Scene information displaying method and apparatus and digital photographing apparatus using the scene information displaying method and apparatus

• US 8,558,935 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yim, Hyun-ock, Kim, Ung-sik, Kim, Jong-sun
• Primary Examiner(s): Misleh, Justin P
• Application Number:
  US12/619,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• 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

In exemplary scene information displaying apparatus and methods, scene information is detected from an input image, a scene for the input image is determined by using the scene information, probabilities that the determined scene corresponds to respective scene modes are calculated, and a scene information identifier including the probabilities for the scene modes is generated and displayed. Thus, users may be informed of all applicable scene modes for a current image.

Claims

1. A scene information displaying method comprising:

detecting scene information from an input image;

determining a scene for the input image using the scene information;

calculating a plurality of probabilities corresponding to a plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein each calculated probability is a probability that the scene corresponds to each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes;

generating a scene information identifier depicting the plurality of calculated probabilities of the plurality of predefined scene modes with graphics that represent each calculated probability of each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein the graphics that represent each calculated probability are created, after the calculating, to be proportional in size to the respective calculated probability of each predefined scene mode; and

displaying the scene information identifier on a display unit.

2. The scene information displaying method of claim 1, wherein the scene information identifier comprises information of at least two scene modes.

3. The scene information displaying method of claim 2, wherein the at least two scene modes are determined according to the plurality of calculated probabilities.

4. The scene information displaying method of claim 2, wherein the at least two scene modes comprise at least one mode selected from the group consisting of a portrait mode, a night-view portrait mode, a landscape mode, a night-view landscape mode, a macro photographing mode, a tripod photographing mode, a backlight mode, and a backlight portrait mode.

5. The scene information displaying method of claim 2, further comprising setting a photographing condition for a scene mode selected by a user from among the at least two scene modes.

6. The scene information displaying method of claim 2, wherein the displaying of the scene information identifier comprises displaying, in a chart form, the scene information identifier including information of the at least two scene modes.

7. The scene information displaying method of claim 2, wherein the displaying of the scene information identifier comprises displaying, in a text form, the scene information identifier including the at least two scene modes.

8. The scene information displaying method of claim 2, wherein the displaying of the scene information identifier comprises displaying the scene information identifier including information of the at least two scene modes together with the input image on the display unit.

9. The scene information displaying method of claim 2, wherein the displaying of the scene information identifier comprises displaying the scene information identifier including information of the at least two scene modes separately from the input image on the display unit.

10. The scene information displaying method of claim 2, wherein the input image comprises at least one image selected from the group consisting of a preview image, a captured image, and a recorded image.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program executable by a processor for performing a scene information displaying method, the method comprising:

detecting scene information from an input image;

determining a scene for the input image by using the scene information;

calculating a plurality of probabilities corresponding to a plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein each calculated probability is a probability that the scene corresponds to each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes;

generating a scene information identifier depicting the plurality of calculated probabilities of the plurality of predefined scene modes with graphics that represent each calculated probability of each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein the graphics that represent each calculated probability are created, after the calculating, to be proportional in size to the respective calculated probability of each predefined scene mode; and

displaying the scene information identifier on a display unit.

12. A scene information displaying apparatus comprising:

a scene information detection unit configured to detect scene information from an input image;

a scene determination unit communicatively coupled with the scene information detection unit, the scene determination unit configured to determine a scene for the input image by using the scene information detected by the scene information detection unit;

a scene information identifier generation unit communicatively coupled with the scene determination unit, the scene information identifier generation unit configured to calculate a plurality of probabilities corresponding to a plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein each calculated probability is a probability that the scene determined by the scene determination unit corresponds to each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, and generate a scene information identifier depicting the plurality of calculated probabilities of the plurality of predefined scene modes with graphics that represent each calculated probability of each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein the graphics that represent each calculated probability are created, after the calculating, to be proportional in size to the respective calculated probability of each predefined scene mode; and

a control unit communicatively coupled with the scene information identifier generation unit, the control unit configured to control the scene information identifier generated by the scene information identifier generation unit to be displayed.

13. The scene information displaying apparatus of claim 12, wherein the scene information identifier generation unit is further configured to generate the scene information identifier to comprise information of at least two scene modes.

