Camera-based orientation fix from portrait to landscape

• US 8,593,558 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Gardiner, Koji, Chang, E-Cheng, Rukes, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, HUNG H
• Application Number:
  US12/877,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20120057064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.07, 348/191, 348/208.2, 348/333.01, 348/333.03, 348/333.12
• US Class Current: 348/333.12
• 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 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 3/012 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: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a camera and a display switchable between a portrait mode and a landscape mode in response to an inertial sensor. When it is determined that the display mode should be switched in response to movement of the device, a feature of a user of the device, such as the user'"'"'s face, is imaged with the camera. If the imaged feature changes orientation with respect to the display by less than a threshold amount, then the switch in display mode is disabled and the display remains in its current mode. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method for use in a portable electronic device having a camera and a display screen for which the display mode is switchable between a portrait mode and a landscape mode in response to an inertial sensor, the method comprising:

capturing a first image of a feature of a user of the device with the camera;

determining that the display mode should be switched based on an output of the inertial sensor indicating movement of the device after capturing the first image;

capturing a second image of the feature of the user of the device with the camera in response to the determining that the display mode should be switched based on the output of the inertial sensor indicating the movement of the device; and

disabling the switching of the display mode determined based on the output of the inertia sensor if the second imaged feature changes orientation with respect to the device in comparison to the first imaged feature by less than a threshold amount.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the imaged feature comprises part of the user'"'"'s face.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein an imaging lens of the camera and the display screen are both disposed on a front surface of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a facial stabilization mode has been selected.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an initial orientation of the feature of the user with respect to an initial orientation of the device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

switching the display mode if the feature changes orientation with respect to the device by more than a threshold amount.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the orientation of the first imaged feature by determining an orientation of a line passing through the user'"'"'s eyes in a plane of the first image, relative to an orientation of the device; and

determining the orientation of the second imaged feature by determining the orientation of a line passing through the user'"'"'s eyes in a plane of the second image, relative to an orientation of the device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

comparing the determined orientation of the line in the first image to the determined orientation of the line in the second image.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the orientation of the second imaged feature includes determining the orientation of a line passing through the user'"'"'s eyes in a plane of a plurality of images.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the image is captured by the camera having an imaging lens disposed on the same surface of the device as the display screen.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using facial recognition to detect the user feature in the first and second images.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabling of the switching of the display mode is enabled by a selection of a predetermined mode of operation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection of the predetermined mode of operation is performed by a menu selection.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection of the predetermined mode of operation is automatically performed by predetermined applications.

15. A portable electronic device comprising:

an inertial sensor;

a display whose display mode is switchable between a portrait mode and a landscape mode;

a processor for determining that the display mode should be switched in response to movement of the device sensed by the inertial sensor; and

a camera for creating images of a feature of a user of the device;

wherein the processor is configured to control the inertial sensor, display and camera to;

capture a first image of a feature of a user of the device with the camera;

determine that the display mode should be switched based on an output of the inertial sensor indicating movement of the device after capturing the first image;

capture a second image of the feature of the user of the device with the camera in response to the determining that the display mode should be switched based on the output of the inertial sensor indicating the movement of the device; and

disable the switching of the display mode determined based on the output of the inertia sensor if the second imaged feature changes orientation with respect to the device in comparison to the first imaged feature by less than a threshold amount.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 15 wherein the camera and display are both disposed on a front surface of the device.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 15 wherein the inertial sensor comprises an accelerometer.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 15 further comprising circuitry for transmitting and receiving cellular network communication signals.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having program instructions, which when executed by a processor perform a method, the method comprising:

capturing a first image of a feature of a user of a portable electronic device using a camera of the device;

determining that a display mode of the device should be switched between a portrait mode and a landscape mode based on an output of an inertial sensor of the device indicating movement of the device after capturing the first image;

capturing a second image of the user feature with the camera in response to the determining that the display mode should be switched based on the output of the inertial sensor indicating the movement of the device; and

disabling the switching of the display mode determined based on the output of the inertia sensor if the second imaged feature changes orientation with respect to the device in comparison to the first imaged feature by less than a threshold amount.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the imaged feature is the user'"'"'s face.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the camera and display screen are both disposed on a front surface of the device.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that a facial stabilization mode has been selected.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

determining an initial orientation of the feature of the user with respect to an initial orientation of the device.