Image transformation estimator of an imaging device

• US 20090027546A1
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Rinaldo, John D. JR., Lord, Robert W., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US12/284,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20090027546A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/372
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40068 Modification of image resolution, i.e. determining the values of picture elements at new relative positions H04N1/3935 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/634 Warning indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply

Abstract

A technique includes obtaining an operational capacity of an imaging device. The technique can also include estimating one or more operational resources to perform an image transformation that estimates whether the imaging device has adequate operational capacity to transform one or more images.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

means for obtaining an imaging device energy value for an imaging device; and

means for considering a resolution conversion energy level to indicate whether the imaging device has a sufficient energy for converting one or more images from a first resolution to a second resolution at least partially responsive to in part on the means for obtaining the imaging device energy value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

means for determining that the imaging device does have the sufficient energy to convert the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution; and

means for converting the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for means for converting the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution comprises:

means for converting the one or more images to a lower resolution.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for means for converting the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution comprises:

means for converting the one or more images to a higher resolution, at least in part, by combining one or more first pixel values from the one or more images with one or more second pixel values from at least one portion of an at least one other image to yield the one or more images at the higher resolution.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for means for converting the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution comprises:

means for converting the one or more images to a higher resolution, at least in part, by performing a mathematical algorithm relative to at least some existent pixel values of the one or more images to derive at least some intermediate pixel values.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

determining that the imaging device does not have the sufficient energy to convert the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution; and

transferring the one or more images from the imaging device to a second device.

69. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for means for converting the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution comprises:

means for converting the one or more images to a higher resolution.

70. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

means for determining that the imaging device does not have the sufficient energy to convert the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution;

means for transferring the one or more images from the imaging device to a second device; and

means for converting the one or more images from the first resolution to the second resolution at the second device.

71. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for means for obtaining an imaging device energy value for an imaging device comprises:

means for obtaining a battery life estimate for the imaging device.

4. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a device energy indicator operatively coupled to an imaging device, and configurable to indicate an energy value of the imaging device; and

a resolution conversion energy indicator operatively coupled to the imaging device, and configurable to indicate whether the imaging device has a sufficient energy to convert a resolution of at least one image based at least in part on the energy value.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

the resolution conversion energy indicator configurable to determine that the imaging device does have the sufficient energy to convert the resolution of the at least one image; and

the imaging device configurable to convert the resolution of the at least one image.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

the resolution conversion energy indicator configurable to determine that the imaging device does not have the sufficient energy to convert the resolution of the at least one image; and

the imaging device configurable to transfer the at least one image to a second device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

the resolution conversion energy indicator configurable to determine that the imaging device does not have the sufficient energy to convert the resolution of the at least one image;

the imaging device configurable to transfer the at least one image to a second device; and

the imaging device configurable to communicate to the second device to convert the resolution of the at least one image.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the resolution conversion energy indicator operatively coupled to the imaging device, and configurable to indicate whether the imaging device has a sufficient energy to convert a resolution of at least one image comprises:

the resolution conversion energy indicator configurable to indicate whether the imaging device has the sufficient energy to convert the resolution to a higher resolution.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the resolution conversion energy indicator operatively coupled to the imaging device, and configurable to indicate whether the imaging device has a sufficient energy to convert a resolution of at least one image comprises:

the resolution conversion energy indicator configurable to indicate whether the imaging device has the sufficient energy to convert the resolution to a lower resolution.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the device energy indicator operatively coupled to an imaging device, and configurable to indicate an energy value for the imaging device comprises:

a battery charge indicator configurable to indicate a battery charge value of the imaging device.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises:

the imaging device configurable to convert the resolution of the at least one image at least partially in response to the resolution conversion energy indicator.

18. An imaging device comprising:

an image capture portion configurable to capture at least a portion of an at least one image; and

a resolution conversion portion configurable to convert a resolution of the at least the portion of the at least one image.

21. The imaging device of claim 18, wherein the image capture portion configurable to capture at least a portion of an at least one image comprises:

the image capture portion of the imaging device configurable to capture at least one still image.

22. The imaging device of claim 18, wherein the image capture portion configurable to capture at least a portion of an at least one image comprises:

the image capture portion of the imaging device configurable to capture at least one motion image.

25. The imaging device of claim 18, wherein the imaging device further comprises:

an image conversion energy indicator operatively coupled to the imaging device configurable to indicate whether the imaging device has a sufficient energy, based at least in part on an energy level of the imaging device, to convert the resolution of the at least the portion of the at least one image.

