CAMERA DEVICE CONTROL RELATED METHODS AND APPARATUS

• US 20170041528A1
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue River Technology Inc. (Deere & Company)
• Original Assignee: The LightCo Inc.
• Inventors: Engel, Joseph, Calinisan, Jared, Kuok, Fan Sai, Lai, Jannie
• Granted Patent: US 10,491,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/76 by influencing the image signals

Abstract

Various features for allowing a user to control a camera in an intuitive manner are described. Various features allow a user to control one or more camera settings via a touch screen. In some embodiments a rotating wheel is simulated on the display screen to show user selectable camera setting values with the values being displayed as if on the surface of the wheel with a currently selected value being closest to the user, e.g., in the center, and values above and below the currently selected value being shown using a smaller size as if further away from the user. A current setting for the feature being controlled is displayed near the center of the screen in some embodiments. A currently selected value is sometimes shown larger than other user selectable settings. The camera settings include an ISO setting, a focal length, e.g., zoom setting, and/or an exposure control setting.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a camera device, comprising:

detecting user selection of a camera control option;

displaying a set of user selectable values for the user selected control option, a currently selected value in the displayed user selectable values being displayed at a predetermined location on the screen;

detecting user input indicating a desire to change the currently selected value corresponding to the user selected control option; and

changing said set of user selectable values to move a new currently selected value to the predetermined location on the screen in response to the user input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, prior to detecting user selection of the camera control option, user selectable control options corresponding to different controllable camera settings, said detected user selection of the camera control option being one of the displayed user selectable control options.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user selectable control options include at least one of an ISO setting, a shutter speed setting, an exposure setting or a zoom setting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said user input is a swipe of a screen in one of a down or an up direction indicating a user desired change in an increasing or decreasing value direction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the set of user selectable values includes simulating rotation of a wheel with said user selectable values being displayed as if on the surface of the wheel with the currently selected value being closest to the user and user selectable values above and below said currently selected value being shown using a smaller size as if further away from the user.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a control indicator next to the currently selected value indicating the type of value being controlled.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting user input used to control a zoom setting;

displaying a zoom control bar including a slider indicating a current zoom setting; and

changing a position of the slider to show user modification of the zoom setting made in response to detected user zoom control setting input.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying, while said zoom control bar is displayed, a value corresponding to a zoom setting which matches a zoom level provided by a hardware module, zoom levels between those provided by the hardware module being generated by computation processing of one or more captured images.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a camera orientation indicator object superimposed over a preview image to provide a user an indication of camera orientation relative to at least one of a vertical camera orientation and a horizontal camera orientation.

22. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

prior to changing said set of user selectable values to move the new currently selected value to the predetermined location on the screen in response to the user input, displaying said new currently selected value above or below said currently selected value displayed at the predetermined location on the screen.

4-5. -5. (canceled)

9. A method of controlling a camera device, comprising:

detecting user selection of a camera control option;

displaying a set of user selectable values for the user selected control option, a currently selected value in the displayed user selectable values being displayed at a predetermined location on the screen;

determining a contrast level between a color used to display at least one of the user selectable values and at least a portion of an image to be displayed with the at least one of the user selectable values; and

if it is determined that the contrast level is below a threshold value, changing the color used to display the at least one user selectable value.

24. The method of claim 9,

wherein said portion of the image to be displayed with the at least one of the user selectable values is a portion of a preview image captured by a camera module.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein changing the color used to display one or more user selectable values includes, when said portion of the preview image to be displayed is light in a region where a first user selectable value is being displayed on top of said portion of the preview image, changing to a dark color for the user selectable value thereby making the user selectable value easily legible.

13. A camera device, comprising:

a touch sensitive display screen; and

a processor configured to;

detect user selection of a camera control option displayed on said touch sensitive display screen;

control said touch sensitive display screen to display a set of user selectable values for the user selected control option, a currently selected value in the displayed user selectable values being displayed at a predetermined location on the screen;

detect user input indicating a desire to change the currently selected value corresponding to the user selected control option; and

change said set of user selectable values to move a new currently selected value to the predetermined location on the screen in response to the user input.

14. The camera device of claim 13,

wherein said processor is further configured to control the touch sensitive display screen to display, prior to said processor detecting user selection of the camera control option, user selectable control options corresponding to different controllable camera settings, said detected user selection of the camera control option being one of the displayed user selectable control options.

17. The camera device of claim 13, wherein said processor is configured, as part of being configured to change the set of user selectable values, to simulate rotation of a wheel with said values on displayed as if on the surface of the wheel with the currently selected value being closest to the user and values above and below said currently selected value being shown using a smaller size as if further away from the user.

19. The camera device of claim 13, wherein said processor is further configured to:

detect user input used to control a zoom setting;

control said touch sensitive display screen to display a zoom control bar including a slider indicating a current zoom setting; and

change a position of the slider to show user modification of the zoom setting made in response to detected user zoom control setting input.

20. The camera device of claim 13, wherein said processor is further configured to:

control said touch sensitive display screen to display a camera orientation indicator object superimposed over a preview image to provide a user an indication of camera orientation relative to at least one of a vertical camera orientation and a horizontal camera orientation.

23. The camera device of claim 17, wherein said processor is further configured to:

control the touch sensitive display screen to display, prior to changing said set of user selectable values to move the new currently selected value to the predetermined location on the screen in response to the user input, said new currently selected value above or below said currently selected value displayed at the predetermined location on the screen.

15-16. -16. (canceled)

18. A camera device, comprising:

a touch sensitive display screen; and

a processor configured to;

detect user selection of a camera control option displayed on said touch sensitive display screen;

control said touch sensitive display screen to display a set of user selectable values for the user selected control option, a currently selected value in the displayed user selectable values being displayed at a predetermined location on the screen;

determine a contrast level between a color used to display at least one of the user selectable values and at least a portion of an image to be displayed with the at least one of the user selectable values; and

change the color used to display the at least one user selectable value if it is determined that the contrast level is below a threshold value.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor control a camera device to:

detect user selection of a camera control option displayed on a touch sensitive display screen of said camera device;

display, on said touch sensitive display screen, a set of user selectable values for the user selected control option, a currently selected value in the displayed user selectable values being displayed at a predetermined location on the screen;

detect user input indicating a desire to change the currently selected value corresponding to the user selected control option; and

change said set of user selectable values to move a new currently selected value to the predetermined location on the screen in response to the user input.