Patent Publication Number: US-2007097089-A1

Title: Imaging device control using touch pad

Description:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, of Amy E. Battles (attorney docket no. 200506143-1), filed on the same day as this application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, of Amy E. Battles (attorney docket no. 200506124-1), filed on the same day as this application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, of Amy E. Battles, Daniel J. Byrne, Shanshan Li and Norman C. Pyle (attorney docket no. 200506156-1) filed on the same day as this application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, of Amy E. Battles, Shanshan Li and Norman C. Pyle (attorney docket no. 200506158-1) filed on the same day as this application and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, of Mark J. Bianchi, Norman C. Pyle, Amy E. Battles, Shanshan Li and Daniel J. Byrne, (attorney docket no. 200506123-1) filed on the same day as this application, are all hereby incorporated by reference for all that is disclosed therein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND  
      Electronic imaging devices such as digital cameras are used in a wide range of applications and are steadily becoming less expensive and simpler to use. Electronic images may be stored indefinitely without the image degradation suffered by film-based images. Electronic imaging devices generate images that can be viewed immediately and used in a variety of ways such as printing, posting to a web page on the World Wide Web, transmitting to others by electronic mail or other means, etc. They can also rapidly capture large numbers of images that can be previewed and stored or deleted as desired.  
      Electronic imaging devices typically include many settings that can be manually adjusted, such as focus and exposure settings. However, the interfaces enabling a user to adjust these settings can be complex, expensive and difficult to use. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Illustrative embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings as described below.  
       FIG. 1  is an isometric front view illustration of an exemplary electronic imaging device.  
       FIG. 2  is an isometric rear view illustration of the exemplary electronic imaging device of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an electronic imaging device.  
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart of an exemplary operation for controlling an electronic imaging device using a touch pad with tap points.  
       FIGS. 5A-5D  are rear elevation views of an exemplary electronic imaging device having various exemplary touch pad configurations. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION  
      The drawing and description, in general, disclose an electronic imaging device having a scrolling touch pad by which settings may be adjusted. In one exemplary embodiment, an electronic imaging device such as a digital camera or video camera may be used to capture and review or play back images under the control of the touch pad and other user inputs, if any. The term “electronic imaging device” is used herein to refer to an electronic device that can capture images. The scrolling touch pad may have any shape, such as circular for a rotary touch pad or elongated and rectangular for a linear touch pad. As the user strokes the touch pad, an associated setting in the electronic imaging device scrolls through its range of states. For example, if the touch pad is configured to adjust manual focus, when a finger or stylus is moved across the touch pad, the manual focus will be adjusted from a closeup to an infinite focus state or vice versa, depending on the direction of the stroke. The length of the stroke on the touch pad controls the range of states through which the setting is adjusted. A short stroke will change the setting only slightly, while a longer stroke can be used to move through the entire available range for the setting. The touch pad control may be tuned or calibrated so that each stroke steps through an appropriate number of setting states so that users can reach a desired setting state with precision without having to perform excessively long or numerous strokes on the touch pad to scroll through the range of states.  
      The scrolling touch pad may be used to control a variety of settings on the electronic imaging device by selecting the feature controlled by the touch pad. In this embodiment, a mechanism is provided for toggling or changing the feature, such as an arrow key adjacent the touch pad. A list of settings that may be adjusted by the touch pad in any given mode or state may be displayed on a display panel, enabling the user to move through the list in menu fashion to select the desired setting and to view the current state of the setting as the touch pad is used to scroll through the range of states. The touch pad and other controls such as arrow keys may be dedicated for use in adjusting a particular setting or group of settings, or may also be used for other tasks in the user interface for the electronic imaging device.  
