mode.

[0084] In the burst mode, each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 can capture multiple images in multiple time intervals in which the shutter of the image capture device is in an open state. The multiple images can be captured based on the triggering of multiple flash pulses in the second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to the illumination pattern in the selected group of illumination patterns 402B. The circuit 202 can set the shutter speed associated with each image device in the multi-view image capture device group 106 (corresponding to the time interval). For example, the shutter speed can be set to 1 / 125 seconds.

[0085] The set value may be an optimal value because a shutter speed greater than 1 / 125 second may affect the brightness of the captured image. In addition, if the shutter speed is less than 1 / 125 second, the image capture devices of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may not operate effectively in the burst mode. For example, if the shutter speed is less than 1 / 125 second (i.e., the time interval during which the shutter is in an open state is greater than 1 / 125 second), the synchronization between the image capture devices of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may be affected. This is because the duration of the image processing within the camera (i.e., within the image capture device) may be proportional to the time interval. An increase in the duration of the image processing within the camera (due to a longer time interval (greater than 1 / 125 second)) may cause asynchrony between the image capture devices of the multi-view image capture device group 106. On the other hand, if the shutter speed is greater than 1 / 125 second (i.e., the time interval during which the shutter is in an open state is less than 1 / 125 second), the synchronization between the light source (e.g., light source 104A) of the illumination system 104 and the image capture device (e.g., image capture device 106A) of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may be affected. One or more image capture devices in the multi-view image capture device group 106 may miss flash pulses of the second group of flash pulses 406A used to capture the group of images.

[0086] The circuit 202 may control a light source (e.g., light source 104A) of the illumination system 104 to trigger a plurality of (e.g., a series of) flash pulses in the second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to the cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern in a plurality of time intervals. The shutter of each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may be in an open state during each of the plurality of time intervals. Each flash pulse of the plurality of flash pulses may be triggered during each time interval (i.e., 1 / 125 seconds) to capture an image. For example, the light source 104A may trigger three flash pulses corresponding to the cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern to capture three images during three time intervals. The flash duration may be set to, for example, 1 / 1000 seconds. A delay may be set so that each of the three flash pulses is triggered at the center (i.e., 1 / 250 seconds) of each of the corresponding time intervals (i.e., 1 / 125 seconds).

[0087] Circuitry 202 may control image capture device 106A to capture three images of subject 114 illuminated with three flash pulses (in second group of flash pulses 406A) corresponding to the cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern. The three flash pulses may be triggered within three time intervals during which a shutter associated with image capture device 106A is in an open state. Similarly, each of the other image capture devices of multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture three images of subject 114 based on illumination of subject 114 with three flash pulses (in second group of flash pulses 406A) corresponding to the cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern. Thus, multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture 3×N images of subject 114 in burst mode based on illumination of subject 114 with second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to the cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination pattern.

[0088] Similarly, for each of the remaining 10 lighting patterns in the selected set of lighting patterns 402B, the circuit 202 may be configured to control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture 3×N images of the subject 114 in the burst mode. The multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture a total of 33×N images of the subject 114 in the burst mode. It may be noted that the 11×N images (captured in the single shot mode) or the 33×N images (captured in the burst mode) of the subject 114 may be captured based on a certain facial expression of the subject 114. The facial expression may cause the movement of facial features or the expression of emotions.

[0089] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to control an auto focus setting associated with each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106. The circuit 202 may control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture each of a set of images of the subject 114 based on the control of the auto focus setting. For example, the auto focus setting of each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may be controlled before capturing each of the set of images of the subject 114. The auto focus setting may be enabled in each of the image capture devices based on the coupling of a circular polarizer with a lens (e.g., an 85 mm lens in an F1.8 aperture) of each of the image capture devices.

[0090] Depending on the embodiment, the auto focus setting may correspond to auto focus per capture, auto focus per session, or auto focus per frame.

