Camera Zoom Control Interleaving Optical Digital Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern digital cameras experience abrupt transitions between optical and digital zoom, which can degrade image quality and make automatic focus more difficult, especially under varying lighting conditions and shallow depth of field.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that simultaneously applies digital and optical zoom, prioritizing one over the other based on parameters like light intensity, depth of field, and sensor resolution, and adjusting exposure settings to maintain image quality and focus accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If optical zoom is used to achieve magnification, then image quality is improved, but depth of field becomes shallow making autofocus difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines optical zoom and digital zoom to achieve magnification. By merging both zoom methods, the system can obtain the magnification benefits of optical zoom while using digital zoom to maintain deeper depth of field, thereby resolving the contradiction between image quality and autofocus difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the ratio of optical zoom to digital zoom based on real-time imaging conditions. When depth of field becomes too shallow affecting autofocus, the system increases digital zoom proportion and decreases optical zoom proportion, creating a dynamic balance that maintains both image quality and autofocus capability.
2Ease of operation
If digital zoom is used to achieve magnification, then depth of field is maintained, but image quality degrades due to loss of optical resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the proportion parameters of optical zoom and digital zoom based on imaging conditions. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system optimizes the balance between maintaining depth of field (digital zoom benefit) and preserving image quality (optical zoom benefit) for different shooting scenarios.
3Device complexity
If abrupt transition between optical and digital zoom is used, then device complexity is reduced, but image quality degrades due to artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous adjustment of the optical-to-digital zoom ratio during the zooming process. This continuous adjustment eliminates abrupt transitions between zoom modes, ensuring smooth image quality without artifacts while maintaining relatively simple device control architecture.
4Reliability
If optical zoom is prioritized under low light conditions, then image capture capability is improved, but light intensity measurement shows optical zoom consumes more light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the zoom composition parameters based on light intensity measurements. Under low light conditions, the system adjusts the ratio of optical to digital zoom to optimize light usage while maintaining image capture capability, resolving the contradiction between reliability and light consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a lens assembly to focus an image or to optically zoom, a sensor array to capture an image; a memory to store instructions; and a processor to execute the instructions. The processor may execute the instructions to: cause the sensor array to capture an image; determining a field of view in the captured image; obtain parameter values based on sensor measurements associated with the captured image; obtain a digital zoom profile and an optical zoom profile based on the parameter values, the captured image, and the field of view; and jointly apply the digital zoom profile and the optical zoom profile to set the camera to the received zoom request for the field of view.