Image Sensor Analog Storage Planes Inter-Sample Time
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital cameras face challenges in capturing high dynamic range images due to inter-sample time limitations, which lead to misalignment and divergent content in image stacks, resulting in poor quality synthetic images.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that configure exposure parameters for an image stack, enabling simultaneous sampling of multiple images with overlapping time intervals and the use of a strobe unit to reduce inter-sample time, allowing for concurrent capture of images with different exposures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If sequential sampling is used to capture multiple images at different exposures, then high dynamic range coverage is improved, but inter-sample time increases causing misalignment and divergent content
Solution Approach 1:
The image sensor is divided into multiple independently controllable photo-sensitive cells within each pixel, where each cell can be exposed for different time periods. This segmentation allows simultaneous capture of multiple exposure levels without sequential sampling, resolving the contradiction between dynamic range coverage and inter-sample time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from temporal dimension (sequential sampling over time) to spatial dimension (multiple photo-sensitive cells within each pixel). By capturing multiple exposure levels simultaneously across different cells rather than sequentially in time, the system achieves high dynamic range without inter-sample time delays.
2Adaptability or versatility
If longer inter-sample time is used to capture multiple images, then exposure levels can be varied, but content changes and misalignment increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple photo-sensitive cells are merged within each pixel location, allowing simultaneous capture of multiple exposure levels for the same spatial position. This merging ensures content consistency across different exposure levels while maintaining the ability to vary exposure, eliminating the reliability issues caused by sequential sampling.
Solution Approach 2:
All exposure levels are captured simultaneously in a single sampling operation rather than sequentially. This preliminary action of capturing all required exposure data at once prevents content changes and misalignment that would occur during extended inter-sample time periods.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional image stacking is used, then dynamic range is extended, but alignment complexity and computational intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The image sensor structure itself provides automatic alignment by capturing all exposure levels simultaneously from the same optical path and pixel locations. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex post-capture alignment operations, as the simultaneous capture inherently ensures spatial correspondence across all exposure levels.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces inter-sample time, minimizing content changes and misalignment among images, thereby enhancing the quality of synthetic images generated from the image stack by capturing images within a shorter time frame.
Implementation Method 1
A photo-sensitive cell comprises a photodiode and two analog sampling circuits
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for generating an image stack. In use, one or more exposure parameters for an image stack are configured. Next, a capture command is received. Further, a pixel array is initialized within an image sensor of the camera module. Moreover, one or more ambient images are sampled within one or more corresponding analog storage planes. Next, if it is determined whether a strobe unit is enabled, where, if it is determined that the strobe unit is enabled, one or more strobe images are sampled within the corresponding analog storage planes.