Apparatus and method for image capture using image stored in camera

• US 9,578,249 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Seung-Woo, Yoon, Young-Kwon, Park, Jae-Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): FLOHRE, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US14/875,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20160028963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2145 of a sequence of images for selection of a single frame before final recording, e.g. from a continuous sequence captured before and after shutter-release
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/743 Bracketing, i.e. taking a series of images with varying exposure conditions

Abstract

An apparatus and a method thereof are provided, the apparatus including a first memory; a second memory; an image sensor; and a controller configured to obtain, using the image sensor, a plurality of images including a first image and a second image corresponding to at least one object in a first resolution, each of the first image and the second image corresponding to a different time from each other; store, in the first memory, the first image at least temporarily; display, via a display operatively coupled with the controller, the second image in a second resolution; and store, in the second memory, the first image stored in the first memory, in response to an input received in relation with the second image as displayed via the display.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first memory;

a second memory;

an image sensor; and

a controller configured to;

obtain, using the image sensor, at a first time point, a first image corresponding to at least one object in a first resolution;

buffer the fist image by storing, in the first memory, the first image at least temporarily in the first resolution, and display, via a display operatively coupled with the controller, the first image in a second resolution;

obtain, using the image sensor, at a second time point, a second image corresponding to the at least one object in the first resolution;

display, via the display, the second image in the second resolution without buffering the second image; and

store, in the second memory, the first image stored in the first memory, in response to an input received in relation with the second image as displayed via the display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first memory comprises at least one buffer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

select the first image from the plurality of images based at least in part on a specified period of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to:

obtain the plurality of images based at least in part on another specified period of time shorter than the specified period of time.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine the second resolution based at least in part on a size of the display, a resolution of the display, a quality of an image displayed via the display, or any combination thereof.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

adjust the first resolution of the first image into a third resolution prior to the storing of the first image in the first memory.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to:

select a resolution higher than the first resolution as the third resolution.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to

display, via the display, at least one image stored in the first memory including the first image in response to the input;

receive another input to select the first image of the at least one image; and

perform the storing of the first image in the second memory in response to the another input.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

replace the second image displayed via the display with the first image based at least in part on the storage the first image in the second memory.

10. A method comprising:

obtaining, at an electronic device including an image sensor and first memory, at a first time point, a first image corresponding to at least one object in a first resolution using the image sensor;

buffering the first image by storing, in the first memory, the first image at least temporarily in the first resolution, and displaying, via a display operatively coupled with this the electronic device, the first image in a second resolution;

obtaining, using the image sensor, at a second time, point, a second image corresponding to the at least one object in the first resolution;

displaying, via the display, the second image in the second resolution without buffering the second image; and

storing, in second memory operatively coupled with the electronic device, the first image stored in the first memory, in response to an input to capture an image.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein obtaining the plurality of images comprises:

selecting the second image from the plurality of images base at least in part on a specified period of time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein storing the first image in the first memory comprises:

selecting the first image from the plurality of images based at least in part on another specified period of time.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first image corresponds to a first time, and the second image corresponds to a second time later than the first time.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the first image corresponds to a first time, and the second image corresponds to a second time earlier than the first time.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying the second image in the second resolution comprises:

identifying a resolution lower than the first resolution as the second resolution.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying the image in the second resolution comprises:

determining the second resolution based at least in part on a size of the display, a resolution of the display, a quality of an image displayed via the display, or any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein storing the first image in the second memory comprises:

displaying, via the display, at least one image stored in the first memory including the first image;

receiving another input corresponding to the first image of the at least one image; and

performing the storing of the first image in the second memory in response to the another input.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

replacing the second image displayed via the display with the first image based at least in part on the storage of the first image in the second memory.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, at an electronic device including an image sensor and first memory, at a first time point, a first image corresponding to at least one object in a first resolution using the image sensor;

buffering the first image by storing, in the first memory, the first image at least temporarily in the first resolution, and displaying, via a display operatively coupled with the electronic device, the first image in a second resolution;

obtaining, using the image sensor, at a second time, point, a second image corresponding to the at least one object in the first resolution;

displaying, via the display, the second image in the second resolution without buffering the second image; and

storing, in second memory operatively coupled with the electronic device, the first image stored in the first memory, in response to an input to capture an image.

20. The machine-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

replacing the second image displayed via the display with the first image based at least in part on the input.