Video rotation system and method

• US 9,883,116 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2010
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Nourbakhsh, Farhad, Brown, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Misleh, Justin P
• Application Number:
  US12/958,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20120140092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,616 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3872 Repositioning or masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3877 Image rotation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• 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 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

A video recording device is described having an orientation sensor. The recording device rotates video data received from an image sensor according to signals received from the orientation sensor. The rotation occurs before the video data is compressed according to a video codec and stored on a tangible storage device. By rotating the video data before compression, the need for intensive, post-capture video rotation on the compressed video file is eliminated.

Claims

1. A video capture device comprising:

a) a first silicon chip having an image sensor that converts an optical image into a raw electronic image;

b) a video buffer that stores the raw electronic, the raw electronic image being unprocessed by a video codec, the video buffer storing the raw electronic image in a matrix with rows and columns;

c) a second silicon chip separate from the first silicon chip, the second silicon chip having a digital signal processor that converts input image data to a video data file according to the video codec;

d) a non-transient memory device that stores the video data file created by the digital signal processor;

e) an orientation sensor that provides an orientation signal reflecting an orientation of the video capture device; and

f) a third silicon chip separate from the first and second silicon chips, the third silicon chip having transformation circuitry that receives the orientation signal and rotates the raw electronic image in the video buffer accordingly, wherein the transformation circuitry provides the rotated electronic image to the digital signal processor as the input image data, further wherein the transformation circuitry rotates the raw electronic image by one of 90, 180, or 270 degrees by altering a read order of the rows and columns as the raw electronic image is read from the video buffer.

2. The video capture device of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor comprises a sensor selected from the set of an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

3. The video capture device of claim 1, wherein the transformation circuitry includes programming instructions stored on a memory device and a processor for implementing those instructions.

4. The video capture device of claim 1, wherein the transformation circuitry comprises a programmable logic device programmed to implement transformation logic.

5. The video capture device of claim 1, wherein the transformation circuitry stores the rotated electronic image on a secondary buffer external to the digital signal processor, further wherein the rotated electronic image is read from the secondary buffer by the digital signal processor.

6. The video capture device of claim 5, wherein the transformation circuitry and the secondary buffer form part of one programmable logic device.

7. The video capture device of claim 1, wherein the image sensor and video buffer are located on a sensor module.

8. A method for operating a video capture device comprising:

a) using an image sensor, converting a sequence of optical images into a sequence of frames, each such frame containing a raw electronic image;

b) without processing the sequence of frames by a video codec, storing the sequence of frames on a first buffer, the first buffer representing each frame in the sequence of frames as a matrix with rows and columns;

c) using an orientation sensor, based on a first orientation and a second orientation of the video capture device, creating a first orientation signal, applicable to a first subsequence of the sequence of frames, and a second orientation signal, applicable to a second subsequence of the sequence of frames;

d) in accordance with the first orientation signal, rotating a frame from the first subsequence by a first angle of 90, 180, or 270 degrees clockwise by altering a read order of the rows and columns of the frame from the first subsequence as the frame from the first subsequence is read from the first buffer, and padding the rotated frame by adding padding pixel data to create a first square electronic image;

e) in accordance with the second orientation signal, rotating a frame from the second subsequence by a second angle of 90, 180, or 270 degrees clockwise by altering the read order of the rows and columns of the frame from the second subsequence as the frame from the second subsequence is read from the first buffer, and padding the rotated frame by adding padding pixel data to create a second square electronic image, wherein the second angle is distinct from the first angle;

f) transferring the first and second square electronic images to a digital signal processor that creates a single video image file by applying a video codec to a sequence of square electronic images that includes the first and second square electronic images; and

g) storing the video image file on a non-transitory memory device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

h) storing the first and second square electronic images on a second buffer before transferring the first and second square electronic images to the digital signal processor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the video codec is selected from at least one of MPEG-2 video, MPEG-4 video, AVC/H.264, and Windows Media.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of rotating the first frame further comprises:

upon determining that a rotation angle for the video capture device exceeds a first predefined angle for more than a predefined time period, rotating the first frame 90 degrees clockwise.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of rotating the first frame further comprises:

i) upon determining that a rotation angle for the video capture device exceeds a first predefined angle, rotating the first frame from a non-rotated orientation to an orientation that is rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of rotating the first frame further comprises:

ii) upon determining that the rotation angle is less than a second predefined angle, rotating the first frame from the orientation that is rotated 90 degrees clockwise to the non-rotated orientation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein no rotation is allowed within a predetermined time period of at least one second after a previous rotation.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first predefined angle is greater than 45 degrees clockwise and the second predefined angle is less than 45 degrees clockwise.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein rotating the frame from the first subsequence further comprises the following steps:

i) receiving a request for image data from a digital signal processor, the digital signal processor expecting data to be transmitted in a first order;

ii) analyzing the first orientation signal to determine a degree of rotation;

iii) delivering the frame from the first subsequence to the digital signal processor in a second order different from the first order for the purpose of implementing the degree of rotation.

17. A method for operating a video capture device comprising:

a) converting an optical image to a raw electronic image using an image sensor;

b) storing the raw electronic image on a first buffer without processing the raw electronic image by a video codec, the first buffer storing the raw electronic image in a matrix with rows and columns;

c) using an orientation sensor to create an orientation signal based on an orientation of the video capture device;

d) rotating the electronic image stored on the first buffer in accordance with the orientation signal by one of 90, 180, or 270 degrees by altering a read order of the rows and columns as the raw electronic image is read from the first buffer, wherein this step further comprises;

i) determining a rotation angle for the video capture device,

ii) when the rotation angle exceeds a first predefined angle, rotating the raw electronic image from a non-rotated orientation to an orientation that is rotated 90 degrees clockwise, and

iii) when the rotation angle is less than a second predefined angle, rotating the raw electronic image from the orientation that is rotated 90 degrees clockwise to the non-rotated orientation;

wherein the first predefined angle is greater than 45 degrees clockwise and the second predefined angle is less than 45 degrees clockwise;

e) converting the rotated electronic image to a video image file based on a video codec; and

f) storing the video image file on a non-transitory memory device;

wherein the step of converting the optical image to the raw electronic image is performed on a first silicon chip, which contains the first buffer;

the rotating step is performed by a second silicon chip, which contains the second buffer; and

the step of converting the rotated electronic image is performed by a third silicon chip, which contains the non-transitory memory device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

g) storing the rotated electronic image in a second buffer.