      Before continuing to describe the scrolling touch pad in more detail, an exemplary digital camera  10  ( FIGS. 1-3 ) which may employ a scrolling touch pad will be described. However, it is important to note that the scrolling touch pad is not limited to any particular type of electronic imaging device, and the digital camera  10  discussed herein is purely exemplary. The digital camera  10  includes a lens assembly  12 , display panel  16 , touch pad  20 , and flash  22 . The digital camera also includes an image sensor  30 , an image processing system  32  to process and format the image data, and a storage device  34  to store the image data collected by the image sensor  30 . A user interface is implemented in the digital camera  10  by a control system  36 , including accepting user input via the scrolling touch pad  20  and other inputs such as a shutter control button  40 , and controlling the settings and functions of the digital camera  10 . A mode dial  42  may be included to control various functions of the digital camera  10 , such as power on/off and mode select including playback or image capture. Alternatively, these types of functions may be controlled in any suitable manner, such as with other switches or buttons or using a menu system. The digital camera  10  may also include a power source such as a battery. Each of the foregoing exemplary systems and devices will now be described.  
      Image light enters the digital camera  10  through the lens assembly  12 . The image sensor  30 , a charge-coupled device (CCD) or other image sensor, detects the image light focused thereon by the lens assembly  12 . A typical CCD comprises an array of individual cells or pixels, each of which collects or builds-up an electrical charge in response to exposure to light. Because the quantity of the accumulated electrical charge in any given cell or pixel is related to the intensity and duration of the light exposure, a CCD may be used to detect light and dark spots in an image focused thereon.  
      The term image light as used herein refers to the light, visible or otherwise, that is focused onto the surface of the image sensor  30  by the lens assembly  12 . The image light may be converted into digital image data in essentially three steps. First, each pixel in the CCD detector converts the light it receives into an electric charge. Second, the charges from the pixels are converted into analog voltages by an analog amplifier. Finally, the analog voltages are digitized by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, generating numeric representations of the amplitudes of the analog voltages. The digital image data then may be processed and/or stored as desired.  
      The image processing system  32  processes and formats the image data, either before or after storage in the storage device  34 . The image processing system  32  comprises a microprocessor and associated memory. Alternatively, the image processing system  32  may comprise a hard-coded device such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or some combination of these devices. The storage device  34  stores the image data collected by the image sensor  30 . The storage device  34  comprises a removable rewriteable non-volatile memory such as a flash media card, or may comprise a random access memory (RAM), or a magnetic, optical, or other solid state storage medium.  
      The display panel  16  comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) or any other suitable display device and is used to display a live view of the subject in capture mode, or to display thumbnails or stored images in playback mode, as well as menus, status information, etc.  
      The control system  36  may comprise a microprocessor and associated firmware or software to provide a user interface and to control the digital camera  10 . The control system  36  and image processing system  32  may share a single microprocessor, or may each have a dedicated microprocessor. Alternatively, the control system  36  may comprise a hard-coded device such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or some combination of these devices.  
      The digital camera  10  may also include other components, such as an audio system. However, because digital cameras are well-known in the art and could be provided by persons having ordinary skill in the art after having become familiar with the teachings of the present disclosure, the digital camera  10  utilized in one embodiment, as well as the various ancillary systems and devices (e.g., battery systems and storage devices) that may be utilized in one embodiment will not be described in further detail herein.  
      During operation of the digital camera  10 , the digital camera  10  is turned on and placed in image capture mode using one or more control inputs such as the mode dial  42 . The digital camera  10  is oriented with the lens assembly  12  directed at a subject. A live view of the subject may be monitored on the display panel  16 . The lens assembly  12  is focused on the subject, either automatically or manually using the scrolling touch pad, and zoomed to the desired focal length using the scrolling touch pad. When the digital camera  10  is properly oriented and focused, the shutter control button  40  is pressed. The flash  22  illuminates the subject, if needed. The image sensor  30  converts the image light directed thereon by the lens assembly  12  into electrical image data. The image processing system  32  processes the image data, displays the captured image on the display panel  16  and stores the image data in one or more files on the storage device  34 . The digital camera  10  may also be placed in playback mode using one or more control inputs such as the mode dial  42 . The touch pad  20  may be used to scroll through images stored on the storage device  34 , either one by one in single image full screen view on the display panel  16  or by navigating or scrolling through an array of thumbnail images displayed on the display panel  16 . Images in full screen view may be magnified or zoomed and panned to select the magnified image portion to display.  
