Image Processing Apparatus Focus Area Icon Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing user interfaces for refocusing images are not user-friendly, particularly when specifying the depth of field, as they only allow for increasing or decreasing the depth of field in one direction and are cumbersome to use.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus with a display that shows a representative icon indicating the focus area range, which encompasses the center of focus point, and a processor that adjusts this range based on the size of the icon, allowing users to easily specify and adjust the focus area by resizing the icon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the length of time of touching is used to specify the depth of field, then the focus area range can be adjusted, but only one direction (increasing or decreasing) can be specified and the operation becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using time duration to control focus area range, the patent inverts the approach by using spatial distance between two touch points. This allows users to specify both directions (increasing and decreasing focus area) intuitively by touching at different distances from the center, eliminating the unidirectional limitation of time-based control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from temporal dimension (time duration of touching) to spatial dimension (distance between touch points). This dimensional change enables bidirectional control of focus area range while making the operation more intuitive and easier to perform.
2Ease of operation
If a representative icon is displayed to indicate focus area range, then the UI becomes more intuitive, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a representative icon as an intermediary visual element between the user's touch input and the focus area adjustment. This icon serves as a mediator that translates spatial distance between touch points into intuitive visual feedback, making the UI more understandable without requiring complex control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes visual changes (including size and position changes) of the representative icon to indicate focus area range. By dynamically adjusting the icon's visual properties based on the distance between touch points, the system provides intuitive feedback while maintaining relatively simple control logic.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an image processing apparatus including, a display configured to display a captured image and a representative icon, wherein the representative icon indicates a range of a focus area of the displayed image and the range encompasses a center of focus point located at an initial position within the displayed image, and a processor configured to adjust the range of the focus area of the displayed image according to a size of the representative icon.