[0091] If the autofocus setting corresponds to autofocusing per capture, the circuit 202 may control the autofocus setting (associated with each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106) prior to each capture of a set of images of the subject 114 exhibiting a certain facial expression. For example, the autofocus setting may be controlled a first time prior to capturing "11×N" or "33×N" images of the subject 114 exhibiting a first facial expression. The autofocus setting may be controlled a second time once the "11×N" or "33×N" images have been captured. The autofocus setting may be controlled a second time to capture another "11×N" or "33×N" images of the subject 114 exhibiting a second facial expression. Thus, the autofocus setting of each of the image capture devices is retained to capture each set of images based on the illumination of the subject 114 with each of the selected 11 illumination patterns. For each capture of autofocus, circuitry 202 may accommodate potential head motion (i.e., movement of the head of subject 114) during the capture of the "11×N" or "33×N" images of subject 114 exhibiting a particular expression. Circuitry 202 may also be configured to perform rigid post-alignment to compensate for changes in one or more intrinsic parameters (e.g., focal lengths of image capture devices of multi-view image capture device group 106, distortion associated with lenses of the image capture devices, locations of sensors in the image capture devices, etc.). Prior to capturing each of a set of images of subject 114 exhibiting a particular expression, the one or more intrinsic parameters may be changed each time the autofocus setting is controlled.

[0092] If the auto-focus setting corresponds to per-session auto-focusing, circuitry 202 may control the auto-focus setting (associated with each image capture device of multi-view image capture device group 106) prior to each capture of a set of images of subject 114 exhibiting a set of facial expressions. For example, the auto-focus setting controlled prior to capturing “11×N” or “33×N” images of subject 114 exhibiting a first facial expression may be retained for capturing the corresponding “11×N” or “33×N” images of subject 114 exhibiting a second facial expression.

[0093] If the autofocus setting corresponds to per-frame autofocus, the circuit 202 may control the autofocus setting (associated with each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106) prior to each capture of a set of images of the subject 114 illuminated with an illumination pattern in the selected set of illumination patterns 402B. For example, the autofocus setting may be controlled a first time prior to capturing "N" or "3×N" images of the subject 114 illuminated with a first illumination pattern in the selected set of 11 illumination patterns, in which a facial expression may be expressed. Once the "N" or "3×N" images have been captured, the autofocus setting may be controlled a second time. For example, the autofocus setting may be controlled a second time to capture another "N" or "3×N" images of the subject 114 illuminated with a second illumination pattern in the 11 illumination patterns, in which the same facial expression may be expressed.

[0094] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to receive a first indication that a first group of images was captured by the multi-view image capture device group 106 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with a first illumination pattern in the selected set of illumination patterns 402B. The first indication may be received based on an input from a user associated with the multi-view image capture device group 106. Additionally or alternatively, the first indication may be automatically received from at least one of the multi-view image capture device group 106 or the illumination system 104. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the illumination system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first pulse in the first group of flash pulses 404A associated with a first intensity based on the received first indication. Prior to receiving the first indication, the subject 114 may be illuminated by a flash pulse in a second group of flash pulses 406A corresponding to the first illumination pattern. The flash pulses may be associated with a second intensity that may be greater than the first intensity. Once the first set of images is captured, circuit 202 may respond to the received first indication and control of lighting system 104 to trigger a first pulse (of a lower intensity than the intensity of the flash pulse) via each of light sources 104A...104N. When multi-view image capture device group 106 is not involved in image capture, triggering of the first pulse may ensure that subject 114 is not exposed to a higher intensity of light.

[0095] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to receive a second indication to initiate capturing a second set of images using the multi-view image capture device group 106. The second indication may be received based on an input from a user associated with the multi-view image capture device group 106. Additionally or alternatively, the second indication may be automatically received from at least one of the multi-view image capture device group 106 or the lighting system 104. Based on the received second indication, the circuit 202 may be configured to control the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first group of flash pulses 404A. The first group of flash pulses 404A may start with a first pulse of lower intensity and end with a second pulse of higher intensity than the first pulse. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a second group of flash pulses 406A based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the first group of flash pulses 404A, which may end with the second pulse. The second group of flash pulses 406A may be triggered after the subject 114 is illuminated with the second pulse (i.e., after the subject 114 adapts to the second intensity associated with the second pulse and the second group of flash pulses 406A). The second group of flash pulses 406A may correspond to a second illumination pattern in the selected set of illumination patterns 402B. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture a second image in the set of images based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second group of flash pulses 406A.

