Electronic device for recording image as per multiple frame rates using camera and method for operating same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11290633-B2
Application number	US-202016896651-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2020
Priority date	Feb 23, 2018
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes at least one processor configured to obtain a plurality of first images as per a first frame rate using the camera based on a signal related to image recording and control the camera to perform focusing of a lens included in the camera on at least one of one or more objects in the plurality of first images while obtaining the plurality of first images, provide a first portion of the plurality of first images as a preview through the display, control the camera to lock the focusing on the at least one object, identify a designated event for slow motion recoding while obtaining the plurality of first images, based at least in part on the designated event, obtain a plurality of second images as per a second frame rate higher than the first frame rate using the camera focusing-locked on the at least one object, and provide a video related to the at least one object using a second portion of the plurality of first images and at least one of the plurality of second images.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a camera;
a display;
a memory; and
at least one processor configured to:
obtain a plurality of first images as per a first frame rate using the camera based on a signal related to image recording,
provide a first portion of the plurality of first images as a preview through the display,
identify a movement of the electronic device,
based at least in part on identifying that the movement of the electronic device is less than a threshold, control the camera to perform focusing of a lens included in the camera on at least one of one or more objects in the plurality of first images while obtaining the plurality of first images, and control the camera to lock the focusing on the at least one object,
a plurality of second images as per a second frame rate higher than the first frame rate using the camera focusing-locked on the at least one object, and
provide a video related to the at least one object using a second portion of the plurality of first images and at least one of the plurality of second images.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to focus on the at least one object included in a designated region within the plurality of first images.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the camera to perform the focusing of the lens using contrast auto-focusing.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
based at least in part on identifying that the movement of the electronic device is less than the threshold, obtain a plurality of third images as per a third frame rate through an image sensor included in the camera,
identify a movement of an object in a designated region of at least one of the plurality of third images, and
based on identifying the movement of the object in the designated region of the at least one of the plurality of third images, obtain the plurality of second images as per the second frame rate using the camera.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify the movement of the object in the designated region of the at least one of the plurality of third images by identifying the object moving from outside the designated region to the inside of the designated region or by identifying the object moving out of the designated region.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to obtain the plurality of third images as per the third frame rate higher than the first frame rate.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second frame rate is higher than the third frame rate.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, based on stopping obtaining the plurality of second images, control the camera to resume the focusing of the lens.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
store a third portion of the plurality of first images for background recording in the memory, and
based on a designated condition being met, delete at least one image of the third portion of the plurality of first images stored in the memory from the memory.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
based on a designated time being elapsed since the recording-related signal is provided, identify that the designated condition is met, and based on the designated condition being met, delete the at least one image of the third portion of the plurality of first images from the memory, or
based on the third portion of the plurality of first images for background recording being stored in the memory by a predetermined range or a predetermined capacity since the recording-related signal is provided, identify that the designated condition is met, and based on the designated condition being met, delete the at least one image of the third portion of the plurality of first images from the memory.

11. A method for operating an electronic device configured to record an image, the method comprising:
obtaining a plurality of first images as per a first frame rate using a camera based on a signal related to image recording;
providing a first portion of the plurality of first images as a preview through a display;
identifying a movement of the electronic device;
based at least in part on identifying that the movement of the electronic device is less than a threshold, controlling the camera to perform focusing of a lens included in the camera on at least one of one or more objects in the plurality of first images while obtaining the plurality of first images, and controlling the camera to lock the focusing on the at least one object;
obtaining a plurality of second images as per a second frame rate higher than the first frame rate using the camera focusing-locked on the at least one object; and
providing a video related to the at least one object using a second portion of the plurality of first images and at least one of the plurality of second images.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling the camera to perform the focusing of the lens includes focusing on the at least one object included in a designated region within the plurality of first images.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling the camera to perform the focusing of the lens includes controlling the camera to perform the focusing of the lens using contrast auto-focusing.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
based at least in part on identifying that the movement of the electronic device is less than the threshold, obtaining a plurality of third images as per a third frame rate through an image sensor included in the camera, and
identifying a movement of an object in a designated region of at least one of the plurality of third images, and
wherein obtaining the plurality of second images includes, based on identifying the movement of the object in the designated region of the at least one of the plurality of third images, obtaining the plurality of second images as per the second frame rate using the camera.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein identifying the movement of the object in the designated region of the at least one of the plurality of third images comprises identifying the object moving from outside the designated region to the inside of the designated region or identifying the object moving out of the designated region.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein obtaining the plurality of third images includes obtaining the plurality of third images as per the third frame rate higher than the first frame rate.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second frame rate is higher than the third frame rate.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, based on stopping obtaining the plurality of second images, controlling the camera to resume the focusing of the lens.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
storing a third portion of the plurality of first images for background recording in a memory; and
based on a designated condition being met, deleting at least one of the third portion of the plurality of first images stored in the memory from the memory,
wherein deleting from the memory includes,
based on a designated time being elapsed since the recording-related signal is provided, identifying that the designated

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Wooyong
• Seo Kyungyul
• Won Jonghun
• Kang Changhoon
• Kim Donghyun
• Kim Sungeun
• Sung Daehyun

Classifications

• H04N23/675 Primary

  comprising setting of focusing regions · CPC title

• H04N23/67 Primary

  Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals · 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

• H04N7/0127

  by changing the field or frame frequency of the incoming video signal, e.g. frame rate converter · CPC title

• G06T2207/10148

  Varying focus · CPC title