Region-Specific Camera Exposure Control for Mixed-Subject Imaging

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image-capturing devices face difficulties in setting optimal image-capturing conditions for each region of an image-capturing surface, limiting their ability to capture high-quality images with varying subject elements and modes.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device equipped with an image-capturing unit and a control unit that determines and adjusts image-capturing conditions for multiple regions based on detected subject elements, allowing for varied exposure and image processing settings, including luminance and chroma adjustments, and displays candidate images to facilitate user selection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If image-capturing conditions are set for each region manually, then image quality for different subject elements is improved, but operation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidoperation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit automatically determines and sets image-capturing conditions for each region based on detected subject elements, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring manual user configuration for each region

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically adjusts image-capturing parameters such as luminance and chroma for different regions based on the detected subject elements, enabling region-specific optimization without manual intervention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple image-capturing modes are supported, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage-capturing mode varietyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit serves as a universal controller that handles multiple image-capturing modes and automatically selects appropriate settings based on the detected subject elements and current mode, consolidating complexity into a single multi-functional component

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Manufacturing precision

If region-specific image processing is performed, then image quality is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The image-capturing surface is divided into multiple regions, each processed independently with region-specific parameters, allowing parallel processing and efficient utilization of processing resources

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11800074B2Electronic device and computer program product

Publication Date: 2023.10.24 NIKON CORP

AI summary

An electronic device includes a display and a control unit. The display displays a plurality of images of a subject captured in a first image-capturing region of an image sensor. The control unit controls the image sensor so as to set image-capturing conditions for the first image-capturing region to be different from image-capturing conditions for a second image-capturing region of the image sensor by using an image selected from the plurality of images displayed on the display.