METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CAPTURING IMAGES

• US 20160094797A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: YOON, Young-Kwon, KANG, Hwa-Young, KIM, Moon-Soo, KIM, Tae-Ho
• Granted Patent: US 9,986,171 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 25/583 with different integration times

Abstract

An electronic device is provided including an image sensor that includes a pixel array, and a processor configured to control operations of: obtaining an image data set; processing the image data set to identify a first portion of the pixel array that is associated with a first subject and a second portion of the pixel array; and capturing an image by operating the first portion of the pixel array in accordance with a first exposure setting value and operating the second portion of the pixel array in accordance with a second exposure setting value.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

an image sensor that includes a pixel array, and

at least one processor configured to control operations of;

obtaining an image data set;

processing the image data set to identify a first portion of the pixel array that is associated with a first subject and a second portion of the pixel array; and

capturing an image by operating the first portion of the pixel array in accordance with a first exposure setting value and operating the second portion of the pixel array in accordance with a second exposure setting value.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the exposure setting includes one of exposure time or ISO speed.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the image is captured by operating the first portion of the pixel array in accordance with a first reset timing and operating the second portion of the pixel array in accordance with a second reset timing.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the pixel array is identified by processing the image data set to detect the first subject.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, further comprising an image plane phase detection sensor that detects the first subject.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the image data set is obtained without using a flash and a second portion of the image data set is obtained by using the flash, and wherein the first portion of the pixel array and the second portion of the pixel array are identified based on a brightness difference between the first portion of the image data set and the second portion of the image data set.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor estimates a distance between the first subject and the electronic device based on the brightness difference, and determines the first exposure setting value according to the distance.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein, when the exposure setting includes exposure time, the image is captured while using the flash.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein,

the second portion of the pixel array is associated with a second subject,

the first exposure setting value includes a first exposure time value,

the second exposure setting value includes a second exposure time value, and

the second exposure time value is determined according to the equation:

Second Exposure Time Value=First Exposure Time Value×

{(d2/d1)²}+C,

wherein “

d1”

is a distance between the electronic device and the first subject, “

d2”

is a distance between the electronic device and the second subject, and “

C”

is a positive or a negative constant.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a touch screen that displays at least a portion of the image data set and receives an input for selecting the first subject.

11. A method for capturing images by using an image sensor having an array of pixels, the method comprising:

obtaining an image data set by using the array of pixels;

processing the image data set to identify a first portion of the pixel array that is associated with a first subject and a second portion of the pixel array; and

capturing an image by operating the first portion of the pixel array in accordance with a first exposure setting value and operating the second portion of the pixel array in accordance with a second exposure setting value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the exposure setting includes one of exposure time or ISO speed.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the image is captured by operating the first portion of the pixel array in accordance with a first reset timing and operating the second portion of the pixel array in accordance with a second reset timing.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the pixel array is identified by processing the image data set to detect the first subject.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

a first portion of the image data set is obtained without using a flash and a second portion of the image data set is obtained by using the flash, and

the first portion of the pixel array and the second portion of the pixel array are identified based on a brightness difference between the first portion of the image data set and the second portion of the image data set.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

estimating a distance between the first subject and the image sensor, based on the brightness difference; and

determining the first exposure setting value according to the distance of the first subject.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, when the exposure setting includes exposure time, the image is captured by using the flash.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the image is captured by using the flash.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the second portion of the pixel array is associated with a second subject,

the first exposure setting value includes a first exposure time value,

the second exposure setting value includes a second exposure time value, and

the second exposure time value is determined according to the equation;

Second Exposure Time Value=First Exposure Time Value×

{(d2/d1)²}+C,

wherein “

d1”

is a distance between the image sensor and the first subject, “

d2”

is a distance between the image sensor and the second subject, and “

C”

is a positive or a negative constant.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the pixel array is identified based on input selecting the first subject through a touch screen that displays at least a portion of the image data set.