KR20080109519A - Video recording device and shooting method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image photographing apparatus and a photographing method.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image capturing apparatus and a photographing method recognize a preview image, compare the recognized image with a preset image sample, determine similarity, and capture the recognized image according to the result. An image capturing apparatus and a photographing method. Such an image capturing apparatus and a photographing method of the present invention can quickly and easily obtain a picture desired by a device user.

Description

Imaging Device and Shooting Method {DEVICE AND METHOD FOR IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHING}

1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an image photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a diagram illustrating a screen showing shooting according to a delay mode when shooting a preferred image of the present invention;

3 is an exemplary view of a screen according to a method of capturing a plurality of images at predetermined time intervals when capturing a preferred image of the present invention;

4 is an exemplary view of a screen in an automatic shooting mode according to a preferred image of the present invention;

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of capturing a preferred image using a shutter delay of the present invention;

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of capturing a preferred image using a time delay of the present invention;

7 is a flowchart illustrating an image capturing method according to an automatic image selection / manual selection mode of the present invention;

8 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic photographing method according to a preferred image of the present invention.

The present invention relates to an image photographing apparatus and a photographing method, and more particularly, to an image photographing apparatus and a photographing method for controlling to photograph an image depending on whether an image to be photographed meets a specific condition.

The image capturing apparatus is a tool for acquiring an image of a subject by using light reflected from the subject. Such image capturing apparatus has recently been reborn as a new type of image capturing apparatus with the development of digital devices. That is, the conventional digital camera provides a preview screen for previewing an image to be taken by the user, and also provides a function for immediately checking the captured image.

On the other hand, a user using an image capturing apparatus wants to obtain a good image of a subject regardless of his photographing technique. According to the report, a good image may look different depending on the subjectivity or personality of an individual, but there are some common standards for a good image. For example, a good image is an image without blurring of a subject, an image with a clear distinction between subjects, and the like. Accordingly, an image photographing a specific subject may have a certain standard as a good image unless it is produced for a special purpose. For example, people often close their eyes when photographing. This is caused by the aesthetic tension caused by the tension for taking a picture or the count mentioned during the shooting. People often judge that a bad picture is when the captured picture is closed. Accordingly, when the captured image is closed, the image is often attempted again. As a result, in the related art, there is a problem in that the photographing is repeated several times in order to avoid the image of the specific state of the subject.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image capturing apparatus and a photographing method that can control the photographing according to the specific state and shape of the subject. .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image capturing method includes: recognizing a first preview image of a subject image; Comparing the recognized image with at least one preset image sample; And photographing the recognized image when the recognized image has a similarity with the image sample by a predetermined reference value or more.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of capturing an image, including: generating a shutter input for capturing an image of a subject; Photographing a plurality of images at predetermined time intervals from the shutter input time point; Recognizing the captured images respectively; Comparing the recognition images with at least one preset image sample; And displaying a recognized image having a similarity degree to a predetermined reference value or more among the recognized images.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image capturing apparatus includes: a camera collecting an image of a subject; A display unit which displays a first preview image collected by the camera and an image collected by the camera; An input unit for inputting a signal corresponding to an image acquisition time point of the subject; A controller for recognizing an image of the subject image and comparing the recognized image with at least one predetermined image sample to control to capture an image of the subject when the similarity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; And a memory storing the image sample.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an image capturing apparatus includes: an input unit generated by a shutter input for capturing an image of a subject; Taking a plurality of images at predetermined time intervals from the shutter input time point, recognizing the captured images, comparing the recognized images with at least one preset image sample, and then among the recognized images. A controller configured to display a recognized image having a similarity with a sample equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value; A display unit which displays the recognized image; And a memory storing the image sample.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, only the parts necessary for understanding the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described, it should be noted that the description of other parts will be omitted so as not to distract from the gist of the present invention.

