RECORDING AUDIO METADATA FOR CAPTURED IMAGES

• US 20090041428A1
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Nelson, John V., Honsinger, Chris W., Jacoby, Keith A., Murray, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US11/834,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20090041428A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/295
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• 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 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8211 the additional signal being a sound signal H04N9/835 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of recording audio metadata during image capture: includes providing an image capture device for capturing still or video digitized images of a scene and for recording audio signals; recording the audio signals continuously in a buffer while the device is in power on mode; and initiating the capture of a still image or of a video image by the image capture device, and storing as metadata, audio signals produced for a time prior to, during, and after the termination of the capture of the still or video images.

Claims

1. A method of recording audio metadata during image capture, comprising:

a) providing an image capture device for capturing still or video digitized images of a scene and for recording audio signals;

b) recording the audio signals continuously in a buffer while the device is in power on mode; and

c) initiating the capture of a still image or of a video image by the image capture device, and storing as metadata, audio signals produced for a time prior to, or during, and after the termination of the capture of the still or video images.

2. The method of claim 1, further including providing at least one microphone in the image capture device and digitizing audio signals captured by the microphone so that the recorded metadata audio signals are digitized.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio information is temporarily stored in a moving window memory buffer.

4. The method of claim 1, further including inclusion of the audio signal captured during video image capture with the audio signals stored in the memory and audio signals produced during a predetermined time after the termination of the capture of the video images.

5. The method of claim 1, further including providing a default duration for the audio buffers.

6. The method of claim 1, further including adjusting the time durations of the audio buffers to be set according to a user preference.

7. The method of claim 6, further providing an automatic mode for determining the duration of the pre-capture audio buffer and the duration of the post-capture audio buffer based on an analysis of the audio signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio signals are stored in memory in its entirety, and memory addresses mark the beginning and end of the audio metadata to be associated with the image data.

9. The method of claim 7, further including encompassing the adjustment of the memory addresses for the beginning and end of the audio metadata to be associated with the image data.

10. The method of claim 2, further including providing an image file associated with captured images having a digitized image and digitized audio metadata.

11. The method of claim 4, further including providing a removable memory card for storing image files.

12. The method of claim 4, further including analyzing the audio metadata to provide a semantic understanding of the captured still or video images.

13. The method of claim 6, further including providing a written text of the audio metadata.

14. The method of claim 6, further including providing a description of ambient sounds that occur in the audio metadata.

15. The method of claim 6, further including providing the identity of a speaker in the audio metadata.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the analysis of the audio metadata occurs within the capture device.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein the analysis of the audio metadata occurs on a computing device other than the capture device;

18. The method of claim 6, further including the updating of the metadata of the existing image file with the additional metadata obtained from the analysis.

19. The method of claim 1, further including storing audio information prior to an image capture.

20. The method of claim 1, further including combining stored audio to form an audio clip.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the time prior to, during, and after the termination of the capture of the still or video images is adjustable.

22. The method of claim 20, further including using the audio clip to provide semantic understanding of the audio information, to be used for media search/retrieval.

23. The method of claim 1, further including providing burst capture mode with multiple audio buffers for each still image in the burst capture sequence.