Dual Sensor Imager with Auxiliary Dynamic Range Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current imager systems face challenges in capturing high-quality images under varying luminance conditions due to limitations in dynamic range, leading to saturation and under-exposure issues, especially in scenes with diverse luminance distributions, and existing techniques are inefficient and often require iterative trial-and-error adjustments.
Innovation Solution
An imager system comprising a main image sensor with a first dynamic range and an auxiliary image sensor with a wider second dynamic range, along with a data processing unit to determine optimized acquisition parameters for the main sensor based on the auxiliary image, ensuring minimal saturation and under-exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If standard acquisition parameters are used for unknown luminance characteristics, then acquisition can proceed immediately, but some pixels will saturate or be underexposed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary acquisition with standard parameters before final image capture. This preliminary action provides luminance distribution information that guides subsequent parameter optimization, avoiding saturation and underexposure in the final image while maintaining efficient acquisition.
2Manufacturing precision
If iterative parameter adjustment is performed to adapt to luminance distribution, then image quality improves, but acquisition time increases
Solution Approach 1:
A rapid preliminary acquisition is performed first to obtain luminance distribution characteristics. Based on this preliminary information, optimal parameters are calculated and applied immediately for the final high-quality image capture, eliminating the need for multiple iterative adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a simplified model or representative data from the preliminary acquisition to predict optimal parameters for the final image. This copying approach allows parameter optimization without requiring multiple full-quality image acquisitions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single sensor with fixed dynamic range is used, then device complexity is low, but images of scenes with diverse luminance cannot be captured quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes acquisition parameters (exposure time, gain) based on luminance distribution information obtained from preliminary acquisition. This dynamic parameter adjustment allows a single sensor to adapt to diverse luminance conditions, achieving high dynamic range performance without requiring multiple physical sensors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively adapts acquisition parameters to match the scene's luminance distribution, reducing image acquisition errors and improving image quality by utilizing a wider dynamic range and non-linear response pixels, allowing for better capture of scenes with diverse luminance.
Implementation Method 1
an auxiliary image sensor having a second acquisition field covering the first acquisition field at least in part, and comprising a second array of active pixels having a second instantaneous dynamic range of light sensitivity wider than the first instantaneous dynamic range of light sensitivity
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an imager system comprising a main image sensor (1) and comprising a main matrix (2) of active pixels exhibiting a first instantaneous dynamic span of luminous sensitivity, and a main reading circuit adapted for reading the pixels of the main image sensor (1) and for acquiring a main image on the basis of said reading, an auxiliary image sensor (11) comprising a second matrix (12) of active pixels exhibiting a second instantaneous dynamic span of luminous sensitivity which is more extensive than the first instantaneous dynamic span of luminous sensitivity, and an auxiliary reading circuit adapted for reading the active pixels of the auxiliary image sensor (11) and for acquiring an auxiliary image on the basis of said reading, and a data processing unit (10) configured to determine at least one value of an acquisition parameter of the main image sensor on the basis of the auxiliary image.