MOBILE APPARATUS

• US 20110037866A1
• Filed: 03/12/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Mobile Communications Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: IWAMOTO, Rinzo
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• 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 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera

Abstract

A mobile apparatus is provided with: a display module configured to display an image; a camera disposed on a same side as a side on which the display module is provided and configured to capture a camera image including a user'"'"'s face; a motion detecting module configured to detect a motion state and a stop state of the mobile apparatus; an image controller configured to determine a face orientation of the user'"'"'s face from the camera image and control a display orientation of the image to be displayed in the display module; and a camera activating module configured to activate the camera when the motion detecting module detects a change from the motion state to the stop state, and to turn off the camera when the image controller completes a determination on the face orientation.

Claims

1. A mobile apparatus comprising:

a display module configured to display an image;

a camera disposed on a same side as a side on which the display module is provided and configured to capture a camera image including a user'"'"'s face;

a motion detecting module configured to detect a motion state and a stop state of the mobile apparatus;

an image controller configured to determine a face orientation of the user'"'"'s face from the camera image and control a display orientation of the image to be displayed in the display module; and

a camera activating module configured to activate the camera when the motion detecting module detects a change from the motion state to the stop state, and to turn off the camera when the image controller completes a determination on the face orientation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an accelerometer configured to output signals,

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to detect the motion state and the stop state based on a change of the signals.

3. The apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the accelerometer includes a three-axis accelerometer, and

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the motion state when the change of the signals is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the stop state when the change of the signals is less than the threshold value.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image controller and the camera activating module are put in one of an OFF state and a power-saving state when the camera is in one of the OFF state and the power-saving state.

5. A mobile apparatus comprising:

a display module configured to display an image;

a camera disposed on a same side as a side on which the display module is provided and configured to capture a camera image including a user'"'"'s face;

a motion detecting module configured to detect a motion state and a stop state of the mobile apparatus;

an image controller configured to determine a face orientation of the user'"'"'s face from the camera image and control a display orientation of the image to be displayed in the display module; and

a camera activating module configured to regularly activate the camera when the motion detecting module detects that the stop state continues for a given period, and to turn off the camera when the image controller completes a determination on the face orientation.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:

an accelerometer configured to output signals,

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to detect the motion state and the stop state based on a change of the signals.

7. The apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the accelerometer includes a three-axis accelerometer, and

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the motion state when the change of the signals is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the stop state when the change of the signals is less than the threshold value.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the image controller and the camera activating module are put in one of an OFF state and a power-saving state when the camera is in one of the OFF state and the power-saving state.

9. A mobile apparatus comprising:

a display module configured to display an image;

a camera disposed on a same side as a side on which the display module is provided and configured to capture a camera image including a user'"'"'s face; and

an image controller configured to determine a face orientation of the user'"'"'s face from the camera image, and to control a display orientation of the image to be displayed in the display module so that the display orientation is in a orientation in which one, which is the closest to an upward orientation of the user'"'"'s face, of four sides of a rectangular frame of the display module is in the upward orientation.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a motion detecting module configured to detect a motion state and a stop state of the mobile apparatus; and

a camera activating module configured to activate the camera when the motion detecting module detects a change from the motion state to the stop state, and to turn off the camera when the image controller completes a determination on the face orientation.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the image controller and the camera activating module are put in one of an OFF state and a power-saving state when the camera is in one of the OFF state and the power-saving state.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a motion detecting module configured to detect a motion state and a stop state of the mobile apparatus; and

a camera activating module configured to regularly activate the camera when the motion detecting module detects that the stop state continues for a given period, and to turn off the camera when the image controller completes a determination on the face orientation.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the image controller and the camera activating module are put in one of an OFF state and a power-saving state when the camera is in one of the OFF state and the power-saving state.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

an accelerometer configured to output signals,

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to detect the motion state and the stop state based on a change of the signals.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

an accelerometer configured to output signals,

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to detect the motion state and the stop state based on a change of the signals.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

an accelerometer configured to output signals,

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to detect the motion state and the stop state based on a change of the signals.

17. The apparatus of claim 14,

wherein the accelerometer includes a three-axis accelerometer, and

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the motion state when the change of the signals is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the stop state when the change of the signals is less than the threshold value.

18. The apparatus of claim 15,

wherein the accelerometer includes a three-axis accelerometer, and

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the motion state when the change of the signals is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the stop state when the change of the signals is less than the threshold value.

19. The apparatus of claim 16,

wherein the accelerometer includes a three-axis accelerometer, and

wherein the motion detecting module is configured to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the motion state when the change of the signals is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and to determine that the mobile apparatus is in the stop state when the change of the signals is less than the threshold value.