DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20170150067A1
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: HAN, Hee-chul
• Application Number:
  US15/070,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20170150067A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/271 wherein the generated image signals comprise depth maps or disparity maps
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/52 Elements optimising image sensor operation, e.g. for electromagnetic interference [EMI] protection or temperature control by heat transfer or cooling elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• 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 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

A digital photographing apparatus is provided. The digital photographing apparatus includes a first optical system configured to acquire a wide-angle image including a subject, a second optical system configured to acquire a telephoto image with the subject zoomed, and a processor configured to determine whether to generate a synthesized image of the wide-angle image and the telephoto image based on one or more of an illuminance of the subject and a distance between the digital photographing apparatus and the subject.

Claims

1. A digital photographing apparatus comprising:

a first optical system configured to acquire a first image;

a second optical system configured to acquire a second image under a different optical condition from the first image;

a sensor configured to acquire photographing environment information including one or more of an illuminance of a subject, a distance between the digital photographing apparatus and the subject, and a photographing mode thereof; and

a processor configured to determine whether to generate a synthesized image of the first image and the second image based on the photographing environment information.

2. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first image is a wide-angle image including the subject;

and the second image is a telephoto image with the subject zoomed.

3. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to determine not to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is less than or equal to a critical subject illuminance.

4. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a display configured to display one or more of the wide-angle image and the telephoto image.

5. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to determine to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is greater than a critical subject illuminance and the distance is within a perspective mode range.

6. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to determine not to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is greater than a critical subject illuminance and the distance is out of a perspective mode range.

7. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a display configured to display the telephoto image when the distance is greater than or equal to a minimum photographing distance of the second optical system and the photographing mode is a macro mode.

8. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a display configured to display the wide-angle image when the photographing mode is a close-up photographing mode.

9. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to acquire a depth map based on the wide-angle image and the telephoto image and to detect the distance based on the depth map.

10. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first image is a color image including the subject and the second image is a black- and-white image including the subject;

and

the processor is configured to determine whether to generate the synthesized image based on one or more of the illuminance of the subject and the photographing mode.

11. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is less than a threshold illuminance and red/green/blue (RGB) signal data included in the color image is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

12. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine not to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is less than a threshold illuminance and RGB signal data included in the color image is less than a predetermined value.

13. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a display configured to display the black-and-white image.

14. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine not to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is greater than a critical subject illuminance.

15. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine not to generate the synthesized image when the photographing mode is a black-and-white photographing mode.

16. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether to generate the synthesized image based on a power mode of the digital photographing apparatus.

17. A digital photographing apparatus comprising:

an active sensor configured to transmit a signal to a subject and receive a reflected signal to acquire distance information about the subject;

a plurality of cameras configured to acquire a first image and a second image including the subject and having different viewpoints; and

a processor configured to determine, based on one or more of an illuminance of the subject and a photographing mode, whether to generate a synthesized depth map by synthesizing a first depth map acquired based on the distance information and a second depth map acquired based on the first image and the second image.

18. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 17, wherein when the illuminance of the subject is less than or equal to a first illuminance, the processor is configured to determine not to generate the synthesized depth map and to determine to acquire the first depth map from the active sensor.

19. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 17, wherein when the illuminance of the subject is greater than a first illuminance, the processor is configured to determine not to generate the synthesized depth map and to determine to acquire the second depth map based on the first image and the second image.

20. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 17, wherein when the photographing mode is a perspective mode, the processor is configured to determine not to generate the synthesized depth map and to determine to acquire the second depth map based on the first image and the second image.

21. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 17, wherein

the active sensor comprises a radar sensor configured to transmit an electromagnetic wave to the subject and receive a reflected electromagnetic wave to acquire the distance information about the subject;

and

the processor is configured to determine to acquire the first depth map using the radar sensor when the photographing mode is a perspective mode.

22. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to determine to generate the synthesized depth map when the photographing mode is an indoor close-up photographing mode.

23. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether to generate the synthesized depth map based on a power mode of the digital photographing apparatus.

