Abstract:
A burn-in board for burn-in and electrical testing of a plurality of integrated circuit devices that is disposed in one or more processing trays may include a substrate having an interface surface and a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the interface surface for establishing, through engagement with the one or more processing trays, electrical communication between the leads of the integrated circuit devices and a tester. One or more ports may be defined in the substrate so as to extend between the interface surface and another surface of the substrate wherein the port or ports are sized and configured to enable application of a negative pressure between the substrate and the one or more processing trays upon engagement of the substrate therewith and upon application of a vacuum through the one or more ports.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to image capture devices, and more specifically to an image capture device having an alignment indicia indicative of a subject&#39;s position relative to the boundaries of an image. 
         [0003]    2. Background Art 
         [0004]    Telecommunications technology is continually advancing. While once a caller had to talk to an operator at a central exchange just to place a call, today millions of people take mobile telephones everywhere they go. People use these devices to send and receive voice and data instantly around the globe. 
         [0005]    One of the newest telecommunication technologies available today is that of the video teleconference call. In a video teleconference call, a video image of the caller is transmitted along with the caller&#39;s voice. Other participants of the call are then able to see, as well as hear, the speaking party. 
         [0006]    One problem with video conference calls is that video teleconference devices generally only have a single display. Thus, when party A calls party B, B&#39;s image is displayed on A&#39;s video teleconference device. Consequently, A is unable to determine whether he is aligned with his camera. 
         [0007]    Turning now to  FIG. 1 , illustrated therein is a prior art teleconference system  100 . Party A  101  is engaging party B  102  in a video teleconference call. Party A  101  uses a video teleconference device  103  having a camera  105  and a display  107 , in addition to conventional audio communication devices. Similarly, party B  102  uses a teleconference device  104  having a camera  106  and a display  108 . Each camera  105 , 106  takes an image within its field of view  109 , 110 . The picture taken by each camera  105 , 106  is then transmitted through a telecommunication network  112  to the other teleconference device. 
         [0008]    By way of example, camera  106  takes an image of party B  102 . This image  113  is then displayed on party A&#39;s display  107 . Since each party is seeing an image of the other, neither can determine if they are centered with respect to their camera. For instance, the field of view  109  of party A&#39;s camera  105  is not aligned with party A  101 . Consequently, the image  114  party B sees is partially party A, and partially background  111 . The only way for party A  101  to determine whether he is aligned is to ask, “Can you see me?” Party B  102  must then respond with directives until party A  101  can be seen on party B&#39;s display  108 . This process is time consuming and cumbersome. 
         [0009]    One solution to this problem is to provide two screens on each teleconference device. A first screen would show the incoming image, while the second screen would show a local image. The problem with this solution, however, is that it requires a doubling of many device components. This doubling not only makes the teleconference device large and bulky, but also increases the overall cost of the device considerably. 
         [0010]    An alternate solution is to overlay the local image on a portion of the single display, competing for area with the incoming image. The problem with this solution is that it requires an increase in the display area of the device, which also increases the size and overall cost of the device considerably. 
         [0011]    There is thus a need for an improved image capture alignment device and method. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a prior art teleconference system. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of an image capture device in accordance with the invention. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate one embodiment of an alignment indicia on an image capture device indicating subject alignment in accordance with the invention. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  7  illustrate various embodiments of alignment indicia in accordance with the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary teleconference employing image capture devices in accordance with the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  illustrates one embodiment of a method for determining subject alignment with an image capture device in accordance with the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  illustrates one embodiment of a sub-method for determining subject alignment with an image capture device in accordance with the invention. 
       
    
    
       [0019]    Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    Before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to presenting indicia of subject alignment on an image capture device. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. 
         [0021]    It will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention described herein may be comprised of one or more conventional processors and unique stored program instructions that control the one or more processors to implement, in conjunction with certain non-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of presenting alignment indicia on an image capture device as described herein. The non-processor circuits may include, but are not limited to, a radio receiver, a radio transmitter, signal drivers, clock circuits, power source circuits, and user input devices. As such, these functions may be interpreted as steps of a method to perform the presentation of alignment indicia. Alternatively, all functions could be implemented by a state machine that has no stored program instructions, or in one or more application specific integrated circuits, in which each function or some combinations of certain of the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, a combination of the two approaches could be used. Thus, methods and means for these functions have been described herein. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and circuits with minimal experimentation. 
         [0022]    Embodiments of the invention are now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims, the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise: the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.” In this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Also, reference designators shown herein in parenthesis indicate components shown in a figure other than the one in discussion. For example, talking about a device ( 10 ) while discussing figure A would refer to an element,  10 , shown in figure other than figure A. 
         [0023]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , illustrated therein is one embodiment of an image capture apparatus  200  in accordance with the invention. For the purposes of discussion, the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 2  is that of a telecommunication device, as one application for the present invention is teleconference calling. However, it will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that the invention is not so limited. Other devices, including portable and desktop computers, landline telephones, gaming devices, and the like may also employ alignment indicia in accordance with the invention. 
