Apparatus and method for generating time lapse image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10313549-B2
Application number	US-201615349043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2016
Priority date	Dec 22, 2015
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A photographing apparatus is provided, including a photographing device comprising imaging circuitry configured to generate an image signal by photoelectric conversion of incident light, a processor comprising processing circuitry configured to determine a sampling interval of time lapse photographing over time based on a reference value acquired in real time while the time lapse photographing is performed, to sample a plurality of input frames generated from the image signal at the sampling interval while the time lapse photographing is performed, to stabilize a plurality of frames selected by sampling the plurality of input frames using a window determined based on the sampling interval, and to compress the plurality of selected frames at an output frame rate to generate a time lapse image file, and a storage configured to store the time lapse image file.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photographing apparatus comprising:
a photographing device comprising imaging circuitry configured to generate an image signal by photoelectric conversion of incident light;
a processor comprising processing circuitry configured to:
determine a sampling interval of time lapse photographing over time based on a reference value acquired in real time while the time lapse photographing is performed,
determine a window corresponding to a region of a full frame obtained from the photographing device, used for stabilizing frames, and having a size based on the sampling interval,
sample a plurality of input frames generated from the image signal at the sampling interval while the time lapse photographing is performed, to stabilize a plurality of frames selected by sampling the plurality of input frames using data of a region corresponding to the window, and
compress the plurality of selected frames at an output frame rate to generate a time lapse image file; and

a storage configured to store the time lapse image file.

2. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reference value includes one or more of a zooming value, a battery level, movement information of the photographing apparatus, an illumination value, an audio signal, movement information of a subject, presence of face detection, and a face size.

3. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the reference value includes a zooming value, and the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the sampling interval when the zooming value increases, and
the processing circuitry is configured to increase the sampling interval when the zooming value decreases.

4. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a battery configured to supply power to the photographing apparatus, wherein
the reference value includes a battery level, and
the processing circuitry is configured to increase the sampling interval when the battery level is less than a threshold battery reference value.

5. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to extract subject movement information from the plurality of input frames,
the reference value includes the subject movement information, and
in a tripod mode of the photographing apparatus, the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the sampling interval when a movement magnitude of the subject increases, and to increase the sampling interval when the movement magnitude of the subject decreases.

6. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to detect a face from the plurality of input frames,
the reference value includes face detection information, and
the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the sampling interval when a face that was not detected from a previous frame is detected from a current frame, and to increase the sampling interval when a face was detected from the previous frame and no face is detected in the current frame.

7. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to detect a face from the plurality of input frames,
the reference value includes face detection information, and
the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the sampling interval when a size of the detected face increases, and to increase the sampling interval when the size of the detected face decreases.

8. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a movement sensor configured to detect movement of the photographing apparatus, wherein
the reference value includes a movement magnitude of the photographing apparatus, and
the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the sampling interval when a movement magnitude of the photographing apparatus increases, and to increase the sampling interval when the movement magnitude of the photographing apparatus decreases.

9. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a movement sensor configured to detect movement of the photographing apparatus, wherein
the reference value includes movement information of the photographing apparatus,
the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the sampling interval when the photographing apparatus is detected as operating in a panning mode, and
while the photographing apparatus operates in the panning mode, the processing circuitry is configured to increase the sampling interval when a moving speed of the photographing apparatus decreases, and to decrease the sampling interval when the moving speed increases.

10. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a movement sensor configured to detect movement of the photographing apparatus, wherein
the reference value includes movement information of the photographing apparatus, and
the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the sampling interval when a moving speed of the photographing apparatus is equal to or greater than a reference value.

11. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an illumination sensor configured to detect illumination, wherein
the reference value includes an illumination value, and
the processing circuitry is configured to provide a sampling interval that is greater when the illumination value is less than a low-illumination reference value or when the illumination value is greater than a high-illumination reference value than a sampling interval when the illumination value is equal to or greater than the low-illumination reference value and equal to or less than the high-illumination reference value.

12. The photographing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a microphone configured to detect an audio signal, wherein
the reference value includes the audio signal detected by the microphone, and
the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the sampling interval when a predefined sound or word is detected from the audio signal.

13. A method of generating a time lapse image, the method comprising:
determining a sampling interval of time lapse photographing over time based on a reference value acquired in real time while the time lapse photographing is performed;
determining a window corresponding to a region of a full frame obtained from a photographing device, used for stabilizing frames, and having a size based on the sampling interval;
sampling a plurality of input frames generated from an image signal provided by imaging circuitry of a photographing device at the sampling interval while the time lapse photographing is performed;
stabilizing a plurality of frames selected by sampling the plurality of input frames, using data of a region corresponding to the window;
compressing the plurality of selected frames at an output frame rate to generate a time lapse image file; and
storing the time lapse image file.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the reference value acquired in real time includes one or more of a zooming value, a battery level, movement information of the photographing apparatus, an illumination value, an audio signal, movement information of a subject, presence of face detection, and a face size.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein
the reference value includes a zooming value, and
the sampling interval decreases when the zooming value increases, and the sampling interval increases when the zooming value decreases.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein
the reference value includes a battery level, and
the sampling interval increases when the battery level is less than a threshold battery reference value.

17. The

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Guo Kai
• Kim Nak-Hoon
• Arora Sahil
• Seo Duck-Chan
• Yoo Hyung-Chul

Classifications

• H04N9/8042

  involving data reduction · CPC title

• H04N5/783

  Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate · CPC title

• H04N1/2133 Primary

  Recording or reproducing at a specific moment, e.g. time interval or time-lapse · CPC title

• H04N5/772

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

• H04N23/6842

  by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing · CPC title