Method and apparatus for setting a marker on an object and tracking the position of the object

• US 20050018066A1
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hofer, Gregory V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,466,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators

Abstract

A digital imaging system that allows the user to select and mark objects with markers is disclosed. The digital imaging device tracks the position of the marked objects even when the marked objects are not in the field of view of the digital imaging system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a first view of a scene;

marking an object, displayed in the scene, with a marker;

displaying a second view of the scene where the object is no longer visible;

displaying a third view of the scene where the object is visible;

remarking the displayed object with the marker in the third view.

2. The method of claim 1 where the object is no longer visible in the second view due to a change in the field of view of a device between the first view of the scene and the second view of the scene.

3. The method of claim 1 where the object is no longer visible in the second view due to a movement of the object between the first view of the scene and the second view of the scene.

4. The method of claim 1 where the position of a second object is marked in the second view of the scene with a second marker, and the second marker is displayed when the second object is visible in a displayed view of the scene.

5. The method of claim 1 where the method is used in a digital camera.

6. The method of claim 1 where the marker is displayed as a set of square brackets that enclose the marked object.

7. The method of claim 1 where the scene is displayed on a viewfinder in a camera.

8. The method of claim 1 where the scene is displayed on a display on the back of a camera.

9. The method of claim 1 where the object is marked by centering the objects in the display, and then activating a control.

10. A method comprising:

(a) taking a first frame of a scene representing a first field of view of a digital device;

(b) taking a second frame of the scene representing a second field of view of the digital device;

(c) comparing the first frame and the second frame and generating a first displacement value representative of a difference between the first frame and the second frame;

(d) processing data based on the first displacement value to determine the relative change between the first field of view and the second field of view;

(e) displaying the first field of view of the scene;

(f) marking an object displayed in the first field of view of the scene with a marker;

(g) displaying the second field of view of the scene;

(h) tracking the position of the object relative to the first field of view and marking the object with a marker, in the display, when the object is visible in the second field of view.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

(i) taking another frame of the scene representing a current field of view of a digital device;

(j) comparing the current frame with a previous frame and generating a current displacement value representative of a difference between the previous frame and the current frame;

(k) processing data based on the current displacement value to determine the relative change between the previous field of view and the current field of view;

(l) displaying the current field of view of the scene;

(m) tracking the position of the object relative to the previous field of view and marking the object with a marker, in the display, when the object is visible in the current field of view.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

repeating steps (i) through (m).

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

displaying the marker as a set of square brackets that enclose the marked object.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

displaying the scene on a viewfinder in a camera.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

displaying the scene on a display on the back of a camera.

16. A digital imaging device, comprising:

an image sensor;

a lens configured to focus a first view of a scene onto the image sensor;

a display configured to display the first view of the scene;

a processor configured to mark an object in the displayed first view of the scene;

the display configured to display a second view of the scene where the object is no longer visible;

the display configured to display a third view of the scene where the object is visible;

the processor configured to remark the object in the displayed third view with the marker.

17. The digital imaging device of claim 16 where the object is no longer visible in the second view of the scene due to a change in the field of view of the digital imaging device.

18. The digital imaging device of claim 16 where the object is no longer visible in the second view of the scene due to a movement of the object.

19. A digital imaging device, comprising:

an image sensor;

a lens configured to focus a scene, within a field of view, onto the image sensor;

a display configured to display the scene focused onto the image sensor;

a control configured to allow user input into the digital imaging device;

a processor configured to monitor the control;

the processor configured to establish an initial frame of reference when detecting user input from the control;

the processor configured to display a marker on the display at a predetermined location with respect to the initial frame of reference;

the processor configured to compare multiple views of the scene, captured by the image sensor, to track the movement of the digital imaging device with respect to the initial frame of reference, whereby the marker is displayed when the predetermined location is within the field of view of the digital imaging device.

20. The digital imaging device of claim 19 where the marker is displayed as a set of square brackets that enclose the object.

21. The digital imaging device of claim 19 where the object is marked by centering the object in the display, and then activating the control.

22. A digital imaging device comprising:

a means for capturing an image of a scene, the image defined by a field of view of the digital imaging device;

a means for displaying the image of the scene;

a means for marking an object displayed in the scene;

a means for establishing an initial frame of reference defined by a selected field of view;

a means for comparing multiple fields of views to determine the position of the current field of view with respect to the initial frame of reference whereby the object is marked when the object is within the displayed field of view.