[0096] Figure 5A is an exemplary first timing diagram illustrating synchronization between a lighting system and a group of multi-view image capture devices for image capture in single-shot mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5A It is a combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The components in the reference Figure 5A , an exemplary timing diagram 500A is shown. In the exemplary timing diagram 500A, a timeline is shown indicating the times at which a shutter associated with each image capture device (of the multi-view image capture device group 106) may open or close. The timeline also indicates the times at which each of the light sources of the illumination system 104 may trigger a flash pulse based on the times at which the shutter may open and close. The circuit 202 may synchronize the triggering of the flash pulse with the opening and closing of the shutter to capture an image of the subject 114.

[0097] According to an embodiment, the capture mode associated with the multi-view image capture device group 106 may be a single shot mode. In the single shot mode, each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture a single image during a time interval between the opening and closing of a shutter of the image capture device. For example, during a first time interval 502, an image capture device (e.g., image capture device 106A) of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture an image of the subject 114. The shutter associated with the image capture device 106A may be in an open state during the first time interval 502 to enable capture. The first time interval 502 may correspond to a shutter speed of the shutter associated with the image capture device 106. The circuit 202 may set the shutter speed to 1 / 60 seconds.

[0098] Circuitry 202 may be configured to synchronize illumination system 104 with multi-view image capture device group 106. Synchronization may cause each of the light sources of illumination system 104 to trigger a flash pulse based on the opening of a shutter associated with an image capture device of multi-view image capture device group 106. For example, light source 104A may trigger a flash pulse during first time interval 502. The flash pulse may correspond to a first illumination pattern in a selected set of predefined illumination patterns 402A. Image capture device 106A may capture an image of subject 114 (during first time interval 502) based on illumination of subject 114 (with a first illumination pattern in a selected set of predefined illumination patterns 402A) via the flash pulse triggered by light source 104A.

[0099] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 can be configured to set the delay and flash duration associated with the lighting system 104 based on the shutter speed. For example, the circuit 202 can set the delay 502A and configure the flash duration to be 1 millisecond (or 1 / 1000 second). The delay 502A can be set based on the shutter speed (or the first time interval 502). The circuit 202 can control the light source 104A to trigger a flash pulse with a 1 millisecond duration of the delay 502A relative to the opening of the shutter associated with the image capture device 106A. The captured image can be processed within the time interval 504. The first time interval 502 and the time interval 504 can span 0.5 seconds.

[0100] According to an embodiment, circuitry 202 may also be configured to control image capture device 106A based on illumination of subject 114 with a second illumination pattern in the selected set of illumination patterns 402B to capture an image of subject 114 during second time interval 506. The image captured during second time interval 506 may be processed at time interval 508. Circuitry 202 may also be configured to control image capture device 106A based on illumination of subject 114 with a third illumination pattern in the selected set of illumination patterns to capture an image of subject 114 during third time interval 510, and so on.

[0101] Figure 5B is an exemplary second timing diagram illustrating synchronization between an illumination system and a group of multi-view image capture devices for image capture in burst mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5B It is a combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5A The components in the reference Figure 5B , an exemplary timing diagram 500B is shown. In the exemplary timing diagram 500B, a timeline is shown indicating the times at which a shutter associated with each image capture device (in the multi-view image capture device group 106) may open or close. The timeline also indicates the times at which each light source of the lighting system 104 may trigger a flash pulse in the burst mode based on the times at which the shutter opens and closes.

[0102] According to an embodiment, in the burst mode, each image capture device of the multi-view image capture device group 106 may capture multiple images during multiple time intervals spanning the opening and closing of the shutter of the image capture device. For example, when the shutter associated with the image capture device 106A may be in an open state, the image capture device 106A may capture three images (i.e., a first image during the time interval 512, a second image during the time interval 516, and a third image during the time interval 520). The time intervals 512, 516, and 520 may correspond to a shutter speed that may be set to 1 / 125 seconds. The synchronization between the illumination system 104 and the multi-view image capture device group 106 may cause the light source 104A to trigger three flash pulses, which may correspond to the first illumination pattern in the selected set of illumination patterns 402B. The first flash pulse 528A may be triggered during the time interval 512 for capturing the first image, the second flash pulse 528B may be triggered during the time interval 516 for capturing the second image, and the third flash pulse 528C may be triggered during the time interval 520 for capturing the third image.

