Camera Lighting Control via Smart Bulb Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Capturing photos in varying lighting conditions, such as dim or overly bright environments, is challenging due to unwanted shadows and reflections, and conventional flash photography can cause glare and red-eye, especially with small, fixed-flash devices.

Innovation Solution

A camera device and environment controller interact via wireless communication to control fixed light sources and natural lighting shades, determining optimal lighting conditions and adjusting exposure settings to enhance image quality, using existing IoT-connected devices for coordinated lighting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If conventional flash photography is used to illuminate the subject in low lighting conditions, then the exposure is improved, but unwanted shadows, reflections, glare, and red-eye are caused

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelighting intensityVSAvoidshadows and reflections

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The lighting system is segmented into multiple controllable light sources distributed throughout the environment (smart bulbs, ceiling lights, lamps) rather than relying on a single fixed flash. This allows selective activation and positioning of light sources to illuminate the subject from optimal angles, reducing harsh shadows and reflections while maintaining adequate exposure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The camera device acts as an intermediary that communicates with and controls the smart lighting system. The camera detects lighting conditions, determines optimal lighting configurations, and activates appropriate light sources before image capture, mediating between the subject's lighting needs and the available environmental lights to achieve optimal illumination without direct flash.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Illumination intensity

If the fixed flash of a mobile phone or camera device is used in low lighting situations, then the subject is illuminated, but glare and red-eye are caused due to direct flashing toward the subject

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflash illuminationVSAvoidglare and red-eye

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using the camera's fixed flash that points directly at the subject (causing glare and red-eye), the system inverts the approach by controlling environmental light sources to illuminate the subject from above and around, rather than from the camera position. This reverses the lighting direction to eliminate direct flash problems while maintaining subject illumination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The smart lighting system provides multiple functions: it serves as both ambient room lighting and as a controlled photography lighting system. The same smart bulbs and ceiling lights that provide general illumination are repurposed to create optimal photography lighting conditions, eliminating the need for dedicated flash equipment and reducing direct flash-related problems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If natural lighting is used to illuminate the subject, then no additional lighting equipment is needed, but the lighting may be too bright due to direct sunlight or too dim in the evening

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelighting setup simplicityVSAvoidambient lighting level

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the intensity and activation of environmental light sources based on real-time lighting conditions detected by the camera. In bright conditions, natural light is utilized with minimal intervention; in dim conditions, smart lights are activated and adjusted to optimal levels. This dynamic adaptation maintains simplicity while optimizing illumination across varying ambient conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameters (intensity, timing, activation) of environmental light sources to match photography requirements. Smart bulbs and ceiling lights are adjusted to specific brightness levels and activated only when needed, transforming the ambient lighting parameters to achieve optimal exposure without the complexity of additional lighting equipment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Illumination intensity

If artificial flash lighting is used to augment exposure in low lighting situations, then the exposure is improved, but unwanted shadows and reflections are caused

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflash lightingVSAvoidunwanted shadows

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10469723B2Photography lighting control

Publication Date: 2019.11.05 MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC

AI summary

In implementations of photography lighting control, a camera device includes a camera to capture an image of a subject in an environment. The camera device implements an image exposure module that can determine ambient lighting conditions of the environment, and discover fixed light sources that are usable to illuminate the subject for image capture in the environment. The image exposure module can determine optimal lighting for the image capture of the subject in the environment, as well as control one or more of the fixed light sources used to adjust the ambient lighting conditions of the environment for the optimal lighting and the image capture of the subject. The image exposure module can then initiate use of the controlled fixed light sources to capture the image of the subject.