CAMERA APPARATUS AND METHOD OF RECOGNIZING AN OBJECT BY USING A CAMERA

• US 20120327269A1
• Filed: 06/21/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: YOON, Young-Kwon, HWANG, Jee-Na, KIM, Pyo-Jae, SOHN, Jae-Sik, NA, Jin-Hee
• Granted Patent: US 9,071,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/234
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body

Abstract

An apparatus and method of recognizing an object by using a camera includes detecting feature information from a first preview image; comparing the feature information with a threshold condition; changing a camera setting parameter, when the feature information does not satisfy the threshold condition; and performing an object recognition for a second preview image generated based on the changed camera setting parameter.

Claims

1. A method of recognizing an object by a camera, the method comprising:

detecting feature information from a first preview image;

comparing the feature information with a threshold condition;

changing a camera setting parameter, when the feature information does not satisfy the threshold condition; and

performing an object recognition for a second preview image generated based on the changed camera setting parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the feature information includes at least one of a number of matched feature points, an edge intensity, and an amount of textures.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the matched feature points are feature points, among detected feature points of the first preview image, which correspond to feature points of a pre-stored reference image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the camera setting parameter comprises:

determining an ISO control value based on a result of the object recognition; and

controlling a gain of an image sensor installed in the camera according to the ISO control value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the camera setting parameter comprises:

calculating a motion vector of an object in an image frame;

determining a movement direction of the object; and

performing an auto focus process, when the movement direction of the object is in a longitudinal direction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the camera setting parameter comprises:

calculating a motion vector of an object in an image frame;

determining a brightness of the image frame, when there is a movement of the object; and

controlling a frame rate, when the brightness of the image frame is greater than a threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the camera setting parameter comprises:

selecting a region of interest from a preview image frame; and

cropping the region of interest in a raw image frame,

wherein an object recognition is performed for the cropped region of interest.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the first preview image in a display, based on a preset camera setting parameter.

9. A camera apparatus for recognizing an object, the camera apparatus comprising:

an imaging controller for changing a camera setting parameter;

an image recognition processor for performing an object recognition for a first preview image and detecting feature information from the first preview image; and

a camera setting parameter controller for comparing the feature information with a threshold condition, and controlling the imaging controller to change the camera setting parameter when the feature information does not satisfy the threshold condition.

10. The camera apparatus of claim 9, wherein the feature information comprises at least one of:

a number of matched feature points;

an edge intensity; and

an amount of textures.

11. The camera apparatus of claim 10, wherein the matched feature points are feature points, among detected feature points of the first preview image, which correspond to feature points of a pre-stored reference image.

12. The camera apparatus of claim 9, wherein the camera setting parameter controller comprises:

an ISO control determiner for determining an ISO control value based on a result of the object recognition,

wherein the imaging controller controls a gain of an image sensor installed in the camera apparatus, based on the ISO control value.

13. The camera apparatus of claim 9, wherein the camera setting parameter controller comprises an auto focus control determiner for calculating a motion vector of an object in an image frame, determining a movement direction of the object, and activating an auto focus procedure when the movement direction of the object is in a longitudinal direction.

14. The camera apparatus of claim 9, wherein the camera setting parameter controller comprises an exposure control determiner for calculating a motion vector of an object in an image frame, determining a brightness of the image frame, and determining a control value of a frame rate, when the brightness of the image frame is greater than a threshold value.

15. The camera apparatus of claim 9, wherein the camera setting parameter controller comprises a zoom control determiner for selecting a region of interest from a preview image frame and cropping the region of interest in a raw image frame,

wherein the image recognition processor performs an object recognition for the cropped region of interest.

16. The camera apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

an imaging unit for generating the first preview image based on a preset camera setting parameter and generating a second preview image based on the changed camera setting parameter; and

a display unit for displaying the first preview image and the second preview image.