Digital Camera Video Trimming Interface for Underwater Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital cameras with small displays and limited user controls face challenges in providing intuitive and efficient interfaces for video trimming and text entry, especially in underwater use cases where touch screens may not function properly.
Innovation Solution
A digital camera system with a minimal set of user controls (up, down, left, right, and confirmation inputs) allows for video trimming and text entry operations by selecting start and end frames within a digital video sequence, using a five-way controller or joystick, and scrolling through frames on a small display without requiring a touch-sensitive screen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch screen is used for video trimming and text entry, then the user interface is intuitive and efficient, but the device cannot operate properly underwater and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface is segmented into two distinct parts: a touch screen for air-mode operations (video trimming, text entry) and a set of waterproof physical buttons for underwater operations. This segmentation allows each interface type to optimize for its specific operating environment, resolving the contradiction between touch screen efficiency and underwater reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera system implements a universal control mechanism that can operate in multiple environments (air and water) by providing both touch screen and physical button interfaces. The physical buttons serve as a fallback control method that maintains functionality across different operating conditions, particularly underwater where touch screens fail.
2Ease of operation
If the LCD display size is increased to improve user interface visibility, then the camera becomes larger and more expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface employs dynamic scaling and adaptive layout techniques that allow the small LCD display to effectively present information and control options. The interface can dynamically adjust element sizes, positions, and densities based on the current operation mode, maximizing the utility of the limited display real estate without requiring a larger physical screen.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the temporal dimension by implementing multi-page or hierarchical menu structures that allow comprehensive control options to be accessed through sequential navigation rather than displaying all options simultaneously. This approach effectively expands the information capacity of the small display over time, compensating for the limited spatial area.
3Device complexity
If a minimal set of user controls is used to reduce device complexity, then advanced functions like video trimming become difficult to implement
Solution Approach 1:
The control system implements dynamic functionality where the five physical buttons change their assigned functions based on the current operating mode and context. During video trimming operations, the buttons can dynamically assume different roles (e.g., frame selection, trim point adjustment, confirmation) without requiring additional physical controls, thus maintaining versatility with minimal hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch screen serves as an intermediary between the user and the camera's processing functions. It provides a visual feedback mechanism and additional control layer that complements the five physical buttons, enabling complex operations like video trimming to be performed through a combination of tactile button presses and visual confirmation/selection on the display.
Data Source
AI summary
A digital video camera comprising: user controls enabling a user to select between at least an up input, a down input, a left input, a right input, and a confirmation input; and a program memory storing instructions to implement a method for trimming a digital video sequence. The method includes: selecting a digital video sequence; initiating a trimming operation; accepting user input to select a start frame and an end frame for a trimmed digital video sequence, wherein the up input and the down input are used to select between a start frame selection mode and an end frame selection mode, and the left input and the right input are used to scroll through the frames of the selected digital video sequence; and trimming the selected video sequence to include the frames between the selected start frame and the selected end frame.