AUTO-TRIGGERED CAMERA SELF-TIMER BASED ON RECOGNITION OF SUBJECT'S PRESENCE IN SCENE

• US 20120057039A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, E-Cheng, Rukes, Jason, Gardiner, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,593,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body

Abstract

An automated image capture mode of a camera in an electronic device insures that a particular subject appears in the captured image. An image of the particular subject, which may be the photographer, is initially captured. Subsequently, another image capture is automatically triggered when the same subject is detected within the camera'"'"'s field of view. In one embodiment, a motion sensor within the device may be employed to begin a search for the subject, when the camera is subjected to a sudden movement. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. In a portable electronic device having at least one camera, a method comprising automating image capture by the camera, the automated image capture triggered by detection of a subject in the camera'"'"'s field of view matching an image of the subject previously captured by the camera.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the image previously captured by the camera comprises a human face.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein detection of a subject in the camera'"'"'s field of view matching an image previously captured by the camera utilizes facial recognition.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the detection of a subject is triggered by sensing movement of the device.

5. In a portable electronic device having first and second cameras on opposing sides of the device, a method comprising automating image capture by the first camera, the automated image capture triggered by detection of an image in the first camera'"'"'s field of view matching an image previously captured by the second camera.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the image captured by the second camera comprises an image of a human face.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein detection of an image in the first camera'"'"'s field of view matching an image previously captured by the second camera utilizes facial recognition.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the first camera is a rear-facing camera and the second camera is a front-facing camera.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the automated image capture by the first camera is further triggered by sensing movement of the device.

10. A portable electronic device having a camera function, comprising:

a camera controller to conduct a process for taking a picture of a scene, in which the controller causes capture of an image of a subject and then analyzes the image to detect facial features of the subject therein, causes capture of a plurality of images of the scene and then analyzes the scene images using facial recognition to detect the subject'"'"'s face therein and in response causes a subsequent capture of an image of the scene to be stored in the device as said picture.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 10 further comprising an image sensor array to which the controller is coupled to cause the capture of all of said images.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 10 further comprising:

a first image sensor array to which the camera controller is coupled to capture the subject'"'"'s image; and

a second, different image sensor array to which the camera controller is coupled to capture the plurality of scene images and the subsequent scene image, wherein the first and second sensor arrays are aimed in substantially opposite directions.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 10 wherein the camera controller is to signal an alert to a user of the device in response to having detected facial features of the subject in the subject'"'"'s image, wherein the alert indicates to the user that the subject may now move into the scene.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 10 wherein the camera controller begins a countdown in response to having detected the subject'"'"'s face, and upon finishing the countdown signals the subsequent capture of an image of the scene.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 10 wherein the controller is to conduct said picture taking process without any user input, once the process has been initiated.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 10 further comprising:

a motion sensor to which the controller is coupled to sense movement of the device, wherein the controller is to analyze the scene images using facial recognition, to detect the subject'"'"'s face therein, upon sensing movement of the device.

17. An article of manufacturing comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that program a processor, the processor being a component of a portable electronic device having a camera, to cause a capture of an image of a subject, to analyze a facial feature of the subject in the captured image, and to monitor subsequent image data to determine when the subject appears in the image data, and to cause a subsequent capture of an image of a scene in response to the subject appearing in the image data.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein the instructions cause the image of the subject to be captured by a front-facing camera having an imaging lens disposed on the same surface of the device as a digital viewfinder.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18 wherein the instructions cause the subsequent image data and the image of the scene to be captured by a rear-facing camera having an imaging lens disposed on the opposing surface of the device as the digital viewfinder.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein the machine-readable storage medium contains additional instructions that program the processor to initiate monitoring of the subsequent image data in response to sensing movement of the device.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein the machine-readable storage medium contains additional instructions that program the processor to initiate monitoring of the subsequent image data in response to verifying the existence of facial features in the captured image.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein the machine-readable storage medium contains additional instructions that program the processor to start a countdown when the subject has been recognized in the subsequent image data, signal an alert for the countdown, and at the end of the countdown cause the subsequent capture.