The terms or words used in the specification and claims described below should not be construed as being limited to the ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventors are appropriate to the concept of terms in order to explain their invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical spirit of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

For example, the following describes a smiling face and a face with eyes closed or floating with an image sample, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the image sample may include various features such as a specific shape, an operation, and a situation of an object. Accordingly, the user of the image capturing apparatus may acquire not only photographs of various expressions to be photographed, but also images of various operating states.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the image capturing apparatus is described using a mobile communication terminal as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a terminal capable of recognizing an input preview image. Preferably, the image capturing apparatus is a mobile communication terminal, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone ( All information and multimedia devices such as smart phones (IMT-2000), international mobile telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000) terminals, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) terminals, and universal mobile telecommunication service (UMTS) terminals, and applications thereof. It will be obvious.

1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of an image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Prior to the description, the image capturing apparatus of the present invention will be described by way of example the configuration of a mobile communication terminal. However, the image capturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the mobile communication terminal, and any terminal may be applied as long as the terminal can capture an image and perform image recognition on the captured image.

Referring to FIG. 1, the image capturing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a radio frequency unit 110, a key input unit 120, an audio processor 130, a camera 140, a display unit 150, The controller 160, the memory 170, and the alarm unit 180 may be included.

The radio frequency unit 110 may be included when the image capturing apparatus 100 has a function of a mobile communication terminal. The radio frequency unit 110 supports various functions such as general voice call, video call, and data communication. To this end, the radio frequency unit 110 may include a radio frequency transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of the transmitted signal, and a radio frequency receiver for low-noise amplifying and down-converting the received signal. In particular, the radio frequency unit 110 of the present invention under the control of the control unit 160 to transmit to the other terminal or server an image selected as a good image by the image recognition algorithm of the image photographed by the camera 140 A communication channel can be formed.

The key input unit 120 includes a plurality of input keys and function keys for receiving numeric or character information and setting various functions. The function keys may include direction keys, side keys, shortcut keys, and the like, which are set to perform a specific function. In addition, the key input unit 120 transmits a key signal input in relation to the user setting and the function control of the image capturing apparatus 100 to the controller 160.

In particular, the key input unit 120 of the present invention generates various key input signals for controlling the image capturing operation. For example, the key input unit 120 may include a key input signal corresponding to a shutter function of the camera 140, a key input signal for searching, storing, and deleting various images displayed on the display unit 150, a zoom in function, or A key input signal corresponding to a zoom out function and a key input signal corresponding to various photographing option functions provided by the camera 140 are generated and transmitted to the controller 160. The photo shooting option function includes a change in illuminance, a change in resolution, a filter insertion, an image preprocessing providing function, and the like when taking a photo. The key input unit 120 providing the shutter function provides a half shutter function. The half shutter function corresponds to the auto focusing function for the subject when the picture is taken. That is, the half shutter function divides one shutter operation into steps, automatically sets focusing on the subject before the actual subject is photographed according to a pressing operation of a predetermined depth, and takes a picture according to the other pressing operations.

The audio processor 130 reproduces an audio signal received from the radio frequency unit 110 using a speaker SPK or collects an audio signal input from a microphone MIC and transmits the audio signal to the controller 160. Perform the function. In particular, the audio processor 130 of the present invention may output an alarm for a state in which the camera 140 operates. In other words, when the camera 140 captures a subject, the audio processor 130 may output an audio signal for a state where the recording is completed, and an audio signal for the case where the shooting is not completed within a predetermined time after the start of recording. Can be generated and printed.

The camera 140 captures a predetermined image and receives the data as a data signal, and transmits the data signal to the controller 160. The data signal captured by the camera 140 may be temporarily stored or semi-permanently stored according to a user's selection. The camera 140 may capture an image of a subject and transmit the captured image to the display unit 150 as a preview screen. The camera may capture a subject image in response to a specific image of the subject image. To this end, the camera of the present invention may be a digital camera that delivers the image to be photographed in a preview state and temporarily stores it in a buffer. The operation time of the camera 140 will be described in more detail together with the screen interface description of the display unit 150.

