Image Stabilization Using Motion Sensor Segmented Exposure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current image stabilization methods, particularly in small hand-held devices, face challenges such as motion blur due to camera movement during exposure, requiring complex and costly actuator mechanisms or multi-frame methods that struggle with object distortion and complex computation.
Innovation Solution
Divide the exposure time into shorter intervals and capture multiple frames only when the camera is within a predetermined range, using a motion sensor to determine camera movement and selectively expose the image sensor, allowing for pixel fusion to form a stable final image without the need for optical or electronic image shifting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If optical image stabilization using actuator mechanisms is used, then motion blur is reduced, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical actuator mechanisms with a computational approach. Instead of physically shifting the image sensor or lens elements, the system captures multiple frames during exposure and uses image processing to stabilize the final image, eliminating complex mechanical components while achieving similar stabilization效果
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary information from multiple captured frames to construct a stabilized image. By selecting and combining specific frame data based on motion analysis, the system achieves stabilization without needing complete mechanical intervention for every motion scenario
2Manufacturing precision
If multi-frame method is used to reduce motion blur, then image sharpness is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the exposure time into multiple shorter intervals, capturing several frames during the exposure period. Each frame captures a portion of the scene with minimal motion blur, and these segments are then computationally combined to produce the final stabilized image with enhanced sharpness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent captures more frames than the minimum single frame, using partial exposures at different time points. This excessive action of capturing multiple frames provides redundant information that simplifies the computational process of selecting and combining stable regions, ultimately reducing the complexity of achieving sharpness
3Manufacturing precision
If longer integration time is used to improve image quality, then image quality improves, but motion blur increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the long integration time into multiple shorter exposure intervals, capturing several frames during the total exposure period. This segmentation allows each individual frame to have minimal motion blur while the cumulative integration time remains long, and the frames are then combined to produce a high-quality stabilized image
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous light collection throughout the entire exposure period by capturing multiple frames in sequence. Instead of having gaps between exposures, the system continuously accumulates photon data across multiple short frames, ensuring that the long integration time benefits image quality without allowing significant camera motion to occur between discrete exposure events
Data Source
AI summary
A motion sensor is used to sense the movement of the camera during an exposure period. The camera has an image sensor to form one or more exposures. When the movement is within a certain range, the exposures are used to provide one or more frames so that an image can be constructed based on the frames. In one embodiment, the exposure period is divided into several short intervals in order to capture several image frames and only the image frames captured when the position of the camera is within a predetermined range are used to form the final image. The exposure time for each frame is small in order to reduce the motion blur degradation of the individual frames. If the camera is stable and substantially stationary relative to the scene, then all or many of the shorter frames are used to form the final image.