Electronic device for acquiring still images and corresponding video and operating method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10148879-B2
Application number	US-201715434459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2017
Priority date	Feb 18, 2016
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

According to various example embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include: a camera; a display; at least one memory; and a processor operatively coupled to the camera, the display, and the memory. According to various example embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include: a camera module including a camera; a display; a memory; and a processor operatively coupled to the camera module, the display, and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to acquire an image through the camera module in response to entering a capture mode, to display the acquired image as a preview image through the display, to acquire a still picture from the image in response to an operational instruction for capturing the still picture, to acquire a video from at least one part of the preview image, to generate a still picture file of an image format based on the still picture and a video, and store the still picture file in the memory.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a camera;
a display;
at least one memory; and
a processor operatively coupled to the camera, the display, and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to:
acquire an image of at least one external object through the camera in response to a first input corresponding to an execution command of the camera;
display at least one part of the acquired image as a preview image through the display, wherein the displaying comprises buffering the at least one part of the acquired image in the at least one memory;
acquire a still picture of the at least one external object using the acquired image in response to a second input corresponding to a still picture capture input during display of the preview image, and acquire video of the at least one external object using the buffered at least one part of the acquired image;
generate a still picture file having an image format based on the still picture and the video; and
store the still picture file in the at least one memory,

wherein the processor is configured to;
determine a device state in response to the first input;
determine a buffering type for buffering the at least one part of the acquired image at least partially based on the device state;
buffer the at least one part of the acquired image in the at least one memory with a first buffering type in response to the buffering type being determined to be the first buffering type; and
buffer the at least one part of the acquired image in the at least one memory with a second buffering type that is different from the first buffering type in response to the buffering type being determined to be the second buffering type, and

wherein the processor is further configured to determine the device state at least partially based on one or more of a size of the memory, electric current consumption of an encoder, image processing capability, or a high-resolution video capture.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate the video based on images buffered for a specific time period before a time of the second input from the buffered at least one part of the acquired image in response to the second input.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the first buffering type if the size of the memory is less than a memory size threshold value and electric current consumption of the encoder is less than an electric current consumption threshold value, and to determine the second buffering type if the size of the memory is greater than the memory size threshold and the electric current consumption is less than the electric current consumption threshold value.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
upon determining the first buffering type, acquire the video by encoding the preview image and thereafter buffering the encoded preview image; and
upon determining the second buffering type, acquire the video by buffering a YUV image included in the preview image and thereafter encoding the buffered YUV image.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
if the second input corresponds to a continuous still image capture input, acquire a first still picture corresponding to a first time point and a second still picture corresponding to a second time point, and first video corresponding to the first still picture and second video corresponding to the second still picture; and
generate a first still picture file of an image format based on the first still picture and the first video, and a second still picture file of an image format based on the second still picture and the second video.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine whether the second input is a single still picture capture input or the continuous still picture capture input, at least partially based on a capture interval time for capturing still images and a specific time period; and
acquire video corresponding to the still picture based on whether the second input is determined to be the single still picture capture input or the continuous still picture capture input.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to acquire the first video and the second video as a single video until a third time point at which the capture time interval is longer than the specific time period.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
analyze, in response to a third input for selecting one of the stored images, the selected image;
determine a type of the selected image;
if the selected image is a still picture file comprising a video, divide a still picture part and a video part from the still picture file;
display the still picture by extracting the still picture part from the still picture file;
reproduce and display the video at a start location of the video part from the still picture file after displaying the still picture; and
display the still picture upon completion of the reproducing of the video.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
analyze selected data in response to a fourth input for sharing data;
determine a type of the selected data;
if the selected data is a still picture file comprising video, determine a sharing scheme based on an interface for selecting the sharing scheme; and
share selectively the still picture file, a still picture of the still picture file, or a video of the still picture file in response to the determined sharing scheme.

10. A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising:
acquiring an image through a camera in response to a first input corresponding to an execution command of the camera;
displaying the acquired image as a preview image through a display, and buffering at least one part of the acquired image in at least one memory;
acquiring a still picture from the acquired image in response to a second input corresponding to a still picture capture input, and acquiring video from the buffered at least one part of the acquired image;
generating a still picture file having an image format based on the still picture and the video; and
storing the still picture image in the memory,
wherein the buffering comprises:
determining a device state in response to the first input;
determining a buffering type for buffering the at least one part of the acquired image at least partially based on the device state;
buffering the at least one part of the acquired image in the at least one memory with a first buffering type in response to the buffering type being determined to be the first buffering type; and
buffering the at least one part of the acquired image in the at least one memory with a second buffering type that is different from the first buffering type in response to the buffering type being determined to be the second buffering type, and

wherein the determining of the device state comprises determining the device state at least partially based on one or more of a size of the memory, electric current consumption of an encoder, image processing capability, or a high-resolution video capture.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the acquiring of the video comprises:
acquiring the video for a specific time period before a time of the second input from the buffered at least one part of the acquired image.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining of the buffering type comprises determining the first buffering type

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Bongsoo
• KO Bonghyuck
• Kim Changho
• Lee Wooyong
• Kim Hyung-Joon
• Park Seungki
• Lee Jungwon
• Lee Hoo Hyoung
• Lee Heungki
• Ryu Janghee
• Yoo Hyoung Jin
• Cho Sangheum

Classifications

• H04N23/633

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/632

  for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters · CPC title

• H04N23/667 Primary

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04N5/772 Primary

  the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure · CPC title