Edge user interface for augmenting camera viewfinder with information

• US 10,373,358 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2016
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Young, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Flohre, Jason A
• Application Number:
  US15/347,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20180131875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera

Abstract

A camera view on a display such as a smart phone display is decimated responsive to a control signal to present augmented reality (AR) information. This creates edges in which the AR information is presented so as not to clutter the camera view, enabling uncluttered use of the standard camera function user interface (UI).

Claims

1. A device comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive, from an imager, a camera image;

present the camera image full screen on a display such that the camera image is coterminous with a size of the display;

with the camera image presented full screen on the display, overlay onto the camera image a camera function user interface (UI), the camera function UI comprising at least a take picture selector and a record video selector;

responsive to a control signal generated by user input to present augmented information (AI), establish a size of the camera image to be a size smaller than the size of a display to render a reduced camera image and further present the reduced camera image on the display such that plural margins of the display borders the reduced camera image; and

present, in the margins, an AI UI comprising at least one selector in each of the plural margins and selectable to present augmented information on the display with the camera function UI remaining visible on the display, wherein selection of a first selector in a first margin causes first augmented information to be presented on the display in lieu of the AI UI and selection of a second selector in a second margin causes second augmented information to be presented on the display.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to render the reduced camera image by decimating the camera image.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to, responsive to selection of a selector on the AI UI, overlay augmented information on the reduced camera image.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to, responsive to selection of a selector on the AI UI, present augmented information in the first or second margin or both the first and second margins without overlaying the augmented information on the reduced camera image.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the camera function UI is overlaid on the reduced camera image.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to establish the size of the camera image to be the size smaller than the size of a display to render the reduced camera image responsive to a control signal to establish a reduced camera image.

7. The device of claim 1, comprising the at least one processor.

8. The device of claim 7, comprising the display.

9. The device of claim 8, comprising the imager.

10. A method, comprising:

presenting a camera image full screen on a display such that the camera image is coterminous with the display area of the display;

with the camera image presented full screen on the display, overlaying onto the camera image a camera function user interface (UI), the camera function UI comprising at least a take picture selector and a record video selector;

responsive to user input to present augmented information (AI), reducing the camera image to render at least first and second margins bordering the camera image;

presenting a UI in at least one of the margins with first and second selectors in the respective first and second margins and selectable to present AI on the display; and

continuing to present the camera function UI on the display along with the selectors selectable to present AI on the display, wherein selection of a first selector in the first margin causes first augmented information to be presented on the display in lieu of the UI and selection of a second selector in the second margin causes second augmented information to be presented on the display.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the AI is presented on the camera view.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the AI is presented on at least one of the margins.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one computer storage comprising executable instructions;

at least one processor with access to the storage;

at least one imager; and

at least one display, wherein the processor is configured to access the instructions for;

receiving from the imager a camera view;

presenting the camera view full screen on the display such that the camera view is coterminous with the display area of the display;

with the camera view presented full screen on the display, overlaying onto the camera image a camera function user interface (UI), the camera function UI comprising at least a take picture selector and a record video selector;

responsive to a control signal to present augmented information (AI), reducing the camera view to render a reduced camera view;

presenting the reduced camera view on the display with at least first and second margins bordering the reduced camera view;

along with the reduced camera view, presenting a first user interface (UI) in the first and second margins with at least first and second selectors in the respective first and second margins selectable to present augmented information (AI) on the display; and

wherein selection of the first selector in the first margin causes first augmented information to be presented on the display in lieu of the first UI and selection of the second selector in the second margin causes second augmented information to be presented on the display.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to present the AI on the camera view.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to present the AI on at least one of the margins.