[0103] Image capture device 106A may capture three images of subject 114 based on illumination of subject 114 (with a first illumination pattern) via three flash pulses (i.e., first flash pulse 528A, second flash pulse 528B, and third flash pulse 528C) triggered by light source 104A. First flash pulse 528A, second flash pulse 528B, and third flash pulse 528C may have the same duration (e.g., 1 millisecond). The first image may be processed within time interval 514. The second image may be processed within time interval 518. The third image may be processed within time interval 522. Time interval 512 (or time intervals 516 and 520) and time interval 514 (or time intervals 518 and 522) may span 0.1 seconds.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to set the flash duration associated with the three flash pulses. For example, the flash duration of each of the three flash pulses may be set to 1 millisecond (1 / 1000 second). The circuit 202 may be configured to set a delay 512A for the first flash pulse 528A, a delay 516A for the second flash pulse 528B, and a delay 520A for the third flash pulse 528C. The delays 512A, 516A, and 520A may be the same duration. The circuit 202 may control the first light source 104A to trigger the first flash pulse 528A with a 1 millisecond duration of the delay 512A relative to the opening of the shutter associated with the image capture device 106A. Similarly, the circuit 202 may set the delays 516A and 520A to control the light source 104A to trigger the second flash pulse 528B and the third flash pulse 528C, respectively, relative to the opening of the shutter associated with the image capture device 106A.

[0105] According to an embodiment, circuit 202 may also be configured to control image capture device 106A to capture three images of subject 114 based on irradiating subject 114 via three flash pulses (with the second illumination pattern in selected set of illumination patterns 402B). For example, image capture device 106A may capture images during time interval 524 when a shutter associated with image capture device 106A may be in an open state. Flash pulse 530A may be triggered during time interval 524 for capturing images. Image capture device 106A may capture two additional images based on irradiating subject 114 via two flash pulses (with the second illumination pattern). The two flash pulses may be triggered during consecutive time intervals after time interval 524.

[0106] Similarly, circuitry 202 may also be configured to control image capture device 106A to capture three images of subject 114 based on the illumination of subject 114 with each of the other illumination patterns in selected set of illumination patterns 402B. Circuitry 202 may also be configured to control each of the image capture devices in multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture three images of subject 114 based on the illumination of subject 114 with each illumination pattern in selected set of illumination patterns 402B.

[0107] It should be noted that Figure 5A and Figure 5B The timing diagrams 500A and 500B are for exemplary purposes and should be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0108] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of an exemplary method for controlling a lighting system for image capturing by using a multi-view image capture device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 It is a combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5A and Figure 5B The components in the reference Figure 6 , a flowchart 600 is shown. The operations from 602 to 610 can be implemented by any computing system, such as by Figure 1 The electronic device 102 is implemented. Operations may start at 602 and may proceed to 604.

[0109] At 604, a set of illumination patterns may be selected from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of subject 114. In at least one embodiment, circuitry 202 may be configured to select a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of subject 114. For example, in Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 Details of selecting a set of lighting patterns from a plurality of predefined lighting patterns are described in (at 402).

[0110] At 606, the lighting system 104 associated with the electronic device 102 may be controlled to illuminate the subject 114 with a first group of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse, wherein the illumination intensity of the first group of flash pulses may increase from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse, and the first intensity may be lower than the second intensity. In at least one embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to control the lighting system 104 associated with the electronic device 102 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first group of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse. The illumination intensity of the first group of flash pulses may increase from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse, and the first intensity may be lower than the second intensity. For example, at Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 Details of controlling the lighting system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with the first set of flash pulses are described in (step 404 ).

