Moment Capture System for Continuous Frame Buffering and Automated Selection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital camera systems face challenges in capturing moments accurately due to lag between observing a moment and pressing the shutter, often resulting in uninteresting or blurry images, as users repeatedly tap the shutter to anticipate the best moment, leading to multiple unwanted photos and a time-consuming review process.
Innovation Solution
The Moment Capture System automatically captures and buffers multiple image frames before and after shutter activation, dynamically adjusting camera settings based on real-time evaluation of frame characteristics, such as human faces and motion, to create an 'image moment' that includes optimal frames, and performs automated selection and enhancement of images to emulate human preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the user repeatedly taps the shutter button to capture multiple sequential images in an attempt to capture the best moment, then the probability of capturing a good moment increases, but the camera device moves causing blurry or shaky images and the user is left to review many uninteresting photos
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by continuously capturing and buffering images before the user actually presses the shutter button. The buffer contains pre-captured frames that are ready for immediate selection, eliminating the need for repeated shutter taps and ensuring the best moment is already captured in the buffer when the user indicates interest.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically selecting the best image from the buffered frames using AI-based quality assessment. The system evaluates multiple frames for composition, focus, exposure, and subject presence, then automatically selects and presents the best one to the user without requiring manual review of multiple photos.
2Reliability
If the user repeatedly taps the shutter button to capture multiple sequential images, then more frames are captured to find a good moment, but the review process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically selecting the best image from the buffered frames using AI-based quality assessment. The system evaluates multiple frames for composition, focus, exposure, and subject presence, then automatically selects and presents the best one to the user without requiring manual review of multiple photos.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback by presenting a small curated selection of the best frames (typically 1-3 images) to the user based on automated quality assessment. This feedback mechanism allows the user to quickly review only the most promising images rather than sorting through dozens of uninteresting frames, significantly reducing review time.
3Reliability
If the camera captures multiple sequential image frames to ensure capturing the best moment, then the quality of captured moments improves, but it is difficult for users to discern subtle differences between images on a small screen
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically selecting the best image from the buffered frames using AI-based quality assessment. The system evaluates multiple frames for composition, focus, exposure, and subject presence, then automatically selects and presents the best one to the user without requiring manual review of multiple photos.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by capturing more frames than the user would normally review (continuous buffering), but then selectively presents only the most promising subset (1-3 frames) based on automated quality metrics. This approach ensures the best moment is captured while making the selection task manageable for the user.
4Reliability
If the photographer focuses on repeatedly pressing the shutter button to capture multiple frames, then more moments are captured, but the photographer is no longer present in the moment and cannot make adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by continuously capturing and buffering images before the user actually presses the shutter button. The buffer contains pre-captured frames that are ready for immediate selection, eliminating the need for repeated shutter taps and ensuring the best moment is already captured in the buffer when the user indicates interest.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically selecting the best image from the buffered frames using AI-based quality assessment. The system evaluates multiple frames for composition, focus, exposure, and subject presence, then automatically selects and presents the best one to the user without requiring manual review of multiple photos.
Data Source
AI summary
A “Moment Capture System” automatically captures and buffers multiple image frames, both prior to and following digital camera shutter activation. This capture and buffering is performed in combination with real-time automatic control of camera settings (e.g., exposure time, capture rate, ISO, white balance, aperture, etc.) based on an ongoing real-time evaluation of contents and characteristics of most recent previously buffered frames. Whenever a shutter activation (e.g., a “tap”) is detected, the Moment Capture System pulls some number of pre-tap frames from the buffer and adds some number of post-tap frames to create an “image moment.” Image moments are defined as sets of sequential frames spanning a time period before and after the detected tap. In various implementations, the Moment Capture System performs automated selection of perceptually best images from the buffered frames associated with each tap. This automated selection closely emulates human selection based on subjective subtleties of human preferences.