Apparatus for and method of controlling digital image processing apparatus

• US 20090058791A1
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Techwin Corporation (Hanwha Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Seok-goun, Lee, Jong-hwan
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/26 Power supplies; Circuitry or arrangement to switch on the power source; Circuitry to check the power source voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An apparatus for and method of controlling a digital image processing device in order to reduce power consumption by automatically recognizing a state in which power of a display device can be turned off or the display device can operate in a power saving mode, and in that case, turning off the display device or operating the display device in the power saving mode. The apparatus for controlling a digital image processing device includes: a motion sensing unit sensing a motion of the digital image processing device; and a control unit operating the digital image processing device in a power saving mode when it is determined that the digital image processing device moves.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a digital image processing device, the apparatus comprising:

a motion sensing unit sensing a motion of the digital image processing device and generating an output signal according to the motion; and

a control unit in communication with the motion sensing unit for receiving the output signal, the control unit operating the digital image processing device in a power saving mode when, according to the output signal, it is determined that the digital image processing device moves.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display unit in communication with the control unit, the control unit causing the display unit to operate in a reduced power consumption mode during the power saving mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control unit causes power for the display unit to be turned off in the power saving mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the display unit comprises a backlight, and wherein the control unit causes power for the backlight to be turned off in the power saving mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the display unit comprises a display panel on which an image is displayed, and a display panel driving unit that drives the display panel according to at least a power reduction signal from the control unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensing unit comprises:

a motion recognition sensor sensing the motion of the digital image processing device; and

a motion recognition sensor control unit in communication with the motion recognition sensor and the control unit, the motion recognition sensor control unit controlling the motion recognition sensor and generating a motion sensing signal when sensing the motion of the digital image processing device, wherein the control unit receives the motion sensing signal and determines whether or not the digital image processing device moves.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the motion recognition sensor and the motion recognition sensor control unit are a 3-axis motion sensing chip package mounted on a circuit board of the digital image processing device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an image input unit in communication with the control unit, the image input unit receiving an input image from the outside,

wherein the motion sensing unit extracts an evaluation index of the input image and senses the motion of the digital image processing device based on a comparison of the evaluation index with an evaluation index of a previously input image.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein if the difference between the evaluation indexes in two continuous frames is greater than a preset reference value, the motion sensing unit determines that the digital image processing device moves.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein in order to obtain the evaluation index, the apparatus performs the steps of:

dividing an image of each frame into a plurality of areas;

selecting at least some areas from among the plurality of areas to define patches;

obtaining image evaluation data of each patch; and

summing the image evaluation data.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the evaluation index is obtained based on at least one of luminance data, red data, green data, and blue data calculated from each frame.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the motion sensing unit is included in the control unit.

13. A method for controlling a digital image processing device, the method comprising:

sensing a motion of the digital image processing device; and

according to the sensing step, operating the digital image processing device in a power saving mode when it is determined that the digital image processing device moves.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating step comprises causing a display unit of the digital image processing device to operate in a reduced power consumption mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the causing step comprises at least one of turning off power of the display unit and turning off power for a backlight of the display panel.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating step further comprises:

calculating a probability that a display panel of the digital image processing device is being used by a user; and

according to the calculating step, if it is determined that the display panel is not used, operating the display panel in a mode in which power consumption of the display panel is reduced.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing step comprises:

receiving an input image from the outside;

dividing the input image into a plurality of areas;

selecting at least some areas from among the plurality of areas, the selected areas defining patches;

calculating image evaluation data of each patch;

calculating an evaluation index based on the image evaluation data; and

comparing the evaluation index of a current frame with an evaluation index of a previous frame.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of calculating an evaluation index comprises summing image data from each of the patches.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the comparing step comprises:

determining a difference between the evaluation index of the current frame and the evaluation index of the previous frame; and

determining if the difference is greater than a preset reference value, the preset reference value defining a movement threshold.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the image evaluation data is at least one of luminance data, red data, green data, and blue data calculated from each frame.