CAMERA SYSTEM PROVIDING A MEASURE OF POSE QUALITY

• US 20120105662A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bloom, Daniel, Dalton, Dan L., STAUDACHER, DAVID
• Granted Patent: US 9,282,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• 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

Abstract

A camera system may include an image sensor to generate real-time image data of a scene having a subject. A pose evaluator can generate a pose metric signal having a pose value that provides a variable measure of a pose quality for the subject in the scene. A pose feedback indicator can provide user-perceptible feedback demonstrating the value of the pose metric signal, such that the variable measure of the pose quality is provided.

Claims

1. A camera system comprising:

an image sensor to generate image data of a scene having a subject;

a pose evaluator to generate a pose metric signal having a pose value that provides a variable measure of a pose quality for the subject in the scene; and

a pose feedback indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback demonstrating the pose value of the pose metric signal, such that the variable measure of the pose quality is provided.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a metric calculator to compute the pose value of the pose metric signal based on a predetermined pose metric that is configurable by a user via a user interface associated with the camera system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user-perceptible feedback comprises an audible indication, a visual indication or both an audible and visual indication.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the pose metric signal is provided to an image capture control that compares the pose metric signal with a predetermined threshold and activates a signal to one of capture a photograph of the subject and indicate readiness to capture the photograph of the subject upon the pose metric signal substantially meeting the predetermined threshold.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined threshold is set to a configurable percentage of the plurality of pose metrics satisfying respective conditions.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising a timer, wherein the predetermined threshold is time-based parameter that is enabled in response to activation of the timer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the pose metric comprises a plurality of pose metrics, wherein the pose evaluator is to compute a value for each of the plurality of pose metrics based on the image data of the subject, the pose evaluator aggregating the values of each of the plurality of pose metrics to provide the value of the pose metric signal.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising metric weights in memory for each of the plurality of pose metrics, the pose evaluator applying a respective metric weight to the computed value of each of the plurality of pose metrics to provide the value of the pose metric signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the metric weights are individually configurable, such that each of the plurality of pose metrics contributes to the value of the pose metric signal according to its respective weight.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the pose feedback indicator is to provide a first type of user-perceptible feedback based on the value of one of the plurality of pose metrics and to provide a second type of user-perceptible feedback based on the value of another of the plurality of pose metrics.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the pose metric further comprises a prohibitive pose characteristic, such that the camera system cannot capture an image of the subject upon detecting that the image data includes the prohibitive pose characteristic.

12. A camera system comprising:

an image sensor to generate image data of a scene in real time;

a plurality of pose metrics to quantify different pose-related characteristics for subjects in the scene;

metric weights associated with each of the plurality of pose metrics to define a relative importance of the different pose-related characteristics; and

a pose metric calculator to compute a weighted value for each of the plurality of pose metrics based on the image data and application of each respective metric weight, the weighted value for each of the plurality of pose metrics being aggregated to provide a pose metric signal having an aggregate value that provides a variable measure of pose quality for the scene.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a feedback indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the value of the pose metric signal.

14. A method for capturing an image of a subject, the method comprising:

obtaining image data of the subject in real time;

analyzing the image data of the subject using a plurality of configurable pose metrics;

generating a pose metric signal having a value that corresponds to a measure of pose quality associated with the subject based on the analyzing of the image data using the plurality of configurable pose metrics; and

generating a user-perceptible feedback indication that demonstrates the value of the pose metric signal to a user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising weighting each of the plurality of configurable pose metrics based on respective assigned metric weights to control a relative importance of each of the plurality of pose metrics contributes to the measure of pose quality.