Dual Camera Sensor System for Mobile Terminal Quick Start

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Solution Overview

Problem

Camera applications in mobile radio terminals take too long to start up, causing delays that can result in missed photographs due to object movement or changes in lighting and environment.

Innovation Solution

A system with a first camera sensor for taking digital photographs and a second camera sensor that continuously acquires image data information associated with the environment, which is stored and used to launch the camera application quickly, reducing start-up time by providing necessary parameters upon user initiation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If the camera application is launched from a waiting state, then the device saves energy and maintains simplicity, but the start-up time becomes too long causing missed photographs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecamera application start-up timeVSAvoidcamera system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by continuously acquiring and preprocessing image data information (such as color balance, white balance, and environmental parameters) before the user actually needs to take a photograph. The second camera sensor continuously captures environmental data and stores it in memory, so when the camera application is launched, this pre-acquired information is immediately available, dramatically reducing start-up time without requiring complex real-time processing at the moment of capture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the camera system into two distinct camera sensors with different functions: a first camera sensor optimized for taking actual photographs and a second camera sensor dedicated to continuously acquiring environmental image data information. This segmentation allows the second sensor to prepare data in advance while the first sensor remains ready for capture, resolving the contradiction between quick start-up and system simplicity by distributing functions across specialized components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of time

If the camera application pre-loads all parameters and image data, then the start-up time is reduced, but the energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecamera application start-up timeVSAvoidcamera sensor energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by having the second camera sensor continuously acquire only environmental image data information (such as lighting conditions, color balance, and scene parameters) rather than full-resolution photograph data. This partial preprocessing provides sufficient information for quick camera application start-up and proper image capture settings without the excessive energy consumption of continuously capturing and processing complete photograph-quality images

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by having the second camera sensor create a simplified copy or representation of the environmental conditions (image data information) rather than capturing the actual photograph itself. This copied environmental data is stored and transferred to the camera application upon launch, providing necessary context information at low energy cost while the first camera sensor captures the actual high-quality photograph when needed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP2198599B1Method and system for a quick start camera application in a camera and a camera equipped mobile radio terminal
Publication Date: 2017.11.08 SNAPTRACK INC
  • EP2198599B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~2
  • EP2198599B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2198599B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A mobile radio terminal (10) includes a radio circuit (30) for establishing communication with a communication network (62), a first camera sensor (48) for taking digital photographs and a second camera sensor (50) for acquiring image data information, wherein the second camera sensor stores the acquired image data information in a storage element. A control circuit (24) is coupled to the radio circuit, the first camera sensor, the second camera sensor and the memory (18) and the control circuit is configured to execute logic to: store image data information acquired from the second camera sensor in the memory; detect initiation of a camera application (22) by an associated user; generate a control signal to launch the camera application, wherein at least a portion of the acquired image data information is provided to the camera application as one or more parameters upon launching of the camera application; and acquiring image information from the first camera sensor for taking a photograph.