Electronic devices with motion response and related methods

• US 9,077,884 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: House, Christopher David, Williams, Rodney Owen
• Primary Examiner(s): Velez, Roberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kao, Yih-Sien
• Application Number:
  US13/426,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20130250133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

Electronic devices with motion response and related methods are provided. In this regard, a representative electronic device includes: an image capturing device operative to acquire image data; an accelerometer operative to sense an acceleration of the electronic device; and a motion response system operative to receive acceleration information corresponding to a sensed acceleration and to alter a mode of operation of the image capturing device based, at least in part, on the acceleration information.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

an image capturing device operative to acquire image data;

a display device operative to display the image data acquired;

an accelerometer operative to sense an acceleration and velocity of the electronic device; and

a motion response system operative to receive acceleration information corresponding to a sensed acceleration and velocity information corresponding to a sensed velocity, and to alter a mode of operation of the image capturing device based, at least in part, on the acceleration information and the velocity information;

wherein the video capture mode of the image capturing device is actuated based, at least in part, on the acceleration information and the velocity information received corresponding to motion of the accelerometer along an arc between a first position and a second position, with the user being located at the center of the arc; and

wherein, in the first position, the image capturing device exhibits a first field of view and, in the second position, the image capturing device exhibits a second field of view displaced from and in a non-overlapping relationship with the first field of view.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the image capturing device exhibits a zoom feature for zooming in toward an object of interest and zooming out from the object of interest; and

responsive to the acceleration information received corresponding to movement of the device relative to the object of interest, the zoom feature of the image capturing device zooms relative to the object of interest.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein, based on the acceleration information indicating movement toward the object of interest, the zoom feature of the image capturing device zooms in such that a magnification of the object of interest increases.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein, based on the acceleration information indicating movement away from the object of interest, the zoom feature of the image capturing device zooms out such that a magnification of the object of interest decreases.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the motion response system is further operative to filter accelerations not associated with movement of the image capturing device relative to the user of the device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the device further comprises a distance sensor operative to detect a change in distance between a user and the sensor for determining the accelerations not associated with movement of the image capturing device relative to the user.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein:

the image capturing device comprises a rear-facing camera operative to acquire the image data corresponding to the object of interest; and

the distance sensor comprises a front-facing camera operative to acquire image data associated with movement of the image capturing device relative to the user.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the arc is in a substantially horizontal plane.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the motion response system is further operative to alter the mode of operation of the image capturing device based, at least in part, on the image capturing device being activated.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a smartphone.

11. A method for acquiring images comprising:

sensing acceleration associated with an image capturing device;

sensing velocity associated with the image capturing device; and

altering a mode of operation of the image capturing device such that a video capture mode of the image capturing device is actuated;

wherein actuating the video capture mode of the image capturing device is based, at least in part, on the acceleration information and the velocity information received corresponding to motion of the image capturing device along an arc between a first position and a second position, with a user of the image capturing device being located at the center of the arc; and

wherein, in the first position, the image capturing device exhibits a first field of view and, in the second position, the image capturing device exhibits a second field of view displaced from and in a non-overlapping relationship with the first field of view.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein altering an operation comprises altering zoom of the image capturing device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein altering zoom comprises zooming in toward an object of interest responsive to the acceleration being toward the object of interest.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein altering zoom comprises zooming out from an object of interest responsive to the acceleration being away from the object of interest.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising disregarding accelerations affecting both a user of the image capturing device and the image capturing device such that the accelerations do not alter the zoom.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein disregarding accelerations comprises:

monitoring a distance between the user and the image capturing device; and

correlating changes in distance between the user and the image capturing device as being associated with accelerations not to be disregarded.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising discontinuing altering the mode of operation based, at least in part, on a designated movement of the image capturing device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the designated movement is a rotation of the image capturing device in a steering wheel motion.