CAMERA ORIENTATION NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

• US 20170026568A1
• Filed: 07/21/2015
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Haehnichen, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 9,800,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/04 for supporting on, or holding steady relative to, a person, e.g. by chains , e.g. rifle butt or pistol grip supports, supports attached to the chest or head apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs or for projecting or viewing them G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for notifying a user when a device including a camera has moved from a desired orientation. The orientation of the camera can be determined by one or more sensors and/or image processing techniques. The user may be notified with a non-visual cue, such as an audible sound or a haptic alert. In some aspects, a user may be notified when the device including the camera is substantially level.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a device having at least one camera;

a mount couplable to the device, the mount configured to secure the device in a desired orientation;

an orientation sensor configured to determine the orientation of the device with respect to the mount; and

a notification unit coupled to the orientation sensor and configured to trigger a notification when the orientation of the device changes with respect to the mount.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification is non-visual.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-visual notification comprises an audible sound.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-visual notification comprises a haptic alert.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification is configured to cue a user when the user cannot monitor images captured by the camera.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification unit is configured to trigger a notification when the orientation sensor determines that the camera is substantially level with respect to a horizon line.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification unit provides a signal to a separate device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the separate device is configured to alert a user when the separate device receives the signal from the notification unit.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification unit is disposed within the device having a camera.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification unit is disposed within the mount.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the device comprises a smartphone.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is disposed within the device having a camera.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is disposed within the mount.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor comprises at least one accelerometer or at least one gyroscope.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor comprises an image processing unit configured to determine whether a reference line in a frame of capture image data is substantially level.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is configured to determine the orientation of the camera in space at least in part by determining a relative brightness level of at least a portion of a captured image with respect to other portion of the captured image.

17. A method comprising:

selecting a desired orientation for a camera;

securing the camera in the desired orientation; and

emitting a non-visual cue from the camera when the camera is moved from the desired orientation.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining when the camera is substantially level and emitting a non-visual cue when the camera is substantially level.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting the desired orientation for the camera comprises selecting a position where a framing of a scene viewed by the camera is substantially level.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the non-visual cue comprises an audio alert.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the non-visual cue comprises a haptic alert.

22. A method comprising:

determining the orientation of a camera in space;

emitting a first non-visual cue when the camera is substantially level; and

emitting a second non-visual cue when the camera is no longer substantially level.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first non-visual is different from the second non-visual cue.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the determining step includes capturing at least a first image with the camera and processing the captured image.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the determining step includes capturing at least a second image with the camera and comparing the second captured image with the first captured image.

26. A device comprising:

a video recording device including a means for determining the orientation of recorded video data and a means for emitting a non-visual cue when the orientation of the recorded video data changes from a desired position.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the means for determining the orientation of the recorded video includes at least one image processor capable of determining the orientation of a reference line in the recorded video data.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the desired position is a position of the camera when the camera is secured to a camera mount.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein the desired position frames a scene viewed by the camera.