The display unit 150 displays information input by a user or information provided to the user, including various menus of the image capturing apparatus 100. In particular, the display unit 150 may display an image captured by the camera 140 or an image received from the outside by the radio frequency unit 110 as screen data. In addition, the display unit 150 may provide an image of a subject currently projected by the camera 140 as a preview screen. The preview screen function is a function of displaying an image of a subject incident through a lens before an image actually captured by the camera 140. In addition, the display unit 150 may display before storing the image photographed by the camera 140, and may display a confirmation message for the user's storage and deletion. The display unit 150 may take a series of pictures of a subject according to a user's setting and display them as a multi thumbnail image. The screen interface of the display unit 150 will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The controller 160 controls the overall operation of the image capturing apparatus 100 and a signal flow between internal blocks of the image capturing apparatus 100. The controller 160 may include a function of a modem for supporting a mobile communication function and a codec for compressing an image when the image is captured.

In particular, the controller 160 of the present invention performs the control of the camera 140 according to the shooting mode. In more detail, the capturing mode includes a time delay mode when capturing a preferred image, a shutter delay mode when capturing a preferred image, an automatic selection / manual selection mode when capturing a preferred image, and an automatic capturing mode according to a preference image. The time delay mode when the preferred image is captured is a mode in which the current image is delayed and photographed when the image to be photographed by the camera 140 is similar to the image set by the user. The shutter delay mode when capturing the preferred image is a mode in which the camera 140 photographs the currently displayed image by delaying the shutter when the image to be captured is similar to the image set by the user. The automatic image selection mode at the time of capturing the preferred image is a mode in which a plurality of photographs are continuously photographed when the subject is photographed, and an image similar to the favorite image is extracted from the photographed image and displayed. The automatic shooting mode according to the preferred image is a mode for automatically photographing the subject when the subject has a similar state to the preset preferred image. Each mode will be described in more detail with the description of the screen interface of the display unit 150.

The memory 170 temporarily or semi-permanently stores an image acquired when capturing an image, including an application program required for a function operation according to an embodiment of the present invention, and temporarily stores the captured image before storing / deleting the image. It is responsible for the temporary storage function for the continuous picture in the buffering function and the picture taking mode in which a specific image is selected from among a plurality of continuous pictures. The memory 170 may largely include a program area and a data area.

The program area stores an operating system (OS) for booting the image capturing apparatus 100, an image recognition algorithm for recognizing a subject image projected through the camera 140, and the like. The program area stores other options provided by the image capturing apparatus 100, such as an application program required for a camera function, a sound reproduction function, an image or a video reproduction function, and the like. In addition, when the image capturing apparatus 100 has a mobile communication terminal function, the image capturing apparatus 100 stores an application program necessary for a voice call or a video call. When the image capturing apparatus 100 activates each of the above functions in response to a user request, the image capturing apparatus 100 provides the respective functions by using corresponding application programs under the control of the controller 160.

The image recognition algorithm is an algorithm for recognizing an image of a subject, and is an algorithm for determining which image is compared by comparing a shape, an operation state, and the like of the subject with previously stored image samples. For example, when the subject image is an image related to the face of the person, the image recognition algorithm extracts the position of the eye, the position of the nose and the position of the leaf from the face, and the change of the distance and the change of position between the respective positions. Based on the expression, the face state of the current person may be determined based on the expression. In other words, the image recognition algorithm is based on the connection of the components included in the above-described face, the expressionless face, the closed face, the open face, the open face, the closed face, It can recognize various faces such as crying face, angry face, laughing face, hungry face, staring face. The components of the face may include not only eyes and nose mouth, but also other components included in the face, for example, ears, chin, eyebrows, and wrinkles on the forehead.

