Image Sensor Pixel Density Control for Power Quality Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image capturing systems face a trade-off between power consumption and image quality, as reducing power consumption often results in degraded image quality, particularly when not all pixels are read out in image sensors.
Innovation Solution
An image capturing system that divides a pixel area into regions with varying pixel densities and nonuniform readout patterns, where higher pixel densities are used in regions requiring higher image quality and power is conserved by reducing it in regions with lower readout demands, using a control method that sets appropriate pixel densities and readout patterns for each region based on image processing needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If all pixels are read out from the image sensor, then image quality is maintained, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pixel area is divided into multiple divided regions, and different readout pixel patterns are applied to each region. This segmentation allows the system to selectively read out pixels based on regional importance, maintaining image quality in critical regions while reducing power consumption in less critical regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different pixel densities are set for different divided regions based on their specific requirements. Regions requiring higher image quality are assigned higher pixel densities, while other regions use lower densities, optimizing the balance between image quality and power consumption locally rather than uniformly across the entire sensor.
2Use of energy by moving object
If pixel density is reduced to lower power consumption, then power consumption decreases, but image quality degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts pixel density and readout patterns based on the specific requirements of different divided regions. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize power consumption while maintaining image quality where needed, rather than using a fixed low-density pattern across the entire sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter of pixel density across different regions, allowing high pixel density in regions requiring high image quality and low pixel density in other regions. This parameter variation resolves the contradiction by making pixel density adaptive rather than uniform.
3Use of energy by moving object
If nonuniform readout patterns are used to reduce power consumption, then power consumption is reduced, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pixel area is segmented into multiple divided regions, each with its own readout pixel pattern. This segmentation organizes the complexity into manageable regional units, making the nonuniform readout pattern implementation more systematic and controllable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a unified approach of dividing the sensor into regions and applying different readout patterns, which can be universally applied to various image capturing scenarios. This multi-functional framework handles both high-quality and low-power modes within a single systematic structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An image capturing system comprising: a pixel area including pixels; processors that process an image signal read out from the pixel area; a generation unit that generates readout pixel patterns having different pixel densities and nonuniform pixel patterns used for reading out a signal from the pixels; a setting unit that sets one of the pixel densities for each of divided regions obtained by dividing the pixel area; and a control unit that controls to read out an image signal from each divided region using the readout pixel pattern corresponding to the set pixel density. The setting unit sets the pixel density for each divided region such that a higher pixel density is set to a divided region where image capturing processing with higher image quality is to be performed among the divided regions.