[0111] At 608, the illumination system 104 may be controlled based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the first group of flash pulses to illuminate the subject 114 with a second group of flash pulses, wherein the second group of flash pulses may correspond to the selected set of illumination patterns and the illumination intensity of each of the second group of flash pulses may correspond to the second intensity. In at least one embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to control the illumination system 104 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the first group of flash pulses to illuminate the subject 114 with the second group of flash pulses. The second group of flash pulses may correspond to the selected set of illumination patterns and the illumination intensity of each of the second group of flash pulses may correspond to the second intensity. For example, in Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 Details of controlling the illumination system 104 for illuminating the subject 114 with the second set of flash pulses are described in (step 406 ).

[0112] At 610, the group of multi-view image capture devices 106 associated with the electronic device 102 may be controlled based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second group of flash pulses to capture each of a group of images of the subject 114. In at least one embodiment, the circuit 202 may be configured to control the group of multi-view image capture devices 106 associated with the electronic device 102 to capture each of a group of images of the subject 114 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second group of flash pulses. For example, Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 Details of controlling multi-view image capture device set 106 to capture a set of images of subject 114 are described in (step 408). Control may pass to end.

[0113] Although flowchart 600 is illustrated as discrete operations such as 604, 606, 608, and 610, the present disclosure is not so limited. Therefore, in some embodiments, such discrete operations may be further divided into more operations, combined into fewer operations, or eliminated, depending on the implementation, without detracting from the essence of the disclosed embodiments.

[0114] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium and / or storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions executable by a machine and / or computer operating an electronic device, such as the electronic device 102. The computer-executable instructions may cause the machine and / or computer to perform operations including selecting a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of a subject 114. The operations may also include controlling an illumination system 104 associated with the electronic device 102 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first set of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse. The illumination intensity of the first set of flash pulses may increase from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse. The first intensity may be lower than the second intensity. The operations may also include controlling the illumination system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a second set of flash pulses based on illuminating the subject 114 with the first set of flash pulses. The second set of flash pulses may correspond to the selected set of illumination patterns. The illumination intensity of each of the second set of flash pulses may correspond to the second intensity. The operations may also include controlling the set of multi-view image capture devices 106 associated with the electronic device 102 to capture each of a set of images of the subject 114 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second set of flash pulses.

[0115] Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure may include electronic devices such as Figure 1 An electronic device 102 may include an electronic device (such as Figure 1The electronic device 102 of the embodiment of the present invention is communicatively coupled to a circuit (such as circuit 202) of the electronic device 102 of the embodiment of the present invention. Circuit 202 can be configured to select a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of a subject (subject 114). The plurality of predefined illumination patterns can correspond to one or more of omnidirectional illumination patterns, directional illumination patterns, cross-polarized illumination patterns, or parallel polarized illumination patterns. The selected set of illumination patterns can correspond to a first set of illumination patterns for shape reconstruction or a second set of illumination patterns for normal map and height map generation. The first set of illumination patterns can include cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns or parallel polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns. The second group of illumination patterns may include a cross-polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the left-hand side of the subject 114, a parallel polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject from the left-hand side, a cross-polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the right-hand side of the subject 114, a parallel polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject from the right-hand side, a cross-polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject from the top of the subject 114, a parallel polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the top, a cross-polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the bottom of the subject 114, a cross-polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the front side of the subject 114, a parallel polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the front side, a cross-polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the back side of the subject 114, or a parallel polarized illumination pattern that illuminates the subject 114 from the back side.

[0116] The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the lighting system 104 associated with the electronic device 102 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first group of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse. The illumination intensity of the first group of flash pulses increases from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse. The first intensity may be lower than the second intensity. The first pulse may correspond to a modeled light, and the first intensity may correspond to a predefined intensity. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the lighting system 104 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the first group of flash pulses to illuminate the subject 114 with a second group of flash pulses. The second group of flash pulses may correspond to a selected set of illumination patterns. The illumination intensity of each of the second group of flash pulses may correspond to the second intensity. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control a multi-view image capture device group (e.g., multi-view image capture device group 106) associated with the electronic device 102 based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second group of flash pulses to capture each of a set of images of the subject 114.

