DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CAPTURING IMAGES

• US 20140354850A1
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KOSAKA, Junichi, Yoneda, Kenichi, Komatsu, Hidehiro, Shirakawa, Miyuki, Yoshioka, Keiichi, Hama, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,319,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2145 of a sequence of images for selection of a single frame before final recording, e.g. from a continuous sequence captured before and after shutter-release
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

An image capturing apparatus that includes one or more image sensors configured to capture a plurality of images and store the captured images in a memory. The apparatus also includes a circuitry that detects an input trigger and continues to capture new images in response to the trigger. The numbers of new images captured are equal in magnitude to half the magnitude of the capacity of the memory. The first new image captured after detecting the trigger is tagged as a reference image. In response to the number of new images captured, the sensors are deactivated and the reference image is displayed immediately on a display panel. On detecting an input operation, the apparatus displays a target image from the plurality of images captured in a quick and efficient manner.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus comprising:

one or more image sensors configured to capture a plurality of images at a capture rate;

a memory configured to store the plurality of captured images; and

circuitry configured to;

detect an input trigger,

capture a number of new images in response to detecting the input trigger, the number of new images being equal to a predetermined value,

tag a first image, of the number of new images captured after detecting the input trigger, as a reference image,

deactivate the sensor in response to capturing the number of new images, and

control a display panel to display the reference image in response to deactivating the sensor.

2. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to display, on the display panel based on a detection of a predetermined input operation, a target image of the plurality of captured images.

3. The image capturing apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the circuitry is configured to calculate an inclination of the image capturing apparatus based on an input from one or more inclination sensors, and

the input operation is an inclining operation, the inclining operation being performed on the image capturing apparatus with respect to a pair of reference axes.

4. The image capturing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the pair of reference axes include a first axis that is substantially parallel to a first edge of the image capturing apparatus, and a gravity axis that is orthogonal to the first axis.

5. The image capturing apparatus of claim 3, wherein in response to detecting the inclining operation, the circuitry calculates a magnitude of the inclination and a direction of the inclination of the image capturing apparatus.

6. The image capturing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the direction of the inclination is based on a reference position of the image capturing apparatus, and is one of a first direction and a second direction, the first direction and the second direction being directed in a direction that is substantially opposite from one another.

7. The image capturing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the circuitry associates a particular image of the plurality of captured images with the magnitude of inclination.

8. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined value of the number of new captured images is equal in magnitude to half of a magnitude of a capacity of the memory, and

the magnitude of the capacity of memory is at least twice a magnitude of the image capture rate.

9. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to assign a time stamp to one or more of the plurality of captured images, the time stamp corresponding to a time the image was captured by the image capturing apparatus.

10. The image capturing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the time stamp assigned to the one or more of the plurality of captured images is based on a predetermined time stamp assigned to the reference image.

11. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the display panel is a touch panel including one or more touch sensors configured to detect a touch operation performed with an instruction object on a surface of the display panel,

the input trigger corresponds to a touch operation performed at a corresponding position to a displayed position of a shutter button that is displayed on the display panel, and

an instant of time when the shutter button is pressed corresponds to an instant of time of capturing a desired image, of the plurality of captured images.

12. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory is a ring buffer that is configured to store the plurality of captured images at sequential memory locations.

13. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

calculate, based on an input from one or more inclination sensors, a magnitude of inclination and a direction of inclination of the image capturing apparatus

compute a rate of switching images on the display panel based on the magnitude of inclination of the apparatus,

sequentially switch images based on the computed switching rate in a direction that corresponds to the direction of inclination of the apparatus, and

control the display panel to display a target image when the inclination of the apparatus returns to a reference value of inclination.

14. The image capturing apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the magnitude of inclination is less than a predetermined threshold, the circuitry controls the display panel to switch the images at a first switching rate, and

when the magnitude of inclination is greater than the predetermined threshold, the circuitry controls the display panel to switch the images at a second switching rate that is faster than the first switching rate.

15. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the display panel is a touch panel including one or more touch sensors configured to detect a touch operation performed with an instruction object on a surface of the display panel,

the input operation is a touch operation detected by the circuitry on a surface of the display panel based on an output from the one or more touch sensors.

16. The image capturing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

compute a value based on the touch operation,

calculate a number of images to switch from a reference image displayed on the display panel based on the computed value, and

control the display panel to display a particular image of the plurality of captured images, the particular image corresponding to the computed value of the touch operation.

17. The image capturing apparatus of claim 16, wherein a touch region is displayed at a predetermined location on the display panel, the touch region including a marker that indicates a direction of movement of the touch operation.

18. An image capturing method performed by an image capturing apparatus, the method comprising:

capturing, by one or more image sensors, a plurality of images at a capture rate;

detecting, by circuitry, an input trigger and continuing to capture a number of new images following the input trigger detection, the number of new images being equal to a predetermined value;

tagging, by the circuitry, a first image, of the number of new images captured after the detecting, as a reference image;

deactivating, by the circuitry, the one or more image sensors in response to capturing the number of new images; and

controlling a display panel, by the circuitry, in response to deactivating the one or more sensors, to display the reference image thereon.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising

computing, by the circuitry, a target image to be displayed on the display panel based on an input operation.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to execute a method comprising:

capturing, by one or more image sensors, a plurality of images at a capture rate;

detecting, by circuitry, an input trigger and continuing to capture a number of new images following the input trigger detection, the number of new images being equal to a predetermined value;

tagging, by the circuitry, a first image, of the number of new images captured after the detecting, as a reference image;

deactivating, by the circuitry, the one or more image sensors in response to capturing the number of new images; and

controlling a display panel, by the circuitry, in response to deactivating the one or more sensors, to display the reference image thereon.