METHOD OF ELIMINATING A SHUTTER-LAG, CAMERA MODULE, AND MOBILE DEVICE HAVING THE SAME

• US 20130135499A1
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Yong-Bae Song
• Inventors: SONG, Yong-Bae
• Granted Patent: US 9,232,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/240.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/40 Extracting pixel data from image sensors by controlling scanning circuits, e.g. by modifying the number of pixels sampled or to be sampled

Abstract

A method of reducing shutter-lag in a camera image sensor may include maintaining a sensor output image to have a low resolution in a preview mode of a camera image sensor; changing a resolution of the sensor output image from a low resolution to a high resolution in response to a capture preparation signal to change an operation mode of the camera image sensor from a preview mode to a capture preparation mode, the low resolution being a resolution equal to or below a reference resolution, the high resolution being a resolution above the reference resolution; and capturing the sensor output image in response to a capture signal in the capture preparation mode of the camera image sensor.

Claims

1. A method of reducing shutter-lag in a camera image sensor, the method comprising:

maintaining a sensor output image to have a low resolution in a preview mode of a camera image sensor;

changing a resolution of the sensor output image from a low resolution to a high resolution in response to a capture preparation signal to change an operation mode of the camera image sensor from a preview mode to a capture preparation mode, the low resolution being a resolution equal to or below a reference resolution, the high resolution being a resolution above the reference resolution; and

capturing the sensor output image in response to a capture signal in the capture preparation mode of the camera image sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the resolution of the sensor output image from the high resolution to the low resolution to change the operation mode of the camera image sensor from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode after the sensor output image is captured in the capture preparation mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the resolution of the sensor output image is changed from the high resolution to the low resolution to change the operation mode of the camera image sensor from the capture preparation mode to a preview mode after a reference amount of time elapses in the capture preparation mode.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the resolution of the sensor output image is changed from the high resolution to the low resolution to change the operation mode of the camera image sensor from the capture preparation mode to a preview mode after a mode change signal is input in the capture preparation mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the resolution of the sensor output image is changed from the low resolution to the high resolution after the capture preparation signal is input in a preview mode of the camera image sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a resolution of the sensor output image is changed from a low resolution to a high resolution after a reference amount of time elapses after the capture preparation signal is input in the preview mode of the camera image sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on an auto-focus start signal for performing a focusing operation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on an external input signal for performing a focusing operation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on at least one signal that is selected among a touch input signal, a button input signal, and a sound input signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on a smile detection signal for performing a smile detecting operation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on a face detection signal for performing a face detecting operation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a size of the sensor output image having the low resolution corresponds to an output size of a display displaying the sensor output image, and a size of the sensor output image having the low resolution is changed as the output size of the display is changed.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a size of the sensor output image having a high resolution corresponds to a reference size, and the reference size is changed by a user.

14. A camera module comprising:

an image sensor unit configured to generate a sensor output image by performing a photoelectric transformation;

a mode control unit configured to maintain the sensor output image to have a low resolution in a preview mode of the camera module, configured to change a resolution of the sensor output image from the low resolution to a high resolution in response to a capture preparation signal, and configured to maintain the sensor output image to have the high resolution in a capture preparation mode of the camera module, the low resolution being a resolution equal to or below a reference resolution, the high resolution being a resolution above the reference resolution; and

an image signal processing unit configured to process the sensor output image to generate image data.

15. The module of claim 14, wherein the camera module is implemented by a system on chip (SOC).

16. The module of claim 14, wherein the mode control unit is configured to set the sensor output image to have the low resolution in the preview mode of the camera module, and the mode control unit is configured to set the sensor output image to have the high resolution in the capture preparation mode of the camera module.

17. The module of claim 16, wherein the mode control unit is configured such that the mode control unit changes the operation mode of the camera module from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode after the sensor output image is captured in the capture preparation mode of the camera module.

18. The module of claim 17, wherein the mode control unit is configured such that the mode control unit changes the operation mode of the camera module from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode after a reference amount of time elapses in the capture preparation mode of the camera module.

19. The module of claim 17, wherein the mode control unit is configured such that the mode control unit changes the operation mode of the camera module from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode when a mode change signal is input in the capture preparation mode of the camera module.

20. The module of claim 16, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on an auto-focus start signal for performing a focusing operation.

21. The module of claim 16, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on an external input signal for performing a focusing operation.

22. The module of claim 16, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on a smile detection signal for performing a smile detecting operation.

23. The module of claim 16, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on a face detection signal for performing a face detecting operation.

24. A mobile device comprising:

a camera image sensor configured to generate a sensor output image;

an application processor configured to process the sensor output image; and

at least one display device configured to generate a display based on the sensor output image,

wherein the application processor includes,

a mode controller configured to maintain the sensor output image to have a low resolution in a preview mode of the camera image sensor, configured to change a resolution of the sensor output image from the low resolution to a high resolution in response to a capture preparation signal, and configured to maintain the sensor output image to have the high resolution in a capture preparation mode of the camera image sensor;

an image signal processor configured to process the sensor output image to generate first image data;

a post-processor configured to post-process the first image data to generate second image data; and

a display controller configured to provide the second image data, the display being generated based on the second image data.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the application processor further includes:

a memory device configured to temporarily store the first image data and to output the first image data to the post-processor.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the mode controller includes a real-time operation system (RTOS).

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the mobile device is a cellular phone, a smart phone, a digital camera, a tablet, or camcorder.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the application processor is coupled to an external display device through at least one input/output (I/O) terminal, and the application processor is configured to output the image data to the external display device.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the application processor is configured to communicate with the camera image sensor based on MIPI, ITU-R BT.601, ITU-R BT.656, or ITU-R BT.709.

30. The device of claim 27, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on an auto-focus start signal for performing a focusing operation.

31. The device of claim 27, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on an external input signal for performing a focusing operation.

32. The device of claim 27, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on a smile detection signal for performing a smile detecting operation.

33. The device of claim 27, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on a face detection signal for performing a face detecting operation.

34. An application processor comprising:

a camera control unit configured to control an operation of an image sensor, the image sensor being externally coupled to the application processor,

wherein the camera control unit causes the image sensor to maintain a first resolution as an image output resolution of the image sensor in a preview mode of the image sensor, and changes the image output resolution from the first resolution to a second resolution in response to a capture preparation signal which triggers a capture preparation mode of the image sensor, the second resolution being higher than the first resolution.

35. The application processor of claim 34, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on an auto-focus start signal for performing a focusing operation.

36. The application processor of claim 34, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on an external input signal for performing a focusing operation.

37. The application processor of claim 34, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on a smile detection signal for performing a smile detecting operation.

38. The application processor of claim 34, wherein the capture preparation signal is based on a face detection signal for performing a face detecting operation.

39. The application processor of claim 34, wherein the camera control unit changes the image output resolution from the second resolution to a third resolution to change the operation mode of the image sensor from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode after the sensor output image is captured in the capture preparation mode, the second resolution being higher than the third resolution.