Dual Camera Image Fusion for Low Light Detail
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current camera terminals face challenges in capturing high-quality images in low illumination environments due to the small size of camera lenses and sensors, leading to poor image quality, especially at night, as existing binning technologies compromise high-frequency details.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a terminal equipped with both a monochrome camera operating in full-size mode and a color camera using binning mode, simultaneously capturing images to extract high-frequency and low-frequency information, which are then fused to generate a composite image with improved quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If binning technology is used to improve light sensitivity in low light environment, then photographing luminance is improved, but high-frequency detail information is lost and image quality is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the imaging task into two separate cameras: a monochrome camera for capturing high-frequency detail information and a color camera for capturing luminance and color information. This segmentation allows each camera to specialize in one aspect, avoiding the trade-off present in single-camera binning approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the outputs of two separate cameras (monochrome and color) through image fusion technology. The high-frequency information from the monochrome camera is combined with the luminance and color information from the color camera, producing a final image that retains both detail and color while improving overall luminance performance.
2Manufacturing precision
If camera lens and sensor area are increased to improve image quality, then photographing quality is improved, but terminal dimensions and costs are exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single large sensor, the patent segments the sensing function across two smaller sensors (monochrome and color cameras). This allows the terminal to achieve high-quality imaging without requiring a single large sensor area, thus fitting within terminal dimension and cost constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the color camera to capture luminance information that complements the monochrome camera's detail information. This copying of luminance data from the color camera allows the system to achieve improved luminance performance without requiring a larger sensor area than what is already allocated for the dual-camera setup.
3Manufacturing precision
If monochrome camera is used to capture high-frequency information, then detail information is improved, but color information is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the strength of the monochrome camera (high-frequency detail capture) with the strength of the color camera (color information capture) through image fusion. The final composite image contains both the high-frequency detail from the monochrome channel and the color information from the color camera, eliminating the information loss problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The image fusion algorithm acts as an intermediary that combines information from both cameras. It takes the high-frequency information from the monochrome camera and the color information from the color camera, merging them into a single image that contains both types of information without loss.
Data Source
AI summary
A photographing method for a terminal that comprises a monochrome camera and a color camera, the method including simultaneously photographing a same to-be-photographed scene using the monochrome camera and the color camera and separately obtaining K frames of images, where the monochrome camera uses a full-size operation mode, where the color camera uses a binning operation mode, and where K≥1, obtaining a first image corresponding to the monochrome camera and a second image corresponding to the color camera, obtaining high-frequency information according to the first image, obtaining low-frequency information according to the second image, and fusing the first image and the second image according to the high-frequency information and the low-frequency information, and generating a composite image of the to-be-photographed scene.