Automated adjustment of image stabilization mode

• US 10,382,669 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2019
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Inventors: Yan, Rong, Liu, Liu
• Primary Examiner(s): Fosselman, Joel W
• Application Number:
  US16/293,213
• Time in Patent Office: 161 Days
• Field of Search: 3482071
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

A portable electronic device with image capturing capabilities automatically or semi-automatically adjusts one or more image capturing parameters based on an input attribute of user engagement with a single-action haptic input mechanism. For example, the duration for which a single-action control button carried on a frame of the device is pressed automatically determines an image stabilization mode for on-board processing of captured image data. In one example, an above-threshold press duration automatically activates a less rigorous image stabilization mode, while button release before expiry of the threshold automatically activates a more rigorous photo stabilization mode.

Claims

1. An eyewear device comprising:

an eyewear body;

a camera mounted on the eyewear body and configured to be operable in a video capture mode and in a photo capture mode;

a button mechanism mounted on the eyewear body and configured for receiving user input to control operation of the camera, the button mechanism being disposable by a user between a pressed condition and a released condition; and

a camera controller incorporated in the eyewear body and configured to;

identify a press duration for which the button mechanism is disposed by to the pressed condition before being returned to the released condition; and

based on the identified press duration, automatically select an image stabilization mode to be applied to image data captured by the camera, the image stabilization mode being automatically switchable by the camera controller based on the identified press duration between a photographic stabilization mode and a video stabilization mode.

2. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the camera controller is further configured to:

determine whether or not the press duration exceeds a predefined threshold interval;

automatically select the applicable image stabilization mode based on whether or not the press duration exceeds the threshold interval; and

dispose the eyewear device to the selected image stabilization mode.

3. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the button mechanism is the only mechanism incorporated into the eyewear body for receiving manual user input to control functioning of the camera.

4. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the button mechanism is a single-action bi-modal mechanism, being disposable by the user exclusively between the pressed condition and the released condition.

5. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the video stabilization mode is less resource intensive with respect to on-board processing resources than the photographic stabilization mode.

6. The eyewear device of claim 5, wherein the video stabilization mode provides for on-board image stabilization processing to stabilize respective frames of captured video content.

7. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the camera controller is further configured to perform operations comprising:

responsive the disposal of the button mechanism to the pressed condition, automatically capturing video content comprising a plurality of video frames;

processing one or more of the plurality of video frames to determine an image metric value for the video content; and

automatically tuning one or more image capture parameters of the camera based on the image metric value.

8. A method comprising:

detecting user engagement with a button mechanism incorporated in an eyewear device to control operation of a camera that forms part of the eyewear device and that is operable in a video capture mode and in a photo capture mode, the button mechanism being disposable by a user between a pressed condition and a released condition;

identifying a press duration for which the button mechanism is disposed by to the pressed condition before being returned to the released condition; and

based on the identified press duration, automatically selecting an image stabilization mode to be applied to image data captured by the camera, the image stabilization mode being automatically switchable based on the identified press duration between a photographic stabilization mode and a video stabilization mode.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether or not the press duration exceeds a predefined threshold interval;

automatically selecting the applicable image stabilization mode based on whether or not the press duration exceeds the threshold interval; and

disposing the eyewear device to the selected image stabilization mode.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the press duration exceeds the threshold interval, disposing the eyewear device to the video stabilization mode; and

in response to determining that the press duration is shorter than the threshold interval, disposing the eyewear device to the photographic stabilization mode.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the button mechanism is the only mechanism incorporated into the eyewear body for receiving manual user input to control functioning of the camera.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the button mechanism is a single-action bi-modal mechanism, being disposable by the user exclusively between the pressed condition and the released condition.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the video stabilization mode is less resource intensive with respect to on-board processing resources than the photographic stabilization mode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the video stabilization mode provides for substantially no on-board image stabilization processing to stabilize respective frames of captured video content.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the video stabilization mode provides for on-board image stabilization processing to stabilize respective frames of captured video content.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responsive the disposal of the button mechanism to the pressed condition, automatically capturing video content comprising a plurality of video frames;

processing one or more of the plurality of video frames to determine an image metric value for the video content; and

automatically tuning one or more image capture parameters of the camera based on the image metric value.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

detecting user engagement with a button mechanism incorporated in an eyewear device to control operation of a camera that forms part of the eyewear device and that is operable in a video capture mode and in a photo capture mode, the button mechanism being disposable by a user between a pressed condition and a released condition;

identifying a press duration for which the button mechanism is disposed by to the pressed condition before being returned to the released condition; and

based on the identified press duration, automatically selecting an image stabilization mode to be applied to image data captured by the camera, the image stabilization mode being automatically switchable based on the identified press duration between a photographic stabilization mode and a video stabilization mode.