14. The scene information displaying apparatus of claim 13, wherein the scene information identifier generation unit is further configured to determine the at least two scene modes according to the plurality of calculated probabilities.

15. The scene information displaying apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the scene information identifier comprising information of the at least two scene modes to be displayed in at least one form selected from the group consisting of a chart form and a text form.

16. The scene information displaying apparatus of claim 13, wherein the scene information detection unit is further configured to detect scene information from the input image comprising at least one image selected from the group consisting of a preview image, a captured image, and a recorded image.

17. The scene information displaying apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least two scene modes comprise at least one mode selected from the group consisting of a portrait mode, a night-view portrait mode, a landscape mode, a night-view landscape mode, a macro photographing mode, a tripod photographing mode, a backlight mode, and a backlight portrait mode.

18. The scene information displaying apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit is further configured to control setting of a photographing condition for a scene mode selected by a user from among the at least two scene modes.

19. The scene information displaying apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the scene information identifier comprising information of the at least two scene modes to be displayed together with the input image on a display unit or control the scene information identifier comprising information of the at least two scene modes to be displayed separately from the input image on the display unit.

20. A digital photographing apparatus comprising:

an imaging device configured to generate an image signal from an input optical signal corresponding to a subject; and

a scene information displaying apparatus communicatively coupled with the imaging device, the scene information displaying apparatus comprising;

a scene information detection unit configured to detect scene information from an input image corresponding to the image signal generated by the imaging device;

a scene determination unit communicatively coupled with the scene information detection unit, the scene determination unit configured to determine a scene for the input image by using the scene information detected by the scene information detection unit;

a scene information identifier generation unit communicatively coupled with the scene determination unit, the scene information identifier generation unit configured to calculate a plurality of probabilities corresponding to a plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein each calculated probability is a probability that the scene determined by the scene determination unit corresponds to each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, and generate a scene information identifier depicting the plurality of calculated probabilities of the plurality of predefined scene modes with graphics that represent each calculated probability of each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein the graphics that represent each calculated probability are created, after the calculating, to be proportional in size to the respective calculated probability of each predefined scene mode; and

a control unit communicatively coupled with the scene information identifier generation unit, the control unit configured to control the scene information identifier generated by the scene information identifier generation unit to be displayed.

21. A scene information displaying method comprising:

detecting scene information from an input image;

determining a scene for the input image using the scene information;

calculating a plurality of probabilities corresponding to a plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein each calculated probability is the probability that the scene corresponds to each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes;

generating a scene information identifier depicting the plurality of calculated probabilities of the plurality of predefined scene modes with graphics that represent each calculated probability of each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein the graphics that represent each calculated probability are created, after the calculating, to be proportional in size to the respective calculated probability of each predefined scene mode, wherein

the scene information identifier comprises information of at least two scene modes, and

the at least two scene modes comprise at least one mode selected from the group consisting of a portrait mode, a night-view portrait mode, a landscape mode, a night-view landscape mode, a macro photographing mode, a tripod photographing mode, a backlight mode, and a backlight portrait mode; and

displaying the scene information identifier on a display unit in a chart form.

22. A digital photographing apparatus comprising:

a scene information detection unit configured to detect scene information from an input image;

a scene determination unit communicatively coupled with the scene information detection unit, the scene determination unit configured to determine a scene for the input image by using the scene information detected by the scene information detection unit;

a scene information identifier generation unit communicatively coupled with the scene determination unit, the scene information identifier generation unit configured to calculate a plurality of probabilities corresponding to a plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein each calculated probability is a probability that the scene determined by the scene determination unit corresponds to each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, and generate a scene information identifier depicting the plurality of calculated probabilities of the plurality of predefined scene modes with graphics that represent each calculated probability of each respective scene mode in the plurality of predefined scene modes, wherein the graphics that represent each calculated probability are created, after the calculating, to be proportional in size to the respective calculated probability of each predefined scene mode; and

a control unit communicatively coupled with the scene information identifier generation unit, the control unit configured to control the scene information identifier generated by the scene information identifier generation unit to be displayed.