Method and apparatus for operating camera function in portable terminal

• US 9,712,745 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2016
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US15/288,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20170026569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 34833301-33312, 348373
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

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 portable device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

at least first and second image sensors; and

a controller configured to perform operations comprising;

obtaining first image data and second image data via the first and second image sensors, respectively;

displaying, via the touch screen display, a first image and a second image corresponding to the first image data and the second image data obtained from the first and second image sensors, respectively, as live preview images, wherein the second image is displayed over at least a portion of the first image so as to display a composite live preview image;

moving a displayed location of the second image with respect to the first image in response to a user input, so as to display a modified composite live preview image;

detecting a capture event in respect of the modified composite live preview image; and

responsive to the detected capture event, storing a composite still image corresponding to the modified composite live preview image.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein:

the input is a touch related input manipulated by a user.

3. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a menu for a user to determine a shape corresponding to the second image, the menu including one or more selectable shape images.

4. The portable device of claim 3, wherein presenting the menu comprises:

acquiring an input corresponding to a shape image of the one or more selectable shape images; and

presenting the second image in the shape image of the one or more selectable shape images.

5. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction or a rotation state of the touch screen display via at least one of an accelerometer sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a horizontal angle measuring sensor, a touch sensor, or a user interface.

6. The portable device of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

acquiring another input via at least one user interface key;

determining a function related to the other input based on state information of the portable device.

7. The portable device of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a region of the touch screen display via which to present a shutter icon, based on state information of the portable device.

8. A method comprising:

obtaining first image data and second image data via first and second image sensors in response to a first user input;

displaying, on a touch screen display, a first image and a second image corresponding to the first image data and the second image data obtained from the first and second image sensors, respectively, as live preview images, wherein the second image is displayed over at least a portion of the first image so as to display a composite live preview image;

moving a displayed location of the second image with respect to the first image in response to a second user input, so as to display a modified composite live preview image;

detecting a capture event in respect of the modified composite live preview image; and

responsive to the detected capture event, storing a composite still image corresponding to the modified composite live preview image.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

presenting a menu for a user to determine a shape corresponding to the second image;

acquiring a third input to determine the shape corresponding to the second image; and

presenting the second image in the shape determined by the user.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction or a rotation state of the touch screen display;

presenting a shutter icon on a region of the touch screen display based on a first state information; and

presenting the shutter icon on another region of the touch screen display based on a second state information.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction or a rotation state of the touch screen display; and

determining a function related to a user interface key based on the state information.

12. A portable device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

a first image sensor and a second image sensor; and

a controller configured to perform operations comprising;

obtaining first image data via the first image sensor, and second image data via the second image sensor;

presenting, via the touch screen display, a third live preview image, the third live preview image generated using at least one portion of a second live preview image overlapping at least one portion of a first live preview image, the first and second live preview images corresponding to the first and second image data, respectively;

identifying an input to capture the third live preview image; and

storing the third live preview image in a memory operatively coupled with the controller in response to the input,

wherein the third live preview image is acquired by moving a displayed location of the second live preview image with respect to the first live preview image in response to a user input.

13. The portable device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a menu for a user to determine a shape corresponding to the second image, the menu including one or more selectable shape images.

14. The portable device of claim 13, wherein presenting the menu comprises:

acquiring an input corresponding to a shape image of the one or more selectable shape images; and

presenting the second image in the shape image of the one or more selectable shape images.

15. The portable device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining state information representing at least one of a direction or a rotation state of the touch screen display via at least one of an accelerometer sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a horizontal angle measuring sensor, a touch sensor, or a user interface.

16. The portable device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

acquiring another input via at least one user interface key;

determining a function related to the other input based on state information of the portable device.

17. The portable device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a region of the touch screen display via which to present a shutter icon, based on state information of the portable device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein program instructions which, when executed by a processor of a portable device having a plurality of image sensors and a touch screen display, cause the portable device to:

obtain first image data and second image data via at least one of a plurality of image sensors in response to a first user input;

display, on a touch screen display, a first image and a second image corresponding to the first image data and the second image data obtained from the first and second image sensors, respectively, as live preview images, wherein the second image is displayed over at least a portion of the first image so as to display a composite live preview image;

move a displayed location of the second image with respect to the first image in response to a second user input, so as to display a modified composite live preview image;

detect a capture event in respect of the modified composite live preview image; and

responsive to the detected capture event, store a composite still image corresponding to the modified composite live preview image.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 18, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the portable device to:

present a menu for a user to determine a shape corresponding to the second image;

acquire a third input to determine the shape corresponding to the second image; and

present the second image in the shape determined by the user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 18, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the portable device to:

obtain state information representing at least one of a direction or a rotation state of the touch screen display;

present a shutter icon on a region of the touch screen display based on a first state information; and

present the shutter icon on another region of the touch screen display based on a second state information.