Image photographing apparatus and image photographing method for generating a synthesis image from a plurality of images

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9813615-B2
Application number	US-201514806871-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2015
Priority date	Jul 25, 2014
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

An image photographing apparatus and an image photographing method are provided. The image photographing apparatus includes: a plurality of image capturers respectively comprising lenses having different focal distances and respectively configured to capture a plurality of images having different resolutions; a storage configured to store the plurality of images captured by the plurality of image capturers; an image processor configured to adjust properties of the plurality of images to correspond to each other; a controller configured to, in response to a magnification change command being input, control the image processor to synthesize the plurality of images of which the properties are adjusted and generate a synthesis image of a magnification changed according to the magnification change command; and a display configured to display the synthesis image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image photographing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of image capturers respectively comprising lenses having different focal distances and respectively configured to capture a plurality of images having different resolutions;
a storage configured to store the plurality of images captured by the plurality of image capturers;
an image processor configured to adjust properties of the plurality of captured images to correspond to each other;
a controller configured to, in response to a magnification change command being input, control the image processor to synthesize the plurality of captured images of which the properties are adjusted and generate a synthesis image of a magnification changed according to the magnification change command; and
a display configured to display the synthesis image,
wherein the controller determines a movement size based on a movement degree of a subject in a common region included in the plurality of captured images, adjusts a synthesis ratio of a first image from among the plurality of captured images to increase and a synthesis ratio of a remaining second image to decrease in accordance with the determined movement size, and synthesizes the first image and the second image at the adjusted synthesis ratios.

2. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the image processor to detect each of local regions of a size corresponding to the changed magnification from the plurality of images and to synthesize the detected local regions to generate the synthesis image.

3. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to output, for display, an indicator that indicates a plurality of regions having different resolutions included in the synthesis image of the magnification changed according to the magnification change command, and to, in response to a user command being input with respect to the indicator, display at least one of the plurality of images corresponding to each of the plurality of regions.

4. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein:
the lenses included in the plurality of image capturers face in different directions;
the image processor is configured to perform at least one of calibration and rectification on a difference generated by the different directions of the lenses and to modify the plurality of images as images captured when the lenses face in the same direction; and
the controller is configured to control the image processor to connect and synthesize the modified images and generate a single whole image.

5. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to synchronize timing of a reset signal provided to each of image sensors included in the plurality of image capturers and to synchronize capturing timing of the plurality of image capturers.

6. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine whether to synchronize the plurality of images based on a common region included in the plurality of images, and to, if the plurality of images are in an asynchronous state, perform delay processing on at least one image frame and synchronize the plurality of images.

7. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine whether to synchronize the plurality of images based on a common region included in the plurality of images, and to, if the plurality of images are in an asynchronous state, synchronize capturing timing of the plurality of image capturers.

8. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the properties of the plurality of images include a color and a white balance; and
the controller is configured to adjust colors and white balances of an image, among the plurality of images, according to a color and a white balance of another image, among the plurality of images.

9. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein:
the plurality of image capturers comprises a first image capturer including a wide angle lens and at least one second image capturer including a telephoto lens; and
the controller is configured to adjust a color and a white balance of at least one second image obtained from the at least one second image capturer according to a color and a white balance of a first image obtained from the first image capturer.

10. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of image capturers respectively further comprise image sensors with color pixels having a same pattern or different patterns; and
the controller is configured to generate the synthesis image expressing a physical property of a subject based on a plurality of color spectrum information obtained from the image sensors including the color pixels having the same pattern or the different patterns.

11. The image photographing apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein:
at least one image sensor, among the image sensors, includes a pixel detecting depth information of the subject; and
the controller is configured to generate a three-dimensional (3D) image of the changed magnification based on the detected depth information.

12. An image photographing method performed by an image photographing apparatus including a plurality of image capturers using lenses having different focal distances, the method comprising:
storing a plurality of images having different resolutions captured by the plurality of image capturers;
adjusting properties of the plurality of captured images to correspond to each other;
in response to a magnification change command being input, generating a synthesis image of a magnification changed according to the magnification change command by synthesizing the plurality of captured images of which the properties are adjusted; and
outputting the synthesis image,
wherein the generating the synthesis image comprises determining a movement size based on a movement degree of a subject in a common region included in the plurality of captured images, adjusting a synthesis ratio of a first image from among the plurality of captured images to increase and a synthesis ratio of a remaining second image to decrease in accordance with the determined movement size, and synthesizing the first image and the second image at the adjusted synthesis ratios.

13. The image photographing method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the generating the synthesis image comprises detecting each of local regions of a size corresponding to the changed magnification from the plurality of images and synthesizing the detected local regions to generate the synthesis image.

14. The image photographing method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising synchronizing timing of a reset signal provided to each of image sensors included in the plurality of image capturers and synchronizing capturing timing of the plurality of image capturers.

15. The image photographing method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising determining whether to synchronize the plurality of images based on a common region included in the plurality of images, and, if the plurality of images are in an asynchronous state, performing delay processing on at least one image frame and synchronizing the plurality of images.

16. The image photographing method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising determining whether to synchronize the plurality of images based on a common region included in the plurality of images, and, if the pl

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Tae-Hee
• Kim Jae-Gon
• Tuliakov Stepan
• Lee Sung-Ho
• Jeon Seung-Ryong
• Kim Kyoung-Young
• Hong Hyun-Seok
• Han Hee-Chul

Classifications

• H04N5/06 Primary

  Generation of synchronising signals · CPC title

• G06T3/40 Primary

  Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• H04N23/45

  for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title