The data area stores data generated according to the photographing operation of the image capturing apparatus 100. That is, the data area stores an image selected by the user among images captured by the camera 140. The data area may store user data related to various option functions provided by the image capturing apparatus 100, for example, the phone book data described above, information corresponding to audio data and user data, and the like. The data area may include an image recognition algorithm DB for supporting the image recognition algorithm. The image recognition algorithm DB includes an image that is a constant reference of an image to be photographed by the camera 140. For example, when a photograph is to be matched with a smiling face of the subject using the image recognition algorithm, the image recognition algorithm DB provides the controller 160 with a preferred image sample corresponding to the smiling face. Similarly, the image recognition algorithm DB may provide various types of images distinguishable by the image recognition algorithm as a preferred image sample. The image sample may include not only a specific image but also a specific image pattern and data obtained by digitizing the pattern.

The alarm unit 180 is configured to alarm the user of the image capturing apparatus 100 of the operation state of the camera 140. The alarm unit 180 may alert the user of the current camera 140 state using a lamp, vibration, sound, and the like. For example, when the image capturing apparatus 100 is in an automatic shooting mode according to a preferred image, the alarm unit 180 generates a shooting completion signal according to whether a subject exhibits a state similar to the preferred image. I can display it. When the subject has a different image state from the preferred image for a predetermined time, the alarm unit 180 may perform an insufficient state alarm for the subject. To this end, the alarm unit 180 may indicate a state by using a flicker of a lamp or a color of a lamp, or output the current state as a pre-stored voice in association with the audio processor 130. When the alarm unit 180 is associated with the audio processor 130, the alarm unit 180 may be deleted.

2 is a screen interface illustrating a mode of photographing a subject according to a time delay or shutter delay mode when capturing a preferred image of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the tenth screen interface 10 is a screen showing an image not to be captured by a user of the image capturing apparatus 100. The tenth screen interface 10 may be incident through the lens of the camera 140 and appear as a preview screen on the display unit 150. Looking at the tenth screen interface 10, it can be seen that the eyes of the person are closed. That is, the preferred image in FIG. 2 is an image of a state in which a person who is a subject does not sense eyes. When the image corresponding to the tenth screen interface 10 is displayed as the preview screen, the image capturing apparatus 100 controls the shooting time delay or the shutter pressing delay, as shown in the eleventh screen interface 11. Control to wait until the image is displayed. Then, when the image of the subject is displayed as an image as shown on the eleventh screen interface 11, the image capturing apparatus 100 controls to capture the correct image by removing the shutter pressing delay or the shooting time delay. As a result, an image corresponding to the eleventh screen interface 11 is displayed on the image displayed on the display unit 150.

As described above, in the subject photographing mode according to the delay of the present invention, when the image incident through the lens of the camera 140, i.e., the image displayed in the preview state is the preferred image, the photographing process is controlled so that the user does not need it. This can prevent you from taking pictures again. Here, although it is described as designating a preferred image of the present invention, the photographing delay may be performed based on the photographing delay image corresponding to the closed state.

3 is a diagram illustrating a screen interface according to an automatic image selection / manual selection mode when capturing a preferred image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the twentieth screen interface 20, the twenty-first screen interface 21, and the twenty-second screen interface 22 each represent images captured in succession. Here, the image displayed on the twentieth screen interface 20 represents a state where the person is closing his eyes. The image displayed on the twenty-first screen interface 21 represents a state in which the eyes of the person are half closed. Finally, the image displayed on the twenty-second screen interface 22 represents a state in which the eyes of the person are all open. As can be seen from the figure, the 20th to 22nd screen interfaces 20, 21, and 22 are images continuously photographed at predetermined time intervals. Such images may be selected according to the setting of the image capturing apparatus 100. In more detail, when the image capturing apparatus 100 is set to the image automatic selection mode and the state of closing the eyes is set as the photographing delay image, the image capturing apparatus 100 is configured to the 20th to the fifth. Among the 22 screen interfaces 20, 21, and 22, an image selected on the 22nd screen interface 22 is automatically selected and controlled to be displayed on the display unit 150, and the remaining 20th and 21st screen interfaces 20, 21 are controlled. The displayed picture can be controlled to be automatically deleted. When the image capturing apparatus 100 is set to the manual image selection mode, the image displayed on the 20th to 22nd screen interfaces 20, 21, and 22 is displayed on the display unit 150 in the form of multi thumbnails. The picture displayed on the twenty-second screen interface 22 may be recommended. Here, the photo recommendation function includes a function of focusing an image displayed on the twenty-second screen interface 22 or pointing to an image of the twenty-second screen interface 22 by default. In the present invention, the number of consecutive pictures is described as three, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the number of continuous photographs of the present invention may continuously photograph a plurality of photographs that the image capturing apparatus 100 can support and provide the same to the user.

