Photographic Image Re-Lighting Using Captured Light Direction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for displaying photographic images on electronic devices provide a static viewing experience, lacking dynamic and enhanced lighting effects.

Innovation Solution

Capture auxiliary images to determine light direction information, which is used to generate and display lighted images based on stored photographic images, allowing for a dynamic and enhanced viewing experience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If photographic images are displayed statically on electronic devices, then the display is simple and easy to implement, but the viewing experience is dull and lacks dynamic lighting effects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveviewing experienceVSAvoiddisplay system

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by transforming static image display into dynamic re-lighting. The system captures auxiliary images of the display surface with a camera, extracts light direction information, and dynamically regenerates the displayed image with updated lighting conditions. This allows the same stored image to appear different under varying lighting conditions, creating a dynamic viewing experience without requiring complex hardware changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by creating a copy of the display surface appearance through auxiliary images. Instead of modifying the original stored photographic image, the system captures the actual display surface with the camera, extracts lighting information, and uses this copied information to regenerate the image. This approach preserves the original image while adding dynamic lighting effects through the copied light direction data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Adaptability or versatility

If real-time re-lighting of stored images is implemented, then dynamic and realistic viewing experience is achieved, but processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelighting adaptationVSAvoidprocessing delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by capturing auxiliary images of the display surface in advance and storing the light direction information. This preliminary capture and extraction of lighting data allows the system to quickly regenerate images without performing complex computations in real-time. The heavy lifting is done beforehand, leaving only lightweight regeneration operations when the user views images.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces complex real-time computational lighting calculations with a simpler image processing approach. Instead of calculating lighting effects from scratch using complex rendering engines, the system uses extracted light direction information from captured images to directly manipulate pixel data. This substitution of mechanical computation with direct image manipulation significantly reduces processing time while achieving similar visual effects.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP3933782B1Displaying of images with lighting on the basis of captured auxiliary images

Publication Date: 2025.12.17 SONY GROUP CORP

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AI summary

For displaying a stored photographic image, an auxiliary image is captured, and light direction information is determined from the captured auxiliary image. On the basis of the determined light direction information, a lighted image is generated from the stored photographic image. The lighted image is then displayed.