ELECTRONIC SIGHTING COMPASS

• US 20110090244A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pantfoerder, Achim
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/30 Earth-inductor compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera

Abstract

A portable electronic device provides a compass bearing display juxtaposed with or superimposed on a camera viewfinder display. The device includes an image sensor and an electronic compass. When the device is held with the image sensor pointed in a generally horizontal direction, the displayed viewfinder image from the image sensor is combined with a graphic indicating a compass bearing corresponding to the imaging axis of the image sensor. The display may be presented as a linear scale to indicate off-axis headings as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising, on a portable electronic device:

displaying, on a display screen of the device, an image from an image sensor having an imaging axis;

determining a compass bearing along the imaging axis;

displaying a graphic indication of the compass bearing on the display screen along with the displayed image.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising sensing an orientation of the portable electronic device and displaying the graphic indication of the compass bearing on the displayed image when the imaging axis is approximately horizontal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphic indication of the compass bearing comprises a linear scale with at least one numerical value.

4. A portable electronic device comprising:

an image sensor having an imaging axis;

a display screen presenting an image from the image sensor;

a compass determining a compass bearing;

a processor providing a graphic indication of the compass bearing displayed on the display screen along with the image from the image sensor.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4 further comprising an orientation sensor sensing an orientation of the portable electronic device and operably coupled to the processor to provide the graphic indication of the compass bearing when the imaging axis is approximately horizontal.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 4 wherein the graphic indication of the compass bearing comprises a linear scale with at least one numerical value.

7. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-readable medium having stored therein instructions that program a processor, of a portable electronic device having an image sensor with an imaging axis, a display screen and a compass, to display an image from the image sensor, to determine a compass bearing along the imaging axis, and to display a graphic indication of the compass bearing along with the displayed image.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7 wherein the portable electronic device further has an orientation sensor and the machine-readable medium has stored therein further instructions to display the graphic indication of the compass bearing along with the displayed image when the imaging axis is approximately horizontal.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 7 wherein the graphic indication of the compass bearing comprises a linear scale with at least one numerical value.