IMAGE PICK-UP APPARATUS, DETECTION-FRAME ADJUSTMENT METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20110248942A1
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishida, Yoshihiro, Ichijima, Daijiro, YANA, Kanako
• Application Number:
  US13/069,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20110248942A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/675 comprising setting of focusing regions

Abstract

An image processing apparatus including an interface that acquires image data, a touch panel display that displays the acquired image data and receives a touch input, and a controller that controls a range of a detection frame displayed on the touch panel based on the received touch input.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an interface configured to acquire image data;

a touch panel display configured to display the acquired image data and receive a touch input; and

a controller configured to control a range of a detection frame displayed on the touch panel display based on the received touch input.

2. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the displayed image data is an image to be captured by the image processing apparatus.

3. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection frame is a focus frame identifying a portion of the displayed image data on which to perform a focusing operation.

4. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a position detecting unit configured to detect a location of a touch input received at the touch panel display.

5. The image processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to control a location of the detection frame based on an output of the position detecting unit.

6. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a pressure detecting unit configured to detect a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display.

7. The image processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to control a size of the detection frame based on an output of the pressure detecting unit.

8. The image processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to detect an increase in pressure of a touch input based on the output of the pressure detecting unit, and decrease a size of the detection frame based on the detected increase in pressure.

9. The image processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to compare an output of the pressure detecting unit to a plurality of predetermined threshold values, which each correspond to a step-wise reduction in a size of the detection frame, and reduce a size of the detection frame based on the comparison.

10. The image processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to compare an output of the pressure detecting unit to a predetermined threshold value.

11. The image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when the controller determines that the output of the pressure detecting unit exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the controller is configured to reduce a size of the detection frame.

12. The image processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when the controller determines that the output of the pressure detecting unit exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the controller is configured to reduce a size of the detection frame based on a length of time the touch input is continuously received.

13. The image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when the controller determines that the output of the pressure detecting unit exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the controller is configured to attempt to detect at least one object within the detection frame.

14. The image processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when the controller detects an object within the detection frame, the controller is configured to control a size of the detection frame in accordance with a size of the detected object.

15. The image processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when the controller detects an object within the detection frame, the controller is configured to enlarge the detected object without changing a size of the detection frame.

16. The image processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when the controller detects a plurality of objects within the detection frame, the controller is configured to control a size of the detection frame based on a number of the detected objects.

17. The image processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when the controller detects a plurality of objects within the detection frame, the controller is configured to control a size of the detection frame in accordance with a size of a largest one of the plurality of detected objects.

18. The image processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when the controller is not able to detect an object within the detection frame, the controller is configured to control a size of the detection frame based on the output of the pressure detecting unit.

19. The image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when the controller determines that the output of the pressure detecting unit does not exceed the predetermined threshold value, the controller is configured to control a size of the detection frame based on the output of the pressure detecting unit.

20. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring image data;

displaying the acquired image data at a touch panel display;

receiving a touch input at the touch panel display; and

controlling a range of a detection frame displayed on the touch panel display based on the received touch input.

21. The image processing method of claim 20, wherein the displayed image data is an image to be captured.

22. The image processing method of claim 20, wherein the detection frame is a focus frame identifying a portion of the displayed image data on which to perform a focusing operation.

23. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display; and

controlling a size of the detection frame based on the detected pressure of the touch input.

24. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting an increase in pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display; and

decreasing a size of the detection frame based on the detected increase in pressure of the touch input.

25. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display;

comparing the detected pressure to a predetermined threshold; and

reducing a size of the detection frame when the detected pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

26. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display;

comparing the detected pressure to a predetermined threshold; and

reducing a size of the detection frame when the detected pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold value based on a length of time the touch input is continuously received.

27. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display;

comparing the detected pressure to a plurality of predetermined threshold values, which each correspond to a step-wise reduction in a size of the detection frame; and

reducing a size of the detection frame based on the comparison.

28. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display;

comparing the detected pressure to a predetermined threshold;

attempting to detect an object within the detection frame when the detected pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

controlling a size of the detection frame in accordance with a size of the detected object when an object is detected.

29. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display;

comparing the detected pressure to a predetermined threshold;

attempting to detect an object within the detection frame when the detected pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

enlarging a detected object without changing a size of the detection frame when an object is detected within the detection frame.

30. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display;

comparing the detected pressure to a predetermined threshold;

attempting to detect an object within the detection frame when the detected pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

controlling a size of the detection frame based on the detected pressure when an objected is not detected within the detection frame.

31. The image processing method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a pressure of a touch input received at the touch panel display;

comparing the detected pressure to a predetermined threshold; and

controlling a size of the detection frame based on the detected pressure when the detected pressure does not exceed the predetermined threshold.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by an image processing apparatus, cause the image processing apparatus to perform a method comprising:

acquiring image data;

displaying the acquired image data on a touch panel display;

receiving a touch input at the touch panel display; and

controlling a range of a detection frame displayed on the touch panel display based on the received touch input.