4 is a screen interface illustrating a screen for describing an automatic photographing function according to a preferred image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the thirtieth screen interface 30 of the present invention shows a general facial expression instead of a preset facial expression. That is, the image displayed on the thirtieth screen interface 30 may correspond to an expressionless image. The image capturing apparatus 100 does not perform an operation while the image displayed on the thirtieth screen interface 30 is displayed on the display unit 150, but a facial expression change occurs and is displayed on the thirty-first screen interface 31. When facial expressions such as images appear, automatic shooting can be performed. To this end, the image capturing apparatus 100 may set a preferred image sample of the image recognition algorithm as a smiling face. In the same manner, the image capturing apparatus 100 may preset a facial expression of a person to be photographed, and control to automatically photograph an image when the facial expression of the person changes to have a facial expression similar to the preset facial expression. By using the photographing method, the image capturing apparatus 100 may perform remote automatic photographing. That is, when a smile is set as an image for automatic photographing and moves to a predetermined position and the subject makes an expression of the set image, the image capturing apparatus 100 may capture an image of the subject. . Here, the thirtieth screen interface 30 may be a screen displayed in a preview state on the display unit 150 through the lens of the camera 140, and the thirty-first screen interface 31 is photographed by photographing. It can be an image.

In the above, the components of the image capturing apparatus 100 and the screen interface of the display unit 150 have been described. Hereinafter, an image capturing method provided by the image capturing apparatus 100 described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a photographing method according to a shutter delay mode when photographing a preferred image of the present invention.

Prior to the description, the photographing delayed image of the present invention will be described as an image of a person's facial expression. That is, the photographing delay image is an image sample that specifies various facial expressions such as a smiling face and a crying face. Such an image sample may be converted into data using an image recognition algorithm, for example, a distance or position change value between each component constituting the face, for example, eyes, nose, and mouth. In the present invention, the photographing delay image is described as a reference for a person's expression, but may be applied as a reference for a specific action or state of the person. That is, the photographing delay image may be set as a reference for a specific situation or state of the subject.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the shutter delay mode capturing method of the present invention, first, in step S101, the controller 160 turns on the camera 140 of the image capturing apparatus 100 according to a key input signal, and then S103. In step 2, it is checked whether a shutter is input. After the camera 140 is turned on, the camera 140 transmits an image incident through the lens to the display unit 150. Accordingly, the display unit 150 may provide a preview screen for the subject in operation S101. On the other hand, if there is no shutter input in step S103, the controller 160 branches to step S101 to control to maintain the camera 140 turn-on state. The shutter input may be performed by using a specific key assigned to the shutter among the key input units 120 of the image capturing apparatus 100.

