Camera device control related methods and apparatus

• US 10,491,806 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue River Technology Inc. (Deere & Company)
• Original Assignee: Light Labs Inc.
• Inventors: Lai, Jannie, Engel, Joseph, Calinisan, Jared, Kuok, Fan Sai
• Primary Examiner(s): LaBalle, Clayton E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Linda B
• Application Number:
  US14/875,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 396129
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• 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 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/76 by influencing the image signals

Abstract

Various features for allowing a user to control a camera in an intuitive manner are described. Various features allow a user to control one or more camera settings via a touch screen. In some embodiments a rotating wheel is simulated on the display screen to show user selectable camera setting values with the values being displayed as if on the surface of the wheel with a currently selected value being closest to the user, e.g., in the center, and values above and below the currently selected value being shown using a smaller size as if further away from the user. A current setting for the feature being controlled is displayed near the center of the screen in some embodiments. A currently selected value is sometimes shown larger than other user selectable settings. The camera settings include an ISO setting, a focal length, e.g., zoom setting, and/or an exposure control setting.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a camera device, comprising:

displaying a camera orientation indicator object superimposed over a preview image, said camera orientation indicator object providing a user an indication of camera orientation relative to both a vertical orientation and a horizontal orientation, said indication being based at least in part on the shape of the camera orientation indicator object, the shape of the camera orientation indicator object varying depending on camera orientation;

detecting user selection of a camera control option; and

displaying a set of user selectable values for the user selected control option, a currently selected value in the displayed user selectable values being displayed at a predetermined location on the screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting user input indicating a desire to change the currently selected value corresponding to the user selected control option;

changing said set of user selectable values to move a new currently selected value to the predetermined location on the screen in response to the user input; and

displaying, prior to detecting user selection of the camera control option, user selectable control options corresponding to different controllable camera settings, said detected user selection of the camera control option being one of the displayed user selectable control options.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a camera orientation indicator object superimposed over a preview image includes:

displaying an object with an angle relative to the bottom of the displayed image which is a function of the angle at which the camera device is positioned relative to the ground.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the shape of the camera orientation indication object in response to a change in the orientation of the camera.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the user selectable control options include at least one of an ISO setting, a shutter speed setting, an exposure setting or a zoom setting.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said user input is a swipe of a screen in one of a down or an up direction indicating a user desired change in an increasing or decreasing value direction.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein changing the set of user selectable values includes simulating rotation of a wheel with said user selectable values being displayed as if on the surface of the wheel with the currently selected value being closest to the user and user selectable values above and below said currently selected value being shown using a smaller size as if further away from the user.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the position of the bottom of the orientation indicator object is straight and is located in the displayed image at a location which is parallel to the ground at the time the displayed image was captured thereby providing a reference from which a tilt in the vertical direction of an object in the displayed image relative to the ground can be determined.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the displayed object is an object with four flat sides and wherein the height of the object depends on an amount of tilt of the camera relative to the ground.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the displayed object is a hollow object with four flat sides.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein changing the shape of the camera orientation indicator object includes changing a height of the camera orientation indicator object.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein changing the shape of the camera orientation indicator object includes changing a tilt of two parallel lines relative to each other.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a control indicator next to the currently selected value indicating the type of value being controlled.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a tilt of said displayed hollow object in said image is used to indicate a tilt of said camera device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the shape is a hollow shape with four parallel sides formed by flat lines.

16. A camera device, comprising:

a touch sensitive display screen; and

a processor configured to;

control the touch sensitive display screen to display a camera orientation indicator object superimposed over a preview image, said camera orientation indicator object providing a user an indication of camera orientation relative to both a vertical orientation and a horizontal orientation, said indication being based at least in part on the shape of the camera orientation indicator object, the shape of the camera orientation indicator object varying depending on camera orientation.

17. The camera device of claim 16, wherein said processor is further configured to, as part of displaying the camera orientation indicator object:

control the touch sensitive display screen to display said camera orientation indicator object with an angle relative to the bottom of the displayed image which is a function of the angle at which the camera device is positioned relative to the ground.

18. The camera device of claim 16,

wherein the displayed camera orientation indicator object is a hollow object with four flat sides, a first set of two of said four flat sides extending parallel and a second set of two of said four flat sides also extending parallel to each other in a direction which is different from the direction in which said first set of two of said four flat sides extends.

19. The camera device of claim 18, wherein the first set of two of said flour flat sides have a tilt which is a function of an amount of camera tilt.

20. The camera device of claim 18, further comprising:

changing the height of the camera orientation indicator object in response to a change in camera orientation relative to ground.

21. The camera device of claim 19, wherein the second set of two of said flour flat sides remain parallel to each other while said tilted flat sides are parallel to each other.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor control a camera device to:

determine camera orientation relative to ground; and

display a camera orientation indicator object superimposed over a preview image, said camera orientation indicator object providing a user an indication of camera orientation relative to both a vertical orientation and a horizontal orientation, said indication being based at least in part on the shape of the camera orientation indicator object, the shape of the camera orientation indicator object varying depending on camera orientation.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the position of the bottom of the orientation indicator object is straight and is located in the displayed image at a location which is parallel to the ground at the time the displayed image was captured thereby providing a reference from which a tilt in the vertical direction of an object in the displayed image relative to the ground can be determined.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the displayed object is an object with four flat sides.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the displayed object is a hollow rectangle with four flat sides.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein a tilt of said displayed hollow rectangle in said image is used to indicate a tilt of said camera device.