Universal Imaging Sensor for Multi-Aspect Ratio Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imaging devices and displays are limited to handling images with a fixed aspect ratio, resulting in suboptimal performance when dealing with images of different aspect ratios, requiring multiple devices or complex lens systems, and leading to loss of image areas or geometric distortions.
Innovation Solution
A universal imaging system capable of handling images with arbitrary aspect ratios by designing imaging devices that enclose the entire image circle, allowing for dynamic software control to define and optimize multiple aspect ratios, and a multi-format system that can handle a range of relevant aspect ratios with minimal area penalty.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rectangular imaging device is inscribed inside the image circle to optimize for one aspect ratio, then image quality for that specific aspect ratio is improved, but areas of the full image circle are lost when handling images with different aspect ratios
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device uses a single sensor array that can capture images in multiple aspect ratios without requiring multiple specialized devices. The sensor captures the full image circle and software processing adapts the captured data to different aspect ratios, making one device serve multiple functions that previously required multiple devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of aspect ratio through software processing rather than physical hardware configuration. By processing the captured image data with different aspect ratio parameters, the system can output images in various formats (4:3, 16:9, 2:1, etc.) from a single capture, eliminating the need to physically reconfigure the sensor for each aspect ratio.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple imaging devices with different aspect ratios are employed to handle different image formats, then optimal image handling for each aspect ratio is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functionality of multiple aspect ratio-specific imaging devices into a single universal imaging device. Instead of having separate 4:3, 16:9, and 2:1 optimized sensors, one sensor captures all formats simultaneously, and software merging processes the data into the required output format, reducing the number of devices from multiple to one.
Solution Approach 2:
A single imaging device is designed to perform the functions of multiple specialized devices. The universal sensor array captures images that can be processed into any aspect ratio, making the single device as versatile as the entire suite of multiple aspect ratio-specific devices combined.
3Area of stationary object
If the imaging device diagonal matches the image circle diameter for optimal coverage, then maximum image circle utilization is achieved, but the device cannot handle other aspect ratios without losing image areas
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device captures the complete image circle in advance with all possible image areas before any aspect ratio processing occurs. This preliminary full-capture approach ensures that no potential image data is lost during acquisition, and subsequent software processing extracts the appropriate portions for different aspect ratios without having to physically reconfigure the sensor or lose data.
Data Source
AI summary
Imaging devices including a novel imaging system wherein a 2-dimensional pixel array has a diagonal dimension larger than the diameter measurement of the image circle, thereby being capable of handling rectangular images with multiple aspect ratios. These new imaging devices can be used in various electronic imaging apparatus with or without a lens system.