A new Apple patent application has surfaced today suggesting that future versions of the iPhone’s camera app could automatically compensate for tilt or perspective distortion, making it much easier to take clear, well-aligned photographs.
The new application, entitled “Image Capture Device Having Tilt and/or Perspective Correction,” details Apple’s quest to further improve the camera capabilities of the iPhone and other mobile devices. The patent suggests that alignment errors and distortion could be detected and corrected on-the-fly, prior to storing the image in memory.
The patent also suggests that future cameras may include a new image sensor, coupled with a small amount of memory and a measurement device for determining distance. Essentially, the camera would tap into the iPhone’s accelerometer, gyroscope, and other sensors, but also take it to the next level by including intelligent processing of the image before it’s stored.
Personally, I’m terrible at lining up shots, so the sooner Apple can get this in an iPhone, the better. Now, this is just a patent, and most of Apple’s patents never get turned into working product ideas or implementations, but I have a feeling that this is a likelier candidate than most for becoming reality. I sure hope so anyway!
You can see the patent for yourself by looking up application number 20110149094 in the US Patent Office search engine.
Your thoughts? Sound off in the comments!