         [0024]    The image capture apparatus  200  includes an image capture device  201 . The image capture device  201  may be any of a variety of electronic image capture devices, including digital cameras, charge-coupled device image sensors, and CMOS image sensors. The image capture device  201  has associated therewith a field of view, within which objects will appear in captured images. Objects outside the field of view will not appear in captured images. 
         [0025]    A control circuit  202  is coupled to the image capture device  201 . The control circuit  202 , which may be a microprocessor or embedded controller, may serve as a control device for both the image capture device  201  and the overall image capture apparatus  200 . The control circuit  202  may also include associated memory  203  for storing data and an executable instruction set. 
         [0026]    A display  204  is provided for presenting images to a user. Where the image capture apparatus  200  is a two-way communication device like a mobile telephone, the display  204  may be used for presenting either locally captured images or those received through the transceiver  205  from remote sources. In one embodiment, the control circuit  202  is configured to present the various images on the display  204 . 
         [0027]    The image capture apparatus  200  includes various modules for its operation and function execution. These modules, which may comprise control circuit instructions stored in memory  203  as embedded firmware code, are responsible for the various applications operating within the image capture apparatus  200 . 
         [0028]    In one embodiment of the invention, the image capture apparatus  200  includes an alignment detection module  206 . The alignment detection module  206 , which is operable with the processor, is configured to determine the relative alignment of a subject with respect to the image capture device  201 . While the determination of alignment will be described in more detail below, the alignment detection module  206  examines one or more captured images from the image capture device  201  to determine whether a subject object of interest is within the boundaries of the captured image. Said differently, the alignment detection module  206  determines whether the subject is within the field of view when an image is captured. 
         [0029]    In one embodiment of the invention, a facial recognition module  207  is used to determine subject alignment with the image capture device  201 . The facial recognition module  207  is configured to determine the relative alignment of the subject with the image capture device  201  by identifying at least one facial feature. By way of example, the facial recognition module  207  may identify a facial feature such as the nose, eyes, or mouth. Once identified, the alignment detection module  206  may determine if this facial feature is sufficiently within the boundaries of the image, i.e. whether the facial feature is sufficiently within the field of view of the image capture device  201 . 
         [0030]    Once the alignment detection module  206  determines whether the facial feature, or the subject itself, is within the boundary of the image captured by the image capture device  201 , the control circuit  202  presents indicia  208  on the display  204  indicating the relative alignment of a subject with respect to the image capture device  201 . In one embodiment, which will be described in more detail below, the indicia  208  comprises an image boundary indicator  209  and a subject indicator  210 . As the subject moves relative to the image capture device&#39;s field of view, the subject indicator  210  moves relative to the image boundary indicator  209 , thereby providing the user with a small, quick, accurate indication of his position relative to the image capture device  201 . In one embodiment, the indicia  208 , which may resemble a bubble gauge, is substantially transparent and is capable of being superimposed atop an image  211  on the display  204 . 
         [0031]    Facial recognition systems, which are well known in the art, operate by identifying a person or feature from a digital image through comparison of selected facial features between the image and features stored in memory. While highly reliable, there may be instances, due to lighting or other external conditions, where the facial recognition module  207  fails to properly identify or converge on a particular feature. As such, in one embodiment, the image capture apparatus  200  also includes an alternate detection module  212 . The alternate detection module  212 , which may work on differences between consecutive images, differences in color or tint in a single image, or another detection system, may be employed where a facial recognition system fails to determine the relative alignment of the subject with the image capture device  201 . 
         [0032]    Turning now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , illustrated therein is the image alignment in action. In  FIG. 3 , the subject  301  has a subject object of interest  303 , i.e. the subject&#39;s head, within the field of view  302  of the image capture device  201 . Consequently, the subject object of interest  303  falls within the boundary of an image captured by the image capture device  201 . As such, on the indicia  208  presented on the display, the subject indicator  210  is within the boundary indicator  209 . 
         [0033]    In  FIG. 4 , the subject object of interest  303  is only partially within the field of view  302  of the image capture device  201 . Thus, the subject object of interest  303  will not entirely be within an image captured by the image capture device  201 . To indicate this, the subject indicator  210  is moved partially outside the boundary indicator  209 , thereby alerting the subject  301  that he must move either the subject object of interest  303  or the image capture device  201  for proper alignment. 
         [0034]    Turning now to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  7 , illustrated therein are various embodiments of indicia for alignment in accordance with the invention. In  FIG. 5 , an indicia  208  as described above includes a subject indicator  210  and a boundary indicator  209 . Shown here as a circle within concentric circles, the subject indicator  210  and boundary indicator  209  comprise a visual representation of a bubble gauge, where the subject indicator  210  operates as a bubble, and the boundary indicator  209  operates as a gauge. To provide further indication of alignment, the subject indicator  210  may further change color as the subject, or subject object of interest, moves relative to the image capture device ( 201 ). For instance, when centered, the subject indicator  210  may be a first color, transitioning to a second color when not centered. 
