Image Stabilization

• US 20130208134A1
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: HAMALAINEN, Matti Sakari
• Granted Patent: US 8,743,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• 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

Abstract

A method comprising: receiving cropping information for a current video frame; capturing at a camera sensor the current video frame; performing a first crop of the current video frame using a first cropping window to form a cropped video frame, wherein the first cropping window has been dynamically adjusted in response to the received cropping information; and sending the cropped video frame for digital image stabilization.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving cropping information for a current video frame;

capturing at a camera sensor the current video frame;

performing a first crop of the current video frame using a first cropping window to form a cropped video frame, wherein the first cropping window has been dynamically adjusted in response to the received cropping information; and

sending the cropped video frame for digital image stabilization.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is performed at a camera sensor module comprising:

an input interface configured to receive cropping information for a current video frame from a host apparatus;

a camera sensor configured to capture the current video frame;

cropping circuitry configured to crop the current video frame using a first cropping window to form a cropped video frame, wherein the first cropping window has been dynamically adjusted in response to the received cropping information; and

an output interface configured to sending the cropped video frame for digital image stabilization in the host apparatus.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim 1, wherein the cropping information is dependent upon one or more preceding video frames but not the current video frame.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cropping information defines a size of the first cropping window that is sufficiently larger than a region of interest to enable digital image stabilization of the region of interest.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cropping information defines a size of the first cropping window that is sufficiently larger than a region of interest to enable metadata to be displayed adjacent the region of interest.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

performing, as part of digital image stabilization, a crop of the cropped video frame using a second cropping window to form a double-cropped video frame.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

determining the second crop by analyzing the current video frame.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cropping information identifies a cropping window used in digital image stabilization of a video frame preceding the current video frame.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cropping information comprises size and the location constraints for the first cropping window.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising introducing metadata into the double-cropped image.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

for each video frame in a sequence of video frames;

capturing a current video frame;

receiving cropping information for the current video frame;

dynamically adjusting a first cropping window in response to the cropping information;

performing a first crop of the current video frame using the first cropping window to form a cropped video frame; and

sending the cropped video frame for digital image stabilization.

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

17. An apparatus comprising:

a camera sensor configured to capture a current video frame;

cropping circuitry configured;

to receive cropping information for the current video frame;

to define a first cropping window in response to the cropping information;

to crop the current video frame using the first cropping window to form a cropped video frame; and

to send the cropped video frame for digital image stabilization.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the apparatus is a camera sensor module for use in a host apparatus comprising:

an input interface configured to receive cropping information for a current video frame from a host apparatus;

the camera sensor configured to capture the current video frame; and

cropping circuitry configured to crop the current video frame using a first cropping window to form a cropped video frame, wherein the first cropping window has been dynamically adjusted in response to the received cropping information; and

an output interface configured to sending the cropped video frame for digital image stabilization in the host apparatus

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the cropping information is dependent upon one or more preceding video frames but not the current video frame.

23. A system comprising an apparatus as claimed in claim 17 and a host apparatus configured to perform, as part of digital image stabilization, a crop of the cropped video frame using a second cropping window to form a double-cropped video frame.

24. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the host apparatus is configured to determine the second crop by analyzing the current video frame.

26. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the cropping information identifies a cropping window used in digital image stabilization of a video frame preceding the current video frame.

27. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the host apparatus is configured to introduce metadata into the double-cropped image.

28. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the system is a wearable video camera system.

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

29. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the camera module at least to perform for each video frame in a series of video frames;

receiving cropping information for a current video frame;

dynamically adjusting a first cropping window in response to the cropping information;

performing a first crop of the current video frame using the first cropping window to form a cropped video frame; and

sending the cropped video frame for digital image stabilization.

30. (canceled)

31. (canceled)