Method of eliminating a shutter-lag, camera module, and mobile device having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9232125-B2
Application number	US-201213600045-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2012
Priority date	Nov 28, 2011
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A method of reducing shutter-lag in a camera image sensor may include maintaining a sensor output image to have a low resolution in a preview mode of a camera image sensor; changing a resolution of the sensor output image from a low resolution to a high resolution in response to a capture preparation signal to change an operation mode of the camera image sensor from a preview mode to a capture preparation mode, the low resolution being a resolution equal to or below a reference resolution, the high resolution being a resolution above the reference resolution; and capturing the sensor output image in response to a capture signal in the capture preparation mode of the camera image sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of reducing shutter-lag in a camera image sensor, the method comprising:
maintaining a sensor output image to have a low resolution in a preview mode of a camera image sensor;
changing a resolution of the sensor output image from a low resolution to a high resolution in response to a capture preparation signal to change an operation mode of the camera image sensor from the preview mode to a capture preparation mode, the low resolution being a resolution equal to or below a reference resolution, the high resolution being a resolution above the reference resolution;
receiving a capture signal, the capture signal being different from the capture preparation signal; and
capturing the sensor output image in response to the capture signal in the capture preparation mode of the camera image sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
changing the resolution of the sensor output image from the high resolution to the low resolution to change the operation mode of the camera image sensor from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode after the sensor output image is captured in the capture preparation mode.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the resolution of the sensor output image is changed from the high resolution to the low resolution to change the operation mode of the camera image sensor from the capture preparation mode to a preview mode after a reference amount of time elapses in the capture preparation mode.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the resolution of the sensor output image is changed from the high resolution to the low resolution to change the operation mode of the camera image sensor from the capture preparation mode to a preview mode after a mode change signal is input in the capture preparation mode.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resolution of the sensor output image is changed from the low resolution to the high resolution after the capture preparation signal is input in a preview mode of the camera image sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a resolution of the sensor output image is changed from a low resolution to a high resolution after a reference amount of time elapses after the capture preparation signal is input in the preview mode of the camera image sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on an auto-focus start signal for performing a focusing operation.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on an external input signal for performing a focusing operation.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on at least one signal that is selected among a touch input signal, a button input signal, and a sound input signal.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on a smile detection signal for performing a smile detecting operation.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on a face detection signal for performing a face detecting operation.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a size of the sensor output image having the low resolution corresponds to an output size of a display displaying the sensor output image, and the size of the sensor output image having the low resolution is changed as the output size of the display is changed.

13. The method of claim 1 ′, wherein a size of the sensor output image having a high resolution corresponds to a reference size, and the reference size is changed by a user.

14. A camera module comprising:
an image sensor unit configured to generate a sensor output image by performing a photoelectric transformation;
a mode control unit configured to maintain the sensor output image to have a low resolution in a preview mode of the camera module, configured to change a resolution of the sensor output image from the low resolution to a high resolution in response to a capture preparation signal, configured to maintain the sensor output image to have the high resolution in a capture preparation mode of the camera module, configured to receive a capture signal, and configured to capture the sensor output image in response to the capture signal, the low resolution being a resolution equal to or below a reference resolution, the high resolution being a resolution above the reference resolution, the capture signal being different from the capture preparation signal; and
an image signal processing unit configured to process the sensor output image to generate image data.

15. The module of claim 14 , wherein the camera module is implemented by a system on chip (SOC).

16. The module of claim 14 , wherein the mode control unit is configured to set the sensor output image to have the low resolution in the preview mode of the camera module, and the mode control unit is configured to set the sensor output image to have the high resolution in the capture preparation mode of the camera module.

17. The module of claim 16 , wherein the mode control unit is configured such that the mode control unit changes the operation mode of the camera module from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode after the sensor output image is captured in the capture preparation mode of the camera module.

18. The module of claim 17 , wherein the mode control unit is configured such that the mode control unit changes the operation mode of the camera module from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode after a reference amount of time elapses in the capture preparation mode of the camera module.

19. The module of claim 17 , wherein the mode control unit is configured such that the mode control unit changes the operation mode of the camera module from the capture preparation mode to the preview mode when a mode change signal is input in the capture preparation mode of the camera module.

20. The module of claim 16 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on an auto-focus start signal for performing a focusing operation.

21. The module of claim 16 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on an external input signal for performing a focusing operation.

22. The module of claim 16 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on a smile detection signal for performing a smile detecting operation.

23. The module of claim 16 , wherein the capture preparation signal is generated based on a face detection signal for performing a face detecting operation.

24. A mobile device comprising:
a camera image sensor configured to generate a sensor output image;
an application processor configured to process the sensor output image; and
at least one display device configured to generate a display based on the sensor output image,
wherein the application processor comprises,
a mode controller configured to maintain the sensor output image to have a low resolution in a preview mode of the camera image sensor, configured to change a resolution of the sensor output image from the low resolution to a high resolution in response to a capture preparation signal, configured to maintain the sensor output image to have the high resolution in a capture preparation mode of the camera image sensor, configured to receive a capture signal, and configured to capture the sensor output image in response to the capture signal, the capture signal being different from the capture preparation signal;
an image sign

Assignees

• Song Yong-Bae
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Song Yong-Bae

Classifications

• H04N23/667 Primary

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

• H04N23/815

  for controlling the resolution by using a single image · CPC title

• H04N5/232 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/341

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/23245

  Electricity · mapped topic