USER-FRIENDLIER INTERFACES FOR A CAMERA

• US 20070086764A1
• Filed: 10/17/2005
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cutting Edge Vision LLC
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey Konicek
• Inventors: Konicek, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,697,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/56
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/02 Viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 29/00 Combinations of cameras, projectors or photographic printing apparatus with non-photographic non-optical apparatus, e.g. clocks or weapons; Cameras having the shape of other objects combinations with flash apparatus G03B15/03
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 31/06 in which sound track is associated with successively-shown still pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00095 Systems or arrangements for the transmission of the picture signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• 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 23/64 : Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for enabling user friendly interaction with a camera system. Specifically, the inventive system and method has several aspects to improve the interaction with a camera system, including voice recognition, gaze tracking, touch sensitive inputs and others. The voice recognition unit is operable for, among other things, receiving multiple different voice commands, recognizing the vocal commands, associating the different voice commands to one camera command and controlling at least some aspect of the digital camera operation in response to these voice commands. The gaze tracking unit is operable for, among other things, determining the location on the viewfinder image that the user is gazing upon. One aspect of the touch sensitive inputs provides that the touch sensitive pad is mouse-like and is operable for, among other things, receiving user touch inputs to control at least some aspect of the camera operation. Another aspect of the disclosed invention provides for gesture recognition to be used to interface with and control the camera system.

Claims

1. A voice recognizing camera system comprising:

a) a camera device operable for taking pictures;

b) a camera controller operable for controlling said camera device and coupled to said camera device; and

c) a voice recognizer operable for recognizing vocal utterances;

wherein said voice recognizer is coupled to said camera controller and further wherein said voice recognizing camera system is operable for recognizing at least two different vocal utterances as indicating the same camera command.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said two different vocal utterances comprise the same word spoken under different conditions.

3. A camera system comprising:

a) a camera device operable for taking pictures;

b) a viewfinder operable for viewing a camera view wherein said camera view is representative of the picture the camera system will take;

c) a camera controller operable for controlling said camera device and coupled to said camera device; and

d) a viewfinder use detector operable for automatically detecting when a viewer is viewing in said viewfinder;

wherein said viewfinder use detector is coupled to said viewfinder and to said camera controller and said camera controller commands a specific camera system action in response to said detected viewfinder use.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said camera system action comprising the camera system automatically focusing.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein said viewfinder use detector is comprised of a gaze tracker.

6. A touch input device comprising:

a) a touchpad; and

b) a solid overlay with at least 2 cutouts;

wherein said touchpad is located behind said solid overlay and further wherein said solid overlay physically constrains the areas of the touchpad that can be touched to those areas defined by said cutouts.

7. A camera system comprising:

a) a camera device operable for taking pictures;

b) a camera controller operable for controlling said camera device and coupled to said camera device; and

c) a optical gesture recognizer operable for optically detecting and electronically recognizing a user gesture and wherein said optical gesture recognizer is coupled to said camera controller.

8. A method of implementing voice recognition control in a camera system comprising:

a) the camera system associating a first recognized utterance with a first camera command; and

b) the camera system associating a second recognized utterance with a second camera command;

wherein said first and second recognized utterances are electronically recognized as being different and said first and second camera commands are the same command.

9. A method of receiving a vocal command in a voice operated camera system having a plurality of simultaneously operable microphone reception points disposed on the body of the voice operated camera system comprising:

a) the voice operated camera system receiving a vocal command at said plurality of simultaneously operable microphone reception points;

b) applying the output of a selected one of said plurality of simultaneously operable microphone reception points to a voice recognizer; and

c) the voice operated camera system electronically recognizing said vocal command received from said selected one of said plurality of simultaneously operable microphone reception points.

10. A method of operation of a voice operated camera system comprising:

a) the camera system receiving a vocal utterance;

b) the camera system electronically recognizing said vocal utterance; and

c) the camera system determining a corresponding camera command to implement in response to said electronically recognized utterance and wherein the camera system delays implementing said corresponding camera command for a predetermined amount of time.

11. A method of operation of a camera system having a viewfinder comprising:

a) the camera system automatically detecting that a viewer is viewing into the camera viewfinder; and

b) the camera system performing an operation in response to the automatic detection that a user is viewing into the camera viewfinder.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said operation comprises turning on the viewfinder.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said operation comprises automatically focusing the camera system.

14. A method of camera system control in a camera system comprising:

a) the camera system optically receiving and electronically recognizing a user'"'"'s;

gesture; and

b) the camera system performing a camera activity in response to the recognized gesture.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said gesture comprises a wink of an eye.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the camera activity comprises automatically focusing the camera.

17. A method of human-interfacing to a camera system having automatic focusing capability comprising:

a) The camera system providing an image for the user to view, said image being representative of the picture the camera system will take;

b) the camera system determining the approximate location on the image the user is viewing.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the camera system automatically focusing the picture to be taken in accordance with the approximate location on the image the user is viewing.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the camera system indicating to the viewer the approximate location being viewed.

20. A method of camera control in a cellular device having a camera comprising:

a) the cellular device receiving a voice utterance;

b) the cellular device electronically recognizing the voice utterance;

c) the cellular device determining that the electronically recognized voice utterance is for commanding the camera; and

d) the cellular device performing a camera function in response to the electronically recognized voice utterance.