Image capture method and apparatus

• US 8,054,343 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hunter, Andrew Arthur, Cheatle, Stephen Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, TRUNG T
• Application Number:
  US11/491,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20070030363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 348/154, 348/187, 348/239, 348/294, 348/14.1, 382/294
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00183 Photography assistance, e.g. displaying suggestions to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

A method for generating an image sequence using an image capture device, the method comprising using image data generated using the device and representative of an existing image of a sequence to assist a user of the device to capture one or more subsequent images for the sequence in order that said existing and the or each subsequent image are captured at substantially the same location and device orientation, and an image capture device operable to assist a user in generating an image sequence.

Claims

1. A method for generating an image sequence using an image capture device, the method comprising:

using image data previously generated by a user using the device and representative of an existing image of a sequence to assist the user of the device to capture one or more subsequent images for the sequence with the device in order that said existing image and said one or more subsequent images are captured at substantially a same geographical location of the device and a same positional orientation of the device,

wherein the device is operable to inform the user of where and how to move the device to assist the user in establishing substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device prior to capturing said one or more subsequent images.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is operable to adjust exposure parameters of the device for said one or more subsequent images to those used for said existing image.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is operable to assist the user by presenting an overlay image to the user using a display of the device, the overlay image comprising image data generated using said existing image and a subsequent image captured using the device.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the overlay image is a low frequency temporal flicker between said existing and subsequent images.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the overlay image comprises said subsequent image combined with an edge enhanced version of said existing image.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is operable to assist the user by determining a current geographical location of the device, and comparing the determined current geographical location with geographical location data for the existing image, the geographical location data representing the geographical location of the device at the time of capture of said existing image, and, on the basis of the comparison, determining a direction and distance in which the device should be moved in order that said current geographical location of the device substantially corresponds to the geographical location of the device at the time of capture of the existing image, and informing the user of the direction and distance in which the device should be moved.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is operable to assist the user by determining a current positional orientation of the device, and comparing the determined current positional orientation with positional orientation data for the existing image, the positional orientation data representing the positional orientation of the device at the time of capture of said existing image, and, on the basis of the comparison, determining a necessary rotation for the device in order that said current positional orientation of the device substantially corresponds to the positional orientation of the device at the time of capture of said existing image, and informing the user of the rotation for the device.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is operable to suggest an image sequence when a geographical location or content of a recently captured image is substantially the same as a geographical location or content of a previously captured image.

9. A method for generating an image sequence using an image capture device, the method comprising:

using image data previously generated by a user using the device and representative of an existing image of a sequence to assist the user of the device to capture one or more subsequent images for the sequence with the device in order that said existing image and said one or more subsequent images are captured at substantially a same geographical location of the device and a same positional orientation of the device, including presenting to the user a direction and distance for the device to be moved in order to establish substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device prior to capturing said one or more subsequent images,

wherein the device is operable to provide a reminder at a predetermined time that an image for the sequence is to be captured,

wherein the reminder occurs periodically at a reminder frequency set by the user.

10. A method of processing image data generated using an image capture device, the method comprising:

capturing a previous image for an image sequence with the device by a user;

subsequent to capturing the previous image with the device by the user and prior to capturing a subsequent image for the sequence with the device by the user, establishing substantially a same geographical location of the device and a same positional orientation of the device as that used for capturing the previous image with the device by the user, including indicating to the user where and how to move the device for establishing substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device prior to capturing the subsequent image for the sequence with the device by the user; and

subsequent to establishing substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device, capturing the subsequent image for the sequence with the device by the user with the device at substantially the same geographical location and the same positional orientation.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a reminder that a subsequent image for the sequence is to be captured occurs when the device is switched on at a time near or after a due time for the subsequent image.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a reminder for capture of a subsequent image of the sequence occurs when the device is located geographically near to an area in which an image for the sequence is to be captured.

13. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

selecting an image of the sequence as a tag image representative of the sequence; and

associating further images of said sequence with said tag image.

14. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

processing image data of the subsequent image and adjusting at least one exposure parameter of the subsequent image on the basis of an exposure parameter of the previously captured image.

15. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising, prior to capturing the subsequent image for the sequence with the device by the user, at least one of:

presenting a direction and distance for the device to be moved to the user using a display of the device in order that said previous image and said subsequent image are captured at substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device;

providing audio signals to the user of the device, the signals indicative of a direction and distance for the device to be moved in order that said previous image and said subsequent image are captured at substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device; and

providing any other aural, visible or tactile signal to the user to indicate a distance and direction for the device to be moved in order that said previous image and said subsequent image are captured at substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device.

16. An image capture device comprising a processor operable to:

process image data previously generated by a user using the device, the image data representative of an existing image of a sequence,

generate alignment data to assist the user of the device to capture one or more subsequent images for the sequence with the device prior to capturing the one or more subsequent images in order that said existing image and said one or more subsequent images are captured at substantially a same geographical location of the device and a same positional orientation of the device, and

present to the user a direction and distance of movement of the device in order to establish substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device prior to capturing the one or more subsequent images.

17. A device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable to generate, at intervals corresponding to a user selected image capture frequency, a reminder for a user of the device to capture a subsequent image for the sequence.

18. A device as claimed in claim 17, the image capture device further comprising a location sensing device for sensing a geographical location of the device, wherein the processor is further operable to inhibit the reminder until such time as the processor determines, on the basis of location data generated by the location sensing device, that the device is located geographically near to an area in which an image for the sequence is to be captured.

19. A device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the existing image is a tag image for the sequence, and wherein the processor is operable to process data representing the existing image and data representing the subsequent image for capture in order to provide overlap image data representing a combination of the existing image and the subsequent image to be captured, the device operable to present said overlap image data for viewing by a user using a display of the device.

20. A device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the direction and distance of movement of the device are presented to the user using a display of the device.

21. A device as claimed in claim 16, the image capture device further comprising GPS functionality to determine a current geographical location and positional orientation of the device and assist the user to establish substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device prior to capturing the one or more subsequent images for the sequence.

22. An image capture device comprising a processor operable to:

process image data previously generated by a user using the device, the image data representative of an existing image of a sequence,

generate alignment data to assist the user of the device to capture one or more subsequent images for the sequence with the device prior to capturing the one or more subsequent images in order that said existing image and said one or more subsequent images are captured at substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device, and

indicate to the user where and how to move the device in order to establish substantially the same geographical location of the device and the same positional orientation of the device prior to capturing the one or more subsequent images,

the image capture device further comprising a wireless communications module operable to transmit and receive data to and from a remote device, wherein the image capture device is adapted to cooperate with the remote device in order to exchange data relating to a frequency of capture of images for the sequence, and data relating to a reminder for image capture for the sequence.