Method for operating a digital photographing apparatus using a touch screen and a digital photographing apparatus using the method

• US 20060072028A1
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Techwin Corporation (Hanwha Corporation)
• Inventors: Hong, Soon-hac
• Granted Patent: US 7,561,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators

Abstract

A method for operating a digital photographing apparatus having a touch screen is provided. The method includes: detecting if a menu button for changing shooting information of a digital photographing apparatus has been pressed by a user; displaying icons on a display panel to illustrate which operating modes are currently set; detecting when a user has touched one of the displayed icons and, in response thereto, displaying menu icons that correspond to the touched icon; and, if a menu icon that is desired to be changed is touched among the displayed menu icons, performing a relevant function to change shooting information. According to the above method, shooting information of the camera can be simply changed by operating only the icons displayed on the touch screen. Thus, a unique camera operating method is provided whereby a user can easily and conveniently change and operate shooting information and images.

Claims

1. A method for operating a photographing apparatus having a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a first plurality of icons on a touch screen;

detecting that a user has touched an icon of the first plurality, wherein an icon of the first plurality represents a function of the photographing apparatus;

in response to the detecting step, displaying a second plurality of icons wherein each icon of the second plurality represents a setting for the function represented by the selected icon of the first plurality;

detecting that the user has touched an icon of the second plurality; and

changing a current setting of the function represented by the selected icon of the first plurality to the setting represented by the selected icon of the second plurality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons of the first plurality of icons represents a flash function of the photographing apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons of the first plurality of icons represents an image quality function of the photographing apparatus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons of the first plurality of icons represents a timer function of the photographing apparatus.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons of the first plurality of icons represents a metering function of the photographing apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons of the first plurality of icons represents a sensitivity function of the photographing apparatus.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons of the first plurality of icons represents an image sharpness function of the photographing apparatus.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons of the first plurality of icons represents an image quality function of the photographing apparatus.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons of the first plurality of icons represents an image size function of the photographing apparatus.

10. A method for operating a photographing apparatus having a touch screen, the method comprising:

receiving input image data from an optical system of the digital camera, the input image data representing a subject to be photographed by the digital camera;

detecting when a user has pressed a button;

in response to detecting when a button has been pressed, retrieving from a memory of the digital camera a file containing an image, moving image, or audio file;

displaying a retrieved file on a display, wherein the display is a touch screen;

detecting that a user has drawn a symbol on the touch screen; and

performing on the retrieved file an operation represented by the drawn symbol.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein

the symbol represents a reverse direction;

and

the operation performed is to cease displaying the retrieved file and to display an image of a next file in a reverse direction.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein

the symbol represents a forward direction;

and

the operation performed is to cease displaying the retrieved file and to display an image of a next file in a forward direction.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein

the symbol represents an uploading function;

and

the operation performed is to upload the retrieved file to a storage medium of another device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein

the symbol represents a deletion function;

and

the operation performed is to delete the retrieved file from a memory of the photographing apparatus.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the operation comprises altering the display of the retrieved file.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the operation comprises altering the display of a moving image file such that a non-adjacent segment of the moving image file is displayed.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein

the symbol represents a thumbnail display function;

and

the operation performed is to display a plurality of images simultaneously on the touch screen.

18. A digital photographing apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

an optical system that receives light from a subject to be photographed by the apparatus;

a digital processor that receives signals representing the light received by the optical system and converts the signals into an image; and

a touch screen that displays a plurality of icons, wherein when a user selects an icon of the plurality by touching the icon of the plurality, the touch screen displays a menu representing a plurality of operating modes that are available for selection by touching the touch screen.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a correlation double sampler and analog-to-digital converter that process the analog signals output from the photoelectric converter, removes high frequency noise from the signals, alters the bandwidth of the signals, and converts the signals into digital signals, which are processed by the digital processor.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the displayed menu includes a second plurality of icons which represent available settings for the function represented by the selected icon from the plurality, wherein the function represented by the selected icon from the plurality is selected from the group consisting of:

a flash mode;

a timer mode;

a metering mode;

a lens focusing mode;

a white balance mode;

a shooting sensitivity mode;

an image sharpness mode;

an image quality mode; and

an image size mode.