Dynamic Aperture Control for HDR Image Acquisition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for generating high-dynamic-range (HDR) photographs require acquiring multiple component images at different exposure levels, leading to delays, blurring, ghosting artifacts, and significant processing, which is inefficient and cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
An image acquisition method and device that determines appropriate exposure levels for a minimal set of component images by analyzing a nominal exposure image using thresholding curves to adjust exposure settings, allowing for quick acquisition of HDR images with reduced processing and artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple component images are acquired at different exposure levels to ensure appropriate exposed image information for all regions, then the HDR image quality is improved, but the acquisition time increases and motion artifacts (blurring/ghosting) occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs a dynamic range evaluation of the scene before acquiring component images. Based on this preliminary assessment, the system determines the optimal number and exposure levels of component images needed, avoiding unnecessary acquisitions and reducing total acquisition time while maintaining HDR quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the number of component images to be acquired based on the evaluated dynamic range of the scene. For scenes with lower dynamic range, fewer images are acquired; for high dynamic range scenes, more images are acquired. This dynamic adaptation optimizes the balance between HDR quality and acquisition time.
2Loss of information
If multiple component images are acquired at different exposure levels, then complete scene information is captured, but processing complexity and computational load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs dynamic range evaluation before component image acquisition to determine the optimal number of images needed. This preliminary action ensures that sufficient information is captured for complete scene representation while minimizing the number of images that require processing, thereby reducing computational complexity.
3Measurement precision
If a large number of component images are acquired to cover all exposure levels, then HDR image completeness is improved, but the time delay between images increases causing motion artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent evaluates the scene's dynamic range before acquisition to determine the minimum number of component images required. This ensures HDR completeness is achieved with the fewest necessary images, minimizing time delays and reducing motion artifacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent acquires only the necessary number of component images based on dynamic range evaluation, rather than acquiring a fixed large number of images. This partial action approach captures sufficient information for HDR completeness while minimizing acquisition time and motion artifacts.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes an image sensor, an adjustable aperture, and a memory. THE memory includes computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the system to perform operations including obtaining a first image via the image sensor based at least in part on a first aperture stop of the adjustable aperture, identifying a first pixel of the first image, identifying a second pixel of the first image, determining a second aperture stop of the adjustable aperture based at least in part on the first pixel, determining a third aperture stop of the adjustable aperture based at least in part on the second pixel, obtaining a second image via the image sensor based at least in part on the second aperture stop, and obtaining a third image via the image sensor based at least in part on the third aperture stop.