ISP Blur Engine for High-Resolution Bokeh Rendering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile phone camera lenses are too small to achieve a shallow depth of field for creating Bokeh effects, and software-based solutions are limited by resolution, latency, and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a blur engine in the image signal processor (ISP) pipeline for hardware-based image processing, which includes logic for configurable aperture shapes and improved map accuracy to emulate optical blur effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If software-based solutions are used to create Bokeh effects, then the effect can be achieved without hardware limitations, but resolution is limited and latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces software-based image processing with a dedicated hardware blur engine implemented in logic circuitry within the image signal processor. This hardware implementation processes image data through parallel computational pipelines, achieving higher resolution output and lower latency compared to sequential software processing on general-purpose processors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a depth map as an intermediary data structure that guides the blur engine in applying depth-dependent blurring. The depth map enables the system to selectively blur regions based on distance from the focal plane, achieving realistic Bokeh effects while maintaining efficient hardware-based processing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If software-based solutions are used to create Bokeh effects, then flexibility in effect creation is maintained, but power consumption increases due to intensive CPU/GPU usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces intensive software processing on CPU/GPU with dedicated hardware logic circuitry in the image signal processor. The blur engine uses parallel processing pipelines and lookup tables implemented in hardware, dramatically reducing power consumption while maintaining the ability to apply various blur effects through configurable parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements configurable blur parameters including aperture shape, blur radius, and depth map thresholds that can be adjusted to create different Bokeh effects. These parameters are controlled through hardware registers and configuration bits, allowing flexible effect creation without the computational overhead of software-based parameter adjustment.
3Productivity
If hardware-based processing is used in the ISP pipeline, then resolution and frame rate are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the blur engine as a functional block within the existing image signal processor pipeline, sharing hardware resources such as memory interfaces, data buses, and control logic with other ISP functions. This multi-functional integration achieves high frame rate Bokeh processing without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the image processing pipeline into distinct functional blocks including a depth map generation stage, a blur engine with configurable kernels, and an output composition stage. This segmentation allows each block to be optimized independently while maintaining efficient data flow through the pipeline, achieving high throughput without excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for image signal processing that support hardware-based photographic and videographic effects. In a first aspect, a method of image processing includes receiving, by an image signal processor, first image data; and determining an output image frame based on the first image data by applying a photographic effect to a first image frame of the first image data in the image signal processor. Other aspects and features are also claimed and described.