      The scrolling touch pad  20  may be used to control these various features, such as manual focus, zoom, aperture and shutter speed in capture mode, or image selection, magnification and panning in playback mode. The feature being controlled by the touch pad  20  may be selected using a control input such as arrow keys, either independent or integrated in the touch pad. The available settings that may be adjusted by the touch pad  20  may vary based on the current state of the electronic imaging device, such as the mode (capture or playback) or the display state (full screen view versus thumbnail array, zoomed or full image, etc.). An exemplary operation for controlling an electronic imaging device using a touch pad  20  is summarized in the flow chart of  FIG. 4 . When a sweeping motion across the touch pad is detected  50 , a setting on the electronic imaging device is scrolled or adjusted  52  in response.  
      Referring to  FIG. 5A , an exemplary embodiment of a multifunction rotary touch pad  20  with integrated arrow keys and its use in controlling an electronic imaging device will now be described in more detail. In this exemplary embodiment, the control of both capture mode settings and playback mode settings is integrated into the rotary touch pad  20 . The touch pad  20  has a surface that may comprise any device sensitive to touch that is now known or that may be developed in the future. For example, the touch pad  20  may be sensitive to pressure against its surface, or may detect the proximity of an object in any manner. Furthermore, the touch pad  20  may be adapted to detect a proximate object without physical contact between the object and the touch pad  20  if desired. The touch pad  20  may be activated by any suitable object, such as a user&#39;s finger, a stylus, etc. The touch pad  20  may comprise a single touch sensitive surface in any desired shape or configuration, or may comprise a plurality of active elements that act in combination to form the touch sensitive surface for the touch pad  20 . The touch pad  20  may have one or more outputs connected to the control system  36  enabling it to detect and identify various types of activation events, such as a sweeping movement of an object over or adjacent the touch pad  20 , or a tapping or approach by an object substantially in a single region of the touch pad  20  without significant lateral movement across the touch pad  20 .  
      The exemplary touch pad  20  illustrated in  FIG. 5  is a rotary touch pad having an annular region  60  surrounding a circular center button region  62 . The annular region  60  and circular center button region  62  may be formed as a single integral touch sensitive surface, or may be formed by two or more separate contiguous elements. An annular inactive region may also be provided around the circular center button region  62  to provide isolation between the annular region  60  and the circular center button region  62  if desired. The touch sensitive surface of the touch pad  20  may be formed in the circular or annular shape, or may have a rectangular or other shape with a circular window or template over the touch sensitive surface to define the outer perimeter of the annular shape.  
      Settings may be adjusted in the electronic imaging device by stroking the touch pad  20  in a sweeping motion, dragging a finger or thumb or other object along or adjacent the touch sensitive surface of the touch pad  20 . The direction and path of the sweeping motion are dependent upon the configuration of the touch pad  20  and the desired setting change. For example, with a rotary touch pad  20  such as that illustrated in  FIG. 5A , the sweeping motion would be a circular motion around the annular region  60 . To make a slight adjustment to a setting, the sweeping motion could be a short arc along the annular region  60 . To make a larger adjustment to the setting, the sweeping motion could continue around and around the annular region  60  as needed to reach the desired state. As the sweeping motion continues, the setting scrolls through its range of available states until a boundary state value is reached, such as the largest focal length available for the lens on the electronic imaging device. The touch pad  20  may be tuned or calibrated so that each stroke steps through an appropriate number of setting states so that users can reach a desired setting state with precision without having to perform excessively long or numerous strokes on the touch pad to scroll through the range of states. The length of a stroke on a rotary touch pad would be measured in non-linear fashion following the curvilinear path of the stroke.  
      The exemplary touch pad  20  includes integrated arrow keys (e.g.,  64  and  66 ) that may be tapped to select a different feature to be scrolled or adjusted by the touch pad  20 . A list  70  of settings that may be adjusted by the touch pad  20  based on the current state of the electronic imaging device may be displayed on a display panel  16 . For example, in an image capture mode, the list  70  may contain exposure compensation  72 , aperture  74  and manual focus  76  settings. The setting currently associated with the touch pad  20  may be highlighted  80 , and as up or down arrow keys  66  and  64  are pressed, other settings are selected and the highlight moves in the list  70 . The current state of each setting may also be displayed (e.g.,  82  and  84 ) and updated as the touch pad  20  is used to scroll through the range of available states. For example, an indicator bar  86  in a status bar  84  may be moved from left to right to indicate the manual focus setting as it is focused out to a more distant subject. The arrow keys (e.g.,  64  and  66 ) and circular center button region  62  may also be used to navigate through menus in the user interface and to select menu items or confirm commands.  
