Wink detecting camera

• US 9,485,403 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cutting Edge Vision LLC
• Original Assignee: Cutting Edge Vision LLC
• Inventors: Konicek, Jeffrey C.
• Primary Examiner(s): FULLER, RODNEY EVAN
• Application Number:
  US14/539,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 396/56
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/02 Viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 29/00 Combinations of cameras, projectors or photographic printing apparatus with non-photographic non-optical apparatus, e.g. clocks or weapons; Cameras having the shape of other objects combinations with flash apparatus G03B15/03
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 31/06 in which sound track is associated with successively-shown still pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00095 Systems or arrangements for the transmission of the picture signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• 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 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• 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 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for enabling user friendly interaction with a camera system. Specifically, the inventive system and method has several aspects to improve the interaction with a camera system, including voice recognition, gaze tracking, touch sensitive inputs and others. The voice recognition unit is operable for, among other things, receiving multiple different voice commands, recognizing the vocal commands, associating the different voice commands to one camera command and controlling at least some aspect of the digital camera operation in response to these voice commands. The gaze tracking unit is operable for, among other things, determining the location on the viewfinder image that the user is gazing upon. One aspect of the touch sensitive inputs provides that the touch sensitive pad is mouse-like and is operable for, among other things, receiving user touch inputs to control at least some aspect of the camera operation. Another aspect of the disclosed invention provides for gesture recognition to be used to interface with and control the camera system.

Claims

1. A camera system comprising:

a) an image sensor;

b) an electronic display operable as a viewfinder and configured to display a current scene being viewed by the image sensor;

c) a memory;

d) a wink detecting subsystem comprising a light emitter configured to emit light toward a camera user'"'"'s eye, and a light detector configured to;

(i) sense reflected light from the eye; and

(ii) output electronic data corresponding to the reflected light from the eye;

e) a controller coupled to the image sensor, electronic display, subsystem, and memory, and being configured to;

(i) process image data generated by the image sensor to display a current scene viewed by the image sensor on the electronic display;

(ii) receive, from the subsystem;

(1) first electronic data indicating that the user is gazing at the electronic display based on the reflected light from the user'"'"'s eye;

(2) second electronic data indicating that the user'"'"'s eye has closed based on an interruption in the reflected light from the user'"'"'s eye; and

(3) third electronic data indicating that the user'"'"'s eye has opened based on the reflected light from the user'"'"'s eye;

(iii) determine when the user'"'"'s eye has winked based at least in part on the first, second and third electronic data by measuring the length of time between the second electronic data and the third electronic data and determining that the user'"'"'s eye closed for a threshold amount of time to distinguish the wink from a blink; and

(iv) in response to determining that the user'"'"'s eye has winked, initiate a first camera function;

f) a touchpad fitted with a solid overlay, the solid overlay having at least two cutouts on its surface, such that (1) the at least two cutouts provide defined areas for touch sensing on the touch pad and (2) each defined area for touch sensing corresponds to a defined camera function for the camera controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first camera function is to take a picture and one of the defined camera functions for the camera controller is to take a picture.