Patent Publication Number: US-2023139846-A1

Title: Image capturing method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 110140812, filed Nov. 2, 2021, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to an image capturing method. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Shared motor vehicles provide a lot of convenience for the people. The rent-and-return characteristic combined with electric motor vehicles allows users to move more maneuverable and have a longer travel distance than shared bicycles, while also taking into account the environmental protection effect. 
     However, the shared motor vehicles are also often disputed because of the rental and return characteristic. For example, after returning a motor vehicle, the user will receive a ticket due to the movement of the motor vehicle by others. The user will have a poor user experience due to the failure to provide proof of returning the motor vehicle. 
     Accordingly, how to provide an image capturing method to solve the aforementioned problems becomes an important issue to be solved by those in the industry. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aspect of the disclosure is to provide an image capturing method that can efficiently solve the aforementioned problems. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an image capturing method includes: providing an image capturing area on a display screen of a user device; providing an indication area in the image capturing area; marking a license plate after identifying the license plate based on at least one license plate feature in the image capturing area; determining whether the marked license plate is located in the indication area and presented in a predetermined ratio; and capturing an image including the license plate in the image capturing area after the marked license plate is located in the indication area and presented in a predetermined ratio. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least one license plate feature includes English letters and numbers with a predetermined format/number of characters and a predetermined aspect ratio of license plate. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the predetermined ratio is a ratio of the license plate located in the indication area to the image capturing area. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the image capturing method further includes: further providing an operation area on the display screen, in which the operation area and the image capturing area are side by side. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the operation area provides at least one of a shooting virtual button, a flash virtual button, a re-shooting virtual button, and an upload virtual button. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the image capturing method further includes: further providing a guidance information display area in the image capturing area. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the guidance information display area provides a dialog box or a timing indicator. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the image capturing method further includes: when the marked license plate is not located in the indication area and/or is not presented in the predetermined ratio, providing a guide description in a guidance information display area. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the image capturing method further includes: when the marked license plate is located in the indication area and presented in the predetermined ratio, providing a timing indicator in a guidance information display area. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the capturing the image includes: capturing the image at an end of countdown of the timing indicator after the marked license plate is located in the indication area and presented in a predetermined ratio. 
     Accordingly, in the image capturing method of the present disclosure, the indication area provided in the image capturing area can guide the user to obtain an image with a specific composition to ensure that the image is saved with specific information. By guiding the user to display the license plate in the indication area in a predetermined ratio, the safety of the user in the process of capturing images can be improved. By marking the license plate, the user&#39;s recognition of the license plate can be improved, thereby reducing the time for the user to capture images. By limiting that the image is captured only when the marked license plate is present in the indication area in the predetermined ratio for a predetermined period of time, the stability of capturing the image can be increased to make the obtained image clearer. By combining the image capturing method with a vehicle return system, the user can be assisted to save the return record by capturing images, so as to reduce return disputes. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are by examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows: 
         FIG.  1    is a flow chart of an image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram showing one of steps of the image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram showing one of steps of the image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram showing one of steps of the image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic diagram showing one of steps of the image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. However, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing example embodiments, and thus may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only example embodiments set forth herein. Therefore, it should be understood that there is no intent to limit example embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure. 
     Reference is made to  FIG.  1    with reference to  FIGS.  2  to  5    together.  FIG.  1    is a flow chart of an image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIGS.  2  to  5    are schematic diagrams respectively showing different steps of the image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG.  1   , in the present disclosure, the image capturing method mainly includes step S 101  to step S 105 . 
     Step S 101 : providing an image capturing area  111  on a display screen  110  of a user device  100 . 
     Step S 102 : providing an indication area  112  in the image capturing area  111 . 
     Step S 103 : marking a license plate  900  after identifying the license plate  900  based on at least one feature in the image capturing area  111 . 
