Digital device and method for controlling the same

• US 8,593,555 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2013
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jihwan, Chun, Sinae
• Primary Examiner(s): Henn, Timothy J
• Application Number:
  US13/856,310
• Time in Patent Office: 237 Days
• Field of Search: 348/239, 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.05, 348/333.11
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3873 defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a digital device and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly, to a digital device for simultaneously capturing a landscape-oriented picture and a portrait-oriented picture and displaying the landscape-oriented picture or the portrait-oriented picture according to the mode of the digital device (landscape mode or portrait mode), and a method for controlling the same.

Claims

1. A digital device comprising:

a sensor unit configured to sense a user input to the digital device and to provide a signal corresponding to a sensed result to a processor;

a camera unit configured to acquire an image;

a display unit configured to display the acquired image; and

the processor configured to control the sensor unit, the camera unit, and the display unit,

wherein the processor is further configured to;

display the image acquired through the camera unit on the display unit,

provide a preview interface indicating a to-be-captured area in the displayed image, wherein the preview interface includes a first frame indicating a preview area of a first picture and a second frame indicating a preview area of a second picture,

capture an image included in the first frame, when a first input signal to a first area included in the first frame is detected,

capture an image included in the second frame, when a second input signal to a second area included in the second frame is detected,

simultaneously capture the images included in the first and second frames, when a third input signal to a third area overlapped between the first and second frames is detected, and

move at least one of the first and second frames according to a detected area of a fourth input signal, when the fourth input signal is detected.

2. The digital device according to claim 1, wherein the first picture includes a landscape-oriented picture and the second picture includes a portrait-oriented picture.

3. The digital device according to claim 1, wherein the processor simultaneously moves the first and second frames, when the fourth input signal to the third area is detected.

4. The digital device according to claim 1, wherein the processor adjusts a size of at least one of the first and second frames according to a detected area of a fifth input signal, when the fifth input signal is detected.

5. The digital device according to claim 4, wherein the processor simultaneously adjusts the sizes of the first and second frames, when the fifth input signal to the third area is detected.

6. The digital device according to claim 4, wherein if the processor adjusts the size of at least one of the first and second frames, the processor maintains aspect ratios of the first and second frames.

7. The digital device according to claim 1, wherein if the processor simultaneously captures the images included in the first and second frames, the processor captures the third area that is overlapped between the first and second frames only once.

8. The digital device according to claim 1, wherein if the processor simultaneously captures the images included in the first and second frames, the processor groups the first picture captured through the first frame and the second picture captured through the second frame.

9. The digital device according to claim 8, wherein the processor stores metadata about the grouped first and second pictures.

10. The digital device according to claim 9, wherein the metadata includes information about the coordinates of the third area overlapped between the first and second frames.

11. The digital device according to claim 9, wherein the metadata includes an image of the third area overlapped between the first and second frames.

12. The digital device according to claim 9, wherein the metadata includes an image of a fourth area not included in both the first frame and the second frame in the displayed image.

13. The digital device according to claim 8, wherein the processor provides a picture interface displaying a thumbnail for at least one captured picture, wherein the picture interface displays one representative thumbnail of the grouped first and second pictures.

14. The digital device according to claim 13, wherein the representative thumbnail includes one of a thumbnail of the first picture, a thumbnail of the second picture, and a thumbnail of an image of the third area overlapped between the first and second pictures.

15. The digital device according to claim 13, wherein the processor displays the first picture if the digital device is in landscape mode and displays the second picture if the digital device is in portrait mode, when a sixth input signal to the representative thumbnail is detected.

16. The digital device according to claim 15, wherein if the first or second picture is displayed according to the sixth input signal, the picture interface includes a graphic object indicating whether the displayed picture is a grouped picture and whether the displayed picture is a landscape-oriented picture or a portrait-oriented picture.

17. The digital device according to claim 16, wherein the processor replaces a displayed portrait-oriented picture with a landscape-oriented picture of a same group or to replace a displayed landscape-oriented picture with a portrait-oriented picture of the same group, when a seventh input signal to the graphic object is detected.

18. The digital device according to claim 16, wherein the processor replaces a displayed portrait-oriented picture with a landscape-oriented picture of a same group or to replace a displayed landscape-oriented picture with a portrait-oriented picture of the same group, when a signal for switching between landscape mode and portrait mode is detected.

19. The digital device according to claim 1, wherein if the digital device includes a flexible display, the processor provides a first mode having a reduced display area of the flexible display and a second mode having an increased display area of the flexible display.

20. The digital device according to claim 19, wherein if the digital device is in the second mode, the processor provides the preview interface.

21. The digital device according to claim 19, wherein the processor adjusts sizes of the first and second frames according to a size of the increased display area, when a signal indicating that the digital device enters into the second mode from the first mode is detected.

22. The digital device according to claim 19, wherein if the digital device is in the second mode, the processor crops the image acquired through the camera unit according to the aspect ratio of the increased display area in the second mode.

23. The digital device according to claim 19, wherein the processor displays the image acquired through the camera unit at the aspect ratio of the acquired image and gives a graphical effect to an area in which the acquired image is not displayed, when an eighth input signal to the preview interface of the digital device in the second mode is detected.

24. A method for controlling a digital device, the method comprising:

displaying an image acquired through a camera unit;

providing a preview interface indicating a to-be-captured area in the displayed image, wherein the preview interface includes a first frame indicating a preview area of a first picture and a second frame indicating a preview area of a second picture;

moving at least one of the first and second frames according to a detected area of a first input signal, when the first input signal is detected, wherein the detected area of the first input signal is one of a first area included in the first frame, a second area included in the second frame, and a third area overlapped between the first and second frames;

capturing an image included in the first frame, when a second input signal to the first area is detected;

capturing an image included in the second frame, when a third input signal to the second area is detected; and

simultaneously capturing the images included in the first and second frames, when a fourth input signal to the third area is detected.