WO2003007589A2

WO2003007589A2 - Digital photography

Info

Publication number: WO2003007589A2
Application number: PCT/IB2002/002640
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zarius Andre Kachelhoffer
Original assignee: Zarius Andre Kachelhoffer
Priority date: 2001-07-09
Filing date: 2002-07-05
Publication date: 2003-01-23
Also published as: WO2003007589A3; AU2002311579A1

Abstract

An electronic camera (10) for capturing abject images having an orintation detecting device (20) for detecting the orintation on the camera along with an orination flaging device (22) for denoting a landscaped or portiat orination of the captured image by storing a flag in the image file.

Description

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

This invention relates to digital photography. In particular, it relates to

a digital camera and to a method of processing a series of sets of electronic signals,

each set being representative of an image captured by a digital camera. The invention

extends to processing software for performing the method, to a computer system

which has been programmed with the processing software, and to a computer

readable record medium or a carrier which has the processing software.

The invention provides a digital camera for capturing images and storing

electronic signals representative of the images in digital format, which camera includes

an orientation flagging device for adding an orientation flag signal to the electronic

signals representative of the captured images, the orientation flag signal being

representative of the orientation of the camera when the images were captured.

It should be appreciated that digital cameras take images having a non-

square rectangular format, ie which has a longer and a shorter side. The cameras are

designed so that, in normal use, the longer side is horizontal. This is commonly

referred to as a "landscape" orientation. If a user of the camera wants to take an

image with the longer side vertical, ie with a "portrait" orientation, he holds the camera appropriately. However, all images are stored electronically the same way,

so that when a series of images are downloaded onto a computer, they are all

downloaded in a landscape format and are stored like that. If a person wants to view

an image, it is displayed in landscape format, even if it was taken with portrait

orientation, and the user then has to rotate the image, with appropriate software (if

available) through 90° to display it in its correct portrait orientation. Also, processing

software associated with the stored images usually has a facility to display a number

of images that have been taken in a matrix having a number of rows and columns,

with all the images being arranged in the landscape format irrespective of the

orientation in which the images were taken. Thus, those images that were taken with

a portrait orientation are "on their side", which is inconvenient.

The camera may be arranged to store the electronic signals representative

of captured images in sets of signals, each set of signals being representative of a

single captured image, the orientation flagging device being arranged to add an

appropriate orientation flag signal to each set of signals.

Instead, the camera may be arranged to store the electronic signals

representative of captured images in sets of signals, each set of signals being

representative of a single captured image, the orientation flagging device being

arranged to add orientation flag signals to the sets of signals representative of images

with a particular orientation only. In such a case, an orientation flag signal may be added to images having portrait orientation only.

The digital camera may include an orientation detecting device for

automatically detecting the orientation of the camera, and for providing a suitable

orientation signal to the orientation flagging device, the orientation flagging device

being responsive to the orientation signal automatically to add corresponding

orientation flag signals to the electronic signals representative of the captured images.

The invention extends to a method of processing a series of sets of

electronic signals, each set of electronic signals being representative of an image

captured by a digital camera, which method includes:

determining an orientation of the image represented by each set of signals; and

displaying the images on a visual display, such that the orientation of each

image on the display corresponds to the orientation of the digital camera when that

image was captured.

Determining the orientation of the images may comprise detecting an

orientation flag signal associated with each set of electronic signals, each orientation

flag signal being representative of the orientation of the digital camera when the

associated image was captured.

The method may include rotating those images which are detected as having a portrait orientation through 90°, so that those images are displayed in

portrait orientation.

7o The method may include storing the electronic signals, the orientation of

the images being corrected before the electronic signals are stored, so that the images

are stored in their correct orientation. Instead, the method may include storing the

electronic signals such that all images are stored in landscape orientation, images

which were captured in portrait orientation being rotated upon display thereof.

75

The invention further extends to processing software which includes

computer instructions for causing a computer to perform a method of processing

electronic signals as described above, when the software is executed on the computer.

so The invention further provides a carrier which has processing software

as described above thereon.

The invention also provides a record medium which has stored thereon

processing software as described above.