     Step S 104 : determining whether the marked license plate  900  is located in the indication area  112  and presented in a predetermined ratio. 
     Step S 105 : capturing an image including the license plate  900  in the image capturing area  111  after a result of the determining is yes (i.e., the marked license plate  900  is located in the indication area  112  and presented in a predetermined ratio). 
     In some embodiments, the user device  100  is, for example, a smart phone, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. In some embodiments, the user device  100  further includes a camera module (not shown). The camera module is configured to take pictures of the surroundings of the user device  100 . The display screen  110  is configured to display the scene shot by the camera module in the image capturing area  111 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2  to  5   , in the present embodiment, in the image capturing area  111 , a scene of a vehicle with a license plate  900  is taken as an example. 
     In some embodiments, the at least one feature may be the license plate features including English letters and numbers with a predetermined format/number of characters and a predetermined aspect ratio of license plate, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. For example, the predetermined format may include a font format and/or an arrangement order format of the English letters and numbers of license plates of various types of traffic vehicles that comply with local regulations, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. For example, the predetermined aspect ratio of license plate may be a specific range of aspect ratios of the license plates of the various traffic vehicles that comply with local regulations. 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , in the present embodiment, since the camera module does not shot directly behind the vehicle, the aspect ratio of the license plate  900  displayed in the image capturing area  111  does not meet the predetermined aspect ratio of license plate, and the license plate  900  is not recognized or marked because it does not have the aforementioned at least one feature. 
     In some embodiments, the image capturing method further includes step S 106   a.    
     Step S 106   a : further providing a guidance information display area  114  in the image capturing area  111 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , in the present embodiment, the guidance information display area  114  is indicated by a dotted line. The guidance information display area  114  provides a dialog box. When step S 103  is performed according to the image capturing method of the present disclosure but the license plate  900  is not recognized in the image capturing area  111 , the guidance information display area  114  may provide the dialog box  114   a  and display a guide description in the dialog box  114   a.  For example, the dialog box  114   a  may display the guide description “Please face the license plate and make sure that the license plate is in the area below!”, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. The foregoing guide description may indicate the user to move the user device  100  so that the camera module can shoot from the rear of the vehicle, so that the license plate  900  can be recognized in the image capturing area  111 . 
     In some embodiments, the image capturing method further includes step S 106   b.    
     Step S 106   b : when the marked license plate  900  is not located in the indication area  112  and/or is not presented in the predetermined ratio, providing a guide description in the guidance information display area  114 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   , in the present embodiment, when step S 104  is performed according to the image capturing method of the present disclosure but it is found that the marked license plate  900  (of a rental vehicle) is not located in the indication area  112 , the guidance information display area  114  may provide the dialog box  114   a  and display a guide description in the dialog box  114   a.  For example, the dialog box  114   a  may display the guide description “Please make sure the license plate is in the area below!”, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. The aforementioned guide description may indicate the user to move the user device  100  to adjust the viewing angle of the camera module, so that the marked license plate  900  can be located in the indication area  112 . 
     In some embodiments, when step S 104  is performed according to the image capturing method of the present disclosure but it is found that the marked license plate  900  is not presented in the predetermined ratio, the guidance information display area  114  may provide the dialog box  114   a  and display a guide description in the dialog box  114   a.  For example, the dialog box  114   a  may display the guide description “Please come closer!”, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. The aforementioned guide description may indicate the user to move the user device  100  to adjust the distance between the camera module and the license plate  900 , so that the marked license plate  900  is displayed in the indication area  112  in the predetermined ratio. In this way, the personal safety problem caused by the user being too close to the lane can be avoided. 
     In some embodiments, the predetermined ratio is a ratio of the license plate  900  located in the indication area  112  to the image capturing area  111  (for example, a width ratio or an area ratio), but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. For example, the width ratio of the license plate  900  to the image capturing area  111  is between ¼ and ¾, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. 
     In some embodiments, the image capturing method further includes step S 103   a.    
