Stereo Vision Camera Interleaving for High-Speed Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stereovision systems face challenges in capturing high-performance images of rapidly moving subjects using low-price cameras, as they require high-speed cameras, leading to increased system load and difficulty in obtaining synchronized image information, especially for still-to-moving scenes.
Innovation Solution
The method involves alternately grabbing images with a certain time interval without time synchronization using two low-price cameras, switching shooting modes based on the subject's state, and predicting image information to detect physical characteristics, thereby achieving high-performance camera performance while reducing system load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If high-speed cameras are used to capture rapidly moving subjects, then image capture speed is improved, but system cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image capture task into alternating frames captured by two separate low-speed cameras instead of using a single high-speed camera. Each camera captures every other frame, and the frames are interleaved to create a high-speed sequence, effectively segmenting the high-speed capture function across multiple low-performance devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the image sequences from two low-speed cameras by interleaving their alternating frames. The first camera captures frames at even intervals while the second camera captures frames at odd intervals, and these sequences are merged to produce a unified high-speed image sequence that mimics the performance of a single high-speed camera.
2Speed
If images are captured constantly at high camera speed, then image capture performance is improved, but system load increases due to unnecessary images being analyzed and stored
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by having cameras alternate in capturing frames rather than continuously operating at full speed. Each camera operates at a lower speed, capturing only every other frame, which reduces the overall data processing load while maintaining the effective frame rate needed for high-speed subject capture.
3Measurement precision
If a plurality of cameras grab images in time synchronization, then stereovision accuracy is improved, but difficulty increases in obtaining synchronized images of ultrahigh-speed moving subjects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by deliberately capturing images out of strict time synchronization. Instead of requiring simultaneous capture from multiple cameras, the system captures alternating frames from each camera at slightly different times, then interleaves these sequences. This inversion simplifies the hardware requirements while still enabling accurate stereovision analysis of ultrahigh-speed subjects.
4Ease of manufacture
If low-performance and low-price cameras are used, then system cost is reduced, but image capture speed and performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the high-speed capture requirement across multiple low-performance cameras. By dividing the frame capture task between two or more inexpensive cameras and interleaving their output sequences, the system achieves effective high-speed performance without requiring any single camera to operate at high speed, thus maintaining low cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual high-speed camera system by copying the frame capture function across multiple low-speed cameras. Each camera produces a subset of the final high-speed sequence, and these copies are combined to reconstruct the full high-speed image stream, effectively simulating high-performance camera capabilities using inexpensive components.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed an apparatus for processing images in a stereo vision system including: an image capturing unit including first and second cameras for obtaining image information by capturing a subject, and a lighting unit for emitting a flash during the image capturing; and a camera controller for controlling the image information to be obtained by cross-acquiring images of the subject in a predetermined time interval without the synchronization of the first and second cameras.