         [0035]    In  FIG. 6 , the indicia  608  has a boundary indicator  609  comprising a vertical gauge and a horizontal gauge. As the subject moves relative to the image capture device ( 201 ), subject indicators  610  move relative to the boundary indicators  609 . 
         [0036]    In  FIG. 7 , the indicia  708  is color-coded. Shown in exemplary form as a traffic light, a green light  701  indicates subject/image capture device alignment; a yellow light  702  indicates partial subject/image capture device alignment; and a red light  703  indicates subject/image capture device misalignment. Thus, the indicia  708  changes color as the subject moves relative to the image capture device. 
         [0037]    Turning now to  FIG. 8 , illustrated therein are two parties  801 , 802  utilizing image capture apparatuses  803 , 804  in accordance with one embodiment of the invention for a video teleconference. The image capture apparatuses  803 , 804  shown in  FIG. 8  are mobile telephones, having digital cameras as image capture devices. 
         [0038]    Subject  801  has his head  807  aligned with image capture device  805 &#39;s field of view  804 , as indicated by the subject indicator  813  being centered within the boundary indicator  815  of apparatus  803 . Similarly, subject  802  has his head  808  aligned within the field of view  810  of image capture device  806 , as indicated by the subject indicator  814  being centered within the boundary indicator  816  of apparatus  804 . As such, each image  811 , 812  appears on the other apparatus  804 , 803 . 
         [0039]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , each indicia  805 , 806  is a visual overlay disposed atop images  811 , 812  receive from a remote host  803 , 804 . Each visual overlay is semi-transparent, and is superimposed over the received image  811 , 812 . Thus, upon presenting images from the remote host on the display modules  817 , 818 , control circuits within the apparatuses  803 , 804  concurrently present the indicia on the display  817 , 818  of the relative alignment of each subject  801 , 802  with respect to his image capture device  805 , 806 . 
         [0040]    Turning now to  FIG. 9 , illustrated therein is one embodiment of a method  900  of alerting a subject of a relative position with respect to an image capture device in accordance with the invention. At step  901 , a local image capture device captures at least one image of a subject. At decision  902 , a detection module determines whether the subject, or a subject object of interest, is disposed within a boundary of the image. Where it is, at step  904 , the detection module presents indicia of the subject or subject object of interest relative to the boundary of the image. This may include moving a subject indicator within a boundary indicator. Alternatively, a color of the indicia may be changed as indicated at  906 . 
         [0041]    Where the subject is not disposed within the boundary of the image, at step  903  the detection module presents indicia indicating such on a display. This may include moving a subject indicator partially or completely outside a boundary indicator. Alternatively, a color of the indicia may be changed, perhaps from a first color indicating alignment to a second color indicating misalignment. 
         [0042]    In one embodiment of the method, the detection module determines whether the subject or subject object of interest is within the boundary of the image by recognizing the subject or subject object of interest by facial recognition. This optional indication mechanism is indicated at step  907 . Where facial recognition is employed, an alternate method of determining may be included as a contingent method where facial recognition is unsuccessful in identifying the subject or subject object of interest. Where this is the case, the detection module may determine whether facial recognition was successful at decision  908 . If unsuccessful, the detection module may actuate the alternative detection system at step  909 . 
         [0043]    As described above, in one embodiment, an image capture apparatus comprises a two-way communication device suitable for use as a video teleconference device. In such an embodiment, the device may receive electronically images from a remote host at step  910 . The device may then present the images from the remote host on the display, and superimpose the indicia of the subject object of interest relative to the boundary of the image atop the image from the remote host at step  911 . The indicia may then be continually updated with subject movement throughout the video teleconference call. 
         [0044]    In recording video, many images are captured per second. For instance, in standard video systems, 60 images per second are captured. Analyzing each of these images to determine subject alignment may be unnecessary, as subject movement is often slow when compared to the image capture rate. Additionally, analyzing 3600 images per minute consumes a good deal of processing power. 
         [0045]    Turning now to  FIG. 10 , a sub-method of the method  900  of  FIG. 9  is illustrated, the sub-method providing a method of determining subject alignment with an image capture device with less processing power. At step  1001 , a plurality of images required for video are captured. At step  1002 , the detection module selects a subset of these images for analysis. For example, the subset may be one image of every three images, one of every ten images, one of every sixty images, and so forth. At step  1003 , the detection module determines whether the subject or subject object of interest is disposed within the boundary of the image by analyzing only the subset of images. Further criteria may be added as well. For example, prior to moving a subject indicator, the detection module may require that the subject is misaligned with the image capture device for at least a predetermined number of images, or for at least a predetermined portion of analyzed images. 
         [0046]    In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Thus, while preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is clear that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present invention.