Single-Button Camera Shutter Control for Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional camera shutter mechanisms, especially in miniaturized multimedia devices, face challenges in providing intuitive and accessible control for setting focus and exposure parameters due to the need for two-stage buttons, which are impractical for small devices and difficult for users with impaired tactile sensitivity or one-handed use.
Innovation Solution
A portable multimedia device with a one-step button for shutter release that locks focus and exposure upon the first press and takes a picture upon a subsequent press, allowing for intuitive operation with reduced latency and usability with impaired fine-motor skills, and enabling one-handed operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a two-stage shutter button is used to lock parameters and take pictures, then creative control and parameter setting capability are improved, but device miniaturization and ease of one-handed operation are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the parameter locking function and picture-taking function into a single one-stage button operation. The controller distinguishes between a first press (locking focus and exposure parameters) and a second press (taking the picture), eliminating the need for a physical two-stage button structure while maintaining the functional separation needed for creative control.
Solution Approach 2:
The single button serves multiple functions: it can lock focus parameters, lock exposure parameters, or trigger picture capture depending on the press sequence and camera state. This multi-functionality replaces what traditionally required separate buttons or two-stage mechanisms, enabling device miniaturization while preserving operational complexity.
2Measurement precision
If a two-stage shutter button is used for precise parameter control, then parameter locking accuracy is improved, but tactile differentiation difficulty for users with impaired fine motor control is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides visual feedback on the display to confirm when parameters are locked and when the camera is ready to capture. This feedback mechanism compensates for the lack of tactile differentiation, allowing users with impaired fine motor control to understand the camera state and successfully complete the shooting sequence without needing to feel the difference between half-press and full-press.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical two-stage button system with an electronic control system that uses press sequence detection and visual feedback. This substitution eliminates the need for tactile differentiation while maintaining parameter locking accuracy through electronic state management and display confirmation.
3Volume of moving object
If a one-step button is used for shutter release, then device miniaturization and one-handed operation are improved, but parameter setting capability and creative control are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The button's function dynamically changes based on the camera's current state and the sequence of presses. The controller adapts the button's role between parameter locking and picture capture, providing full parameter setting capability despite the simplicity of the one-stage button structure. This dynamic functionality maintains versatility while enabling device miniaturization.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, an image-taking apparatus wherein a first actuation of a control element locks image-taking parameters and a subsequent actuation of this control element causes a picture to be taken. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a cellular telephone equipped with a camera wherein a first press on the volume up button locks focus and exposure. The photographer can then recompose the picture according to the ‘half-press’ technique and take a picture with a subsequent press on the volume up button. Other embodiments are described.