Dual-Camera Image Processing for Extra-Large Aperture Clarity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing lens designs for portable devices face challenges in achieving an extra-large aperture (FNO < 1.6) due to increased aberration and manufacturing complexities, leading to high costs and low yield rates, making it difficult to integrate such lenses into devices like mobile phones or tablets.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a photographing module with two cameras, each with an F-number less than 1.6 and parallel optical axes, where each camera captures high-definition sub-images within specific field-of-view ranges, which are then fused to produce a high-definition image across the entire field-of-view using modulation transfer function thresholds and splicing algorithms.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If the aperture is increased to achieve extra-large aperture (FNO < 1.6), then the amount of admitted light and resolution are improved, but the aberration of imaging beam increases and manufacturing complexity increases exponentially

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveamount of admitted lightVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the imaging task into multiple lenses, each responsible for a specific field-of-view range. By segmenting the optical system, each lens can be optimized for its specific range, reducing the overall complexity while achieving large aperture效果 across the entire field of view.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each lens is designed with specific optical parameters optimized for its designated field-of-view range. This local optimization allows each lens to achieve high imaging quality in its specific range while maintaining manageable complexity for individual lens manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If the quantity of lenses is increased to correct aberration and achieve clear imaging, then the imaging quality is improved, but the assembly difficulty increases and the optical system becomes more sensitive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimaging qualityVSAvoidassembly difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using many lenses in a single complex assembly, the patent segments the imaging task across multiple simpler lens assemblies. Each lens assembly is independently optimized for a specific field-of-view range, reducing assembly complexity and sensitivity while maintaining high imaging quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Illumination intensity

If a single lens is designed to achieve large aperture with clear imaging across entire field of view, then the aperture is enlarged, but the quantity of lenses is limited to 6 or fewer due to production process constraints

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaperture sizeVSAvoidyield rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the field of view into multiple ranges, with each lens responsible for a specific segment. This segmentation allows the use of simpler lens designs with fewer elements (6 or fewer per lens), improving manufacturing yield rate while collectively achieving large aperture效果 across the entire field of view through the combination of multiple lenses.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3629569B1Image processing method and apparatus, and device
Publication Date: 2025.08.27 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3629569B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3629569B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3629569B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The present invention discloses an image processing method, an apparatus, and a device. The method is applied to a terminal having two specially manufactured cameras, where a first camera and a second camera are specially customized to implement an extra-large aperture in an existing process at the expense of sacrificing definition of an image obtained in a local field-of-view range, so that an image photographed in some regions satisfies a quality requirement of an extra-large aperture. A first sub-image that is of a to-be-photographed object and that is photographed by the first camera is obtained, where a corresponding field-of-view range is [0, θ1]; a second sub-image that is of the to-be-photographed object and that is photographed by the second camera is obtained, where a corresponding field-of-view range is [θ2, θ3], and quality of the first sub-image and the second sub-image satisfies a definition requirement of an extra-large aperture; and the first sub-image and the second sub-image are spliced and fused to obtain a target image that has a larger field-of-view range and satisfies the extra-large aperture.