Camera Sub-Region Locking for Stable Preview During Movement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing camera systems struggle with capturing stable images of a targeted area while the camera is moved unintentionally, leading to blurry or tilted recordings, requiring users to stabilize the camera manually or through bulky hardware and often necessitating post-processing to correct image quality.

Innovation Solution

A capture system that locks onto a sub-region of the camera's field of view, using sensors to track and maintain the sub-region's position and orientation on the display, allowing users to move the camera freely while ensuring the targeted area remains stable in the captured images.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If camera movement stabilization is achieved through manual user control or bulky hardware, then image stability is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage stabilityVSAvoidstabilization hardware
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces mechanical stabilization hardware with a computational approach using sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope) to detect camera movement and software algorithms to compensate for the detected movement in the captured images, thereby eliminating the need for bulky mechanical stabilization devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces sensors as intermediaries between the camera and the image processing system. These sensors detect camera movement and provide data to the software, which then uses this information to compensate for the movement, acting as a mediator that enables stabilization without direct mechanical intervention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If camera movement stabilization is achieved through manual user control, then image stability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage stabilityVSAvoidmanual stabilization
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables the camera system to stabilize images automatically without requiring manual user intervention. The sensors and software work together to detect and compensate for camera movement autonomously, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for users to manually stabilize the camera

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Manufacturing precision

If post-processing is used to correct image quality, then image quality is improved, but loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidpost-processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs image stabilization and quality correction during the image capture process itself rather than as a separate post-processing step. The software compensates for camera movement in real-time as the image is being captured, thereby eliminating the need for time-consuming post-processing operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3777121B1Camera area locking
Publication Date: 2026.04.15 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3777121B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3777121B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3777121B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Implementations generally relate to locking a camera onto a sub-region to capture images of the sub-region with a moving camera. In some implementations, a method includes determining a first region in a scene detected by a camera while the camera is in a first physical position. The method further includes receiving user input to target a sub-region within the first capture region of the scene and capturing the first image of the sub-region while the camera is in the first physical position. The first image is displayed in a fixed orientation on a preview portion of a display screen. The camera is moved to a second physical position and a second capture region of the scene is detected. The method further includes capturing a second image is of the sub-region and displaying it in the fixed orientation on the preview portion of the display screen. The second image is effective to inform a user of whether capture of the sub-region is altered by camera movement.