Portrait image synthesis from multiple images captured on a handheld device

• US 9,456,128 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• 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:
  US14/834,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20150365588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• 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 the 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 sensor and the display unit, and configured to;

upon detecting a particular object in a field of view in front of a user of the device;

upon receiving a user input, automatically capture a plurality of digital images of the particular object only upon detecting that the hand-held image capture device is repositioned along a concave path with respect to an optical axis of the hand-held digital image capture device pointing toward the particular object;

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

store the plurality of digital images in a storage device.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hand-held digital image capture device is arranged to alert the user when the hand-held digital image capture device deviates from the concave path by more than a particular amount.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hand-held digital image capture device is arranged to alert the user when the size of a depiction of the particular object deviates by more than a certain amount from an initial size.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is arranged to alert the user when a face image moves out of a delimiter by more than a certain amount.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the digital processor is further configured to generate an object delimiter that delimitates a depiction of the particular object on the display screen;

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

wherein the digital processor is further configured to alert the user when a depiction of the particular object moves out of the delimiter by more than a certain amount.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the object delimiter dynamically changes in size on the display screen as the hand-held image capture device moves along the concave path.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hand-held image capture device is arranged to alert the user if the speed of movement along the concave path falls outside certain limits.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of images comprises at least one stereo pair.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, storing one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

upon detecting, using an image sensor and a digital processor of a hand-held image capture device, a particular object in a field of view in front of a user of the hand-held image capture device;

upon receiving a user input, automatically capturing a plurality of digital images of the particular object only upon detecting that the hand-held image capture device is repositioned along a concave path with respect to an optical axis of the hand-held digital image capture device pointing toward the particular object;

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

storing the plurality of digital images in a storage device.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 9, storing additional instructions which, when executed, cause:

alerting the user when the hand-held digital image capture device deviates from the concave path by more than a particular amount.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 9, storing additional instructions which, when executed, cause:

alerting the user when the size of a depiction of the particular object deviates by more than a certain amount from an initial size.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 9, storing additional instructions which, when executed, cause:

alerting the user when a face image moves out of a delimiter by more than a certain amount.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 9, storing additional instructions which, when executed, cause:

generating an object delimiter that delimitates a depiction of the particular object on a display screen;

displaying the object delimiter on the display screen; and

alerting the user when a depiction of the particular object moves out of the delimiter by more than a certain amount.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13,

wherein the object delimiter dynamically changes in size on the display screen as the hand-held image capture device moves along the concave path.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 9,

wherein the hand-held image capture device is arranged to alert the user if the speed of movement along the concave path falls outside certain limits.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 9,

wherein the plurality of images comprises at least one stereo pair.

17. A method comprising:

upon detecting, using an image sensor and a digital processor of a hand-held image capture device, a particular object in a field of view in front of a user of the hand-held image capture device;

upon receiving a user input, automatically capturing a plurality of digital images of the particular object only upon detecting that the hand-held image capture device is repositioned along a concave path with respect to an optical axis of the hand-held digital image capture device pointing toward the particular object;

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

storing the plurality of digital images in a storage device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

alerting the user when the hand-held digital image capture device deviates from the concave path by more than a particular amount.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

alerting the user when the size of a depiction of the particular object deviates by more than a certain amount from an initial size.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

alerting the user when a face image moves out of a delimiter by more than a certain amount.