When the shutter input occurs in step S103, the controller 160 performs image recognition on the preview screen displayed on the display unit 150 in step S105. To this end, the controller 160 may load a shooting delay image to be applied to an image recognition algorithm stored in the memory 170. The image recognition process is a process of extracting a specific pattern of an image using an image recognition algorithm. For example, when the image recognition process is used to extract facial expressions of a face of a person, a pattern of changing distances and positions between elements constituting the face, for example, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, and chin, etc. Can be extracted with In operation S107, the controller 160 compares the extracted predetermined pattern with a photographing delay image loaded from the image recognition algorithm DB by a user setting. In this case, when the similarity between the preview screen image and the shooting delay image is equal to or greater than a preset algorithm reference value, the controller 160 determines that the subject corresponds to the shooting delay image, and enters step S109 to delay the shutter key input. Let's do it. The key input delay in step S109 may be implemented by setting the prevention of pressing of the shutter, or may be implemented by setting to ignore the pressing of the shutter. In order to set the shutter pressing prevention, the image capturing apparatus 100 may add a mechanical configuration for preventing pressing.

After the step S109, the controller 160 branches to step S103 to check whether a shutter input is occurring, and then repeats the subsequent process. If the preview image is different from the photographing delay image in step S107, the controller 160 branches to step S111 to perform image capturing.

Meanwhile, the shutter may support a half shutter mode. That is, the image capturing apparatus 100 of the present invention may perform the operation of the camera 140 differently according to the depth of the shutter press. In more detail, the shutter may distinguish between the first shutter input and the second shutter input according to the distance that the user moves by applying pressure. In the first shutter input step, the image capturing apparatus adjusts a zoom function included in the camera 140 to provide an auto focusing function on a subject, and performs image recognition on the preview screen based on the first shutter input. . Subsequently, in step S109, the shutter does not perform the second shutter input according to the key input delay, but performs only the function of the first shutter input step. When the recognition image is different from the shooting delay image in step S107, the second shutter in step S111. Shutter input becomes possible. That is, step S111 may be a step of photographing an image by performing a second shutter input.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a photographing method according to a time delay mode when photographing a preferred image of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the photographing method according to the time delay mode of the present invention, first, in step S201, the controller 160 turns on the camera 140 of the image capturing apparatus 100 in response to a user input. The image of the subject incident through the camera 140 is transmitted to the display unit 150. Accordingly, the image capturing apparatus 100 may provide a preview image. The controller 160 checks whether a shutter is input in step S203. If there is no shutter input in step 2103, the controller 160 branches to step S201 to control the camera 140 to be turned on.

When the shutter input occurs in step S203, the controller 160 performs image recognition on the preview screen displayed on the display unit 150 in step S205. The image recognition may be performed based on an image recognition algorithm and an image recognition algorithm DB. When image recognition is completed, the controller 160 compares the recognition image with a shooting delay image set by the user in step S207. The photographing delay image may be a sample image of a photographing image which is not desired by the user, and may be, for example, a face with eyes closed or an angry face frown. In operation S207, when the recognition image is different from the shooting delay image, the controller 160 controls the camera 140 to capture the current image.

Meanwhile, when the recognition image and the shooting delay image are the same in step S207, the controller 160 performs a time delay for capturing the image in step S209, and then controls to capture the time delayed image in step S211. The method of capturing the time delayed image in step S211 is not to capture the image at the moment of the shutter input, but to capture the image after a predetermined time elapses from the time of the shutter input. When the photographing delayed image is a face with eyes closed, the width of the time delay is preferably set to 0.3 to 0.4 seconds or more in consideration of the opening and closing speed of the eye couple. That is, if the preview image at the time when the shutter input occurs is the same as the photographing delay image, the controller 160 delays the photographing for 0.4 seconds or more in step S209, and then photographs the time-delayed image to capture the face with eyes closed. Avoiding images can be obtained.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a photographing method according to an automatic image selection / manual selection mode when capturing a preferred image of the present invention.

Prior to the description, it is assumed that the image automatic selection / manual selection mode of the present invention is preset in the camera 140. That is, the automatic image selection / manual selection mode may be provided as an optional function so that the user can select one of the camera 140 photographing methods.

Referring to FIG. 7, in the photographing method according to the automatic image selection / manual selection mode of the present invention, first, the controller 160 activates the camera 140 according to a user input in operation S301, and then inputs a shutter in operation S303. Check whether or not. If there is no shutter input in step S303, the controller 160 branches to step S301 to control the camera 140 to maintain a turn-on state. After the camera 140 is turned on, the camera 140 transmits an image incident through the lens to the display unit 150. Accordingly, the display unit 150 may provide a preview screen for the subject in operation S101.

