Controlling method of detecting image-capturing gesture

• US 9,654,763 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Chun-Hsiang, Lee, Yu-Ting, Huang, Liang-Kang, Kuo, Tzu-Hao, Chang, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, Frank
• Application Number:
  US14/242,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20140293012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/264 using the relative movement of objects in two video frames or fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

A controlling method suitable for an electronic apparatus is disclosed herein. The electronic apparatus includes a first image-capturing unit and a second image-capturing unit. The controlling method includes steps of: obtaining a plurality of second images by the second image-capturing unit when the first image-capturing unit is operated to capture a plurality of first images for a stereo process; detecting an object in the second images; calculating a relative displacement of the object in the second images; and, determining whether the first images are captured by an inappropriate gesture according to the relative displacement calculated from the second images.

Claims

1. A controlling method, suitable for a first image-capturing unit and a second image-capturing unit, the controlling method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of second images by the second image-capturing unit when the first image-capturing unit is operated to capture a plurality of first images for a stereo process;

detecting an object in the second images;

calculating a relative displacement of the object in the second images; and

determining whether the first images are captured by an inappropriate gesture according to the relative displacement calculated from the second images.

2. The controlling method of claim 1, wherein the first images and the second images are captured along opposite orientations respectively by the first image-capturing unit and the second image-capturing unit.

3. The controlling method of claim 1, wherein the first image-capturing unit and the second image-capturing unit are disposed on an electronic apparatus, the first images are captured sequentially by the first image-capturing unit while the electronic apparatus are moving along a pattern, and the first images are utilized for depth computation or stereo content acquisition in the stereo process.

4. The controlling method of claim 3, wherein the first images are captured from different positions and the stereo process is based on disparity information between the first images.

5. The controlling method of claim 3, wherein the first image-capturing unit and the second image-capturing unit are implemented on opposite sides of the electronic apparatus, the first image-capturing unit is a rear camera and the second image-capturing unit is a front camera.

6. The controlling method of claim 5, wherein the first image-capturing unit and the second image-capturing unit are built-in cameras of the electronic apparatus.

7. The controlling method of claim 5, wherein the first image-capturing unit or the second image-capturing unit is a stand-alone camera attached onto the electronic apparatus.

8. The controlling method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the first images are captured by the inappropriate gesture comprises:

comparing the relative displacement of the object in the second images to a threshold value, the first images are determined to be captured by the inappropriate gesture when the relative displacement exceeds the threshold value, the first images are determined to be captured by a proper gesture when the relative displacement is below the threshold value.

9. The controlling method of claim 8, further comprising:

prompting a notification for re-capturing the first images when the relative displacement exceeds the threshold value.

10. The controlling method of claim 9, further comprising:

performing the stereo process according to the first images when the relative displacement is less than the threshold value.

11. The controlling method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a human face and the object within each of the second images is detected by a facial recognition algorithm.

12. The controlling method of claim 1, wherein, when the first images are captured by the inappropriate gesture, the first image-capturing unit is substantially located at a fixed spot without a shifting distance while capturing the first images.

13. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a casing;

a first image capturing unit, disposed on a first side of the casing;

a second image capturing unit, disposed on a second side of the casing opposite to the first side; and

a control module, coupled with the first image capturing unit and the second image capturing unit, the second image-capturing unit is enabled by the control module to capture a plurality of second images when the first image-capturing unit is operated to capture a plurality of first images for a stereo process, wherein the second images are utilized to determining whether the first images are captured by an inappropriate gesture.

14. The electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first image-capturing unit is a rear camera and the second image-capturing unit is a front camera.

15. The electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control module comprises:

an image processing unit configured for detecting an object in the second images;

a displacement calculation unit configured for calculating a relative displacement of the object in the second images, the relative displacement is utilized to determine whether the first images are captured by the inappropriate gesture; and

a notification unit configured for selectively prompting a notification for re-capturing the first images according to the relative displacement.