Dual-Camera Image Fusion for Low-Light Detail Preservation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image capture devices struggle to maintain image detail information in low-light conditions, leading to reduced image quality due to insufficient light intake.

Innovation Solution

Employ a dual-camera system comprising a near-infrared or infrared camera module and a visible light camera module to capture images, applying image processing techniques such as global and local registration, mask-based fusion, and color space conversion to enhance image detail and quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If image capture is performed in low-light conditions using a main-camera module, then the device can capture images in poor light conditions, but image detail information is lost due to insufficient light intake

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight intakeVSAvoidimage detail information
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges images from multiple camera modules (main-camera module and auxiliary camera modules) to compensate for insufficient light intake. By combining the captured images through image processing and fusion techniques, the system recovers image detail information that would be lost in low-light conditions when using a single camera module alone.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Loss of information

If multiple images are merged to enhance image quality, then image detail information is improved, but ghosting artifacts occur due to misalignment between images

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage detail informationVSAvoidghosting artifacts
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary image processing operations including alignment and registration of multiple captured images before merging them. By pre-aligning the images based on feature point matching and transformation calculations, the system eliminates misalignment issues that would cause ghosting artifacts in the final fused image, while still preserving image detail information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of information

If image enhancement processing is applied to improve image quality, then visual effects are enhanced, but processing complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image enhancement process into distinct processing stages: initial image capture, feature point detection, image alignment, image fusion, and final enhancement. By dividing the complex processing into modular segments that can be executed in sequence, the system manages processing complexity while achieving comprehensive image quality improvement through each stage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4231621B1Image processing method and electronic device
Publication Date: 2025.12.24 HONOR DEVICE CO LTD
  • EP4231621B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4231621B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4231621B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This application relates to the field of image processing, and provides an image processing method and an electronic device. The method is applied to an electronic device. The electronic device includes a first camera module and a second camera module, and the first camera module is a near-infrared camera module or an infrared camera module. The method includes: displaying a first screen, where the first screen includes a first control; detecting a first operation on the first control; obtaining a first image and a second image in response to the first operation; performing first image processing on the first image to obtain a third image; performing second image processing on the second image to obtain a fourth image; and performing fusion processing on the third image and the fourth image based on at least two masks to obtain a fused image, where the at least two masks include at least two of a first mask, a second mask, or a third mask. Based on the solutions of this application, the problem of partial image detail information being lost in an image obtained by a main-camera module can be avoided, and image quality can be improved.