      The exemplary touch pad  20  also includes two tap points  90  and  92  that may be tapped to change the feature that is controlled by the touch pad  20 . Any desired number of tap points may be included on the touch pad  20  to enable the user to select different features or modes for the touch pad  20 . For example, a menu tap point may also be provided to call up a menu on the display panel  16 . The tap points (e.g.,  90  and  92 ) may located in any desired region of the touch pad  20 . For example, the two exemplary tap points  90  and  92  are located in the lower right and upper right regions of the touch pad  20 , placing them closest to a right side  94  of the electronic imaging device for convenient access to a users thumb. Note that the arrow keys (e.g.,  64  and  66 ) and tap points  64  and  66  also form part of the scrolling touch pad  20 , so that sweeping movements may be detected as they pass over the tap points  90  and  92 . Contact on the tap points  90  and  92  only alters the function of the touch pad  20  when they are tapped without significant lateral motion. The tap points  90  and  92  may be sized and shaped as desired. As the tap points are used to select a different setting to be adjusted, the settings list  70  on the display panel  16  may also be updated to indicate the currently selected setting.  
      Icon or graphics may be printed or displayed on the touch pad  20  as desired to clarify the use of the touch pad  20 . For example, arrows may be printed in the regions of the arrow keys (e.g.,  64  and  66 ), tap point icons such as an array or a magnifying glass may be provided in the regions of the tap points (e.g.,  90  and  92 ), etc. The icons or graphics may be printed on or around the touch pad  20 , or may be actively displayed using a touch sensitive display panel or backlighting using LEDs to illuminate icons formed of a translucent material in the touch pad. If the icons are actively displayed, they may change based on the state of the electronic imaging device if desired. Other graphics may be included on or near the touch pad  20 . For example, an arcuate arrow icon  96  may be provided adjacent the touch pad  20  indicating the rotary nature of the touch pad  20 , informing the user that a circular sweeping motion around the annular region  60  may be used to control features of the electronic imaging device, such as zooming in and out. Telephoto  100  and wide angle  102  icons may be provided at opposite ends of the arcuate arrow icon  96  indicating the directions to use for circular sweeping motions around the annular region  60  for a desired result. An inactive region  104  may also be provided on the back of the electronic imaging device, such as above the touch pad  20 , so that the user can rest a thumb in the inactive region  104  to support the electronic imaging device without inadvertently manipulating the user interface.  
      Exemplary features of an electronic imaging device that may be controlled by a touch pad (e.g.,  20 ) include the following: 
          Zoom     Focus Distance     Aperture     Shutter Speed     Exposure Compensation     Flash Setting     White Balance     Iso Speed     Contrast Setting     Saturation     Sharpness     Exposure Metering Region     Focus Zone     Shooting Mode     Scrolling Through Full Screen Images     Magnification of Image     Panning of Magnified Image     Scrolling Through Thumbnails of Images     Stepping Through Frames of a Video Clip     Rotating an Image     Adjusting the Size of a Border Applied to an Image     Adjusting the Color of a Tint Applied to an Image     Adjusting Any Variable of Artistic Effect Applied to an Image     Scrolling Through Menu Options     Adjusting Crop Box for Cropping an Image        

      The exemplary operation of the rotary touch pad  20  for controlling an electronic imaging device will now be discussed. However, it is important to note that the functionality of the touch pad  20  may be adapted as desired based on the user interface of the electronic imaging device, and the operation described herein is purely exemplary. As indicated above, the features or settings that may be adjusted by the touch pad  20  may vary depending on the state of the electronic imaging device. When the electronic imaging device is in a capture or live view mode, the touch pad  20  may default to controlling the zoom or focal length of the lens when the user rotates a finger around the annular region  60 , for example using a counterclockwise motion to zoom in and a clockwise motion to zoom out. In this mode, a live view of the subject may be displayed on the display panel  16 , and an indicating of the focal length may be added to the list  70  on the display panel  16  and highlighted. Alternatively, the live view of the subject on the display panel  16  may be used to determine when the desired focal length is reached without adding it to the list  70 . In this embodiment, none of the settings in the list  70  would be highlighted when the touch pad  20  is used to control zoom. The arrow keys  64  and  66  or tap points  90  and  92  may be used to select a different setting to adjust, and the touch pad  20  may be used to configure all the settings to the desired states before capturing an image.  
