Patent Publication Number: US-2007097088-A1

Title: Imaging device scrolling touch pad with tap points

Description:
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, U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, of Amy E. Battles (attorney docket no. 200506125-1) 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.  
      As electronic imaging devices get smaller, it becomes increasingly valuable to combine controls. One method that has been used in the past is to combine the zoom control (wide angle/telephoto) with arrow keys (either left/right or up/down). This works well for the most part, but causes problems in certain areas of the user interface where all four arrows and the zoom must be active at the same time. This occurs, for example, in the magnify view where the four arrows are used to pan around an image, while the zoom controls the level of magnification. It also occurs in thumbnail view where the four arrows are used to navigate around and select different thumbnails, while the zoom out is active to return to full-screen single-image view. 
    
    
     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.  
       FIG. 5  is a rear elevation view of an exemplary electronic imaging device having a rotary touch pad with tap points.  
       FIG. 6  is a rear elevation view of an exemplary electronic imaging device having a linear touch pad with tap points. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION  
      The drawing and description, in general, disclose an imaging device having a scrolling touch pad in which tap points select the function of the scrolling touch pad. This enables the touch pad to control multiple functions on the electronic imaging device, minimizing the amount of hardware required for the user interface and providing a simple, adaptable user interface.  
      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 touch pad may be used to control features of the electronic imaging device such as manual focus, aperture setting, and zoom in capture mode, or scrolling through images and magnifying a displayed image in playback mode. The feature being controlled by the touch pad may be selected by tapping on a tap point on the touch pad. The tap points may comprise predetermined locations on the touch pad having icons displayed thereon to indicate the associated function. The feature selected by each tap point may be static or may vary depending on the state of the electronic imaging device, as will be described in more detail below.  
      Before continuing to describe the touch pad and tap points in more detail, an exemplary digital camera  10  ( FIGS. 1-3 ) which may employ a touch pad with tap points will be described. However, it is important to note that the touch pad with tap points 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 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, and zoomed to the desired focal length. 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 touch pad  20  may be used to control 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 by tapping on tap points on the touch pad  20 . The selected feature for a given tap point 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  with tap points is summarized in the flow chart of  FIG. 4 . When a sweeping motion across the touch pad is detected  50 , a feature of the electronic imaging device is scrolled or adjusted in response. When a tap on a predetermined location or tap point on the touch pad  20  is detected  52 , one of the features of the electronic imaging device is selected to be scrolled by the touch pad  20 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 5 , an exemplary embodiment of a touch pad  20  with tap points and its use in controlling an electronic imaging device will now be described in more detail. 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.  
      The exemplary touch pad  20  includes two tap points  64  and  66  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 . The tap points  64  and  66  may located in any desired region of the touch pad  20 . For example, the two exemplary tap points  64  and  66  are located in the lower right and upper right regions of the touch pad  20 , placing them closest to a right side  70  of the electronic imaging device for convenient access to a users thumb. The two exemplary tap points  64  and  66  may be separated by a scrolling, non-tap, region  72  if desired. Note that the tap points  64  and  66  also form part of the scrolling touch pad, so that sweeping movements may be detected as they pass over the tap points  64  and  66 . Contact on the tap points  64  and  66  only alters the function of the touch pad  20  when they are tapped without significant lateral motion. The tap points  64  and  66  may be sized and shaped as desired. For example, the tap points (e.g.,  64 ) may have a wedge shape  74  on the ring portion of the annular region  60 , or (e.g.,  66 ) a circular shape  76 , or any other desired shape and size.  
      An icon or graphic may be displayed adjacent each tap point if desired, to suggest or indicate the feature associated with each tap point. For example, one exemplary tap point  64  has an array icon  80 , suggesting that the tap point  64  selects a thumbnail array display. Another exemplary tap point  66  has a magnifying glass icon  82 , suggesting that the tap point  66  selects a zoom or magnification feature. The icon or graphic may be printed over the tap location, or may be actively displayed in the region of the tap point 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 to clarify the feature that may be selected by the associated tap point.  
      Other tap points may be included on the touch pad  20  as desired. For example, four tap points (e.g.,  84 ) with arrow icons may be located at the top, bottom, left and right on the annular region  60  to establish directional buttons for navigating through menus or thumbnail arrays in a non-scrolling manner. Other graphics may be included on or near the touch pad  20  to clarify the use of the touch pad  20 . For example, an arcuate arrow icon  86  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  90  and wide angle  92  icons may be provided at opposite ends of the arcuate arrow icon  86  indicating the directions to use for circular sweeping motions around the annular region  60  for a desired result. An inactive region  94  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  94  to support the electronic imaging device without inadvertently manipulating the user interface.  
      The exemplary operation of the rotary touch pad  20  with tap points  64  and  66  for controlling an electronic imaging device will now be discussed. As indicated above, the features selected by the tap points  64  and  66  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 , along with status information such as the current setting for the feature being adjusted by the touch pad  20  (e.g., focal length). One or more tap points may be defined on the touch pad  20  to change the functionality of the touch pad  20  scrolling to scroll through aperture settings, shutter speed or manual focus settings. One tap point may be established for each available feature in a given state, or a tap point may be repeatedly tapped to cycle through different features as desired.  
      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 . If the magnifying glass tap point  66  is tapped, the magnification feature of the electronic imaging device is selected so that sweeping motions around the touch pad  20  zoom in and out of the stored image displayed on the display panel  16 . If arrow touch points (e.g.,  84 ) are established on the touch pad  20 , they may be used to pan around in the displayed image when it is zoomed in and only a portion of the image is visible on the display panel  16 . If the thumbnail array tap point  64  is tapped, the display panel  16  will be returned to full screen view, fully displaying a stored image, and the touch pad  20  is again set to the image select mode so that sweeping motions around the touch pad  20  scroll through stored images one by one. For example, a counterclockwise motion around the annular region  60  may step one by one through increasingly older stored images, a clockwise motion around the annular region  60  may step one by one through increasingly newer stored images.  
      If the thumbnail array tap point  64  is tapped again, an array of thumbnail images representing the stored images will be displayed on the display panel  16 , and the touch pad  20  will be set to a thumbnail select feature so that sweeping motions around the touch pad  20  scroll through thumbnail images in the array. For example, a counterclockwise motion around the annular region  60  may step continuously to the left in the array until the left edge of the array is reached, then up to the rightmost thumbnail in the previous row of the array, and so on. A clockwise motion around the annular region  60  may step continuously to the right in the array until the right edge of the array is reached, then down to the leftmost thumbnail in the next row of the array, and so on. Again, if arrow touch points (e.g.,  84 ) are established on the touch pad  20 , they may also be tapped to navigate in the array of thumbnail images by moving up, down, left or right. If the magnifying glass tap point  66  is tapped again from this point, the display panel  16  is returned to the full screen view where the user can once again scroll through stored images with the touch pad  20 .  
      Exemplary features of an electronic imaging device that may be controlled by a touch pad and selected by one or more tap points 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     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        

