Electronic Image Processing Circuit for HDR Frame Buffering
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices struggle to capture and express images with a dynamic range that matches human perception, particularly in scenes with high and low illumination areas, leading to omitted information and degraded image quality due to ghost or rolling effects from differing exposure times.
Innovation Solution
The device combines short and long exposure frames within a short period using an image sensor, an image control circuit, and an image signal processor to process frames quickly, storing frames in memory and removing excess frames to maintain image quality, and adding exposure switching information to frames for high dynamic range (HDR) image creation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple frames are captured with different exposure times to create HDR images, then the dynamic range and image quality are improved, but ghosting and rolling effects occur due to time differences between frame captures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by capturing multiple frames with different exposure times within a single frame interval, preparing all necessary exposure data before final image processing. This allows the system to pre-capture short, medium, and long exposure frames simultaneously, eliminating the need for sequential capture that causes ghosting effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by adaptively selecting and combining frames based on scene conditions. The image signal processor dynamically chooses which exposure frames to combine (short, medium, or long exposure) depending on the specific scene requirements, allowing flexible optimization of HDR results while maintaining temporal consistency.
2Reliability
If frames are captured and processed at high speed to reduce time differences, then ghosting effects are reduced, but the complexity of frame processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the frame processing into distinct functional modules: frame capture with different exposures, frame storage in buffer memory, frame selection based on scene conditions, and final HDR combination. This modular approach manages processing complexity by organizing tasks into separate, manageable stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing a buffer memory that temporarily stores multiple captured frames before processing. This intermediary storage mechanism allows the system to decouple the high-speed capture phase from the processing phase, managing complexity by separating these functions in time and space.
3Measurement precision
If all captured frames are transmitted to the image signal processor, then processing accuracy is improved, but the processing time and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively transmitting only the necessary frames to the image signal processor based on scene conditions. Instead of processing all captured frames, the system transmits only short, medium, and/or long exposure frames that are most relevant to the current scene, reducing processing time while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by dynamically adjusting which frames are transmitted based on scene parameters. The system changes the transmission parameters (which frames to send) according to scene brightness, contrast, and other conditions, optimizing the balance between processing accuracy and processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and method for processing images in an electronic device. The electronic device includes: a memory; an image sensor; an image control circuit operatively connected to the image sensor; and an image signal processor operatively coupled to the image control circuit. The image control circuit can store a plurality of frames received through the image sensor in the memory, transmit the plurality of frames stored in the memory to the image signal processor, and, when the number of frames that have not been transmitted to the image signal processor among the plurality of frames obtained from the image sensor exceeds a designated number, remove the frames that have not been transmitted to the image signal processor from the memory.