Smartphone Celestial Image Composition Using Sensor Data

The patent divides a single long exposure into multiple short exposure shots. Instead of taking one photograph with a long exposure time that causes star trails, the system captures multiple images with shorter exposure times and combines them through image stacking. This segmentation allows each individual shot to freeze star positions while the composite image achieves the desired brightness through accumulation of multiple frames.

The patent implements continuous shooting mode where multiple photographs are taken in rapid succession without interruption. The camera continuously captures images at a high frame rate, ensuring that the celestial objects remain in nearly the same position throughout the shooting sequence. This continuous action allows for capturing enough frames to create a bright composite image while maintaining sharp star positions.

The patent employs feedback mechanisms through sensor data (GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) that continuously monitor the camera's position and orientation during the shooting sequence. This feedback information is used to calculate and compensate for Earth's rotation effects, allowing the system to realign stars across multiple photographs accurately. The feedback loop ensures that even as the Earth rotates during the multi-shot sequence, the composite image maintains precise star alignment.

The patent performs preliminary calculations of Earth's rotation effects based on the shooting time, location, and duration before composing the final image. By pre-calculating the expected stellar movement based on astronomical algorithms and sensor data, the system can apply appropriate transformation matrices to each frame beforehand, ensuring that stars align perfectly in the composite image without requiring complex post-processing realignment.

The patent extracts and utilizes readily available sensor data (GPS coordinates, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer readings) that are already captured during normal mobile device operation. Instead of performing complex image processing to identify and match star positions pixel-by-pixel, the system extracts the necessary positional and orientational information from these pre-existing sensor streams, significantly reducing processing time and computational requirements while maintaining accurate star alignment.

The patent replaces the mechanical/computational approach of visual feature matching (comparing pixel patterns to identify stars) with a sensor-based computational model. Instead of using image processing algorithms to detect and match stellar features, the system substitutes this with mathematical calculations based on sensor data and astronomical algorithms, which are computationally more efficient and can be performed rapidly on mobile devices.

The patent creates a virtual equatorial mount by using software algorithms that simulate the effect of physical tracking equipment. Instead of requiring an actual equatorial telescope or star tracker to physically rotate the camera, the system captures multiple stationary shots and uses computational methods to compensate for Earth's rotation. This virtual copying of the tracking function through software achieves the same result as expensive physical equipment without the need for specialized hardware.

The patent utilizes standard mobile device sensors (GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) that are already present in consumer smartphones and tablets, replacing the need for expensive specialized astronomical equipment. These inexpensive, mass-produced sensors provide sufficient data for calculating and compensating for stellar movement, making astrophotography accessible to ordinary users without requiring investment in costly equatorial mounts or star trackers.