      When the electronic imaging device is in a playback mode, the touch pad  20  may be used to scroll through stored images for display or deletion, or to zoom in and out on a stored image displayed on the display panel  16 . In playback mode, the touch pad  20  may default to an image select mode in which the user rotates a finger around the annular region  60  to scroll through stored images, either one by one in a full screen view or by navigating in an array of thumbnails displayed on the display panel  16 . The arrow keys  64  and  66  or tap points  90  and  92  may be used to select various settings or functions to control with the touch pad  20 , such as selecting an image, zooming and panning the image, or editing the image, such as cropping, rotating, or adjusting the color. The list  70  may be updated with the settings that are available for control by the touch pad  20 , such as the types of image editing operations that can be controlled by the touch pad  20 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5B , another exemplary embodiment includes two scrolling touch pads, a rotary touch pad  110  and a linear touch pad  112 . In this embodiment, features or settings may be allocated as desired to the two touch pads  110  and  112 . For example, one can be used for capture mode settings and the other for playback mode settings, or the linear touch pad  112  may be used for zooming in capture mode and magnifying images in playback mode while the rotary touch pad  110  may be used to adjust all other settings, navigate through menus, edit images, etc. Tap points may be provided either inside or outside of the scroll regions of the touch pads. For example, two tap points  114  and  116  are provided just outside the ends of the scroll region of the linear touch pad  112  to select different features to control. The touch sensitive surface for the scroll region of the linear touch pad  112  and the tap points  114  and  116  may be formed of a single element or multiple elements, as desired.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5C , another exemplary embodiment may comprise an elongated or “dumbbell” shaped linear touch pad  140 . Tap points  142  and  144  and arrow keys  146  and  150  may be provided to select the feature to be controlled by the touch pad  140 . This touch pad  140  and the associated tap points  142  and  144  and arrow keys  146  and  150  operates in substantially the same manner as described above with respect to the rotary touch pad  20 , except that sweeping motions across the touch pad  140  to scroll a feature of the electronic imaging device are substantially linear, moving back and forth across a scroll strip region  152  rather than around the annular region  60  of the rotary touch pad  20 . The exemplary thumbnail array tap point  142  is provided at the left side  154  of the touch pad  140  and a magnifying glass tap point  144  is provided at the right side  156  of the touch pad  140 . The tap points  142  and  144  may have any size and shape desired, such as a square, round, or the illustrated rectangular shape that is large enough to contain icons suggesting the feature associated with the tap point, thereby forming a “dumbbell” shaped touch pad  140  with the tap points  142  and  14  at the left and right sides  154  and  156  surrounding a central elongated linear scroll strip region  152 . The arrow keys  146  and  150  and an “OK” button  160  may be used to toggle the functionality of the touch pad  140  or to perform other functions such as navigating through a menu or thumbnail array, selecting a menu item or image or confirming an operation.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5D , another exemplary embodiment includes two linear scrolling touch pads  180  and  182 , along with arrow keys  184  and  186 , an “OK” button  190 , and tap points  192  and  194 . In this embodiment, features or settings may be allocated as desired to the two touch pads  180  and  182 . For example, one can be used for capture mode settings and the other for playback mode settings, or one  180  may be used for zooming in capture mode and magnifying images in playback mode while the other  182  may be used to adjust all other settings, navigate through menus, edit images, etc.  
      A scrolling touch pad greatly simplifies and optimizes the user interface of an electronic imaging device, allowing the user to quickly and easily scroll through settings.  
      While illustrative embodiments have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the concepts disclosed herein may be otherwise variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations, except as limited by the prior art.