Multi-Camera Image Capture Settings via Preliminary Frame Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Devices with a single camera face limitations in zoom range, light intake, and depth-of-field due to form factor constraints, and struggle to respond effectively to rapid scene changes in lighting and motion, leading to suboptimal image capture settings.
Innovation Solution
Implementing multiple cameras with different fields of view, optics, and sensor sizes, allowing for extended zoom, improved light intake, and simulated depth-of-field effects, while using a processor to determine image capture settings based on image frames from multiple cameras to enhance responsiveness to scene changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a single camera is used in the device, then the device complexity is reduced, but the zoom range and image capture quality are limited due to form factor constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the camera system into multiple separate camera modules, each with distinct optical characteristics (different focal lengths, apertures, or sensor sizes). This segmentation allows each camera to specialize in specific capture scenarios, enabling extended zoom range and improved image quality without requiring a single complex camera system that would increase overall device complexity.
2Illumination intensity
If multiple cameras with different configurations are used, then zoom range and light intake are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different optical properties to different camera modules, with each camera optimized for specific lighting conditions. For example, one camera may have a larger aperture for low-light conditions while another has a smaller aperture for bright conditions. This local quality differentiation improves light intake across various scenarios while keeping each individual camera module relatively simple.
3Speed
If image capture settings are determined based on a single camera frame, then the processing speed is faster, but the responsiveness to rapid scene changes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the second camera to capture preliminary image data that is processed to determine capture settings before the first camera actually captures its frame. This preliminary action from the second camera provides advance information about scene conditions, enabling faster and more accurate setting determination for the first camera without requiring it to wait for additional frames, thus improving response speed while minimizing processing time loss.
4Speed
If the second camera captures frames at a higher frame rate, then the responsiveness to scene changes is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs one camera (the second camera) to serve multiple functions: it captures frames at a higher frame rate for determining capture settings, and its data is also used to inform the capture timing and settings of the first camera. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve high responsiveness to scene changes without requiring both cameras to operate continuously at high frame rates, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining improved response speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, devices, and systems for determining one or more image capture settings are disclosed. In some aspects a device includes a processor coupled to a first camera and a second camera. In one aspect, the device may include the first camera and the second camera. The processor is configured to cause the first camera to capture a first image frame and cause the second camera to capture a second image frame. The second image frame being captured at a point in time after the first image frame is captured. The processor is also configured to determine an image capture setting for the first camera based on the second image frame.