[0117] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may also be configured to determine a shutter speed associated with each of the multi-view image capture device group 106 based on a capture mode associated with the capture of a set of images. The circuit 202 may also be configured to determine a delay and a flash duration associated with the lighting system 104 based on the determined shutter speed. The circuit 202 may also be configured to synchronize the lighting system 104 with the multi-view image capture device group 106 based on the determined delay and flash duration to capture a set of images of the subject 114. The capture mode may be a single shot mode or a continuous shot mode.

[0118] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may also be configured to control an auto focus setting associated with each of the multi-view image capture device group 106. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture a set of images of the subject 114 further based on the control of the camera auto focus setting. The auto focus setting may correspond to auto focus per capture, auto focus per session, or auto focus per frame.

[0119] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may also be configured to receive a first indication that a first image in a set of images is captured by the multi-view image capture device set 106. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the illumination system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with a first pulse associated with a first intensity based on the received first indication.

[0120] According to an embodiment, the circuit 202 may also be configured to receive a second indication to initiate capturing of a second image in a set of images by the multi-view image capture device group 106. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the illumination system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with the first set of flash pulses based on the received second indication. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the illumination system 104 to illuminate the subject 114 with the second set of flash pulses based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the first set of flash pulses and the received second indication. The circuit 202 may also be configured to control the multi-view image capture device group 106 to capture a second image in a set of images based on the illumination of the subject 114 with the second set of flash pulses and the received second indication.

[0121] The present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software. The present disclosure may be implemented in a centralized manner, in at least one computer system, or in a distributed manner, wherein different elements may be spread over several interconnected computer systems. A computer system or other device suitable for practicing the method described herein may be suitable. The combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program, which, when loaded and executed, may control the computer system so that it practices the method described herein. The present disclosure may be implemented in hardware that includes a part of an integrated circuit that also performs other functions.

[0122] The present disclosure may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein and, when loaded into a computer system, is able to practice these methods. In this context, a computer program means any expression in any language, code or notation of a set of instructions intended to cause a system with information processing capabilities to perform certain functions, either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion into another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.

[0123] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but the present disclosure will include all embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: A circuit, the circuit being configured as: selecting a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of the subject; controlling a lighting system associated with the electronic device to illuminate the subject with a first group of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse, wherein: The illumination intensity of the first set of flash pulses increases from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse, and The first intensity is lower than the second intensity; Based on the illumination of the object with the first group of flash pulses, the illumination system is controlled to illuminate the object with the second group of flash pulses, wherein: The second set of flash pulses corresponds to the selected set of illumination patterns, and the illumination intensity of each of the second set of flash pulses corresponds to the second intensity; and A set of multi-view image capture devices associated with the electronic device is controlled based on the illumination of the subject with the second set of flash pulses to capture each of a set of images of the subject.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of predefined illumination patterns correspond to one or more of omnidirectional illumination patterns, directional illumination patterns, cross-polarized illumination patterns, or parallel polarized illumination patterns.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The selected set of illumination patterns corresponds to at least one of the first set of illumination patterns used for shape reconstruction or the second set of illumination patterns used for normal map and height map generation.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein: The first set of illumination patterns includes one or more of cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns or parallel-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein: The second set of lighting patterns includes one or more of the following: a cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern illuminating the subject from the left-hand side of the subject, a parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern illuminating the subject from the left-hand side, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is used to illuminate the subject from the right hand side of the subject, a parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern illuminating the subject from the right-hand side, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the top of the subject, A parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the top, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is used to illuminate the object from the bottom of the object. A parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the bottom, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is used to illuminate the subject from the front side of the subject. A parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the front side, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is used to illuminate the subject from the back side of the subject. A parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the rear side.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The circuit is also configured to: setting a shutter speed associated with each of the set of multi-view image capture devices based on a capture mode associated with capture of the set of images; setting a delay and flash duration associated with the lighting system based on the determined shutter speed; and The lighting system is synchronized with the set of multi-view image capture devices to capture each of the set of images of the subject based on the determined delay and the flash duration.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein: The capture mode is one of a single-shot mode or a continuous-shot mode.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The circuit is also configured to: controlling an auto focus setting associated with each of the set of multi-view image capture devices; and The set of multi-view image capture devices is also controlled to capture the set of images of the subject based on control of the camera autofocus setting.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein: The autofocus setting corresponds to one of per-capture autofocus, per-session autofocus, or per-frame autofocus.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The first pulse corresponds to modeled light, and the first intensity corresponds to a predefined intensity.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The circuit is also configured to: receiving a first indication that a first image in the set of images was captured by the set of multi-view image capture devices; and The lighting system is controlled based on the received first indication to illuminate the subject with the first pulse associated with the first intensity.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein: The circuit is also configured to: receiving a second indication to initiate capturing, by the set of multi-view image capture devices, a second image in the set of images; controlling the lighting system based on the received second indication to illuminate the subject with the first group of flash pulses; controlling the lighting system based on illuminating the subject with the first group of flash pulses and the received second indication to illuminate the subject with the second group of flash pulses; and The group of multi-view image capture devices is controlled based on the illumination of the subject with the second group of flash pulses and the received second indication to capture the second image in the group of images.

