PHOTOGRAPHING APPARATUS AND METHOD IN A ROBOT

• US 20090043422A1
• Filed: 08/06/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ji-Hyo, Kim, Hyun-Soo
• Application Number:
  US12/186,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043422A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

A method and apparatus for taking a picture are provided, in which a mobile apparatus detects a current position of a mobile apparatus, moves from the current position to a predetermined position to take a picture, information about an ambient image around the mobile apparatus through the image sensor, after the movement, analyzes characteristics of the received image information, compares the analyzed characteristics with a predetermined picture-taking condition, controls the mobile apparatus for the characteristics of the image information to satisfy the predetermined picture-taking condition, if the characteristics of the image information do not satisfy the predetermined picture-taking condition, and takes a picture, if the characteristics of the image information satisfy the predetermined picture-taking condition.

Claims

1. A method for taking an image in a mobile apparatus that has an image sensor for receiving image data and takes an image according to user setting, the method comprising:

detecting a position of the mobile apparatus;

moving from the position to a predetermined position to take an image;

inputting an image information through the image sensor;

extracting characteristics of the inputted image information;

comparing the analyzed characteristics with a predetermined image-taking condition;

controlling the mobile apparatus for the characteristics of the image information to satisfy the predetermined image-taking condition, if the characteristics of the image information do not satisfy the predetermined image-taking condition; and

storing the image information, if the characteristics of the image information satisfy the predetermined picture-taking condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image information comprises still image or video image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing the a analyzed characteristics with a predetermined image-taking condition comprises:

displaying inputted image information and predetermined image-taking condition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the position detection comprises locating the mobile apparatus using pre-stored building map data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the position detection comprises receiving information about the position or information about the predetermined position from a server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the image information include at least one of the number, sizes, and positions of face image data recognized from the image by face recognition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the image information include at least one of the number, sizes, and positions of object image data recognized from the image by object recognition.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the picture-taking condition includes at least one of a number range, a size range, and a position range of face or object image data of the image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling comprises controlling the image sensor to be zoomed-in or zoomed-out.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling comprises controlling the image sensor to rotate up, down, left or right.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling comprises controlling the mobile apparatus to move forward, backward, left or right.

12. A mobile apparatus for taking an image according to user setting, comprising:

a camera module having an image sensor for inputting image information;

a memory for storing the inputted image information through the image sensor;

a driver for driving a motor for rotating or moving the mobile apparatus;

a characteristics extractor for extracting characteristics of the inputted image information and comparing the analyzed characteristics with a predetermined image-taking condition; and

a controller for detecting a position of the mobile apparatus, moving from the position to a predetermined position, inputting an image information through the image sensor, controlling the mobile apparatus for the characteristics of the image information to satisfy the predetermined image-taking condition, if the characteristics of the image information do not satisfy the predetermined image-taking condition, storing the image information, if the characteristics of the image information satisfy the predetermined picture-taking condition.

13. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a position estimator and movement decider for detecting a current position of the mobile apparatus and calculating a movement direction and a movement distance from the current position to a picture-taking position.

14. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a display for displaying inputted image information and predetermined image-taking condition.

15. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory for pre-storing building map data, wherein the controller detects the position of the mobile apparatus using the pre-stored building map data.

16. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a communication module for communicating a server and another apparatus, wherein the controller detects the position of the mobile apparatus by receiving information about the current position and information about the picture-taking position from the server.

17. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, wherein the characteristics of the image information include at least one of the number, sizes, and positions of face image data recognized from the image by face recognition.

18. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, further comprising an object detector and recognizer for detecting at least one of the number, sizes, and positions of object image data recognized from the image by object recognition, wherein the characteristics of the image information include at least one of the number, sizes, and positions of the object image data recognized from the image by object recognition.

19. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, wherein the picture-taking condition includes at least one of a number range, a size range, and a position range of face or object image data of the image.

20. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, the controller controls the image sensor to be zoomed-in or zoomed-out.

21. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller controls the image sensor to rotate up, down, left or right.

22. The mobile apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller controls the mobile apparatus to move forward, backward, left or right.