DISPLAY AS LIGHTING FOR PHOTOS OR VIDEO

• US 20130044249A1
• Filed: 08/15/2011
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ledbetter, Carl
• Granted Patent: US 8,605,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for using one or more displays as a lighting source to illuminate a field of view captured by an image capture device. An image capture engine may be provided for ensuring synchronization of the one or more displays with the image capture device so that the one or more displays may be illuminated concurrently with capturing the image by the image capture device. In one example, the image capture engine flashes the display to white light for capture of a single frame of image data.

Claims

1. A method of illuminating a field of view of a capture device to capture an illuminated image, comprising:

(a) capturing an image of the field of view with the capture device; and

(b) increasing the illumination output from a display device associated with the field of view at the same time the image is captured in said step (a), increasing the illumination output from the display device increasing the illumination of the captured image of the field of view.

2. The method of claim 1, said step (b) of increasing the illumination output from a display device comprising the step of setting pixels of the display device to white.

3. The method of claim 1, said step (a) of capturing an image of the field of view comprising the step of capturing a single frame of image data.

4. The method of claim 1, said step (a) of capturing an image of the field of view comprising the step of capturing multiple, consecutive frames of image data.

5. The method of claim 4, said step (b) of increasing the illumination output from a display device comprising the step of setting all of the pixels of the display to white.

6. The method of claim 4, said step (b) of increasing the illumination output from a display device comprising the step of setting a first group of pixels of the display to white and a second group of pixels, separate from the first group of pixels, displaying an image.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second groups of pixels are separated from each other.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second groups of pixels are interspersed with each other.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step (c) of increasing at least one of a brightness and contrast setting of the display device at the same time the image is captured in said step (a).

10. The method of claim 1, the display device comprising a first display device, the method further comprising the step (d) of setting pixels of a second display device associated with the field of view to white at the same time the image is captured in said step (a), the setting of the pixels of the first and second display devices to white increasing the illumination of the captured image of the field of view.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second display devices are controlled by a common computing device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second display devices are associated with first and second computing devices, respectively, the first and second computing devices being paired with each other.

13. A method of illuminating a field of view of a capture device to capture an illuminated image, comprising:

(a) configuring a computing device to enable a display device to alter a display at the same time the capture device captures an image; and

(b) configuring the computing device to set the display of the display device to white at the same time as a capture of an image of the field of view by the capture device.

14. The method of claim 13, the display device comprising a first display device, the method further comprising the step (c) of configuring the computing device to enable a second display device to alter a display at the same time the capture device captures the image, and configuring the computing device to set the display of the second display device to white at the same time as the capture of the image of the field of view by the capture device.

15. The method of claim 13, the display device comprising a first display device and the computing device comprising a first computing device, the method further comprising the step (d) of configuring the first computing device to control a second display of a second computing device to turn white at the same time as the capture of the image of the field of view by the capture device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step (e) of configuring the computing device to increase at least one of the brightness setting and contrast setting of the display device at the same time as the capture of the image of the field of view by the capture device.

17. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

(a) capturing an image of the field of view with the capture device; and

(b) setting pixels of a display device associated with the field of view to white at the same time the image is captured in said step (a), the setting of the pixels to white increasing the illumination of the captured image of the field of view.

18. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 17, said step (b) of setting pixels of a display device associated with the field of view to white comprising the step of setting all of the pixels of the display device to white.

19. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 17, further comprising the step (c) of increasing at least one of a brightness and contrast setting of the display device at the same time the image is captured in said step (a).

20. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 17, the display device comprising a first display device, the method further comprising the step (d) of setting pixels of a second display device associated with the field of view to white at the same time the image is captured in said step (a), the setting of the pixels of the first and second display devices to white increasing the illumination of the captured image of the field of view.