Indoor/outdoor scene detection using GPS

• US 8,665,340 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Prentice, Wayne E., Guidash, Robert M., Razavi, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): SPINKS, ANTOINETTE T
• Application Number:
  US12/769,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20110267492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 348/223.1, 348/207.99, 348/222.1
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/08 Control effected solely on the basis of the response, to the intensity of the light received by the camera, of a built-in light-sensitive device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control

Abstract

A digital camera system, comprising: a digital image sensor; an optical system for forming an image of a scene onto the digital image sensor; a global positioning system sensor; a processor-accessible memory system; and a processor. The processor performs the steps of analyzing a signal from the global positioning system sensor to determine whether the digital camera system is indoors or outdoors; capturing an input digital image of the scene using the digital image sensor; processing the input digital image responsive to whether the digital camera system is indoors or outdoors; and storing the processed digital image in the processor-accessible memory system.

Claims

1. A digital image processing system, comprising:

a digital image sensor;

an optical system configured to form an image of a scene onto the digital image sensor;

a global positioning system sensor;

a processor-accessible memory system; and

a processing system, configured to perform operations comprising;

analyzing a signal from the global positioning system sensor to determine whether the digital image processing system is indoors or outdoors, wherein the analyzing comprises;

determining a geographic location of the digital image processing system;

comparing the determined geographic location to a geographic database indicating geographic locations of a plurality of known buildings, wherein the geographic database includes information providing an indication of a type of lighting associated with each of the plurality of known buildings; and

determining a likelihood that the digital image processing system is indoors in response to the determined geographic location corresponding to the location of one of the plurality of known buildings;

capturing a digital image of the scene using the digital image sensor;

processing the digital image responsive to the likelihood that the digital image processing system is indoors or outdoors and responsive to the indicated type of lighting associated with the one of the plurality of known buildings; and

storing the digital image in the processor-accessible memory system.

2. The digital image processing system of claim 1, wherein the geographic database includes information providing an indication of whether flash photography is appropriate in the one of the plurality of known buildings, and wherein the processing system is further configured to perform operations comprising setting a non-flash photography mode when the information in the database indicates that flash photography is inappropriate in the one of the plurality of known buildings.

3. The digital image processing system of claim 2, wherein the information providing the indication of whether flash photography is appropriate in the known building comprises an indicator of whether the flash photography is prohibited in the known building.