Variable Frame Rate Image Signal Synchronization via Embedded Setting Information
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image pick-up devices struggle to synchronize frames when varying frame rates, making it difficult to achieve synchronized fast or slow motion reproduction across multiple devices capturing images from different directions.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of image pick-up devices with image signal generation means, drive-and-control means, and setting information generation means to output frame-synchronized image signals, along with a synchronization-signal-generating device that supplies synchronization signals with embedded image pick-up setting information, allowing for frame rate adjustments and synchronization across multiple devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the frame rate of image pick-up devices is varied to achieve fast or slow motion reproduction, then special video effects can be obtained, but frame synchronization between multiple devices becomes almost impossible through user operations
Solution Approach 1:
The master image pick-up device generates image pick-up setting information based on its own frame rate variations and transmits it to slave devices. The slave devices use this feedback information to adjust their frame rates and synchronize with the master device, achieving synchronized fast or slow motion reproduction across multiple devices.
Solution Approach 2:
Image pick-up setting information acts as an intermediary carrier that conveys frame rate control data from the master device to slave devices. This intermediary mechanism enables synchronization without requiring direct user operation on each device, resolving the contradiction between frame rate flexibility and synchronization reliability.
2Ease of operation
If multiple image pick-up devices operate independently with variable frame rates, then each device can capture images flexibly, but the complexity of synchronizing frames across devices increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Slave image pick-up devices automatically adjust their frame rates based on the image pick-up setting information received from the master device. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual synchronization operations on each device, maintaining ease of operation while reducing synchronization complexity through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronization control functions are merged into a centralized master device that generates and distributes frame rate control information to all slave devices. This consolidation reduces the overall system complexity by centralizing the synchronization logic rather than requiring complex coordination between multiple independent devices.
3Adaptability or versatility
If frame rates are varied during image pick-up to achieve different reproduction speeds, then special video effects are enabled, but subsequent editing processing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Frame synchronization is established in advance during the image pick-up phase by using the master device's frame rate control information to coordinate all slave devices. This preliminary synchronization action ensures that frames from multiple devices are already aligned before editing begins, making subsequent editing processing easier despite variable frame rates being used to achieve special video effects.
Data Source
AI summary
An image signal generation portion 11 generates an image signal of a variable frame-rate picked-up image. A signal generation control portion 24 drives the image signal generation portion 11 and generates image pick-up setting information IF to generate an image signal that is frame-synchronized with a generated image signal DVd. The generated image signal DVd is output in condition where the image pick-up setting information IF is inserted in it. When supplied with image pick-up setting information IFex, the signal generation control portion 24 controls the driving operations of the image signal generation portion 11 based on the image pick-up setting information IFex, to frame-synchronize the generated image signal with an image signal of a reference variable frame-rate picked-up image of a source that has supplied the image pick-up setting information IFex. If a plurality of image pick-up devices capable of varying a frame rate is used, the image signals can be frame-synchronized with each other.