METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC IMAGE MANAGEMENT

• US 20080136940A1
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: SRIKANTH, Gummagatta Narayanareddy, KULKARNI, Girish
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2145 of a sequence of images for selection of a single frame before final recording, e.g. from a continuous sequence captured before and after shutter-release
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/215 Recording a sequence of still pictures, e.g. burst mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding

Abstract

Provided is a method and apparatus for automatic image management in an imaging device. The method and apparatus includes serially capturing and temporarily storing a predetermined number of still images in a predetermined time interval; and if the new still images are stored when all of the predetermined number of still images are stored, discarding oldest still images and temporarily storing new still images, wherein the predetermined number of newest still images are stored in real time.

Claims

1. A method for automatic image management in an imaging device, the method comprising the steps of:

serially capturing and temporarily storing a predetermined number of still images in a predetermined time interval; and

if new still images are stored when all of the predetermined number of still images are temporarily stored, discarding oldest still images and temporarily storing the new still images,

wherein the newest still images are stored in real-time.

2. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, further comprising pausing the serially storing of still images if a pausing request is generated.

3. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 2, further comprising resuming the serially storing of still images if a resuming request is generated.

4. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, further comprising normally storing the temporarily stored predetermined number of still images if a freezing request is generated.

5. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 4, further comprising serially capturing and storing temporarily the predetermined number of new still images in the predetermined time interval after the normal storing.

6. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temporarily stored still images are kept intact even when switching among camera applications is performed.

7. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, further comprising encoding the still images in a predetermined image format.

8. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, further comprising configuring the predetermined number of still images and the predetermined time interval according to a user input.

9. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, further comprising if a view request is generated, displaying still images temporarily stored prior to a time instant of the generation of the view request.

10. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, wherein a total amount of the still images to be temporarily stored is dynamically varied in response to a user configuration.

11. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 5, further comprising if a view request is generated, displaying all of the still images temporarily stored prior to a time instant of the generation of the view request and displaying all of the still images normally stored in response to the freezing request.

12. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 11, further comprising selecting, in response to at user input, a part of or all of the temporarily stored still images displayed in response to the view request.

13. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 4, wherein the temporarily stored predetermined number of still images is compressed and normally stored.

14. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 3, further comprising when any other camera application is activated, generating the pausing request, and when the activated camera application is deactivated, generating the resuming request.

15. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the configuring the image format for storing the still images in response to a user input.

16. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

capturing a plurality of still images in response to a multi-shot configuration if a multi-shot request is generated;

providing, to a user, the plurality of still images captured in response to the multi-shot configuration and the predetermined number of still images temporarily stored prior to at a time instant when the multi-shot request is generated.

17. The method for automatic image management as claimed in claim 1, further comprising if a terminating request is generated, normally storing, the predetermined number of still images temporarily stored prior to at a time instant when the terminating request is generated.

18. A system for automatic image management in an imaging device, comprising:

a control unit serially capturing and temporarily storing a predetermined number of still images in a predetermined time interval, the control unit discarding oldest still images and temporarily storing new still images if the new still images are stored when all of the predetermined number of still images are stored so that the predetermined still images are the newest still images being stored in real time; and

a buffer temporarily storing the predetermined number of still images under a control of the control unit.

19. The system for automatic image management as claimed in claim 18, further comprising an image-processing unit processing still images to be stored in the buffer.

20. The system for automatic image management as claimed in claim 18, further comprising an image encoder encoding still images to be stored in the buffer in a format set by a user.

21. The system for automatic image management as claimed in claim 18, wherein if a pausing request is generated, the control unit pauses the serially storing and if a resuming request is generated after the pausing, resuming the serially storing of still images.

22. The system for automatic image management as claimed in claim 18, wherein if a freezing request is generated, the control unit normally stores the temporarily stored predetermined number of still images in a memory unit.

23. The system for automatic image management as claimed in claim 22, further comprising a means for compressing still images temporarily stored.

24. The system for automatic image management as claimed in claim 18, wherein if a multi-shot request is generated, the control unit capturing a plurality of still images in response to a multi-shot configuration and providing, to a user, the plurality of still images captured in response to the multi-shot configuration and the predetermined number of still images temporarily stored prior to at a time instant when the multi-shot request is generated.