Image Acquiring Apparatus Data Reduction Unit Buffer Size
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image acquiring apparatuses in mobile devices face challenges in reducing size and cost to keep pace with market trends, as they require larger buffer sizes to store image data effectively.
Innovation Solution
An image acquiring apparatus and method that incorporates a data reduction unit, including a halftone converter and spatial point discarding unit, to reduce the data amount of image signals, allowing for a smaller buffer size and capacity, comprising an image processor, buffer, and compression unit, specifically designed for mobile telephones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the buffer size is reduced to lower cost and dimension, then the device becomes more compact and affordable, but the image data storage capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes redundant chroma information from the image data through chroma subsampling (4:2:0 or 4:2:2) and spatial point discarding, retaining only the essential luma information and key chroma data. This extraction reduces the data volume significantly while maintaining acceptable image quality for display purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the data representation parameters by converting image data from full-resolution RGB format to reduced-resolution YUV format with chroma subsampling. The chroma components are downsampled to 1/2 or 1/4 of the original resolution, and spatial points are discarded, transforming the data structure to achieve compression without significant quality loss.
2Quantity of substance
If the data amount of image signal is reduced, then the buffer capacity requirement decreases, but the image quality may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different quality preservation strategies to different components of the image data. The luma (Y) component maintains full resolution and quality, while the chroma (U,V) components undergo aggressive subsampling and reduction. This local differentiation preserves the most critical visual information (brightness) while reducing less critical information (color saturation), achieving quality-quantity balance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by selectively processing only certain portions of the image data. Instead of uniformly compressing all data, it applies heavy compression to chroma components and minimal compression to luma components. This partial processing approach reduces overall data volume while maintaining sufficient quality for the intended application.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for acquiring an image and a method therefor. The apparatus is electrically connected to an image sensor for acquiring an acquired image and outputting an original image signal. The apparatus includes an image processor, a data reduction unit and a buffer. The image processor generates a first image signal according to the original image signal. The data reduction unit reduces a data amount of the first image signal to generate a second image signal. The buffer stores the second image signal.