SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANIPULATION OF A DIGITAL IMAGE

• US 20100085446A1
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Thorn, Karl Ola
• Granted Patent: US 8,154,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00381 Input by recognition or interpretation of visible user gestures manual input means, e.g. digitisers, writing tablets H04N1/00392; gesture input to computers G06F3/017; recognition algorithms G06V40/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera

Abstract

A system for rendering a digital image includes a rendering device for rendering a digital image and a camera for capturing a sequence of images of a user. A conversion module converts the sequence of images into a manipulation command for altering the rendering of the digital image. In one embodiment, the conversion module is a lip reading module that converts a sequence of images depicting the motion of the user'"'"'s facial features into text tag or visual effects command. The text tag or command may then be applied to the digital image. The digital image may be divided into portions containing principle subject matter, and a text tag or visual effects command may be generated for one or more of the image portions. A facial detection module may be employed to detect changes in the user'"'"'s facial features to navigate among the image portions.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a rendering device for rendering a digital image;

a user image capturing device for capturing a sequence of images of a user;

a conversion module for converting the sequence of images into a manipulation command for manipulating the digital image; and

a processing circuit for altering the rendering of the digital image in accordance with the manipulation command.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conversion module comprises a lip reading module and the sequence of images is a sequence of motion of the user'"'"'s facial features, wherein the lip reading module converts the motion of the user'"'"'s facial features into the manipulation command.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the lip reading module converts the motion of the user'"'"'s facial features into a text tag, and the processing circuit alters the rendering of the digital image to include the text tag.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, further comprising an image analysis module for determining the placement of the text tag within the digital image.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the image analysis module determines the placement of the text tag by identifying at least one image portion within the digital image in which principle subject matter is contained, and placing the text tag within the digital image apart from the image portion depicting the principle subject matter.

6. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the lip reading module converts the motion of the user'"'"'s facial features into a visual effects command, and the processing circuit alters the rendering of the digital image to implement the visual effects command.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the visual effects command is at least one of lightening the digital image, darkening the digital image, zooming in, zooming out, rotating the digital image, or performing red-eye correction on a subject contained in the digital image.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a storage device for storing the altered digital image.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a rendering device for rendering a digital image;

an image analysis module for selecting at least one image portion within the digital image in which principle subject matter is contained;

a user image capturing device for capturing a sequence of images of a user;

a conversion module for converting the sequence of images into a manipulation command for manipulating the digital image in a manner associated with the selected image portion; and

a processing circuit for altering the rendering of the digital image in a manner associated with the selected image portion in accordance with the manipulation command.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the conversion module comprises a lip reading module and the sequence of images is a sequence of motion of the user'"'"'s facial features, wherein the lip module converts the motion of the user'"'"'s facial features into the manipulation command.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the lip reading module converts the motion of the user'"'"'s facial features into a text tag, and the processing circuit alters the rendering of the digital image to include the text tag associated with the selected image portion.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the lip reading module converts the motion of the user'"'"'s facial features into a visual effects command, and the processing circuit alters the rendering of the selected image portion within the digital image to implement the visual effects command.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the visual effects command is at least one of lightening the image portion, darkening the image portion, zooming in, zooming out, rotating the image portion, or performing red-eye correction on a subject contained in the image portion.

14. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a navigation device for selecting a second image portion within the digital image;

wherein the user image capturing device captures a second sequence of images of the user, the conversion module converts the second sequence of images into a second manipulation command for manipulating the digital image in a manner associated with the second image portion, and the processing circuit alters the rendering of the digital image in a manner associated with the second image portion in accordance with the second manipulation command.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the navigation device comprises a key for receiving a navigation input for selecting the second image portion.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the navigation device comprises a facial detection module for detecting a facial motion of the user corresponding to a directional input.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the facial detection module comprises an eye detection module for detecting the user'"'"'s eyes, and the directional input is a detected change in the orientation of the user'"'"'s eyes.

18. A method of manipulating a digital image comprising the steps of:

rendering the digital image;

capturing a sequence of images of a user;

converting the sequence of images of the user into a manipulation command for altering the rendering of the digital image; and

altering the rendering of digital image in accordance with the manipulation command.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

selecting at least one image portion within the digital image in which principle subject matter is depicted;

converting the sequence of images of the user into a manipulation command for altering the rendering of the digital image in a manner associated with the selected image portion; and

altering the rendering of the digital image in a manner associated with the selected image portion in accordance with the manipulation command.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

selecting a second image portion within the digital image in which principle subject matter is depicted;

capturing a second sequence of images of a user;

converting the second sequence of images of the user into a second manipulation command for altering the rendering of the digital image in a manner associated with the second image portion; and

altering the rendering of the digital image in a manner associated with the second image portion in accordance with the manipulation command.