Multi-Eye Image Capture Exposure Control for Illumination Uniformity
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image capture apparatuses face challenges in achieving uniform illumination intensity, leading to uneven luminance distribution and image quality issues, especially in low-light environments, due to the cosine fourth law and the use of high-directivity LED light sources.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs a multi-eye image capture section with overlapping image capture ranges and a single-eye image capture section, along with an illumination section, to control exposure levels, ensuring that areas overlapping with the single-eye image capture section have lower exposure than those not overlapping, thereby reducing luminance unevenness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If an LED light source with high directivity is used for illumination, then illumination efficiency is improved, but uniformity of illumination intensity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating exposure levels across different image capture sections. Specifically, the first image capture section (capturing the illuminated area) uses a different exposure level than the second image capture section (capturing non-illuminated areas). This local differentiation compensates for the non-uniform illumination caused by the directional LED light source, allowing each region to be captured with optimal exposure despite varying illumination intensity.
2Measurement precision
If illumination is applied to capture clear images in low-light environments, then image clarity is improved, but luminance distribution uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by assigning different exposure levels to different image capture sections based on their illumination conditions. The first image capture section capturing the illuminated subject area uses one exposure level, while the second image capture section capturing non-illuminated peripheral areas uses another exposure level. This localized exposure control maintains image clarity in the illuminated region while preventing overexposure or underexposure in non-illuminated regions, thereby addressing the luminance distribution uniformity issue.
3Device complexity
If a single exposure level is used for all image capture sections, then device complexity is reduced, but image quality in overlapping regions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing differential exposure control for different image capture sections. The control unit determines that the first image capture section (capturing illuminated areas) and the second image capture section (capturing non-illuminated areas) require different exposure levels. This localized exposure strategy improves image quality in overlapping regions by preventing luminance inconsistencies, while maintaining relatively simple overall device architecture through software-based control rather than hardware modifications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration improves the quality of captured images by reducing luminance unevenness and enhancing image quality, especially in low-light conditions, by adjusting exposure levels based on the image capture direction and illumination intensity distribution.
Implementation Method 1
there has been proposed an image capture apparatus that illuminates a subject using an infrared LED light source
Implementation Method 2
illuminates a subject using an infrared LED light source
Implementation Method 3
the illumination intensity at an illuminated flat surface is gradually reduced toward the periphery of the surface, compared with an illumination intensity at an area directly under the light source, according to the cosine fourth law
Data Source
AI summary
An image capture apparatus capable of improving the quality of an image captured using illumination. A multi-eye image capture section has image capture sections that capture images in different image capture ranges partially overlapping with each other to generate a wide-angle image. A single-eye image capture section captures an image in part of the image capture ranges of the multi-eye image capture section and changes an image capture direction. When performing image capture using illumination, the exposure level of a first image capture section of the multi-eye image capture section, having an image capture range overlapping with the image capture range of the single-eye image capture section is controlled to be lower than the exposure level of a second image capture section having an image capture range not overlapping with the image capture range of the single-eye image capture section.