13. A method comprising: In electronic devices: selecting a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of the subject; controlling a lighting system associated with the electronic device to illuminate the subject with a first group of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse, wherein: The illumination intensity of the first set of flash pulses increases from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse, and The first intensity is lower than the second intensity; Based on the illumination of the object with the first group of flash pulses, the illumination system is controlled to illuminate the object with a second group of flash pulses, wherein: The second set of flash pulses corresponds to the selected set of illumination patterns, and the illumination intensity of each of the second set of flash pulses corresponds to the second intensity; and A set of multi-view image capture devices associated with the electronic device is controlled based on the illumination of the subject with the second set of flash pulses to capture each of the set of images of the subject.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The plurality of predefined illumination patterns correspond to one or more of omnidirectional illumination patterns, directional illumination patterns, cross-polarized illumination patterns, or parallel polarized illumination patterns.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The selected set of illumination patterns corresponds to at least one of the first set of illumination patterns used for shape reconstruction or the second set of illumination patterns used for normal map and height map generation.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The first set of illumination patterns includes one or more of cross-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns or parallel-polarized omnidirectional illumination patterns.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The second set of lighting patterns includes one or more of the following: a cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern illuminating the subject from the left-hand side of the subject, a parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern illuminating the subject from the left-hand side, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is used to illuminate the subject from the right hand side of the subject, a parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern illuminating the subject from the right-hand side, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the top of the subject, A parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the top, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is used to illuminate the object from the bottom of the object. A parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the bottom, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is used to illuminate the subject from the front side of the subject. A parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the front side, A cross-polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is used to illuminate the subject from the back side of the subject. A parallel polarized spherical gradient illumination pattern is illuminated on the subject from the rear side.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of: setting a shutter speed associated with each of the set of multi-view image capture devices based on a capture mode associated with capture of the set of images; setting a delay and flash duration associated with the lighting system based on the determined shutter speed; and The lighting system is synchronized with the set of multi-view image capture devices to capture the set of images of the subject based on the determined delay and the flash duration.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: controlling an auto focus setting associated with each of the set of multi-view image capture devices; and The set of multi-view image capture devices is also controlled to capture each of the set of images of the subject based on control of the camera autofocus setting.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by an electronic device, causing the electronic device to perform operations comprising: selecting a set of illumination patterns from a plurality of predefined illumination patterns to capture a set of images of the subject; controlling a lighting system associated with the electronic device to illuminate the subject with a first group of flash pulses including a first pulse and a second pulse, wherein: The illumination intensity of the first set of flash pulses increases from a first intensity associated with the first pulse to a second intensity associated with the second pulse, and The first intensity is lower than the second intensity; Based on the illumination of the object with the first group of flash pulses, the illumination system is controlled to illuminate the object with a second group of flash pulses, wherein: The second set of flash pulses corresponds to the selected set of illumination patterns, and the illumination intensity of each of the second set of flash pulses corresponds to the second intensity; and A set of multi-view image capture devices associated with the electronic device is controlled based on the illumination of the subject with the second set of flash pulses to capture each of the set of images of the subject.

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