Digital Viewfinder Interface for Multi-Camera Zoom
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable electronic devices with built-in cameras face challenges in efficiently packaging camera components for thinner designs, as variable optical zooming requires complex optical trains, while fixed focal length cameras lack optical zoom capabilities and impact image quality with digital zooming.
Innovation Solution
The use of multiple cameras with fixed focal lengths, where one camera provides a wider field of view and the other has higher optical magnification, allows for approximation of optical zoom through digital magnification, while maintaining efficient device packaging and improving image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If variable optical zooming is implemented using optical trains, then visual quality is improved, but device complexity and packaging efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical optical zoom system with a digital zoom system using image processing algorithms. Instead of moving physical lens components, the system uses software-based magnification and cropping techniques to achieve variable zoom effects, thereby eliminating the complex optical train while maintaining zoom functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from optical parameter adjustment (focal length) to digital parameter adjustment (image resolution, crop factors, interpolation algorithms). By modifying image data parameters through processing rather than optical parameters through physical movement, the system achieves zoom without mechanical complexity.
2Device complexity
If digital magnification is used instead of optical zoom, then device packaging efficiency is improved, but visual quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures images at the highest possible resolution before any zoom operation. By having the full-resolution image already captured and stored, the system can perform digital zoom by cropping and enlarging portions of the original image rather than relying solely on interpolation, thereby preserving more visual quality while maintaining packaging efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multiple digital copies of the captured image at different resolutions and processing levels. These copies can be used for various zoom levels without requiring the original optical zoom mechanism, allowing efficient packaging while maintaining acceptable visual quality through intelligent use of digital copies.
3Device complexity
If fixed focal length cameras are used, then device packaging is simplified, but optical zoom capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the digital zoom system universal by implementing multiple zoom levels (e.g., 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x) that can handle various shooting scenarios. The same digital processing platform serves all zoom requirements, making the system adaptable to different focal length needs without requiring multiple physical camera modules with different fixed focal lengths.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device has multiple cameras and displays a digital viewfinder user interface for previewing visual information provided by the cameras. The multiple cameras may have different properties such as focal lengths. When a single digital viewfinder is provided, the user interface allows zooming over a zoom range that includes the respective zoom ranges of both cameras. The zoom setting to determine which camera provides visual information to the viewfinder and which camera is used to capture visual information. The user interface also allows the simultaneous display of content provided by different cameras at the same time. When two digital viewfinders are provided, the user interface allows zooming, freezing, and panning of one digital viewfinder independently of the other. The device allows storing of a composite images and/or videos using both digital viewfinders and corresponding cameras.