Pixel-Level Focus Change Analysis for Imaging Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Photographers face difficulties in accurately determining focus adjustment due to limited pixel resolution on viewfinders or monitors, making it hard to recognize subtle focus level changes, especially with existing peaking signals and bar displays that can be misleading or obstructive.
Innovation Solution
An imaging device and method that analyze focusing-degree changes between current and past images, generating display data to show focus state in units of pixel regions, using high-pass filtering and pixel classification to identify approaching, out-of-focus, or unchanged pixels, allowing precise focus adjustment without obstructing the view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If peaking signal is superimposed on the entire through image to indicate focused regions, then the user can identify regions with high degree of focusing, but the object to be captured becomes difficult to view and the signal continues to be displayed even after focus adjustment is completed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image into multiple blocks and calculates focus metrics separately for each block. This segmentation allows the system to identify focused regions without superimposing signals across the entire image, thereby maintaining viewability while providing precise focus information for specific regions of interest.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies focus detection and signal display selectively to specific blocks rather than uniformly across the entire image. By concentrating peaking signals only in blocks where focus adjustment is needed or where high-frequency components are present, the system maintains local quality information while preserving overall image viewability.
2Measurement precision
If bar-shaped focusing level display unit is used to indicate degree of focusing, then the user can see the focus level, but if the subject originally has high-frequency components, the focus level increases due to the subject itself, not actual focus adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image into multiple blocks and calculates focus metrics for each block independently. This allows the system to distinguish between high-frequency components that are part of the subject (texture, patterns) and those resulting from actual focus adjustment, thereby improving the reliability of focus measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the focus metric calculation based on the characteristics of each block. By analyzing the temporal change in focus metrics across multiple frames and comparing adjacent blocks, the system can differentiate between static high-frequency subject features and dynamic focus-related changes.
3Device complexity
If the display unit has fewer pixels than the image sensor to reduce complexity, then the device is easier to manufacture and operate, but an image sufficiently representing a change in sense of resolution cannot be output to the display unit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the high-resolution image sensor data into multiple blocks and calculates focus metrics for each block. This allows the system to extract essential focus information from the full-resolution data and represent it in a simplified format suitable for display on lower-resolution display units, maintaining measurement precision while reducing display complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary focus-related information from the full-resolution image sensor output by analyzing high-frequency components in blocked regions. This extracted focus metric information can be displayed on lower-resolution display units without losing the ability to detect resolution changes, effectively separating the high-resolution sensing function from the low-resolution display function.
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
Enables accurate and intuitive focus adjustment by clearly indicating focus changes at the pixel level, improving focus accuracy without obstructing the image view, even in regions with high-frequency components.
Implementation Method 1
a focusing-degree change analysis unit that analyzes a change in a degree of focusing between a current image output from an image sensor and a past image output from the image sensor before the current image is output
Implementation Method 2
a display control unit that generates display data enabling checking of a focused state from the past image in units of pixel regions of the current image by using an analysis result of the focusing-degree change analysis unit
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a device and a method of analyzing a change in the degree of focusing between a current image and a past image and outputting display data capable of identifying a change in the degree of focusing to a display unit. A focusing-degree change analysis unit that analyzes a change in a degree of focusing between a current image output from an image sensor and a past image output from the image sensor before the current image is output and a display control unit that generates display data enabling checking of a focusing-degree change state from the past image in units of pixel regions of the current image by using an analysis result of the focusing-degree change analysis unit are provided. Pixel classification information indicating which of (a) pixel approaching focusing, (b) pixel out of focusing, and (c) pixel with no change in the degree of focusing each pixel corresponds to is generated and output in units of pixels.