CAMERA CONFIGURABLE FOR AUTONOMOUS OPERATION

• US 20080298796A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Border, John N., Johnson, Kenneth A., Kuberka, Cheryl J., Williams, Frances C., Barnum, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/263
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• 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 23/64 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 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an image capture device and a technique for capturing an image. The technique includes selecting at least one subject displayed on an image capture device as an image trigger condition and entering a threshold level corresponding to the at least one image trigger condition. The technique further provides monitoring a signal from at least one sensor detecting the at least one image trigger condition and obtaining at least one digital image upon detecting the sensed image trigger condition meeting the threshold level.

Claims

1. A method of capturing an image with an image capture device comprising:

selecting at least one image trigger condition;

entering a threshold level corresponding to the at least one image trigger condition;

monitoring a signal from at least one sensor detecting the at least one image trigger condition; and

obtaining at least one digital image upon detecting the sensed at least one image trigger condition meeting the threshold level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one image trigger condition further comprises selecting the presence of a subject of interest in the field of view of the image capture device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the presence of a subject of interest further comprises selecting the subject of interest from a portion of an image displayed from a digital image previously captured and stored in the image capture device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the subject of interest from a portion of an image displayed further comprises indicating the subject of interest by using a touchscreen.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the subject of interest from a portion of an image displayed further comprises outlining the portion from a group consisting of an object, animal and person from an image displayed on the image capture device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the presence of a subject of interest further comprises selecting the subject of interest from a portion of an image displayed from a plurality of digital images that are accessible to the image capture device.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising accessing the digital images via a network.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising analyzing an image collection to select a subject of interest.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein analyzing the image collection to determine the subject of interest further comprises analyzing image metadata.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein analyzing the image collection to determine the subject of interest further comprises using the Image Value Index.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein analyzing the image collection to determine the subject of interest further comprises analyzing the image content.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a region of interest in the obtained at least one digital image; and

cropping the at least one digital image automatically according to the region of interest in the image, and forming a conditioned digital image.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one image trigger further comprises selecting the at least one image trigger from the group consisting of laughter, applause, transition in volume level over a predefined threshold, a spoken term or phrase, a sound made by a prompt device, a certain person'"'"'s voice, presence of a preferred subject in the field of view of the image capture device, a change in temperature, a change in vibration, a change in spectrum, a change in infrared, a change in ultraviolet, a change in electric field, a change in magnetic field, a change in radiation, and a change in air flow.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the signal further comprises monitoring the signal from a sensor taken from the group consisting of an audio sensor, a heat sensor, a vibration sensor, a spectral sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, an infrared sensor, an electric field sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a radiation sensor, an air flow sensor, a motion sensor and an image sensor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the at least one digital image further comprises obtaining an image capture set having both still and video content.

16. A method of claim 15, wherein obtaining an image capture set further comprises obtaining a combination of a still image and a predetermined number of seconds of video preceding the detection of the image trigger condition, the combination of the still image and the predetermined number of seconds of video following the detection of the image trigger condition, or combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein cropping the still image is automatically cropped using information from the video.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein cropping the still image is automatically cropped using information from the image trigger condition.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the signal from the at least one sensor further comprises monitoring the at least one imaging sensor of the image capture device.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising detecting motion using the imaging sensor.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein monitoring the signal from the at least one sensor further comprises detecting changes in light level in excess of a predetermined threshold value.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least one image trigger condition further comprises selecting more than one image trigger condition and obtaining at least one digital image upon detecting that all of the more than one image trigger conditions thresholds have been met.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one image trigger condition comprises accepting predetermined default conditions for the image capture device.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the image trigger condition for obtaining the at least one digital image further comprises detecting motion starting or motion stopping in the field of view of the image capture device.

25. An apparatus for capturing an image, comprising:

an image capture device for selecting at least one image trigger condition and for setting a threshold level corresponding to the at least one image trigger condition;

at least one sensor coupled to the image capture device for detecting the at least one image trigger condition; and

a memory coupled to the image capture device for storing at least one digital image captured upon detecting the at least one image trigger condition meeting the threshold level.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising an image capture device for selecting at least one image trigger condition wherein the at least one image trigger condition is selected as a subject of interest included in a portion of a digital image displayed on a display of the image capture device.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the subject of interest comprises a portion of a digital image that has been previously captured and stored in the image capture device.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the subject of interest comprises a portion of a digital image that is accessible to the image capture device.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the digital image is accessible via a network.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein selecting the subject of interest from a portion of an image displayed further comprises a touchscreen for indicating the subject of interest.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein selecting the subject of interest from a portion of an image displayed comprises outlining a portion of an image from a group consisting of an object, animal and person from an image displayed on the image capture device.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the sensor is taken from the group consisting of an environmental sensor including an audio sensor, a heat sensor, a vibration sensor, a spectral sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, an infrared sensor, an electric field sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a radiation sensor and an air flow sensor.

33. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the detected condition is taken from the group consisting of laughter, applause, transition in volume level over a predefined threshold, a spoken term or phrase, a sound made by a prompt device, a certain person'"'"'s voice, and presence of a preferred subject in the field of view of the image capture apparatus.

34. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein a region of interest in the at least one digital image is detected and automatically cropped for forming a conditioned digital image.

35. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the image capture device further has a mode wherein the memory stores a digital image capture set having both still and video content upon detecting the at least one image trigger condition meeting the threshold level.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein obtaining an image capture set further comprises obtaining at least one from the group consisting of a combination of a still image and a predetermined number of seconds of video preceding the detection of the image trigger condition, a combination of the still image and a predetermined number of seconds of video following the detection of the image trigger condition, and combinations thereof.

37. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein cropping the still image is automatically cropped using information from the video.

38. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein cropping the still image is automatically cropped using information from the image trigger condition.

39. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one sensor detects motion.

40. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one sensor detects changes in light level in excess of a predetermined threshold value.

41. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one image trigger condition is accepted from a predetermined default condition for the image capture device.

42. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising a sensor for detecting motion starting or motion stopping in the field of view of the image capture device.