72. The imaging device of claim 18, wherein the resolution conversion portion configurable to convert a resolution of the at least the portion of the at least one image comprises:

the resolution conversion portion configurable to convert the at least the portion of the at least one image to a higher resolution.

73. The imaging device of claim 18, wherein the resolution conversion portion configurable to convert a resolution of the at least the portion of the at least one image comprises:

the resolution conversion portion configurable to convert the at least the portion of the at least one image to a lower resolution.

74. The imaging device of claim 18, wherein the imaging device comprises:

a digital camera.

75. The imaging device of claim 18, wherein the imaging device comprises:

a camcorder.

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

26. An imaging device, comprising:

a resampling energy indicator configurable to indicate whether an at least a portion of an at least one image having been captured by the imaging device is capable of being resampled based, at least in part, on at least an energy level of the imaging device.

76. The imaging device of claim 26, wherein the imaging device further comprises:

a resampling portion configurable to convert a resolution of the at least the portion of the at least one image to a higher resolution based, at least in part, on the resampling energy indicator.

77. The imaging device of claim 26, wherein the imaging device further comprises:

a resampling portion configurable to convert a resolution of the at least the portion of the at least one image to a lower resolution based, at least in part, on the resampling energy indicator.

78. The imaging device of claim 26, wherein the imaging device further comprises:

a moving image camera.

79. The imaging device of claim 26, wherein the imaging device further comprises:

a still image camera.

27-51. -51. (canceled)

52. An apparatus, comprising:

a device operational capacity indicator operatively coupled to an imaging device, and configurable to estimate an operational capacity of the imaging device; and

an image transformation estimator configurable to estimate whether the imaging device has adequate operational capacity to transform at least one image.

54. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

the image transformation estimator configurable to estimate that the imaging device does not have the adequate operational capacity to transform the at least one image;

the imaging device configurable to estimate that a second device does have the adequate operational capacity to transform the at least one image; and

the imaging device configurable to transfer the at least one image to the second device.

55. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the device operational capacity indicator operatively coupled to an imaging device, and configurable to estimate an operational capacity of the imaging device further comprises:

an available energy indicator configurable to estimate an energy level of the imaging device.

57. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the device operational capacity indicator operatively coupled to an imaging device, and configurable to estimate an operational capacity of the imaging device further comprises:

an available device processing power indicator configurable to estimate an available processing power of the imaging device.

58. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the device operational capacity indicator operatively coupled to an imaging device, and configurable to estimate an operational capacity of the imaging device further comprises:

an available device memory indicator configurable to estimate an available memory storage of the imaging device.

59. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the device operational capacity indicator operatively coupled to an imaging device, and configurable to estimate an operational capacity of the imaging device further comprises:

an available computation time indicator configurable to estimate an available computation time of the imaging device.

60. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the image transformation estimator comprises an image resolution conversion estimator.

61. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the image transformation estimator comprises an image exposure adjustment estimator.

62. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the image transformation estimator comprises an image metadata modification estimator.

63. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the image transformation estimator comprises an image content recognition estimator.

64. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the image transformation estimator comprises an image composition adjustment estimator.

65. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

the image transformation estimator configurable to estimate that the imaging device does not have an adequate energy to convert a resolution of the at least one image;

the imaging device configurable to transfer the at least one image to a second device; and

the imaging device configurable to communicate to the second device to convert the resolution of the at least one image.

66. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the image transformation estimator configurable to estimate whether the imaging device has adequate operational capacity to transform at least one image further comprises:

a resolution conversion energy indicator configurable to estimate whether the imaging device has an adequate energy to convert a resolution to a higher resolution.

67. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the image transformation estimator configurable to estimate whether the imaging device has adequate operational capacity to transform at least one image further comprises:

a resolution conversion energy indicator configurable to estimate whether the imaging device has an adequate energy to convert a resolution to a lower resolution.

68. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the apparatus comprises:

the imaging device configurable to convert a resolution of the at least one image at least partially based on at least some results from the image transformation estimator.

80. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

the image transformation estimator configurable to estimate that the imaging device has adequate operational capacity to transform the at least one image; and

the imaging device configurable to convert a resolution of the at least one image.

81. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the device operational capacity indicator operatively coupled to an imaging device, and configurable to estimate an operational capacity of the imaging device further comprises:

an available battery energy indicator configurable to estimate a battery energy level of the imaging device.

53. (canceled)

56. (canceled)