Digital Image Storage Segmentation for Quality Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital image capture technologies do not effectively enhance user experience by allowing seamless manipulation and storage of image data, particularly in maintaining both original and user-modified images without quality degradation.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that receive image data from a sensor, allowing users to set and store user-defined portions of the image, including derivation information for processing changes, while maintaining the original image data, enabling efficient storage and manipulation of images with features like digital zoom, cropping, and image stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If digital image processing is applied to create user-modified images, then user control and image manipulation capability are improved, but image quality degrades due to repeated encoding and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image storage system into two distinct parts: a source image file containing the original unprocessed image data, and a user image file containing the processed image along with derivation information. This segmentation allows the original quality to be preserved while enabling multiple versions of processed images without degrading the source material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the original image as the source image file, which remains unchanged and serves as the reference for generating user-modified images. This copy preserves the original quality while allowing unlimited derivations from it, preventing quality degradation in the processed versions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple image versions are stored for different processing levels, then user flexibility and manipulation options are improved, but storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary derivation information (cropping coordinates, scaling factors, processing parameters) and stores it separately from the full image data. This allows the system to store multiple processed versions without storing redundant full image copies, significantly reducing storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces derivation information as an intermediary between the source image and processed images. This intermediary contains only the transformation parameters needed to regenerate images, acting as a compact reference that eliminates the need to store multiple full image versions.
3Manufacturing precision
If original image data is maintained alongside processed images, then image quality is preserved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the storage of original and processed images into a unified image management system that handles both types of files through the same interface. The source image file and user image file are managed together with automated linking, simplifying the user experience while maintaining quality preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system automatically links processed images back to their source images through derivation information. This feedback loop allows the system to maintain quality by referencing the original data while managing complexity through automated associations rather than manual tracking.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus and computer program are disclosed for: receiving from an image sensor image data; obtaining from the image data a source image and a user image so that the user image corresponds to a user set portion of the source image; wherein the source image and the user image are obtained on receiving the image data from the image sensor.