When the shutter input occurs in step S303, the controller 160 continuously photographs a plurality of images with a time difference in step S305. That is, the controller 160 continuously photographs the image of the subject at predetermined time intervals from the time when the shutter input occurs, and temporarily stores the photographed image in the memory 170 or the buffer. In operation S307, the controller 160 determines whether the selection mode of the image capturing apparatus 100 is an image automatic selection mode. The automatic image selection mode is a mode in which the controller 160 automatically selects and displays a specific image among the plurality of photographed images. That is, when the controller 160 is set to the automatic image selection mode in step S307, the controller 160 performs image recognition on a plurality of images photographed by the camera 140 in step S309, and the recognized image and the user set it. Compare one preferred image sample. The image recognition process is a process of extracting a specific pattern of an image using an image recognition algorithm. For example, when the image recognition process is used to extract facial expressions of a face of a person, a pattern of changing distances and positions between elements constituting the face, for example, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, and chin, etc. Can be extracted with In addition, the preferred image sample is a sample having a pattern similar to the image to be obtained by the user, and is an image sample provided by an image recognition algorithm. The preferred image sample is stored in the image recognition algorithm DB of the memory 170, and the image ruler can also be loaded according to the selection mode setting. In addition, one or more of the preferred image sample settings may be set. For example, when a user of the image capturing apparatus 100 selects a smiling face, an open face, or the like, the controller 160 selects an image sample most similar to the patterns of the respective preferred image samples. In step S311 it is selected. Thereafter, the controller 160 controls the display unit 150 to display the selected image as a captured image in step S313, and delete other images, that is, the unselected image.

On the other hand, when the automatic image selection mode is not set in step S307, the control unit 160 determines to be a manual selection mode in step S315, and to display the plurality of continuous images in the display unit 150 in step S317 To control. Images displayed in step S317 may be stored or deleted according to a user's selection.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic image capturing method according to a preferred image of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, in the automatic image capturing method according to the preferred image, first, the controller 160 turns on the camera 140 in response to a key input signal input by the user in step S401, and then step S403. Determines whether the camera shooting mode is set to the automatic shooting mode. The automatic photographing mode is a mode for automatically photographing a subject when the subject has an image recognition pattern or an image recognition pattern corresponding to a preset preferred image, that is, a photographing start image. On the other hand, if the control unit 160 is not set to the automatic shooting mode in step S403, in step S405 supports to perform a normal shooting mode. The normal photographing mode may include a mode in which a user directly applies a pressure to the shutter to start photographing a subject. When the camera 140 is turned on, the image capturing apparatus 100 may provide an image of a subject incident through the lens as a preview screen on the display unit 150. That is, when the camera 140 is turned on, the display unit 150 may provide an image of a subject as a preview screen regardless of the automatic photographing mode setting.

When the image capturing apparatus 100 is set to the automatic photographing mode in step S403, the controller 160 performs image recognition on the image of the preview screen displayed on the display unit 150 in step S407. Here, the image recognition process is performed in real time to calculate the image of the subject displayed on the preview screen, or to reduce the load caused by the image recognition process of the image capturing apparatus 100, the image recognition algorithm at a predetermined time interval According to the operation can be performed.

Next, the controller 160 compares the collected recognition images with the shooting start image in step S409. In this case, the shooting start image is an image sample set by a user who uses the image capturing apparatus 100, and may be an image sample including various types of situations, behaviors of a person, facial expressions, and the like supported by an image recognition algorithm. Can be. That is, the photographing start image serves as a threshold point for the image capturing apparatus 100 to start automatic photographing of the subject. The threshold may vary according to user setting when the subject is photographing two or more people. For example, the critical point may include a condition in which even one of a plurality of persons has a specific behavior or facial expression.

