CAMERA DEVICE AND METHODS FOR AIDING USERS IN USE THEREOF

• US 20140049652A1
• Filed: 05/03/2013
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: OH, Taekeun, MOON, Kyungchun, PARK, Woonggyu
• Granted Patent: US 9,319,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• 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 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 the additional signal being a character code signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8715 involving the mixing of the reproduced video signal with a non-recorded signal, e.g. a text signal

Abstract

Provided are a method of controlling photographing in a camera device such as a portable terminal, which automatically sets a photographing mode using at least one of location information of the device and subject information, and a camera device thereof. A camera captures an image during a photographing mode of the device. A controller acquires meta data corresponding to the image based on at least one of the location information and subject information included in the image. A camera setting value is determined based on the acquired meta data, and the camera is automatically set according to the determined camera setting value.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a camera to capture an image during a photographing mode of the device; and

a controller configured to acquire meta data corresponding to the image based on at least one of location information of the device and subject information included in the image, determining a camera setting value based on the acquired meta data, and to automatically set the camera according to the acquired camera setting value.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a communication unit to perform data communication, wherein the controller controls the communication unit to transmit at least one of the location information and the subject information to a server, and to receive the meta data including a camera setting value associated with a reference image corresponding to at least one of the location information and the subject information from the server.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a memory storing at least one reference image and meta data associated therewith including a camera setting value of the at least one reference image,

wherein the controller searches for a reference image corresponding to at least one of the location information and the subject information from the memory, acquires the meta data of the corresponding reference image, and determines the camera setting value based thereon.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a memory storing a meta data table according to camera setting of a user,

wherein the controller sets a camera according to the camera setting value selected by the user, stores a camera setting value at a photographing execution request time point in the meta data table when a photographing execution is requested, and determines the camera setting value based on the meta data table.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the camera setting value comprises at least one of an exposure value, a shutter speed value, use or non-use of a flash, a white balance control value, a gamma compensation value, an aperture size, and an IOS sensitivity value.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller computes a desirable image composition for determining a position of a subject within the image based on the meta data.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a display unit displaying the image captured by the camera,

wherein the controller controls the display unit to display information about the determined camera setting value together with the image.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the controller computes a desirable image composition for determining a position of a subject in the image based on the meta data, and controls the display unit to display an indicator of at least one of a message, an icon, or a sub-image indicating a guided moving direction of the camera based on the computed image composition together with the image.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the controller recomputes the image composition when the position of the subject in the image is changed, and controls the display unit to display the at least one indicator indicating the guided moving direction of the camera based on the recomputed image composition.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a memory storing at least one image along with associated meta data including a camera setting value of the at least one image,

wherein the controller captures a photographic image for a current image according to the camera setting value and controls the memory to store the meta data associated with the photographic image when a photographing execution is requested.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a communication unit to perform data communication,

wherein the controller controls the communication unit to transmit at least one of the photographic image and the meta data associated with the photographic image to an external device.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein the server transmits the corresponding reference image and a histogram of the reference image to the camera device.

13. A method of controlling photographing in a device, the method comprising:

capturing an image when the device enters a photographing mode;

acquiring meta data corresponding to the image based on at least one of location information of the device and subject information included in the image;

determining a camera setting value based on the acquired meta data; and

automatically setting a camera according to the determined camera setting value.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the acquiring the meta data comprises:

transmitting at least one of the location information and the subject information; and

receiving the meta data including a camera setting value with respect to a reference image corresponding to the location information and the subject information from a server.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the meta data received from the server comprises the reference image, and further comprising:

displaying the reference image superimposed with the captured image; and

displaying an indicator guiding a user to move the camera device to a position in which the subject information coincides with that in the reference image.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera setting value comprises at least one of an exposure value, a shutter speed value, use or non-use of a flash, a white balance control value, a gamma compensation value, an aperture size, and an IOS sensitivity value.

17. A method operable in a server, comprising:

for each of a plurality of locations, storing a plurality of reference images containing subjects associated with each location;

storing meta data associated with each reference image;

receiving a captured image from a camera device, along with location information of the camera device and subject information of the captured image;

comparing the received image and subject information with reference images associated with the camera device location, to obtain a matching reference image; and

transmitting meta data associated with the matching reference image to the camera device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the camera setting value comprises at least one of an exposure value, a shutter speed value, use or non-use of a flash, a white balance control value, a gamma compensation value, an aperture size, and an IOS sensitivity value.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting the reference image along with the meta data to the camera device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the server transmits informational subject information to the camera device corresponding to the location.