85

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference

to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows schematically a digital camera in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows schematically a display of a number of images taken by the

9o camera, on a computer display device;

Figure 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method of processing electronic

signals representative of images captured by the camera of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 shows a schematic flow diagram of a further embodiment of a method

of processing electronic signals, in accordance with the invention;

95 Figure 5 shows schematically a computer system for performing the method of

Figure 3; and

Figure 6 shows schematically a computer readable computer diskette having

stored thereon a computer program for causing the computer system of Figure 5 to

perform the method of Figure 3, when the program is executed on the computer.

100

Referring to Figure 1 , a digital camera in accordance with the invention

is designated generally by reference numeral 1 0. As with known digital cameras, the

camera 10 has a display screen 1 2 on which images, or pictures, that have been

captured are displayed, and a memory device 14 in which digital electronic signals

105 representative of the images are stored. The electronic signals are stored in sets of

signals, each set of electronic signals being representative of a single image captured

by the camera 10.

As with known cameras, the images have a non-square rectangular

no format, and the screen 1 2 has a similar format. Thus, the screen 1 2 has a length 1 6 and a width 18. The camera 10 is designed to be used with the length 16 horizontal, ie in a landscape orientation. As is known, the camera 10 can be rotated through 90° so that images can be taken in a portrait orientation. Images that have been taken with portrait orientation are displayed as such on the screen 12, while the camera is 15 held appropriately, but these portrait images are stored in the memory device 14 in the same format as images taken with landscape orientation.

The camera 10 further has an orientation detecting device 20 and an orientation flagging device 22. The detecting device 20 is a switch which is sensitive 20 to the orientation of the camera 10 and has a sensor for sensing the Earth's magnetic field. The switch could also be gyroscopic, of the mercury type or be mechanical. When the switch 20 detects that the camera 10 is being held with a portrait orientation and an image is taken, the flagging device 22 automatically provides an electronic orientation flag signal which is stored with the set of electronic signals 25 representative of that image in the memory device 14.

In use, when it is desired to print the images stored in the memory device 14 or to display the images for viewing, the sets of electronic signals are downloaded onto a computer 32 (Figure 5). The computer 32 has processing software in the form 30 of a computer program (not shown) stored thereon by means of which the images can

be viewed and/or printed. The software is such that it displays a number of the images in a matrix. An example of a graphic display in the form of a viewing window 30 on a display screen 34 of the computer 32 is shown in Figure 2. In the example,

21 images 21 .1 to 21 .21 are shown, in three rows and seven columns. As is seen,

images 21 .1 , 21 .2, 21 .5, 21 .1 0, 21 .1 2, 21 .1 4, 21 .1 5 and 21 .20 have the correct

portrait orientation and the other images 21 .3, 21 .4, 21 .6, 21 .7, 21 .8, 21 .9, 21 .1 1 ,

21 .13, 21 .16, 21 . 1 7, 21 .1 8, 21 .1 9 and 21 .21 have landscape orientation. Thus, the

processing software is such that it detects the presence of the flag signals of those

images that were taken with portrait orientation and displays them accordingly, and

not with landscape orientation as would be the case without the orientation sensing

and flagging provided in accordance with the invention. It is thus easier to see the

individual images than would be the case if they were all displayed with landscape

orientation.

Figure 3 shows a method 40 of processing the sets of electronic signals

captured by the digital camera 10, the method being automatically performed by a

central processing unit (not shown) of the computer 32, when the computer program

is executed thereon, the computer program being stored on the central processing

unit. The method 40 is automatically initiated when the sets of electronic images are

downloaded, at 42, from the memory device 14 of the camera 10. As mentioned

above, all sets of signals are stored in the memory device 14 of the camera 10 such

that the images represented thereby are in landscape orientation. In other

embodiments of the invention, the electronic signals can be stored in the memory

device 14 in the correct orientation. 55 In this example, the orientation flagging device 22 of the camera 10 is arranged to add an orientation flag signal to each set of electronic images. In other

words, a portrait flag signal is added to each set of electronic images representative of an image captured in portrait orientation, and a landscape orientation signal is added

to each set of electronic signals representative of an image captured in landscape