24. A digital photographing method comprising:

acquiring a first image;

acquiring a second image under a different optical condition from the first image;

acquiring photographing environment information including one or more of an illuminance of a subject, a distance between the digital photographing apparatus and the subject, and a photographing mode thereof; and

determining whether to generate a synthesized image of the first image and the second image based on the photographing environment information.

25. The digital photographing method of claim 24, wherein the first image is a wide-angle image including the subject;

and the second image is a telephoto image with the subject zoomed.

26. The digital photographing method of claim 25, wherein the determining comprises determining not to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is less than or equal to a critical subject illuminance.

27. The digital photographing method of claim 26, further comprising displaying one or more of the wide-angle image and the telephoto image.

28. The digital photographing method of claim 25, wherein the determining comprises determining to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is greater than a critical subject illuminance and the distance is within a perspective mode range.

29. The digital photographing method of claim 25, wherein the determining comprises determining not to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is greater than a critical subject illuminance and the distance is out of a perspective mode range.

30. The digital photographing method of claim 29, further comprising displaying the telephoto image when the distance is greater than or equal to a minimum photographing distance of the second optical system and the photographing mode is a macro mode.

31. The digital photographing method of claim 29, further comprising displaying the wide-angle image when the photographing mode is a close-up photographing mode.

32. The digital photographing method of claim 25, further comprising:

acquiring a depth map based on the wide-angle image and the telephoto image; and

detecting the distance based on the depth map.

33. The digital photographing method of claim 24, wherein

the first image is a color image including the subject and the second image is a black- and-white image including the subject;

and

the determining comprises determining whether to generate the synthesized image based on one or more of the illuminance of the subject and the photographing mode.

34. The digital photographing method of claim 33, wherein the determining comprises determining to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is less than a threshold illuminance and red/green/blue (RGB) signal data included in the color image is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

35. The digital photographing method of claim 33, wherein the determining comprises determining not to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is less than a threshold illuminance and RGB signal data included in the color image is less than a predetermined value.

36. The digital photographing method of claim 35, further comprising displaying the black-and-white image.

37. The digital photographing method of claim 33, wherein the determining comprises determining not to generate the synthesized image when the illuminance of the subject is greater than a critical subject illuminance.

38. The digital photographing method of claim 33, wherein the determining comprises determining not to generate the synthesized image when the photographing mode is a black-and-white photographing mode.

39. The digital photographing method of claim 24, wherein the determining comprises determining whether to generate the synthesized image based on a power mode of a digital photographing apparatus.

47. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores a program which, when executed by processing circuitry of the digital photographing apparatus, causes the digital photographing apparatus to perform operations recited in claim 24.

40. A digital photographing method comprising:

transmitting a signal to a subject and receiving a reflected signal to acquire distance information about the subject;

acquiring a first image and a second image including the subject and having different viewpoints; and

determining, based on one or more of an illuminance of the subject and a photographing mode thereof, whether to generate a synthesized depth map by synthesizing a first depth map acquired based on the distance information and a second depth map acquired based on the first image and the second image.

41. The digital photographing method of claim 40, wherein the determining comprises determining not to generate the synthesized depth map and determining to acquire the first depth map, when the illuminance of the subject is less than or equal to a first illuminance.

42. The digital photographing method of claim 40, wherein the determining comprises determining not to generate the synthesized depth map and determining to acquire the second depth map based on the first image and the second image, when the illuminance of the subject is greater than a first illuminance.

43. The digital photographing method of claim 40, wherein the determining comprises determining not to generate the synthesized depth map and determining to acquire the second depth map based on the first image and the second image, when the photographing mode is a perspective mode.

44. The digital photographing method of claim 40, wherein

the acquiring of the distance information comprises transmitting an electromagnetic wave to the subject and receiving a reflected electromagnetic wave to acquire the distance information about the subject;

and

the determining comprises determining to acquire the first depth map using the distance information when the photographing mode is a perspective mode.

45. The digital photographing method of claim 40, wherein the determining comprises determining to generate the synthesized depth map when the photographing mode is an indoor close-up photographing mode.

46. The digital photographing method of claim 40, wherein the determining comprises determining whether to generate the synthesized depth map based on a power mode of a digital photographing apparatus.