Exchangeable Lens Peripheral Shading Data Compression

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing camera systems face challenges in accurately processing images due to varying optical characteristics of exchangeable lenses, particularly in handling peripheral shading data, which requires significant memory capacity and efficient data transmission.

Innovation Solution

An exchangeable lens system with an optical characteristics storage unit, generation unit, and transmission unit that selectively stores and transmits peripheral shading information for specific image heights, using interpolation and calculation expressions to generate missing data, allowing for efficient data handling and transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If peripheral shading information for all image heights is stored in the optical characteristics storage unit, then image processing accuracy is improved, but memory capacity requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage processing accuracyVSAvoidmemory capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential peripheral shading information for specific image heights (center, 1/6, 1/3, 2/3, 5/6, and full image height) from the complete set of possible image height positions. This selective extraction maintains sufficient accuracy for image processing while significantly reducing the volume of data that needs to be stored and transmitted.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by providing peripheral shading information for a representative sample of image heights rather than all possible positions. The selected points (including center and full image height) are sufficient to characterize the optical characteristics without requiring complete data across the entire image height range.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Measurement precision

If peripheral shading information for more image heights is transmitted to the camera body, then image processing quality is improved, but data transmission load increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage processing qualityVSAvoiddata transmission time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary peripheral shading information for specific image heights (center, 1/6, 1/3, 2/3, 5/6, and full image height) from the complete dataset. This selective extraction maintains sufficient accuracy for image processing while significantly reducing the volume of data that needs to be stored and transmitted.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by providing peripheral shading information for a representative sample of image heights rather than all possible positions. The selected points (including center and full image height) are sufficient to characterize the optical characteristics without requiring complete data across the entire image height range.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If peripheral shading information for all image heights is stored, then optical characteristics are fully captured, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoptical characteristics captureVSAvoiddata handling complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential peripheral shading information for specific image heights (center, 1/6, 1/3, 2/3, 5/6, and full image height) from the complete set of possible image height positions. This selective extraction maintains sufficient accuracy for image processing while significantly reducing the volume of data that needs to be stored and transmitted.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9025076B2Exchangeable lens and camera system

Publication Date: 2015.05.05 NIKON CORP

AI summary

An exchangeable lens detachably mounted at a camera body includes: an optical characteristics storage unit; an optical characteristics information generation unit; and an optical characteristics transmission unit. Peripheral shading information for only some image heights is stored as the information pertaining to the peripheral shading characteristics of the exchangeable lens into the optical characteristics storage unit, but peripheral shading information for at least one image height position among five image height positions equivalent to integral multiples of y1, which represents an image height equal to ⅙ of an image height measured from a center of a substantially rectangular image capturing range to one of four corners of the image capturing range, obtained by multiplying y1 by integers in a range 2 through 6, is not stored in the optical characteristics storage unit.