Automatic zoom magnification control using detection of eyelid condition

• US 5,839,000 A
• Filed: 11/10/1997
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Davis, Thomas Daniel Jr., Westerman, Larry Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US08/967,684
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 396/51, 396/77, 396/62, 396/382, 396/374, 396/72, 348/240, 348/358, 348/333
• US Class Current: 396/51
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/102 controlled by a microcomputer cameras with interchangeable lenses G03B17/14
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/02 Viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2213/025 Sightline detection

Abstract

The apparatus is designed to adjust the zoom magnification control of a camera having a variable-magnification device, and includes a camera optical system for converting a scene into an image, a view finder for displaying said image to a user, a zoom control for changing the focal length of the lens, a detector coupled to the view finder for detecting a zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face, and an analysis system for analyzing the detected zoom condition and for generating an input signal to the zoom control to change the focal length of the lens as a function of the zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face.

The method includes the steps of converting a scene into an image using a camera optical system; displaying the image to a user; detecting a zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face with a zoom-condition detector; analyzing the detected zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face; and generating an input signal to a zoom control for changing the focal length of the lens as a function of the zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face.

Claims

1. An apparatus for adjusting zoom magnification control of an optical system having a variable-magnification device, comprising:

an image processing subsystem for generating a processed image;

an image display for displaying said processed image to a user;

a zoom control for changing the magnification of the variable-magnification device;

a detector coupled to said image display for detecting a zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face;

an analysis system for analyzing the detected zoom condition and for generating an input signal to said zoom control to change the magnification of the variable-magnification device as a function of the zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face, wherein said zoom condition is the extent of the conjunctiva of the user'"'"'s eye visible to said detector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said detector is an optical device that is trained on the user'"'"'s eye.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said image display is a camera view finder.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said image display is a video display device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said zoom condition is a closing of the user'"'"'s eyelids.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said zoom condition is an opening of the user'"'"'s eyelids.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical system is located in a camera.

8. A method for adjusting zoom magnification control of an optical system having a variable-magnification device, comprising:

processing a source image into a processed image using an image processing subsystem;

displaying the processed image to a user;

detecting a zoom condition of the user'"'"'s with a zoom-condition detector, wherein said zoom condition is the extent of the conjunctiva of the user'"'"'s eye visible to said detector;

analyzing the detected zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face; and

generating an input signal to a zoom control for changing the magnification of the variable-magnification device as a function of the zoom condition of the user'"'"'s face.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said displaying is performed on a display separate from the optical system.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said displaying is performed on a display that is part of the optical system.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said detecting includes detecting the extent of closing of the user'"'"'s eyelids.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said detecting includes the extent of opening the user'"'"'s eyelids.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the optical system is part of a camera.

14. An apparatus for adjusting zoom magnification control of an optical system having a variable-magnification device comprising:

an image processing subsystem for generating a processed image;

an image display for displaying said processed image to a user;

a zoom control for changing the magnification of the variable-magnification device;

a detector, including a bioelectric measurement device, coupled to said image display for detecting a zoom condition of the user, wherein the zoom condition is a bioelectric measurement of the contraction of a predetermined muscle;

an analysis system for analyzing the detected zoom condition and for generating an input signal to said zoom control to change the magnification of the variable-magnification device as a function of the zoom condition of the user.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the optical system is located in a camera.

16. A method for adjusting zoom magnification control of an optical system having a variable-magnification device, comprising:

processing a source image into a processed image using an image processing subsystem;

displaying the processed image to a user;

detecting a zoom condition of the user with zoom-condition detector, wherein said detecting includes detecting the bioelectric measurement of the contraction of a predetermined muscle;

analyzing the detected zoom condition of the user; and

generating an input signal to a zoom control for changing the magnification of the variable-magnification device as a function of the zoom condition of the user.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the optical system is a part of a camera.