Camera Augmented Reality Based Activity History Tracking

• US 20140267868A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mazzola, Anthony J., Zajac, Adam K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,503,634 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00183 Photography assistance, e.g. displaying suggestions to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• 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

Augmented reality can be used to display previously captured images on a viewfinder of a camera as the camera'"'"'s active position nears a position from which the picture was originally taken. A histogram file may associate the original image with positional information of the camera when the image was captured. When the cameras active position nears those coordinates, a transparent version of the digital image is displayed on the viewfinder of the camera. The positional information may include a spatial location of the camera (e.g., GPS coordinates, etc.) as well as an orientation of the camera (e.g., yaw, pitch, roll, etc.). Augmented reality can be used to guide the user to configure/re-configure the camera in order to correct (or avoid) an image quality issue/defect when re-taking a picture.

Claims

1. A method for operating a camera, the method comprising:

monitoring an active position of the camera; and

displaying a first digital image on a viewfinder of the camera when the active position of the camera is within a threshold of a position associated with the first digital image in a histogram file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a position of the camera comprises:

monitoring an active location of the camera; and

monitoring an active orientation of the camera, wherein the active orientation includes one or a combination of a yaw, pitch, and roll of the camera.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the digital images comprises:

detecting whether the active location of the camera is within a threshold distance of a location specified by the histogram file;

detecting whether the active orientation of the camera is within a threshold angle of an orientation specified by the histogram file; and

displaying the first digital image on the viewfinder of the camera when the active location is within the threshold distance of the location specified by the histogram file and the active orientation is within the threshold angle of the orientation specified by the histogram file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first digital image on the viewfinder of the camera comprises:

overlaying a transparent version of the first digital image on the viewfinder of the camera.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

taking a picture with a camera to capture the first digital image; and

detecting the position of the camera when capturing the first digital image, wherein the position of the camera is associated with the first digital image in the histogram file.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting an image quality problem in the first digital image;

instructing a user to re-configure the camera via augmented reality to at least partially correct the image quality problem; and

re-taking the picture after the user re-configures the camera to obtain a second digital image, wherein the image quality problem is at least partially corrected in the second digital image.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein instructing the user to re-configure the camera via augmented reality comprises:

displaying an indication on the viewfinder of the camera, the indication guiding the user to re-align the camera prior to re-taking the picture.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein instructing the user to re-configure the camera via augmented reality comprises:

displaying an instruction on the viewfinder, the instruction prompting the user to adjust a camera setting prior to re-taking the picture.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein instructing the user to re-configure the camera via augmented reality comprises:

displaying an instruction on the viewfinder, the instruction prompting the user to re-take the picture under different lighting conditions..

10. A electrical apparatus comprising:

a position sensor configured to monitor an active position of a camera; and

an electronic viewfinder configured to display a first digital image when the active position of the camera is within a threshold of a position associated with the first digital image in a histogram file.

11. The electrical apparatus of claim 10, wherein the position sensor is configured to monitor the active position of the camera by:

monitoring an active location of the camera; and

monitoring an active orientation of the camera, wherein the active orientation includes one or a combination of a yaw, pitch, and roll of the camera.

12. The electrical apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

an electronic sensor configured to capture a first digital image when the camera takes a picture, wherein the position sensor is further configured to detect the position of the camera when capturing the first digital image.

13. A method for correcting image quality in digital photography, the method comprising:

taking a picture using a camera to obtain a first digital image;

detecting an image quality problem in the first digital image;

determining that the image quality problem is at least partially attributable to a configuration of the camera;

instructing a user to reconfigure the camera via augmented reality; and

re-taking the picture following re-configuration of the camera to obtain a second digital image, wherein the image quality problem is at least partially corrected in the second digital image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein instructing the user to reconfigure the camera via augmented reality comprises:

overlaying a transparent version of the first digital image on a viewfinder of the camera prior to re-taking the picture; and

displaying an instruction on the viewfinder, the instruction guiding the user to reconfigure the camera.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the instruction guides the user to re-align the camera relative to the picture.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the instruction comprises an arrow or directional indication that guides the user to re-align the camera relative to the picture.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein instructing the user to reconfigure the camera via augmented reality further comprises:

detecting that the camera has been placed in satisfactory alignment relative to the picture; and

displaying an indication on the viewfinder to notify the user that the camera has been placed in satisfactory alignment relative to the picture.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein instructing the user to reconfigure the camera via augmented reality comprises:

displaying an instruction on a viewfinder, the instruction prompting the user to adjust a camera setting.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the instruction prompts the user to change an exposure setting of the camera.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the instruction prompts the user to change an aperture or shutter setting of the camera.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein instructing the user to reconfigure the camera via augmented reality comprises:

displaying an instruction on a viewfinder, wherein the instruction prompts the user to re-take the picture under different lighting conditions.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the instruction instructs the user to re-take the picture at a different time of day.

23. An electrical apparatus comprising:

an electronic sensor configured to capture a first digital image when a camera takes a picture, and to capture a second digital image when the camera re-takes the picture;

an image processor configured to detect an image quality problem in the first digital image, and to determine that the image quality problem is at least partially attributable to a configuration of the camera; and

an electronic viewfinder configured to instruct a user to reconfigure the camera via augmented reality prior to using the camera to re-take the picture.

24. The electrical apparatus of claim 23, wherein the electronic viewfinder is configured to instruct the user to reconfigure the camera via augmented reality by:

displaying a transparent version of the first digital image over a picture scene prior to re-taking the picture; and

displaying an instruction that guides the user to re-align the camera relative to the picture scene.

25. The electrical apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instruction comprises an arrow or directional indication that guides the user to re-align the camera relative to the picture scene.

26. The electrical apparatus of claim 23, wherein the electronic viewfinder is configured to instruct the user to reconfigure the camera via augmented reality by:

displaying an instruction to adjust a setting of the camera.