Image alignment system with overlying frame in display

• US 7,567,752 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Klinghult, Gunnar, Kleverman, Mats
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller; Rodney E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hancock; Dennis
• Application Number:
  US11/614,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20080124064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 396/50, 396/52
• US Class Current: 396/50
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/20 visible in viewfinder
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators

Abstract

In an imaging device including an image recording arrangement, a tilt-sensor, and a display, a method may include detecting a tilt-angle for the image recording arrangement using the tilt-sensor; and presenting at least one marker-arrangement via the display indicative of the tilt-angle.

Claims

1. In an imaging device including an image recording arrangement, a tilt-sensor, and a display, a method comprising:

detecting a tilt-angle for the image recording arrangement, using the tilt-sensor;

presenting at least one marker-arrangement, via the display and indicative of the tilt-angle, where the presenting the at least one marker-arrangement includes;

overlaying, with a frame, a first portion of an image rendered in the display to a user of the imaging device, where the frame has a substantially similar shape as the image and is substantially oriented to a horizon to indicate a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon;

selecting an aligned subset of the image, where the subset of the image is enclosed within the frame; and

storing, in a memory associated with the imaging device, the aligned subset of the image.

2. The method in claim 1, where the detecting the tilt-angle includes using information provided by at least one of a gyroscope arrangement or an accelerometer arrangement associated with the imaging device.

3. The method in claim 1, where the presenting the at least one marker-arrangement further comprises:

providing a first transversal line, substantially fixed to the image recording arrangement, to indicate a substantially fixed angle with respect to the image recording arrangement, and

providing a second transversal line, substantially fixed to the horizon, to indicate a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon.

4. The method in claim 1, where the presenting the at least one marker-arrangement further comprises:

providing a first longitudinal line substantially fixed to the image recording arrangement to indicate a substantially fixed angle with respect to the recording arrangement, and

providing a second longitudinal line substantially fixed to the horizon to indicate a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon.

5. The method in claim 1 where the presenting the at least one marker-arrangement further comprises:

providing a first crosshair, substantially fixed to the image recording arrangement, to indicate a substantially fixed angle with respect to the recording arrangement, and

providing a second crosshair, substantially fixed to the horizon, to indicate a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon.

6. The method in claim 1, where a size of the tilt angle is inversely proportional to a size of the first portion of the image.

7. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

maximizing the frame within the image.

8. The method in claim 1 further comprising:

cropping a second portion of the image, which is not enclosed by the frame.

9. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

capturing the image with the image recording arrangement; and

storing, in the memory, the captured image together with information corresponding to the tilt-angle.

10. A portable imaging device comprising:

an image recording arrangement to record images;

a tilt-sensor to sense a tilt-angle of the image recording arrangement;

a display arrangement to present an image recorded by the image recording arrangement; and

an aligning-unit to present at least one marker-arrangement via the display arrangement indicative of the tilt-angle,

where the at least one marker-arrangement;

includes a frame overlaid on a first portion of the image,

has a substantially same shape as the image,

corresponds to a horizon, and

indicates a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon, and

where the aligning-unit is further to;

operatively select an aligned subset of the image, where the subset of the image is enclosed within the frame, and

store, in a memory associated with the portable imaging device, the aligned subset of the image.

11. The portable imaging device in claim 10, where the tilt-sensor comprises one of a gyroscope arrangement or an accelerometer arrangement.

12. The portable imaging device in claim 10, where the at least one marker-arrangement further comprises:

a first transversal line, substantially fixed to the image recording arrangement, so as to display a substantially fixed angle with respect to the image recording arrangement; and

a second transversal line, substantially fixed to the horizon, so as to display a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon.

13. The portable imaging device in claim 10, where the at least one marker-arrangement further comprises:

a first longitudinal line substantially fixed to the image recording arrangement so as to display a substantially fixed angle with respect to the recording arrangement; and

a second longitudinal line substantially fixed to the horizon so as to display a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon.

14. The portable imaging device in claim 10, where the at least one marker-arrangement further comprises:

a first crosshair substantially fixed to the image recording arrangement so as to display a substantially fixed angle with respect to the image recording arrangement, and

a second crosshair substantially fixed to the horizon so as to display a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon.

15. The portable imaging device in claim 10, where a size of the tilt angle is inversely proportional to a size of the portion of the image.

16. The portable imaging device in claim 10, where the aligning-unit operatively maximizes the frame within the image.

17. The portable device in claim 10, where the aligning-unit operatively crops a second portion of the image, which is not enclosed by the frame.

18. The portable device in claim 10, where the aligning-unit operatively stores the image together with information corresponding to the tilt-angle at which the image was recorded.

19. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium, including readable program means for causing a portable device to execute when the program means is loaded in the portable device, the computer program product causing the portable device to:

record an image using an image recording arrangement of the portable device,

sense a tilt angle, using a tilt-sensor of the portable device, for the image recording arrangement,

present, via a display arrangement of the portable device, for presenting the image recorded by the image recording arrangement,

detect a tilt-angle for the image recording arrangement using the tilt sensor;

present at least one marker-arrangement via the display arrangement, indicative of the tilt-angle, where the at least one marker-arrangement;

includes a frame overlaid on a portion of the image,

has a substantially same shape as the image,

corresponds to a horizon, and

indicates a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon

operatively select, using an alignment unit of the portable device, an aligned subset of the image, where the subset of the image is enclosed within the frame, and

store, in a memory associated with the portable device, the aligned subset of the image.

20. A portable imaging device comprising:

means for recording images;

means for sensing a tilt-angle of the means for recording images;

means for rendering recorded images;

means for presenting at least one marker-arrangement via said means for rendering recorded images indicative of said tilt-angle, where the means for presenting the at least one marker-arrangement comprises means for overlaying, with a frame, a portion of an image rendered in the means for presenting, where the frame has a substantially similar shape as the image and is substantially oriented to a horizon to indicate a substantially fixed angle with respect to the horizon;

means for selecting an aligned subset of the image, where the subset of the image is enclosed within the frame; and

means for storing, in a memory associated with the portable imaging device, the aligned subset of the image.