Broadcom patent shows method for using cloud-computing to improve smartphone image quality

February 20, 2015 Off By David

Grazed from Imaging-Resource. Author: Gannon Burgett.

A recently published patent from Broadcom lays out the framework for a cloud-based infrastructure designed to communicate and share information with your smartphone to improve its imaging capabilities. Surface level, the groundwork laid out in the patent is straightforward – a smartphone communicates with online databases to bring in image-relevant information that can be used to better adjust settings and post-process a photograph. Where things get really interesting is when you dive into the methodology behind where the information is derived from.

The first example laid out in the patent relies on aforementioned databases, such as those provided by weather organizations, to determine the best settings and processing methods for your images. Say for example, you’re shooting outside at 5pm on a sunny day; your smartphone would be able to share its GPS location with the online weather database, and in return, the weather database would be able to send back all relevant weather information to your smartphone…

Your smartphone would then use that information to properly adjust settings, from aperture and shutter speed, to determining if you’ll need fill flash, based on where the sun is at the moment. In the case of an image that’s already been captured, the information can be used to change variables such as white-balance…

Read more from the source @ http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2015/02/20/broadcom-patent-shows-method-for-using-cloud-computing-for-improving-smartp