Image Capturing Apparatus Internal Storage Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile phone terminal devices with image capturing functions face challenges in storing captured images internally without an external memory medium, making it difficult for users to access and share images when the external memory is not attached.
Innovation Solution
The image capturing apparatus automatically converts captured image data into a size suitable for the device's display screen and stores it internally, allowing for backup even when the external memory is removed, thereby reducing the memory burden on the internal storage and enabling users to carry images without the external medium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If captured images are stored only to an external memory medium, then the internal storage capacity is preserved, but the user cannot access images when the external medium is removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential display-optimized portion of the captured image (screen size or smaller) and stores it separately in internal memory, while the full-resolution image remains in external memory. This allows the device to maintain full image quality storage capacity while ensuring basic image accessibility is preserved even when external memory is removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different storage strategies to different portions of image data based on their usage requirements. Full-resolution images are stored externally for quality preservation, while display-optimized thumbnails are stored internally for immediate accessibility. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between storage capacity and reliability.
2Reliability
If full-resolution captured images are stored to internal memory, then image accessibility is improved, but the internal storage capacity is exhausted quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments image data into two distinct components: full-resolution original images stored in external memory and display-optimized thumbnail versions stored in internal memory. This segmentation allows the system to maintain image accessibility with minimal internal storage consumption, as thumbnails occupy significantly less space than full-resolution images.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses low-resolution thumbnail images as a substitute for full-resolution images in internal storage. These thumbnails serve as adequate representations for viewing purposes and can be easily replaced or regenerated from the original full-resolution images stored externally, effectively acting as a space-efficient proxy.
3Quantity of substance
If image data is converted to display screen size, then the data amount is reduced for internal storage, but the image quality is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic image storage strategy where the system automatically adjusts image resolution based on the storage location and usage context. Full-resolution images are maintained in external storage for quality-critical applications, while dynamically generated thumbnails at display screen resolution are used for internal storage and quick viewing, optimizing both quality and space efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
An image capturing apparatus is disclosed. An image capturing section captures an image of light and obtains image data. An image display section displays the image data obtained by the image capturing section with a predetermined number of pixels. A storage section stores the image data obtained by the image capturing section. An interface section is connectable to an external storage device. A control section causes the image data obtained by the image capturing section to be stored to the external storage device connected through the interface section, when the captured image data are stored to the external storage device, the image data whose number of pixel exceeds the predetermined number of pixels to be converted into image data having the predetermined number of pixels, and the converted image data to be stored to the storage section.