Google has filed a camera enhancing patent with the USPTO. The filing describes a device with multiple LED flashes that could work as one giant flash or separately, depending on the environment. Yeah, it’s still not a Xenon-based flash but should deliver the goods while making sure your battery doesn’t die out too quickly while the phone keeps its thinness.
The patent encompasses of a number of possible arrangements, including the “ring” position pictured above. Moreover, there are also other ideas like moveable flashes that can only be shown when you actually want to take a photo.
Google’s idea is to allow enable taking of shadow-free photos either by using multiple flashes or by using only the ones needed to make that possible by taking into account the ambient lighting.
In addition, HDR imaging is also included in the patent filing, allowing the camera phone to take multiple shots with different flashes turned on and then combine multiple images to create the perfect shot.
It all sounds kinda unreal at the moment and as I’m writing this, we’ve no idea when the first phone with multiple flashes will be unveiled. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later…
[Via: Unwired View]