Scan Line Timestamping for Rolling Shutter Sensor Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in accurately associating specific portions of image frames with data from other sensors due to temporal differences in capture times, leading to inaccuracies in processes like camera calibration, 3D reconstruction, and object detection in autonomous vehicles.
Innovation Solution
Adding time data to individual scan lines of an image frame during rolling shutter capture and synchronizing sensor data capture to align image data with LIDAR data, allowing for precise association and correction of distortion effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single timestamp is associated with an image frame as a whole, then the image capture process is simple, but the ability to accurately associate specific portions of the image frame with data from other sensors is degraded due to temporal differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image frame into individual scan lines and associates each scan line with its own timestamp. This segmentation of temporal information allows precise alignment of specific image portions with corresponding sensor data, resolving the contradiction between simple capture processes and accurate temporal association.
2Device complexity
If rolling shutter image capture is used, then the capture process can be simplified, but distortion effects are introduced that require complex post-processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds timestamp information directly into the scan line data during capture, performing the time-stamping action preliminarily before processing. This allows the distortion correction process to work with already-timestamped data, reducing the complexity of post-processing requirements while maintaining the simplicity of rolling shutter capture.
3Measurement precision
If timestamp data is added to each scan line, then the accuracy of multi-modal sensor fusion is improved, but the data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the timestamp data with the scan line data by embedding timestamps directly into the scan line structure. This merging approach allows timestamp information to be carried along with image data through the processing pipeline, improving sensor fusion accuracy while minimizing the increase in data processing complexity through efficient data structuring.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for adding time data to scan lines of an image frame. In some examples, an image sensor may perform a rolling shutter image capture to produce the scan lines. Data captured by another sensor may be associated with at least a portion of a scan line based at least in part on the time data added to the scan line in some examples. Furthermore, techniques are disclosed for synchronizing data capture by multiple sensors. For example, a rolling shutter image capture performed by an image sensor may be synchronized with a data capture performed by another sensor.