Automatic Exposure Control for Multi-Exposure A/V Recording
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current audio/video recording and communication devices, such as doorbells, struggle with multi-exposure image conditions, where a field of view includes both darker and brighter regions, leading to reduced image quality due to inadequate exposure control, and often focus on the center region rather than capturing higher quality data of specific objects or persons.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of automatic exposure control systems that detect motion and scene conditions, allowing for exposure settings like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to be adjusted based on the external lighting level of a foreground object, and applying dynamic resolution settings to correct for multi-exposure conditions, ensuring higher image quality by focusing on the foreground object.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If exposure range is increased to capture darker regions, then darker regions become brighter, but brighter regions become saturated and washed out, reducing image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the field of view into multiple regions (first region and second region) with different exposure settings. The processor captures a first image with a first exposure range for the first region and a second image with a second exposure range for the second region, then combines them into a composite image. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently for its lighting conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different exposure characteristics to different regions of the image. The first region is assigned a first exposure characteristic while the second region is assigned a second exposure characteristic, allowing each region to have locally optimized quality appropriate for its specific lighting conditions rather than using a uniform exposure setting for the entire image.
2Illumination intensity
If exposure range is decreased to preserve brighter regions, then brighter regions become darker, but darker regions become even darker, reducing image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the field of view into multiple regions (first region and second region) with different exposure settings. The processor captures a first image with a first exposure range for the first region and a second image with a second exposure range for the second region, then combines them into a composite image. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently for its lighting conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different exposure characteristics to different regions of the image. The first region is assigned a first exposure characteristic while the second region is assigned a second exposure characteristic, allowing each region to have locally optimized quality appropriate for its specific lighting conditions rather than using a uniform exposure setting for the entire image.
3Manufacturing precision
If default exposure controls focus on center region, then center region exposure is optimized, but boundary areas receive less attention, reducing overall scene quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different exposure characteristics to different regions of the image. The first region is assigned a first exposure characteristic while the second region is assigned a second exposure characteristic, allowing each region to have locally optimized quality appropriate for its specific lighting conditions rather than using a uniform exposure setting for the entire image.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines which regions require different exposure characteristics based on detected multi-exposure conditions. The processor identifies regions with different lighting levels and adaptively assigns appropriate exposure characteristics to each region, making the exposure control flexible and responsive to actual scene conditions rather than relying on fixed center-focused defaults.
4Device complexity
If single exposure setting is used for entire scene, then device complexity is reduced, but image quality in multi-exposure conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the field of view into multiple regions (first region and second region) with different exposure settings. The processor captures a first image with a first exposure range for the first region and a second image with a second exposure range for the second region, then combines them into a composite image. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently for its lighting conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different exposure characteristics to different regions of the image. The first region is assigned a first exposure characteristic while the second region is assigned a second exposure characteristic, allowing each region to have locally optimized quality appropriate for its specific lighting conditions rather than using a uniform exposure setting for the entire image.
Data Source
AI summary
Automatic exposure control for audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure are provided. In one embodiment, an A/V recording and communication device is provided, comprising: a camera configured to capture image data of a foreground object within a field of view of the camera; a communication module; and a processing module comprising: a processor; and a camera application that configures the processor to: detect motion within the field of view that includes an active image region; capture image data of the field of view; detect the foreground object in the active image region and determine an external lighting level associated with the foreground object; determine at least one exposure control gain setting based on the determined external lighting level; and apply the at least one exposure control gain setting to configure the camera to capture image data focused on the foreground object.