DIGITAL CAMERA SUPPORTING INTELLIGENT SELF-TIMER MODE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20100165128A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Digital Imaging Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Jang-won
• Granted Patent: US 8,711,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.400
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20

Abstract

Provided are a digital camera supporting an intelligent self-timer, which pauses an image capturing operation when an unwanted subject enters a subject composition and starts the image capturing operation later, and a method of controlling the digital camera. The digital camera includes a motion calculating unit which calculates degree of motions observed in image frames that are obtained in a chronologically successive manner, and an image capture start determining unit which determines whether to start an image capturing operation or not based on whether entry of an unwanted subject is detected or not from the calculated degree of motions and whether a set self-timer time is over or not.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

a motion calculating unit which calculates degree of motions observed in image frames that are obtained in a chronologically successive manner; and

an image capture start determining unit which determines whether to start an image capturing operation or not based on whether entry of an unwanted subject is detected or not from the calculated degree of motions and whether a set self-timer time is over or not.

2. The digital camera of claim 1, further comprising:

a window setting unit which sets up at least one sub-window in the image frame, and wherein the motion calculating unit calculates motion vectors within the set sub-window.

3. The digital camera of claim 2, wherein the window setting unit sets the sub-window in at least one of left, right, upper, and lower regions of an image frame, in which an unwanted subject is likely to be located.

4. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein, when there is no unwanted subject and the set self-timer time is over, the image capture start determining unit outputs a signal instructing the start of the image capturing operation.

5. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the motion calculating unit extracts feature points constituting edges by applying a Gaussian filter, and calculates motion vectors from feature points matching between chronologically successive frames.

6. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the image capture start determining unit mutually determines entry of an unwanted subject based on a comparison between the calculated degree of motion and a pre-set allowed degree of motion.

7. The digital camera of claim 6, wherein the pre-set allowed degree of motion is input by a user.

8. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the self-timer time is input by a user.

9. A method of controlling a digital camera, the method comprising:

calculating motions observed in image frames that are obtained in a chronologically successive manner with a processor on the camera;

determining whether an unwanted subject entered an image or not based on the calculated motions;

determining whether a set self-timer time is over or not; and

determining whether to start an image capturing operation or not based on the determinations regarding the unwanted subject and self-timer time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of whether to start an image capturing operation or not comprises:

outputting a signal, when there is no unwanted subject and the set self-timer time is over, instructing a start of the image capturing operation.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

setting up at least one sub-window in the image frame;

wherein the calculating of motions observed in image frames comprises calculating motion vectors within the set sub-window.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sub-window is set up in at least one of left, right, upper, and lower regions of an image frame, in which an unwanted subject is likely to be located.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the calculating of motions observed in image frames comprises:

extracting feature points constituting edges by applying a Gaussian filter; and

calculating motion vectors from feature points matching between chronologically successive frames.