Camera control using ambient light sensors

• US 9,398,221 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Mankowski, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): PRABHAKHER, PRITHAM DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/932,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 34833301-33302
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 7/09908 on the camera or in the objective
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method to control a camera application executed on a device are described. The system includes two or more ambient light sensors arranged at respective surface locations of the device, each of the two or more ambient light sensors measuring light intensity at the respective surface location. The system also includes a processor to determine an adjustment to the camera application based on information resulting from the light intensity measured at each of the respective surface locations.

Claims

1. A system to control a camera application executed on a device, the system comprising:

two or more ambient light sensors arranged at respective surface locations of the device, each of the two or more ambient light sensors configured to measure light intensity of ambient light at the respective surface location; and

a processor configured to;

receive light intensity measurements of ambient light at each of the respective surface locations by the two or more ambient light sensors, wherein the light intensity measurements are obtained by the two or more ambient light sensors at a plurality of different time instants;

compare the light intensity measurements at each of the different time instants to detect movement information of an object in a view of a lens associated with the camera application; and

automatically adjust the camera application to account for the ambient light measured at each of the respective surface locations by the two or more ambient light sensors during image capture by a camera on the device,

wherein the two or more ambient light sensors detect the light intensity using narrow viewing angles that define cylindrical-shaped zones of reception rather than cone-shaped zones of reception, the narrow viewing angles being configured such that the cylindrical-shaped zones of reception do not overlap.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor automatically adjusts the camera application during image capture by adjusting at least one of shutter exposure time or aperture size based on the information associated with the light intensity of the ambient light measured at each of the respective surface locations by the two or more ambient light sensors.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a display device configured to display a tutorial indicating an adjustment based on a user selection.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the light intensity measurements from the two or more ambient light sensors and output the information resulting from the light intensity of the ambient light measured at each of the respective surface locations by the two or more ambient light sensors.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to output the information including the movement information.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the movement information includes direction, speed, or inertia of the object.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to output the information to indicate a direction of a light source relative to the device.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to output the information indicating a local peak in light within the view of the lens associated with the camera application.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to distinguish the local peak from a global change in available light based on a comparison of light intensity measurements from each of the two or more ambient light sensors.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to output the information indicating a dynamic distance estimate of a subject within the view of the lens associated with the camera application.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the two or more ambient light sensors to measure the light intensity in a sequence such that the two or more ambient light sensors separately measure light intensity at different times than one another, and wherein the processor is configured to compare separate light intensity measurements from each of the ambient light sensors in order to recognize at least one of flicker, false readings, or screen smudge.

12. A method of controlling a camera application executed on a device, the method comprising:

measuring, using two or more ambient light sensors arranged at respective surface locations of the device, the light intensity of ambient light at the respective surface locations at a plurality of different time instants;

comparing the light intensity at each of the different time instants to detect movement information of an object in a view of a lens associated with the camera application using the light intensity of the ambient light; and

using, during image capture by a camera on the device, a processor to automatically adjust the camera application to take into account the ambient light measurements at each of the respective surface locations by the two or more ambient light sensors,

wherein the two or more ambient light sensors detect the light intensity using narrow viewing angles that define cylindrical-shaped zones of reception rather than cone-shaped zones of reception, the narrow viewing angles being configured such that the cylindrical-shaped zones of reception do not overlap.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising receiving a user selection of automatic control of the camera application or a tutorial regarding the camera application.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the camera application implementing an adjustment based on the user selection of the automatic control.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising displaying, on a display of the device, the tutorial indicating an adjustment based on the user selection of the tutorial.

16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the camera application implementing an adjustment and the device outputting a tutorial indicating the adjustment to a user based on a user selection.

17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising processing, using the processor, the light intensity measurements from the two or more ambient light sensors and outputting the information associated with the light intensity of the ambient light measurements at each of the respective surface locations by the two or more ambient light sensors.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the outputting the information includes outputting the movement information of the object in the view of the lens associated with the camera application.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the movement information includes direction, speed, or inertia of the object.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the outputting the information includes indicating a direction of a light source relative to the device.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the outputting the information includes indicating a local peak in light within the view of the lens associated with the camera application.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the outputting the information includes indicating a dynamic distance estimate of a subject within the view of the lens associated with the camera application.