Search giant Google has patented a technology that would incorporate a multi-flash camera on smartphones. Patent 8,363,157 granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office details how LED lighting can be used to allow a handset to take images with multiple flashes.
The patent, which relates to "flash mechanisms for digital cameras that are incorporated into mobile communication devices such as smartphones and tablet computers," states that a smartphone's shots can be improved through boosting flash capabilities. Google's patent showcases how different setups could be used to see flash modules either individually activated, triggered at the same time, or used individually in order to remove certain shadows in poor lighting. It'll also be possible to take several pictures in succession to allow users to shoot the same image with different light settings.
A mobile device could essentially take a batch of shots, which it'll then subsequently merge together in order to produce the best possible image; "such images may appear to have greater color, contrast, or depth than a regular single image of the group would have." This technique is known as HDR (High Dynamic Range).
Other recent Google patents include turning one's hand into a touchscreen and aiming to implement a laser keyboard for Project Glass.