DISPLAY CONTROL APPARATUS TO PERFORM PREDETERMINED PROCESS ON CAPTURED IMAGE

• US 20170064196A1
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: URA, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 10,257,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A display control apparatus includes a plurality of image capture units, an output unit, a behavior detection unit, a situation detection unit, a display image generation unit, and a display control unit. The image capture units capture images in different directions. The output unit can be recognized visually by a person wearing the display control apparatus. The behavior detection unit or the situation detection unit detects behavior of the person or a moving situation of an image of a subject in a plurality of captured images captured by the image capture units. The display image generation unit and the display control unit execute control to produce an output so as to make a switch to any of the captured images captured by the image capture units, and display the switched captured image on the output unit in response to the behavior of the person or the moving situation of the image of the subject detected by the behavior detection unit or the situation detection unit.

Claims

1. A display control apparatus comprising:

a display unit that changes a direction of a display thereon in a linkage relationship with behavior of a person to a direction that allows visual recognition by the person; and

a processor that is configured to;

acquire a plurality of captured images in different image capture directions that change in a linkage relationship with the behavior of the person;

detect the behavior of the person or a moving situation of an image of a subject in the acquired captured images; and

execute control to produce an output so as to make a switch to any of the acquired captured images, and display the switched captured image on the display unit in response to the detected behavior of the person or the detected moving situation of the image of the subject.

2. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

further determine whether or not the moving situation of the image of the subject in each of the captured images is abnormal, and

execute control to produce an output so as to make a switch to a captured image including the moving situation of the image of the subject determined to be abnormal and display the switched captured image on the display unit.

3. The display control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to:

detect a moving direction of the image of the subject if the moving situation of the image of the subject is determined to be abnormal; and

execute control to produce an output so as to display a captured image to be switched and displayed on the display unit while flipping the captured image from side to side in response to the detected moving direction of the image of the subject.

4. The display control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of image capture units to capture images in different directions, the image capture units being arranged in respective positions that allow image capture of an omni-direction by the image capture units, wherein

the processor is configured to:

acquire a plurality of captured images captured by the image capture units, the captured images allowing image capture of the omni-direction; and

execute control to produce an output so as to display a captured image to be switched and displayed on the display unit while flipping the captured image from side to side if the detected moving direction of the image of the subject is either from a rear side toward a rear side or from a rear side toward a front side relative to the direction that allows visual recognition by the person.

5. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

further determine whether or not detected behavior of a human body of the person is sudden behavior that exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

execute control to produce an output so as to make a switch to the output and display the switched output on the display unit in a manner that differs in response to a result of the determination about the behavior.

6. The display control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine whether or not the amount of movement of the position of the human body exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

execute control to produce an output so as to make a switch to the output and display the switched output on the display unit in a manner that differs in response to a result of the determination about the amount of movement.

7. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

process the captured images so as to maintain image capture directions of the captured images set in advance and in response to detected behavior of a human body of the person; and

execute control to produce an output so as to display the processed images on the display unit.

8. The display control apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of image capture units to capture images in different directions, the image capture units being arranged in respective positions that allow image capture of an omni-direction by the image capture units, wherein

the processor is configured to:

acquire a plurality of captured images captured by the image capture units, the captured images allowing image capture of the omni-direction; and

generate an image used for executing control to produce an output so as to make a switch to the output and display the switched output on the display unit by processing adjacent ones of the acquired captured images so as to maintain the image capture directions set in advance of the captured images captured by the image capture units.

9. The display control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to:

execute control to produce an output so as to display the captured images side by side on the display unit and further, in response to the detected behavior of the person, execute control to produce an output so as to make a switch to one of the captured images and display the switched captured image on the display unit in a manner that allows the switched captured image to be distinguished from the other captured image.

10. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

execute control to produce an output so as to display a captured image while flipping the captured image from side to side in response to an image capture direction of the captured image to be switched and displayed on the display unit.

11. The display control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display unit includes two display regions visually recognizable independently by corresponding ones of the both eyes of the person, and

the processor is configured to:

execute control to produce an output so as to make a switch and provide different displays in the two display regions in response to the detected behavior of the person.

12. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of image capture units to capture images in different directions, wherein

the processor is configured to:

acquire captured images captured by the image capture units,

the display unit and the image capture units are integral with the display control apparatus, and

the display control apparatus is installed on a human body and directions of image captured by the image capture units and a direction of a display on the display unit change in a linkage relationship with behavior of the human body.

13. The display control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the image capture units are arranged in respective positions that allow image capture of an omni-direction by the image capture units, and

the processor is configured to:

acquire an omnidirectional image captured by the image capture units; and

execute control to produce an output so as to make a switch to a part of the acquired omnidirectional image and display the switched part on the display unit in response to the detected behavior of the person or the detected moving situation of the image of the subject.

14. A display control method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of captured images in different image capture directions that change in a linkage relationship with behavior of a person;

detecting the behavior of the person or a moving situation of an image of a subject in the captured images acquired by the acquiring; and

display controlling to produce an output so as to make a switch to any of the captured images acquired by the acquiring, and display the switched captured image on a display unit in response to the behavior of the person or the moving situation of the image of the subject detected by the detecting, the display unit changing a direction of a display thereon in a linkage relationship with the behavior of the person to a direction that allows visual recognition by the person.

15. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to implement:

an acquiring function of acquiring a plurality of captured images in different image capture directions that change in a linkage relationship with behavior of a person;

a detecting function of detecting the behavior of the person or a moving situation of an image of a subject in the captured images acquired by the acquiring function; and

a display controlling function of executing control to produce an output so as to make a switch to any of the captured images acquired by the acquiring function, and display the switched captured image on a display unit in response to the behavior of the person or the moving situation of the image of the subject detected by the detecting function, the display unit changing a direction of a display thereon in a linkage relationship with the behavior of the person to a direction that allows visual recognition by the person.