Hardware Encoder Stereo Image Stitching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional methods of stitching stereo images consume high computational power due to the need for software synchronization and stitching of image frames from left and right camera lenses.

Innovation Solution

A hardware encoder is configured with a batch of input buffer for single activation, allowing it to read image data from multiple memory locations simultaneously and output a single stitched buffer, thereby reducing computational power consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If software synchronization and stitching is used to process stereo images, then image processing functionality is achieved, but computational power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomputational power consumptionVSAvoidstereo image processing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces software-based synchronization and stitching mechanisms with a dedicated hardware encoder that performs these operations through hardware circuits. The hardware encoder receives synchronized image frames from both camera lenses and automatically stitches them together using hardware-based image processing units, eliminating the need for computationally intensive software algorithms and significantly reducing power consumption while maintaining processing efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Speed

If traditional software-based stereo stitching is implemented, then image frames can be stitched together, but processing speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image processing function into separate dedicated hardware components: a first image processing unit for the left camera lens, a second image processing unit for the right camera lens, and a hardware encoder for stitching. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently and optimally, improving processing speed while the modular hardware architecture manages complexity better than monolithic software solutions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes software-based stitching algorithms with dedicated hardware encoder circuits that perform synchronization and stitching operations at the hardware level. This hardware acceleration dramatically increases processing speed by eliminating software interpretation overhead, while the hardware encoder's specialized architecture manages the complexity of stereo image processing more efficiently than general-purpose software systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS12294688B2Hardware encoder for stereo stitching

Publication Date: 2025.05.06 SNAP INC

AI summary

A system to perform stereo stitching of image frames comprises a stereo camera system and a hardware encoder. The hardware encoder receives a left image stream and a right image stream from the stereo camera system simultaneously and processes the left and right image stream to generate a single stitched encoded frame. The apparatus can also comprise a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising receiving the left image stream and the right image stream, processing the left and right image streams and generating a single stitched encoded frame.