     Step S 103   a : providing a marking area  115  in the image capturing area  111   111  to mark the license plate  900 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2  to  4   , in the present embodiment, the indication area  112  may be marked by a frame formed by a solid line, and the marking area  115  may be marked by a frame formed by a dotted line, so as to improve the clarity of identification when the user operates the user device  100 , but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. In practical applications, the indication area  112  and the marking area  115  may also be marked with different types or colors of frame or color blocks. 
     In some embodiments, the image capturing method further includes step S 106   c.    
     Step S 106   c : when the marked license plate  900  is located in the indication area  112  and presented in the predetermined ratio, providing a timing indicator  114   b  in the guidance information display area  114 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  4   , in the present embodiment, when step S 104  is performed according to the image capturing method of the present disclosure and it is found that the marked license plate  900  is presented in the predetermined ratio, the guidance information display area  114  may provide the timing indicator  114   b.  For example, the timing indicator  114   b  may be presented in the form of numbers, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. For example, the timing indicator  114   b  may count down from 3, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. 
     In some embodiments, step S 105  further includes step S 105   a.    
     Step S 105   a : capturing the image at an end of countdown of the timing indicator  114   b  if the result of the determining is yes (i.e., the marked license plate  900  is located in the indication area  112  and presented in a predetermined ratio). 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , the image presented in the image capturing area  111  is the image captured when the countdown of the timing indicator  114   b  ends. 
     In some embodiments, the image capturing method further includes step S 107 . 
     Step S 107 : further providing an operation area  113  on the display screen  110 , in which the operation area  113  and the image capturing area  111  are side by side. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2  to  5   , the image capturing area  111  and the operation area  113  are arranged side by side on the display screen  110  up and down, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2  to  4   , in the present embodiment, the operation area  113  may provide a shooting virtual button  113   a  and a flash virtual button  113   b , but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. The shooting virtual button  113   a  may provide a function of manually capturing an image for a user who does not need to automatically capture the image based on the image capturing method of the present disclosure. The flash virtual button  113   b  may provide a function for the user to select whether to enable the camera module to turn on the flash when capturing the image. 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , in the present embodiment, after the image is captured based on the image capturing method of the present disclosure, the operation area  113  may provide a re-shooting virtual button  113   c  and an upload virtual button  113   d,  but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. The re-shooting virtual button  113   c  may provide the user with a function of re-shooting an image. The upload virtual button  113   d  may provide the user with a function of uploading the captured image to a cloud storage device of a vehicle return system as a proof of returning the rental vehicle. 
     In some embodiments, when uploading the captured image, the satellite positioning information of the location of the captured image can be sent at the same time to more clearly record the parking position (return position) of the vehicle. The clear location of the vehicle can help the user find the vehicle more quickly the next time it is used, thereby saving the user the time to find the vehicle. 
     In some embodiments, the image capturing method of the present disclosure can be combined with a vehicle return system, so as to assist the user to save the return record by capturing images and thus reduce return disputes. For example, the image capturing method disclosed in the present disclosure can prevent the user from paying additional rental fees or paying a ticket because the vehicle is moved by others after returning the vehicle. 
     According to the foregoing recitations of the embodiments of the disclosure, it can be seen that in the image capturing method of the present disclosure, the indication area provided in the image capturing area can guide the user to obtain an image with a specific composition to ensure that the image is saved with specific information. By guiding the user to display the license plate in the indication area in a predetermined ratio, the safety of the user in the process of capturing images can be improved. By marking the license plate, the user&#39;s recognition of the license plate can be improved, thereby reducing the time for the user to capture images. By limiting that the image is captured only when the marked license plate is present in the indication area in the predetermined ratio for a predetermined period of time, the stability of capturing the image can be increased to make the obtained image clearer. By combining the image capturing method with a vehicle return system, the user can be assisted to save the return record by capturing images, so as to reduce return disputes. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.