Method for processing image and electronic device for supporting same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10868959-B2
Application number	US-201616073378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 17, 2016
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device including a memory that stores at least one command associated with an image encoding and a processor electrically connected to the memory. The command executed while the processor is operated divides a content generation buffer allocated in association with a specified content generation into a plurality of partial areas, stitches a previous image and a present image with respect to at least a portion of an area in which the present image overlaps with the previous image, and performs a parallel encoding on each of the partial areas of the stitched images in a specified block size when the stitched images are stored in the content generation buffer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a memory; and
a processor electrically connected to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to:
store a first image in a content generation buffer in the memory, wherein the content generation buffer is divided into a plurality of partial areas;
perform parallel encoding, in a specified block size, on a first set of partial areas corresponding to the stored first image;
based on an operation that stitches the first image and a second image with respect to at least a portion of an area in which the second image overlaps with the first image, store at least part of the second image in the content generation buffer, wherein the at least part of the second image corresponds to an area of the second image that does not overlap with the first image;
perform parallel encoding, in the specified block size, on a second set of partial areas corresponding to the stored at least part of the second image; and
obtain an image based on the first set of partial areas and the second set of partial areas in the content generation buffer by ignoring stored at least one rows of the first set of partial areas that are not adjacent to stored rows of the second set of partial areas.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
determine an image acquiring direction associated with the content generation based on a variation in movement of received preview images; or
determine the image acquiring direction associated with the content generation using at least one sensor.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to allocate a different size depending on a shooting direction for the content generation buffer having.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to:
allocate a first length in a first direction and a second length in a second direction with respect to a first shooting direction for the content generation buffer, or
allocate a third length smaller than the first length in the first direction and the second length in the second direction with respect to a second shooting direction for the content generation buffer.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
output an image, which is to be acquired, to a background area of a display; and
output the stitched images to the background area to be overlaid.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to output a preview area having a ratio corresponding to an entire size of the content generation buffer to a display during an image collection or after the image collection.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to output the preview area including a stitching area corresponding to the stitched images and a remaining area corresponding to the entire size of the content generation buffer.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to, when image collection for the stitching is ended:
dispose a specified identifier, which indicates that a last block of the partial area is not used for processing a first block of another partial area, in the last block of each of the partial areas;
dispose an end identifier, which indicates the last block of a last partial area of the content, in an area adjacent to the last block of the last partial area of the content; and
dispose header information corresponding to an entire content area in front of a first partial area.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to select and stitch the image, in which a similar area with respect to the first image is within a certain range, among received images.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to exclude an area of the second image having a height different from the first image from a buffering of the content generation buffer when the image is stitched.

11. An image processing method by a processor of an electronic device, the method comprising:
storing a first image in a content generation buffer in a memory, wherein the content generation buffer is divided into a plurality of partial areas;
performing parallel encoding, in a specified block size, on a first set of partial areas corresponding to the stored first image;
based on an operation that stitches the first image and a second image with respect to at least a portion of an area in which the second image overlaps with the first image, storing at least part of the second image in the content generation buffer, wherein the at least part of the second image corresponds to an area of the second image that does not overlap with the first image; and
performing parallel encoding, in the specified block size, on a portion of a second set of partial areas corresponding to the stored at least part of the second image; and
obtain an image based on the first set of partial areas and the second set of partial areas in the content generation buffer by ignoring stored at least one row of the first set of partial areas that are not adjacent to stored rows of the second set of partial areas.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising at least one of determining an image acquiring direction associated with the content generation based on a variation in movement of received preview images or determining the image acquiring direction associated with the content generation using at least one sensor.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising allocating a different size depending on a shooting direction for the content generation buffer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the allocating of the content generation buffer includes:
allocating a first length in a first direction and a second length in a second direction with respect to a first shooting direction for the content generation buffer; and
allocating a third length smaller than the first length in the first direction and the second length in the second direction with respect to a second shooting direction for the content generation buffer.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
outputting an image, which is to be acquired, to a background area of a display; and
outputting the stitched images to the background area to be overlaid.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising outputting a preview area having a ratio corresponding to an entire size of the content generation buffer to a display during an image collection or after the image collection.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the outputting includes outputting the preview area including a stitching area corresponding to the stitched images and a remaining area corresponding to the entire size of the content generation buffer.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, when image collection for the stitching is ended:
disposing a specified identifier, which indicates that a last block of the partial area is not used for processing a first block of another partial area, in the last block of each of the partial areas;
disposing an end identifier, which indicates a last block of a last partial area of the content, in an area adjacent to the last block of the last partial area of the content; and
disposing header information corresponding to an entire content area in front of a first partial area.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the stitching includes selecting and stitching an image, in which a similar area with respect to the first image is within a certai

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choe Jihwan
• Song In Sun
• Kim Jae Hyun

Classifications

• H04N5/272 Primary

  Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay · CPC title

• H04N23/951

  by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• H04N23/698 Primary

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N5/77

  between a recording apparatus and a television camera · CPC title