ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20150244916A1
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: KANG, Hwa-Young, YOON, Young-Kwon, LEE, Jong-Hyub, KIM, Moon-Soo, KIM, Tae-Ho
• Granted Patent: US 9,451,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors

Abstract

An electronic device and a method of controlling an operation thereof are provided. The method includes acquiring image data using an image sensor comprising a first plurality of pixels configured to have a first identical exposure time and a second plurality of pixels configured to have a second identical exposure time, wherein the acquiring of the image data includes acquiring the image data using the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels while the first plurality of pixels have the first identical exposure time that is identical to the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels and controlling the image sensor such that the first plurality of pixels has the first identical exposure time different from the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels, at least partially based on the acquired image data.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

an image sensor configured to acquire image data from an array of pixels included in the image sensor; and

at least one processor configured to process the image data,

wherein the array of pixels comprises;

a first plurality of pixels configured to have a first identical exposure time; and

a second plurality of pixels configured to have a second identical exposure time,

wherein the first identical exposure time is identical to or different from the second identical exposure time, and

wherein the at least one processor is configured to control the image sensor such that the first plurality of pixels are changed from at least one of a state of having the exposure time identical to that of the second plurality of pixels to a state of having the exposure time different from that of the second plurality of pixels, and a state of having the exposure time different from that of the second plurality of pixels to a state of having the exposure time identical to that of the second plurality of pixels, based on at least some of the image data.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the image sensor based on at least some of pixel luminance values contained in the image data.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the image sensor to change the first plurality of pixels from the state of having the exposure time identical to that of the second plurality of pixels to the state of having the exposure time different from that of the second plurality of pixels, at least partially based on whether the number of pixel luminance values higher than a selected first reference, from among the image data, is larger than a first threshold value.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the image sensor to change the exposure time of the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels by an identical time, when the number of pixel luminance values lower than a selected second reference, from among the image data, is smaller than a second threshold value.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the image sensor to change the first plurality of pixels from the state of having the exposure time identical to that of the second plurality of pixels to the state of having the exposure time different from that of the second plurality of pixels, when the number of pixel luminance values higher than a selected first reference, from among the image data, is larger than a first threshold value, and the number of pixel luminance values lower than a selected second reference, from among the image data, is larger than a second threshold value.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the image sensor to change the first plurality of pixels to the state of having the exposure time different from that of the second plurality of pixels, when a ratio of an exposure time corresponding to a degree to which the number of pixel luminance values higher than the selected first reference, from among the image data, is larger than the first threshold value to an exposures time corresponding to a degree to which the number of pixel luminance values lower than the selected second reference, from among the image data, is larger than the second threshold value is larger than a threshold ratio.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to form a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image by performing at least one image processing of reconstruction and Dynamic Range Compression (DRC) based on first image data obtained from the first plurality of pixels and second image data obtained from the second plurality of pixels when the first plurality of pixels are changed to the state of having the exposure time different from that of the second plurality of pixels.

8. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to process first image data obtained from the first plurality of pixels and second image data obtained from the second plurality of pixels while the first plurality of pixels have the exposure time different from that of the second plurality of pixels.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to adjust at least one of the exposure time of the first plurality of pixels and the exposure time of the second plurality of pixels, at least partially based on the first image data and the second image data.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the image sensor to change the first plurality of pixels to the state of having the exposure time identical to that of the second plurality of pixels, at least partially based on the first image data and/or the second image data.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to form a first image using pixel values contained in the first image data and to form a second image based on the second image data.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to form at least one of the first and second images using interpolation.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to form a third image by composing the first image and the second image.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the electronic device further comprises a display configured to display an image,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the display to display the third image on the display.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor comprises at least one of an application processor, an image processor, and an image pre-processor.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels are arranged according to a selected pattern in some regions of the array of pixels.

17. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the array of pixels have a polygonal shape, and the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels are arranged such that at least two immediately adjacent pixels of the first plurality of pixels do not share one side of a polygon and at least two immediately adjacent pixels of the second plurality of pixels do not share one side of the polygon.

18. A method of controlling an operation of an electronic device, the method comprising:

acquiring image data using an image sensor comprising a first plurality of pixels configured to have a first identical exposure time and a second plurality of pixels configured to have a second identical exposure time,

wherein the acquiring of the image data comprises;

acquiring the image data using the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels while the first plurality of pixels have the first exposure time that is identical to the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels; and

controlling the image sensor such that the first plurality of pixels have the first identical exposure time different from the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels, at least partially based on the acquired image data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the acquiring of the image data further comprises:

controlling the image sensor to change the first plurality of pixels from a state of having the first identical exposure time different from the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels to a state of having the first identical exposure time be identical to the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels, based on at least some of pixel luminance values contained the acquired image data.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the acquiring of the image data further comprises adjusting at least one of the first identical exposure time of the first plurality of pixels and the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels based on at least some of pixel luminance values contained in the image data.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the acquiring of the image data further comprises performing a control to change the first plurality of pixels from a state of having the first identical exposure time being identical to the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels to a state having the first identical exposure time be different from the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels, at least partially based on whether the number of pixel luminance values higher than a selected first reference, from among the image data, is larger than a first threshold value.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the acquiring of the image data further comprises performing a control to change the first identical exposure time of the first plurality of pixels and the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels by an identical time, when the number of pixel luminance values lower than a selected second reference, from among the image data, is smaller than a second threshold value.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the acquiring of the image data further comprises performing a control to change the first plurality of pixels from a state of having the first identical exposure time being identical to the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels to a state of having the first identical exposure time be different from the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels, when the number of pixel luminance values higher than a selected first reference, from among the image data, is larger than a first threshold value, and the number of pixel luminance values lower than a selected second reference, from among the image data, is larger than a second threshold value.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the acquiring of the image data further comprises performing a control to change the first plurality of pixels to the state of having the first identical exposure time being different from the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels, when a ratio of an exposure time corresponding to a degree to which a number of pixel luminance values higher than the selected first reference, from among the image data, is larger than the first threshold value to an exposure time corresponding to a degree to which the number of pixel luminance values lower than the selected second reference, from among the image data, is larger than the second threshold value is larger than a threshold ratio.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising forming a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image by performing at least one image processing of reconstruction and Dynamic Range Compression (DRC) based on first image data obtained from the first plurality of pixels and second image data obtained from the second plurality of pixels when the first plurality of pixels are changed to the state of having the first identical exposure time different from the second identical exposure time of the second plurality of pixels.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

forming a third image based on image data generated by the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels; and

displaying the third image.

27. An electronic device for capturing an image, the electronic device comprising:

an image sensor configured to acquire image data from an array of pixels included in the image sensor;

the array of pixels configured to generate the image data using a first plurality of pixels configured to have a first identical exposure time and a second plurality of pixels configured to have a second identical exposure time, the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels being included in the array of pixels; and

at least one processor configured to process the image data, to control the first identical exposure time and the second identical exposure time to be a same time or a different time, and to generate an output image according to the image data.

28. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the array of pixels are disposed so as to have a polygonal shape including the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels, and

wherein at least two immediately adjacent pixels of the first plurality of pixels do not share one side of a polygon and at least two immediately adjacent pixels of the second plurality of pixels do not share one side of the polygon.

29. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the controller is configured to determine pixels of the array of pixels respectively included in the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels according to a selected pattern of the array of pixels.