Image photographing apparatus and method of controlling the same

• US 8,412,037 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, In Ho, Seo, Kyung Yul
• Primary Examiner(s): LaBalle, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): REISNER, NOAM S
• Application Number:
  US12/778,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20100296806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 396290-292, 396/236, 715/833
• US Class Current: 396/290
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/20 visible in viewfinder
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/003 setting of both shutter and diaphragm G03B7/02 - G03B7/22 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• 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

Abstract

A method of controlling an image photographing apparatus includes checking a photographing mode of the image photographing apparatus, displaying a characteristic curve indicating a relationship between photographing conditions and a recommended region if the checked photographing mode is a manual mode to manually adjust the photographing conditions, and changing the photographing conditions if a user specifies any point of the characteristic curve or the periphery of the characteristic curve. Accordingly, it may be possible to implement the user interface which is conveniently and easily controlled.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an image photographing apparatus, the method comprising:

determining a photographing mode of the image photographing apparatus;

if the photographing mode is a manual mode, in response to a changed display screen, displaying a graph including an updated characteristic curve and a recommended region around the characteristic curve, the characteristic curve indicating a relationship between at least two photographing conditions based on a selected default value of a sensor of the image photographing apparatus, and the recommended region being different than an entire region of the graph;

specifying any point on the graph; and

changing the photographing conditions according to the specified point.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recommended region indicating a photographing condition region recommended when performing a photographing operation of the image photographing apparatus is displayed at a periphery of the characteristic curve.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the photographing conditions include at least one of a shutter speed, an iris value, and an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) value.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein:

the characteristic curve includes a curve displayed in an internal space of the graph formed by a horizontal axis and a vertical axis; and

a value of the horizontal axis or the vertical axis is set to any one of the shutter speed, the iris value or the ISO value by touching the display or controlling an input button included in the image photographing apparatus.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein any one of the shutter speed, the iris value or the ISO value, which is not set as the value of the horizontal axis or the vertical axis, is used as a default of the characteristic curve.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the default is displayed on one side of the display, and is set to any value by touching the display or controlling the input button.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the specifying of any point on the display includes specifying any point on the horizontal axis or the vertical axis.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, when any point on any one of the horizontal axis or the vertical axis is specified, the photographing condition of the non-specified axis is changed according to a relationship between the photographing conditions defined by the characteristic curve.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the specifying of any point on the display includes specifying any point on the characteristic curve.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, when any point on the characteristic curve is specified, the photographing conditions of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis are changed according to the specified point.

11. The method according to claim 4, wherein the specifying of any point on the display includes specifying any point on the internal space formed by the horizontal axis and the vertical axis.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the photographing conditions of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis are changed according to the point specified on the internal space.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein, when the point specified on the internal space is outside the recommended region, an Exposure Value Compensation (EVC) is displayed on the display.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic curve is updated and displayed at a predetermined interval of time.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic curve is updated and displayed when a screen photographed by the image photographing apparatus is changed.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the changing of the screen includes changing a Field of View (FOV) of the image photographing apparatus or changing a scene photographed by the image photographing apparatus.

17. An image photographing apparatus comprising:

a display to display a graph, in response to a changed display screen, including an updated characteristic curve and a recommended region around the characteristic curve, the characteristic curve indicating a relationship between photographing conditions based on a selected default value of a sensor of the image photographing apparatus, and the recommended region being different than an entire region of the graph; and

a controller to change the photographing conditions according to the specified point when any point on the graph is specified.

18. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the display updates and displays the characteristic curve at a predetermined interval of time.

19. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the display updates and displays the characteristic curve when a screen photographed by the image photographing apparatus is changed.

20. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the changing of the screen includes changing of a Field of View (FOV) of the image photographing apparatus or changing of a scene photographed by the image photographing apparatus.

21. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the display displays the characteristic curve superimposed on a screen photographed by the image photographing apparatus.

22. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the display includes a touch screen to allow a user to touch a screen to input a command to specify the point on the graph.

23. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the photographing conditions include a shutter speed, an iris value or an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) value.

24. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein:

the characteristic curve includes a curve displayed in an internal space formed by a horizontal axis and a vertical axis; and

a value of the horizontal axis or the vertical axis is set to any one of the shutter speed, the iris value or the ISO value.

25. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein, when any point on the horizontal axis or the vertical axis is specified, the controller also changes the photographing condition of the non-specified axis according to the characteristic curve.

26. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein a recommended region indicating a photographing condition region recommended when performing a photographing operation of the image photographing apparatus is displayed at the periphery of the characteristic curve.

27. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, when any point on the characteristic curve is specified, the controller changes the photographing conditions of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis according to the specified point.

28. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, when any point of the periphery of the characteristic curve is specified, the controller changes the photographing conditions of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis according to the specified point.

29. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, when any point outside the recommended region is specified, the controller displays an Exposure Value Compensation (EVC) on the display.

30. The image photographing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising an input button to specify any point on the display or input a command to the controller.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored code to execute a method, the method comprising:

displaying a graph, in response to a changed display screen, including an updated characteristic curve and a recommended region around the characteristic curve, the recommended region being different than an entire region of the graph, and the characteristic curve representing a relationship between at least two image-capture characteristics based on a selected default value of a sensor of the image photographing apparatus, at least one of the image-capture characteristics being adjusted in response to a user input corresponding to a location on the graph.