Storyboards for capturing images

• US 9,137,428 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Khawand, Charbel, Milausnic, Robert, Moon, Junghwan, Demandolx, Denis, Glenner, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): OSINSKI, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/487,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20130321647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00

Abstract

Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of tools and techniques for using storyboards in controlling a camera for capturing images, photographs, or video. According to one exemplary technique, at least two storyboards are stored. In addition, at least one storyboard identifier from a camera application is received. Also, using the storyboard identifier, a storyboard of the stored at least two storyboards is retrieved. The retrieved storyboard includes a sequence of control frames for controlling a camera. Additionally, a sequence of image frames is captured at least by controlling a camera using the retrieved storyboard.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a camera, comprising:

storing a camera application in the camera;

storing, by a camera driver, at least two storyboards received from the camera application during an initialization period so that the camera application builds imaging controls for capturing multishot images automatically by the camera driver;

receiving, in the camera driver, a storyboard identifier from the camera application after the initialization period and during execution of the camera application;

using the storyboard identifier and without further input from the camera application, retrieving a storyboard of the stored at least two storyboards, the storyboard comprising a sequence of control frames, each control frame including a set of instructions for controlling the camera including controlling camera settings and capturing a sequence of single image shots in accordance with the storyboard such that the camera application controls the sequence of single shots and the camera settings using the storyboard identifier; and

capturing a sequence of images at least by controlling the camera using the retrieved storyboard.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved storyboard further comprises at least one instruction for modifying the order that control frames of the sequence of control frames are executed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of the at least two storyboards and the retrieving of the storyboard is performed by a device driver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved storyboard further comprises at least one instruction that indicates one or more formats in which image data is captured.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storyboard comprises at least one camera instruction for setting camera settings or causing the performance of an operation of the camera.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one instruction loops execution of the retrieved storyboard from one control frame to another control frame in the sequence of control frames until a condition is satisfied.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved storyboard further comprises at least one instruction for delaying execution of a control frame of the sequence of control frames.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved storyboard is a first storyboard and the using the retrieved storyboard comprises executing a second storyboard of the at least two storyboards based on an instruction in the first storyboard.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more types of image data comprises capture parameters of the camera for at least one image capture.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising, synchronizing capture of contextual information with a capture of at least one of the images of the sequence of images.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved storyboard further comprises at least one instruction that indicates an image format in which the at least one image of the sequence of images is to be returned to the camera application, wherein the image format comprises an idealized pre-demosaiced raw format, a demosaiced format, or a pre-demosaiced raw format.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing the sequence of images using the retrieved storyboard comprises, by a device driver, executing a control instruction and camera instructions in synchronization with one or more image captures.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein precedence of at least one instruction of the storyboard is based in part on an order the at least one instruction is executed in the storyboard.

14. A computing device that includes a processor and computer-readable media, the computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for causing the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving multiple storyboard identifiers in a device driver from a camera application program executing on the computing device to capture multishot or a stream of images;

using the device driver, retrieving multiple storyboards using the storyboard identifiers, each storyboard comprising a plurality of control frames, each control frame including a plurality of instructions including one or more control instructions and a plurality of camera instructions for controlling camera settings and capturing a sequence of image shots; and

capturing a sequence of images, the capturing the sequence of images comprising executing at least one control instruction from each storyboard to control the timing or order that at least one of the plurality of control frames is executed when capturing the sequence of images.

15. The computing device of claim 14, further comprising sending the storyboard from a camera application to the device driver during an initialization period.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the control instruction comprises an instruction for looping to the at least one of the plurality of control frames and wherein capturing a sequence of images further comprises executing that at least one control frame of the plurality of control frames based on one or more executions of the at least one control instruction.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the control instruction comprises an instruction for delaying the at least one of the plurality of control frames and wherein the capturing the sequence of images further comprises delaying one or more executions of the at least one of the plurality of control frames based on one or more executions of the control instruction.

18. One or more computer-readable nonvolatile storage devices storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

sending at least one storyboard from a camera application to a device driver, the camera application for capturing multiple images;

using the device driver, caching the at least one storyboard, the at least one storyboard comprising a sequence of control frames for controlling a camera;

receiving a request to execute the at least one storyboard from the camera application at the device driver, the request including an identifier of the at least one storyboard; and

using the device driver, capturing a plurality of image frames at least by executing at least one control frame of the at least one storyboard corresponding to the received identifier, the at least one control frame including a set of instructions for controlling camera settings and for controlling the capturing of the plurality of image frames.