Pointing device for digital camera display

• US 7,187,412 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2000
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Silverstein, D. Amnon
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hannett; James M.
• Application Number:
  US09/484,667
• Time in Patent Office: 2,604 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.2, 348/208.12, 348/208.16, 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.05, 348/333.06, 348/333.11, 348/333.12, 348/308.16, 345/649, 345/654, 345/659, 345/156
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators

Abstract

A process and apparatus is described to improve a digital camera user interface and increase ease of use and functionality of a digital camera by quickly, accurately and robustly permitting cursor control and designation in a digital camera display. A digital camera is used as a pointing device such as a mouse or trackball. The motion of the camera is detected, and the motion of the camera is used to position graphic elements on the camera'"'"'s own display. The camera'"'"'s motion can be detected with sensors, such as gyroscopes, or the camera itself can be used as a motion sensor. One application of this involves using the camera as a computer mouse, or like a gun-sight, to select images from a sheet of low-resolution (“thumbnail”) images. The motion of the camera is tracked, and the user aims at the desired image from a sheet of thumbnail images. The thumbnails appear to be fixed relative to the world because the camera can continuously reposition them in the display based upon the motion of the camera. The user can then select a thumbnail in an intuitive manner by simply pointing the camera at the desired thumbnail. For alternative embodiments, the interface can be used to select regions of greater extent than can be viewed in the viewer or to virtually review images.

Claims

1. A process for a camera having a display, the process comprising the steps of:

presenting a cursor and a plurality of icons at respective positions in the display;

sensing motion of the camera;

maintaining the position of the cursor fixed in the display while repositioning the icons in the display in a direction opposite to the sensed motion of the camera; and

in response to user input selecting a target one of the icons positioned under the cursor.

2. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein the presenting step comprises superimposing the cursor and the icons on a scene viewed through the camera.

3. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein the motion is sensed using a non-optical motion detector.

4. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein the motion is sensed using an optical motion detector.

5. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein the target icon is associated with a function to be performed when the target icon is selected.

6. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising tracking features in a scene viewed through the camera, and wherein at least one of the icons is repositioned to appear to be fixed in space with regard to the tracked features.

7. The process as set forth in claim 6, wherein the at least one of the icons is repositioned by an amount corresponding, to the sensed motion of the camera.

8. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the icons is a thumbnail image.

9. The process as set forth in claim 8, including the steps of:

interpreting the sensed motion of the camera as user input; and

performing image manipulation on a high resolution image associated with a selected one of the thumbnail images in a manner responsive to the interpreted user input.

10. The process as set forth in claim 9, including the step of transferring the manipulated high resolution image to a device external to the camera.

11. A process for a camera having a display, comprising:

sensing motion of the camera;

interpreting sensed motion of the camera as a user interface input, wherein the interpreting step comprises determining a viewpoint for displaying a region of a given image on the display based on the sensed motion of the camera, wherein the given image comprises a collection of icons; and

presenting on the display images superimposed on a scene viewed though the camera in accordance with the interpreted user interface input.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein the collection of icons includes thumbnail images each corresponding to a lower-resolution version of a respective stored image.

13. The process of claim 11, wherein the presenting step comprises presenting in the display different regions of the given image containing respective subsets of the collection of icons in accordance with the determined viewpoint.

14. The process of claim 13, wherein the presenting step comprises superimposing a cursor in front of the displayed region of the give image, and further comprising selecting an icon displayed behind the cursor in response to a user selection input.

15. A process for a camera having a display, comprising:

sensing motion of the camera, wherein the sensing step comprises tracking motion of the camera;

interpreting sensed motion of the camera as a user interface input; and

presenting on the display images superimposed on a scene viewed though the camera in accordance with the interpreted user interface input;

wherein the interpreting step comprises determining a sequence of regions of a given image to present on the display reflecting the tracked motion of the camera, and the presenting step comprises presenting the sequence of regions.

