Method and apparatus for operating camera function in portable terminal

• US 8,625,020 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2011
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cheong, Cheol-Ho, Kim, Dong-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Jerabek, Kelly L
• Application Number:
  US13/111,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 34833301-33312, 348/373
• US Class Current: 348/333.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• 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 23/62 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 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for operating a camera function in a portable terminal are provided. State information representing at least one of a direction and a rotation state of the portable terminal is obtained, and at least one of a sequence of reading an image from a camera sensor and an appropriate user interface is determined depending on the state information. Thus, the camera function is performed depending on the determined sequence or user interface.

Claims

1. A method for operating a camera function in a portable device, the method comprising:

obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction and a rotation state of the portable device;

determining a sequence of reading an image from a camera sensor, and a user interface, depending on the state information, wherein an image capturing function of a user interface key is changed from a camera shutter function to a zoom function in response to a change in the state information; and

performing the camera function depending on the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information is obtained using at least one of an accelerometer sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a horizontal angle measuring sensor, a touch sensor, and a user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing of the camera function depending on the determined sequence comprises:

displaying an image input from the camera sensor on a screen according to the determined sequence; and

storing a relevant image according to the determined sequence.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the user interface depending on the state information comprises changing a region for displaying at least one capture icon displayed on a screen depending on the state information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining at least one camera to operate among a plurality of cameras mounted in the portable device using at least the state information of the portable device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information represents one of a horizontal orientation mode, a vertical orientation mode, a 0-degree rotation state, a 90-degree rotation state, a 180-degree rotation state and a 270-degree rotation state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of reading an image from a camera sensor is selectively determined based on the state information so that an orientation of an input image is stored and displayed in the portable device is in the same direction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user interface key is a first key disposed at a top portion of the portable device when the portable device is in a first orientation, the first key operative as a shutter key in the first orientation of the portable device;

the portable device comprises a second user interface key disposed at a bottom portion thereof and operative as a zoom key when the portable device is in the first orientation; and

when an orientation of the portable device is detected in a second orientation, the first key is operative as a zoom key and the second key is operative as a shutter key.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

when the portable device is in the first orientation, the first key is disposed at an upper right portion of the portable device and the second key is disposed at a lower left portion of the portable device; and

the second orientation is a 180°

rotation with respect to the first orientation, such that in the second orientation, the second key is disposed at an upper right portion of the portable device and the first key is disposed at a lower left portion of the portable device.

10. A method for operating a camera function in a portable device comprising at least two cameras, the method comprising:

obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction and a rotation state of the portable device;

determining a sequence of reading an image from a camera sensor, and a user interface, depending on the state information, wherein an image capturing function of a user interface key is changed from a first function to a second function in response to a change in the state information; and

performing the camera function depending on the user interface;

activating a picture in picture (PIP) mode responsive to at least one of a change in the state information of the portable device, a change in an open/closed position of a folder or responsive to a slide of the portable device;

wherein in the PIP mode, a region is determined for displaying input images of each of the cameras, and an image input from each camera is displayed in the determined region.

11. A portable device, comprising:

a state information recognizer for obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction and a rotation state of the portable device; and

a controller for determining a sequence of reading an image from a camera sensor and a user interface depending on the state information, and controlling the camera function for capturing, storing and displaying an input image depending on the sequence and user interface;

wherein an image capturing function of a user interface key is changed from a camera shutter function to a zoom function in response to a change in the state information.

12. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the state information is obtained using at least one of an accelerometer sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a horizontal angle measuring sensor, a touch sensor, and a user interface.

13. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the controller displays an image input from the camera sensor on a screen according to the determined sequence and stores a relevant image according to the determined sequence.

14. The portable device of claim 11, wherein a memory map for storing the input image from the camera sensor has a size corresponding to a maximum number of horizontal pixels of the portable device.

15. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the controller changes a region for displaying at least one capture icon displayed on a screen from a right side region in a first orientation of the portable device to a left side region in a second orientation of the portable device that is 180°

rotated with respect to the first orientation as determined from the state information.

16. The portable device of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of cameras, wherein the controller determines at least one camera to operate among the plurality of cameras using at least the state information of the portable device.

17. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the sequence of reading the input image from a camera sensor is selectively determined based on the state information so that an orientation of an input image is stored and displayed in the portable device is in the same direction.

18. A portable device, comprising:

at least two cameras;

a state information recognizer for obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction and a rotation state of the portable device; and

a controller for determining a sequence of reading an image from a camera sensor and a user interface depending on the state information, controlling the camera function for capturing, storing and displaying an input image depending on the sequence and user interface, and activating a picture in picture (PIP) mode responsive to at least one of a change in the state information of the portable device, a change in an open/closed position of a folder or responsive to a slide of the portable device;

wherein an image capturing function of a user interface key is changed from a first function to a second function in response to a change in the state information, and

wherein in the PIP mode, a region is determined for displaying input images of each of the cameras, and an image input from each camera is displayed in the determined region.

19. A method for operating a camera function in a portable device comprising at least two cameras, the method comprising:

obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction and a rotation state of the portable device;

determining each of a sequence of reading an image from a camera sensor, and a user interface, according to the state information; and

activating a picture in picture (PIP) mode responsive to at least one of a change in the state information of the portable device, a change in an open/closed position of a folder or responsive to a slide of the portable device;

wherein in the PIP mode, a region is determined for displaying input images of each of the cameras, and an image input from each camera is displayed in the determined region.