Method for providing image and electronic device supporting the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12219079-B2
Application number	US-202217972004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2022
Priority date	Nov 5, 2021
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a flexible display in which a region exposed to an outside is reduced as the flexible display is drawn into the electronic device and the region exposed to the outside is expanded as the flexible display is drawn out of the electronic device, a camera module including an image sensor, at least one sensor, and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to acquire an image through the image sensor, identify a region of the flexible display exposed to the outside, through the at least one sensor, determine, within the image, an image part corresponding to the identified region of the flexible display, determine, within the determined image part, a region for performing at least one function related to the image, and perform the at least one function, based on the determined region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a flexible display in which a region exposed to an outside is reduced as the flexible display is drawn into the electronic device and the region exposed to the outside is expanded as the flexible display is drawn out of the electronic device;
a camera module comprising an image sensor;
at least one sensor; and
at least one processor electrically connected to the flexible display, the camera module, and the at least one sensor,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
acquire an image through the image sensor,
identify the region of the flexible display exposed to the outside, through the at least one sensor,
determine, within the image, an image part corresponding to the identified region of the flexible display,
determine, within the determined image part, a region for performing at least one function related to the image, and
perform the at least one function, based on the determined region.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to acquire the image through an entire region of the image sensor, based on a user input for setting an image aspect ratio to a full ratio.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
identify a horizontal/vertical ratio of the region of the flexible display exposed to the outside, and
determine, within the image, as the image part, a region having a horizontal/vertical ratio equal to the horizontal/vertical ratio of the region of the flexible display, with reference to a center of the image.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one function related to the image comprises at least one of an auto focus (AF) function, an auto exposure (AE) function, an auto white balance (AWB) function, a face detection (FD) function, or an object tracking (OT) function.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when the function related to the image comprises the AF function, determine, within the determined image part, a region specified by a user input, a region in which a face is detected, or a screen center region as a region of interest for the AF function.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the region of interest for the AF function, based on a priority between the region specified by the user input, the region in which the face is detected, and the screen center region.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when the function related to the image comprises the AE function and/or the AWB function, determine a region substantially equal to the determined image part as a region of interest for the AE function and/or AWB function.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
determine whether the region of the flexible display is changed by a threshold region or more, and
determine the region for performing the at least one function related to the image within the determined image part, based on determining that the region of the flexible display has been changed by the threshold region or more.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform the at least one function, so as to set a setting related to the camera module or correct the image.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display the image through the flexible display such that the determined image part and a region other than the determined image part within the image are distinguished from each other.

11. A method for providing an image by an electronic device, the method comprising:
acquiring an image through an image sensor included in a camera module of the electronic device;
identifying, through at least one sensor of the electronic device, a region of a flexible display exposed to an outside in the flexible display of the electronic device, the region exposed to the outside being reduced as the flexible display is drawn into the electronic device, and the region exposed to the outside being expanded as the flexible display is drawn out of the electronic device;
determining, within the image, an image part corresponding to the identified region of the flexible display;
determining, within the determined image part, a region for performing at least one function related to the image; and
performing the at least one function, based on the determined region.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the acquiring of the image comprises:
acquiring the image through an entire region of the image sensor, based on a user input for setting an image aspect ratio to a full ratio.

13. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein the identifying of the region of the flexible display comprises identifying a horizontal/vertical ratio of the region of the flexible display exposed to the outside, and
wherein the determining of the image part comprises determining, within the image, as the image part, a region having a horizontal/vertical ratio equal to the horizontal/vertical ratio of the region of the flexible display, with reference to a center of the image.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one function related to the image comprises at least one of an auto focus (AF) function, an auto exposure (AE) function, an auto white balance (AWB) function, a face detection (FD) function, or an object tracking (OT) function.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the determining of the region for performing the at least one function related to the image comprises:
determining, when the function related to the image comprises the AF function, within the determined image part, a region specified by a user input, a region in which a face is detected, or a screen center region, as a region of interest for the AF function.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the determining of the region specified by the user input, the region in which the face is detected, or the screen center region as the region of interest for the AF function comprises:
determining the region of interest for the AF function, based on a priority between the region specified by the user input, the region in which the face is detected, and the screen center region.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the determining of the region for performing the at least one function related to the image comprises:
determining, when the function related to the image comprises the AE function and/or the AWB function, a region substantially equal to the determined image part as a region of interest for the AE function and/or AWB function.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining whether the region of the flexible display is changed by a threshold region or more,
wherein the determining of the region for performing the at least one function related to the image comprises determining the region for performing the at least one function related to the image within the determined image part, based on determining that the region of the flexible display has been changed by the threshold region or more.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
performing the at least one function, so as to set a setting related to the camera module or correct the image.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
displaying the image through the flexible display suc

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Ildo
• Won Jonghoon
• Kim Jinhyun
• Kim Sungoh
• Kim Jiwoo
• Prushinskiy Valeriy
• Yeo Hyungsok

Classifications

• H04N23/611

  where the recognised objects include parts of the human body · CPC title

• H04N23/635

  Region indicators; Field of view indicators · 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

• H04N23/53

  of electronic viewfinders, e.g. rotatable or detachable · CPC title

• G06F3/0487

  using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser · CPC title