Motion blur avoidance

• US 9,232,137 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lammers, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W B
• Application Number:
  US13/869,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20140320679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 396/52, 396/54, 396/420
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/38 Releasing-devices separate from shutter integral with shutter G03B9/08
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• 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 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/683 performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/684 performed by controlling the image sensor readout, e.g. by controlling the integration time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a wearable camera that is configured to take a cluster of photographs and use image processing techniques to select a photograph with a lesser amount of blur than other photographs in the cluster. The wearable camera can include one or more of a gyroscope or accelerometer for ascertaining the camera'"'"'s motion. Motion data associated with the camera'"'"'s motion is utilized to ascertain when to take an automatic photograph.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a captured cluster of photographs;

ascertaining an amount of motion blur in each photograph; and

selecting a photograph, from the captured cluster of photographs, based on an ascertained amount of motion blur in each of the received photographs; and

based on a user configuration, sending the selected photograph to a device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected photograph has the least amount of ascertained motion blur.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving the captured cluster of photographs is receiving the captured cluster of photographs at a cloud-based system to perform said selecting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving the captured cluster of photographs, receiving the captured cluster of photographs at a mobile device to perform said selecting.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the selected photograph on the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected photograph is sent to a wearable camera that captured the cluster of photographs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected photograph is sent to a device other than the wearable camera.

8. A system comprising:

a camera device; and

a computing device configured to;

receive a captured cluster of photographs from the camera device;

select a photograph, from the captured cluster of photographs, with the least amount of ascertained motion blur in the received cluster of photographs; and

based on a user configuration, send the selected photograph to a device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing device is configured to send the selected photograph to a device other than the camera device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the device is the camera device and wherein the computing device is configured to send the selected photograph to the camera device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the camera device is further configured to:

receive the selected photograph from the computing device; and

store the selected photograph.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the camera device is configured to capture the cluster of photographs using an automatic photo-capture mode.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the camera device is configured to capture the cluster of photographs in response to a user input.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said receiving the user input is performed in connection with the automatic photo-capturing mode.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user input is performed based on a user'"'"'s physical input to capture a photograph.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the camera device is a wearable camera that is configured to be mounted on a user'"'"'s clothing.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein the camera device is a wearable camera that is configured to be mounted on a location other than a user'"'"'s clothes.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the received captured cluster of photographs is received over a Wi-Fi or a Bluetooth communication link.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing device is a remote server of a cloud-based service and the received captured cluster of photographs is received over the Internet.

20. A computing device configured to:

receive a captured cluster of photographs from a wearable camera device;

ascertain an amount of motion blur in each photograph in the cluster of photographs;

select a photograph based on the ascertained motion blur in the received cluster of photographs; and

send the selected photograph to the wearable camera device, effective to enable the wearable computing device to store the selected photograph in place of the captured cluster of photographs.