Portrait image synthesis from multiple images captured on a handheld device

• US 9,118,833 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Bigioi, Petronel, Corcoran, Peter, Stec, Piotr
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Jr., Howard D
• Application Number:
  US13/306,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20120133746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 348/50, 348/46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• 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
• 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 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

A hand-held digital image capture device (digital camera) has a user-selectable mode in which upon engaging the mode the device detects a face in the field of view of the device and generates a face delimiter on a camera display screen, the delimiter surrounding the initial position of the image of a the face on the screen. The device is arranged to indicate thereafter to the user if the device departs from movement along a predetermined concave path P with the optical axis of the device pointing towards the face, such indication being made by movement of the image of the face relative to the delimiter. The camera captures and stores a plurality of images at successive positions along the concave path.

Claims

1. A hand-held digital image capture device, comprising:

a lens and an image sensor for capturing digital images;

a display unit configured to display the digital images on a display screen;

a digital processor, operatively coupled to the image sensors and the display unit, the digital processor being configured to;

detect a particular object in a field of view in front of a user of the image capture device;

capture a first image comprising a representation of the particular object;

detect whether the image capture device is repositioned along a predetermined concave path;

wherein the predetermined concave path is with respect to an optical axis of the image capture device pointing toward the particular object;

wherein the predetermined concave path is around the particular object;

wherein the predetermined concave path has an approximately constant radius centered at the particular object;

automatically capture a second image of the particular object only upon detecting that the image capture device is repositioned along the predetermined concave path with respect to the optical axis of the image capture device pointing toward the particular object; and

store the first image and the second image in a storage device.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is arranged to alert the user when the device deviates from the path by greater than a predetermined amount.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is arranged to alert the user when a size of a face image deviates by more than a predetermined amount from an initial size.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the digital processor is further configured to generate an object delimiter that delimitates the representation of the particular object in the first image on the display screen;

wherein the display unit is further configured to display the object delimiter on the display screen;

wherein the digital processor is further configured to alert the user when a face image moves out of the delimiter by more than a predetermined amount.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein when a single face is detected by the device the object delimiter is fixed in size and position on the display screen during movement along the concave path.

6. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the corresponding object delimiter dynamically changes in size on the display screen as the device moves along the concave path.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital processor is further configured to alert the user if a speed of movement along the path falls outside predetermined limits.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stored images comprise at least one stereo pair.

9. One or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media having code embodied therein for programming a processor to operate a camera-enabled device in a user-selectable mode to detect a face in a field of view of the device, the code causing the processor to perform:

detecting a particular object in a field of view in front of a user of a image capture device;

capturing a first image comprising a representation of the particular object;

detecting whether the camera-enabled device is repositioned along a predetermined concave path with respect to an optical axis of the camera-enabled device pointing toward the particular object;

wherein the predetermined concave path is with respect to an optical axis of the image capture device pointing toward the particular object;

wherein the predetermined concave path is around the particular object;

wherein the predetermined concave path has an approximately constant radius centered at the particular object;

automatically capture a second image of the particular object only upon detecting that the image capture device is repositioned along the predetermined concave path with respect to the optical axis of the image capture device pointing toward the particular object; and

storing the first image and the second image in a storage device.

10. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media as claimed in claim 9, wherein the code further causes the processor to perform:

alerting the user when the device deviates from the path by greater than a predetermined amount.

11. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media as claimed in claim 9, wherein the code further causes the processor to perform:

generating an object delimiter that delimitates the representation of the particular object in the first image on a display screen;

displaying the object delimiter on the display screen; and

alerting the user when a size of a face image deviates by more than a predetermined amount from an initial size.

12. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media as claimed in claim 11,

wherein the code further causes the processor to perform:

alert the user when a face image moves out of the delimiter by more than a predetermined amount.

13. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media as claimed in claim 11, wherein when a single face is detected by the device the object delimiter is fixed in size and position on the display screen during movement along the concave path.

14. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media as claimed in claim 11, wherein the corresponding object delimiter dynamically changes in size on the display screen as the device moves along the concave path.

15. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media as claimed in claim 11, wherein the code further causes the processor to perform:

alert the user if a speed of movement along the path falls outside predetermined limits.

16. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media as claimed in claim 9, wherein the stored images comprise at least one stereo pair.

17. A method of synthesizing a portrait image from multiple images, comprising:

detecting a particular object in a field of view in front of a user of an image capture device;

capturing a first image comprising a representation of the particular object;

detecting whether the image capture device is repositioned along a predetermined concave path with respect to an optical axis of the image capture device pointing toward the particular object;

wherein the predetermined concave path is with respect to an optical axis of the image capture device pointing toward the particular object;

wherein the predetermined concave path is around the particular object;

wherein the predetermined concave path has an approximately constant radius centered at the particular object;

automatically capture a second image of the particular object only upon detecting that the image capture device is repositioned along the predetermined concave path with respect to the optical axis of the image capture device pointing toward the particular object; and

storing the first image and the second image in a storage device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising indicating when the device deviates from the path by greater than a predetermined amount.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising indicating when a size of the particular object deviates by more than a predetermined amount from an initial size.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating an object delimiter that delimitates the representation of the particular object in the first image on a display screen;

displaying the object delimiter on the display screen; and

indicating when a face image moves out of the delimiter by more than a predetermined amount.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein when a single face is detected by the device the object delimiter is fixed in size and position on the display screen during movement along the concave path.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising dynamically changing the object delimiter in size on the display screen as the device moves along the concave path.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising indicating when a speed of movement along the path falls outside predetermined limits.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the stored images comprise at least one stereo pair.