Image Sensor Oscillation for Dynamic Low-Pass Filtering
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photographing apparatuses face difficulties in achieving an optimum low-pass filter effect that is flexibly responsive to variations in photographic conditions, such as resolving power of the photographic lens, without using an optical low-pass filter.
Innovation Solution
A photographing apparatus that oscillates an image sensor along a predetermined path, using information on the aperture diameter and resolving power of the photographic lens to adjust the low-pass filter effect, thereby mimicking the effect of an optical low-pass filter without its physical presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If an optical low-pass filter is used to prevent moiré and false color, then the occurrence of moiré and false color is reduced, but resolving power and contrast deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the optical low-pass filter from the optical system entirely and replaces it with a software-based solution. The image sensor captures high-resolution data without the filter, and digital signal processing subsequently applies low-pass filtering algorithms to eliminate moiré and false color while preserving the full resolving power of the sensor and lens combination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical/optical low-pass filter with a digital signal processing system. Instead of using physical optical elements to filter light frequencies, the system uses computational algorithms applied to the captured image data to achieve the same low-pass filtering effect without the trade-off in resolving power.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the low-pass filter effect is made strong to prevent moiré, then moiré prevention is improved, but resolving power deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the low-pass filter effect through software. The strength of the low-pass filtering is adjusted based on detected moiré patterns and image characteristics, allowing the system to apply only the necessary amount of filtering to prevent moiré while minimizing impact on resolving power. This dynamic adjustment enables flexible response to varying photographic conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of filter strength from a fixed physical property (as in optical filters) to a variable software parameter. The digital signal processing algorithm can dynamically adjust the low-pass filter strength based on image content, spatial frequency analysis, and detected moiré patterns, optimizing the balance between moiré prevention and resolving power preservation for each specific image.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If an optical low-pass filter is used, then moiré is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional optical components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the optical low-pass filter component from the optical system, reducing device complexity. The functionality is transferred to the digital signal processing domain, eliminating the need for additional optical elements and simplifying the overall optical path while maintaining moiré reduction capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical filtering system with a digital signal processing system. This substitution eliminates complex optical components and their associated mounting, alignment, and maintenance requirements, reducing overall device complexity while achieving the same harmful factor reduction through computational methods.
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 effectively prevents moiré and false color while maintaining the resolving power and sense of resolution, allowing for flexible adjustment of the low-pass filter effect based on changing photographic conditions.
Implementation Method 1
moving (oscillating) the image sensor along a predetermined path during an exposure causes the limit spatial frequency to decrease
Implementation Method 2
a driver which drives a shake-correction member in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis of the photographing optical system
Data Source
AI summary
A photographing apparatus includes a photographing optical system having a diaphragm and a photographing lens; an image sensor; a driver which drives a shake-correction member in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis to make the object-emanating light rays incident on pixels of the image sensor that have different in detection colors to obtain an optical low-pass filter effect, wherein the image sensor and/or a lens element-constitutes the shake-correction member; a retriever which retrieves information on an aperture diameter of the diaphragm and on a resolving power of the photographing lens; and a drive controller which varies a range of the pixels, having different detection colors and on which the object-emanating light rays are incident, in accordance with the information on the aperture diameter of the diaphragm and/or on the resolving power of the photographing lens to vary the optical low-pass filter effect.