      Referring now to  FIG. 6 , an exemplary linear touch pad  100  with tap points will be described. This touch pad  100  and its tap points (e.g.,  102  and  104 ) 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  100  to scroll a feature of the electronic imaging device are substantially linear, moving back and forth across a scroll strip region  106  rather than around the annular region  60  of the rotary touch pad  20 . Tap points are provided as desired on the touch pad  100  to select the feature of the electronic imaging device being scrolled or controlled by the touch pad  100 . For example, a thumbnail array tap point  102  is provided at the left side  110  of the touch pad  100  and a magnifying glass tap point  104  is provided at the right side  112  of the touch pad  100 . The tap points  102  and  104  may have any size and shape desired, such as a square shape  114  or a round shape  116 . The tap points  102  and  104  may also have a rectangular shape (e.g.,  120 ) that is large enough to contain icons (e.g.,  122  and  124 ) suggesting the feature associated with the tap point and the direction for sweeping motions over the scroll strip region  106 , thereby forming a “dumbbell” shaped touch pad  100  with the tap points  102  and  104  at the left and right sides  110  and  112  surrounding a central elongated linear scroll strip region  106 . Additional control buttons such as up  130  and down  132  arrows or an “OK” button  134  may also be provided near the touch pad  100  as desired to provide additional functionality for the user interface of the electronic imaging device, such as navigating through a menu or thumbnail array (using the arrow buttons  130  and  132 ) or selecting a menu item or image or confirming an operation such as deleting an image (using the OK button  134 ). The actions of the tap points  102  and  104  to select the feature being scrolled by the touch pad  100 , and the action of the touch pad  100  to scroll through a selected feature of an electronic imaging device, may operate in substantially the same manner as described above with respect to the rotary touch pad  20 .  
      A scrolling touch pad with tap points to select the function of the touch pad greatly simplify and optimize the control buttons used to control an electronic imaging device. The exemplary embodiments described herein also provide the distinct benefit of matching up the zoom and magnify controls in capture and playback modes, while still allowing the user to use the touch pad for other scrolling functions in playback mode such as image and thumbnail scrolling and in capture mode such as aperture, shutter speed and manual focus scrolling. Alternative configurations of the tap points on a scrolling touch pad may be used to provide other desired benefits. More generally, the touch pad with tap points provides the flexibility to use a scrolling touch pad, whether rotary, linear or some other configuration, in a direct and simple manner to control multiple features of an electronic imaging device without requiring additional buttons or menus to toggle the functionality.  
      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.