60 orientation. The method includes determining the orientation of each image, by

detecting, at 44, the orientation flag signal of each set of electronic signals. If any set

of signals has a portrait flag signal, the set of electronic signals is processed, at 46,

such that the image represented by that set of signals is rotated through 90° to have a portrait orientation. If a set of signals has a landscape orientation flag signal, that

65 set of signals is not processed to alter the format of the set of signals, but is

forwarded for to a memory (not shown) of the computer 32 for storing, as it already

has the correct orientation. In other embodiments of the invention, the orientation

flagging device 20 of the camera 10 can be arranged to add orientation flag signals

to images in portrait orientation only, so that any set of electronic signals which has

o no orientation flag signal, is detected, at 44, as being in landscape orientation.

Thereafter, the sets of electronic signals are stored, at 48, in the memory

of the computer 32. When the images are to be displayed, the stored sets of electronic signals are processed and displayed, at 50, on the screen 34 of the

75 computer 32, as described above with reference to Figure 2. Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of a method of processing

electronic signals representative of images captured by the camera 10, in accordance

with the invention, this method being generally indicated by reference numeral 60.

80 The method 60 corresponds substantially to the method 40 of Figure 3, with like

reference numerals indicating like method steps in Figures 3 and 4. The main

distinction between the methods are that, in the method 60 of Figure 4, all the sets

of electronic signals are stored, at 48, in their original format, in other words in landscape orientation. Only when the images are to be displayed, at 50, are the sets

85 of signal which represent images with portrait orientation detected, at 44, and rotated,

at 46.

In other embodiments of the invention, processing software similar to the

computer program described above can be installed on the digital camera 1 0, so that

90 the images are displayed on the display screen 1 2 of the camera 10 in their correct

orientation.

In Figure 6 of the drawings, reference numeral 70 generally indicates a

computer readable storage medium, in this case a computer diskette, on which the

95 computer program described above is stored.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . A digital camera for capturing images and storing electronic signals

representative of the images in digital format, which camera includes an orientation

flagging device for adding an orientation flag signal to the electronic signals

representative of the captured images, the orientation flag signal being representative

of the orientation of the camera when the images were captured.

2. A digital camera as claimed in claim 1 , which is arranged to store the

electronic signals representative of captured images in sets of signals, each set of

signals being representative of a single captured image, the orientation flagging device

being arranged to add a suitable orientation flag signal to each set of signals.

3. A digital camera as claimed in claim 1 , which is arranged to store the

being arranged to add orientation flag signals to sets of signals representative of

images with a particular orientation only.

4. A digital camera as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which

includes an orientation detecting device for automatically detecting the orientation of

the camera, and for providing a suitable orientation signal to the orientation flagging device, the orientation flagging device being responsive to the orientation signal

automatically to add corresponding orientation flag signals to the electronic signals

representative of the captured images.

5. A method of processing a series of sets of electronic signals, each set of

electronic signals being representative of an image captured by a digital camera, which

method includes: determining an orientation of the image represented by each set of signals; and

displaying the images on a visual display, such that the orientation of each

image was captured.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, in which determining the orientation of the images comprises detecting an orientation flag signal associated with each set of

electronic signals, each orientation flag signal being representative of the orientation

of the digital camera when the associated image was captured.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, which includes rotating those

images which are detected as having a portrait orientation through 90°, so that those

images are displayed in portrait orientation.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, which includes storing the electronic signals, the orientation of the images being corrected before the electronic signals are stored, so that the images are stored in their correct orientation.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7, which includes storing the electronic

45 signals such that all images are stored in landscape orientation, images which were

captured in portrait orientation being rotated upon display thereof.

1 0. Processing software which includes computer instructions for causing a

computer to perform a method of processing electronic signals as claimed in any one

50 of claims 5 to 9 inclusive, when the software is executed on the computer.

1 1 . A carrier which has processing software as claimed in claim 10 thereon.

1 2. A computer readable record medium which has stored thereon processing

55 software as claimed in claim 10.