Composite Image Generation via Selective Frame Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image pickup apparatuses struggle to effectively combine images while minimizing the influence of unnecessary light, particularly in bulb and composite photography, where images are repeatedly captured and integrated, making it difficult to distinguish and remove unwanted light components.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes an image pickup unit, an accumulation control unit, a correction unit, and a combining unit that allow users to select and correct images, reducing the brightness of unnecessary images and generating a composite image that minimizes the impact of unwanted light by integrating only necessary image portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If images are repeatedly captured and integrated in bulb photography, then the exposure time can be extended to capture night sky or starry sky, but unnecessary light components cannot be effectively removed from the composite image
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous exposure process into discrete, selectable image frames. Users can review individual frames captured during bulb photography and selectively choose which ones to include in the final composite, thereby separating desired light components from unnecessary ones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary light components by allowing users to selectively exclude specific frames from the composite image. The correction unit then processes only the selected frames, extracting beneficial light components while leaving out frames containing unnecessary light.
2Productivity
If all captured images are automatically integrated, then the processing is simple and fast, but users cannot control which images to include, leading to inclusion of unwanted light components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic user control into the image integration process. The operation determination unit allows users to interactively select or reject individual frames during or after capture, making the previously static automatic integration process adaptable to user preferences while maintaining efficient processing of selected frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary display and selection of captured frames before final integration. Users can review and select desired frames in advance, allowing the combining unit to process only selected images, thus maintaining processing efficiency while enabling user control.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If brightness correction is applied to all images, then unnecessary light can be reduced, but it also diminishes the brightness of desired image portions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies brightness correction locally to only the selected and necessary image frames rather than uniformly to all captured images. The correction unit processes individual frames based on user selection, applying brightness adjustment only where needed to remove unnecessary light while preserving desired image portions.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus including a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to: perform a selection operation of selecting one or more pickup images among a time-sequential series of pickup images; perform a correction operation to correct a brightness of the one or more pickup images selected by the selection operation; and generate a composite image based on: one or more pickup images among the series of pickup images not selected; and a result of the correction operation.