Image Capturing Apparatus Using Segmented LED Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current image capturing systems using white LEDs as auxiliary lights require multiple LEDs due to their lower luminance compared to xenon tubes, leading to increased cost and space requirements, and existing techniques fail to effectively reduce the number of LEDs while maintaining correct exposure and minimizing hand shake.
Innovation Solution
An image capturing apparatus and method that divides the auxiliary light and performs multiple exposures with low-luminance images, composing them to achieve correct exposure, using either white LEDs or xenon tubes based on distance and lens conditions, thereby reducing the number of LEDs required.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple white LEDs are used to achieve sufficient light volume for correct exposure, then the luminance requirement is met, but the cost and space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the total exposure time into multiple sequential sub-exposures, each illuminated by a single white LED. Instead of using multiple LEDs simultaneously, the system uses one LED for multiple separate photographing operations, achieving the required total light volume through time-based segmentation rather than spatial multiplication of light sources.
2Illumination intensity
If the shutter second time is extended to obtain sufficient light volume for white LEDs, then the guide number increases, but hand shake occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the total exposure duration into multiple shorter sub-exposures. Each sub-exposure is brief enough to avoid hand shake, but the cumulative light volume from multiple sequential sub-exposures achieves the required illumination intensity. This temporal segmentation allows the system to accumulate sufficient light without extending any single exposure duration to hand-shake-causing lengths.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs repeated periodic photographing actions with intermittent illumination. Between sub-exposures, the LED can be turned off and on again, creating a periodic pattern of illumination events. This periodic action allows accumulation of light volume over time while maintaining short individual exposure durations that prevent hand shake.
3Illumination intensity
If multiple images are shot and composed to achieve correct exposure, then the light volume per image is reduced, but the complexity of the photographing process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automatic control of the illumination unit and photographing unit coordination. The system self-manages the timing, duration, and sequence of multiple sub-exposures without requiring manual intervention for each individual shot. The control unit automatically coordinates between the LED illumination cycles and the image capturing cycles, reducing the perceived complexity for the user while maintaining the multi-exposure process.
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 approach allows for correct exposure with reduced light volume and power consumption, minimizing the number of LEDs needed, thus lowering costs and space requirements while maintaining image quality and stability.
Implementation Method 1
a white LED can emit light by applying a voltage of a few V
Implementation Method 2
The white light-emitting diode (hereafter, white LED) is now used as the auxiliary light
Implementation Method 3
The speed light device charges a main capacitor with a high voltage of 300V or so, and has this charging energy discharged via the xenon tube to convert it to emission energy and illuminate an object
Data Source
AI summary
An image capturing apparatus performs photographing multiple times and composing the multiple images to obtain one image of a correct exposure. The apparatus includes an image capturing unit, an illumination unit and an image composition unit. The image capturing unit captures an optical image of an object as an electrical signal. The illumination unit performs illumination on photographing by the image capturing unit. The image composition unit composes multiple images obtained by multiple times of photographing by the image capturing unit. All of the multiple images are the images shot by performing illumination with the illumination unit.