16. A process for a camera having a display, comprising:

sensing motion of the camera, wherein the sensing step comprises acquiring a sequence of images and comparing successive images in the sequence to determine parameters describing motion of the camera;

interpreting the sensed motion of the camera as a user interface input; and

presenting on the display images superimposed on a scene viewed though the camera in accordance with the interpreted user interface input.

17. A camera, comprising:

a display;

a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the camera; and

circuitry configured to interpret sensed motion of the device as a user interface input and to present on the display images superimposed on a scene viewed though the camera in accordance with the interpreted user interface input, the circuitry being configured to determine a viewpoint for displaying a region of a given image on the display based on the sensed motion of the camera, wherein the given image comprises a collection of icons.

18. The camera of claim 17, wherein the collection of icons includes thumbnail images each corresponding to a lower-resolution version of a respective stored image.

19. The camera of claim 17, wherein the circuitry is configured to present in the display different regions of the given image containing respective subsets of the collection of icons in accordance with the determined viewpoint.

20. The camera of claim 19, wherein the circuitry is configured to superimpose a cursor in front of the displayed region of the give image, and further comprising selecting an icon displayed behind the cursor in response to a user selection input.

21. A camera, comprising:

a display;

a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the camera; and

circuitry configured to interpret sensed motion of the camera as a user interface input and to present on the display images superimposed on a scene viewed though the camera in accordance with the interpreted user interface input, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine a sequence of regions of a given image to present on the display reflecting the tracked motion of the camera, and the presenting step comprises presenting the sequence of regions.

22. A camera, comprising:

a display;

a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the camera; and

circuitry configured to interpret sensed motion of the camera as a user interface input and to present on the display images superimposed on a scene viewed though the camera in accordance with the interpreted user interface input, wherein the circuitry is configured to acquire a sequence of images and compare successive images in the sequence to determine parameters describing motion of the device.

23. A process for a camera having a display, comprising:

sensing motion of the camera;

interpreting sensed motion of the camera as a user interface input; and

presenting on the display images superimposed on a scene viewed though the camera in accordance with the interpreted user interface input, wherein the presenting comprises simultaneously presenting a virtual image and an image of a scene viewed through the camera, wherein the virtual image includes a sheet of thumbnail images superimposed on a view through the camera.

24. A process for a camera having a display, comprising:

sensing motion corresponding to motion of the display;

interpreting the sensed motion as a user interface input; and

presenting images on the display in accordance with the interpreted user interface input, wherein presenting comprises presenting different portions of a virtual panorama in the display in accordance with the interpreted user interface input, wherein the virtual panorama is composed of multiple images captured by the camera.

25. A process for a camera having a display, comprising:

sensing motion corresponding to motion of the display;

interpreting the sensed motion as a user interface input;

presenting images on the display in accordance with the interpreted user interface input, including superimposing a pointer on an external scene viewed through the display; and

selecting boundaries of a portion of the external scene based on the interpreted user interface input and locations of the pointer superimposed on views of the external scene.

26. The process of claim 25, wherein the selecting comprises selecting each of the boundaries at a different respective view of the external scene.

27. The process of claim 26, further comprising storing the designated region boundaries in the camera.

28. The process of claim 26, further comprising modifying a captured image in response to the interpreted user interface input.

29. The process of claim 28, wherein the modifying comprises cropping the captured image.

30. A process for a camera having a display, comprising:

sensing motion of the camera;

interpreting sensed motion of the camera as a user interface input;

presenting images on the display in accordance with the interpreted user interface input; and

modifying a captured image in response to the interpreted user interface input, wherein modifying comprises changing color parameters associated with the captured image.

31. A process for a camera having a display, comprising:

sensing motion of the camera, wherein the sensing step comprises tracking motion of the camera;

interpreting sensed motion of the camera as a user interface input;

presenting on the display images superimposed on a scene viewed though the camera in accordance with the interpreted user interface input;

wherein the camera additionally has a second display, and further comprising presenting in the first and second displays a stereoscopic pair of images captured by the camera based on the tracked motion of the camera.