In step S409, if there is an image matching the start image of the recognized images, the controller 160 takes a picture in step S411. When the photographing is completed, the controller 160 may alert the user that the photographing is completed in step S413. The step S413 is a process for the user's convenience and is preferably provided as a basic function. The alarm method may be any signal type that can be recognized by the user, such as lamp flashing, audio signal output, and vibration.

Meanwhile, when the image corresponding to the shooting start image is not obtained from the recognized images in step S409, the controller 160 informs the user of the image capturing apparatus 100 of the state that the matching start image is insufficient in step S415. Alarm and branch to step S407. The step S415 is an alarm to the user of whether or not photo taking is completed and may not be performed according to a user setting. Preferably, the low state alarm in the step S415 has a signal form differentiated from the shooting completion alarm in the step S413.

As described above, in the image capturing apparatus and the image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, a photographing image desired by a user may be obtained by performing photographing based on a shape or a situation of a subject according to a user setting.

As described above, in the detailed description of the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the claims below, but also by the equivalents of the claims.

As described above, according to the image capturing apparatus and the image capturing method proposed by the present invention, the photographer can quickly and easily capture a desired image without a repetitive photographing process.

Claims (23)

Image recognition of the first preview image of the subject image; Comparing the recognized image with at least one preset image sample; And And photographing the recognized image when the recognized image has a similarity level with a predetermined reference value or more with the image sample. The method of claim 1, The image sample is Smiley face, expressionless face, closed face, open face, open face, closed face, crying face, angry face, sampled based on the connection of components in the face , At least one of a laughing face, a hungry face, and a staring face. The method of claim 1, The recognition image shooting process Image capturing method characterized in that performed automatically. The method of claim 3, The image capturing method further comprises the step of alarming the completion of the recording of the recognition image. The method of claim 1, And delaying the photographing when the similarity between the recognized image and the image sample is equal to or less than a reference value. The method of claim 5, The shooting delay process Inputting a first shutter input corresponding to auto focusing adjustment on the first preview image; And And delaying a second shutter input for capturing an image until acquiring a recognized image of a second preview image different from the first preview image. The method of claim 6, Delaying the second shutter input is And activating the shutter prevention function of the shutter. The method of claim 5, The shooting delay process Adding a delay time to a time point at which the signal for capturing the recognized image is input; And And photographing the newly acquired second preview image after the delay time. The method of claim 8, The delay time Image capture method characterized in that having a time size of 0.3 seconds or more. Generating a shutter input for capturing an image of a subject; Photographing a plurality of images at predetermined time intervals from the shutter input time point; Recognizing the captured images respectively; Comparing the recognition images with at least one preset image sample; And And displaying a recognized image having a similarity degree to a predetermined reference value or more among the recognized images. The method of claim 10, And automatically deleting an image having a similarity with the image sample or less than a predetermined reference value. The method of claim 10, The process of recognizing the image Extracting components constituting the shape of the subject; And And extracting a pattern according to a change in distance and position between the components. The method of claim 10, The image sample is Is a video sample of facial expressions, Smiley face, expressionless face, closed eyes, face with open eyes, face with open mouth, face with closed mouth, crying face, angry based on the connection of components included in the face And at least one of a face, a face laughing, a hungry face, and a staring face. A camera collecting an image of the subject; A display unit configured to display a first preview image collected by the camera and an image collected by the camera by photographing; An input unit configured to input a signal corresponding to an image collecting time point of the subject; A controller for recognizing an image of the subject image and comparing the recognized image with at least one predetermined image sample to control to capture an image of the subject when the similarity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; And And a memory storing the image sample. The method of claim 14, The image sample is Is a video sample of facial expressions, Smiley face, expressionless face, closed eyes, face with open eyes, face with open mouth, face with closed mouth, crying face, angry based on the connection of components included in the face And at least one of a face, a face laughing, a hungry face, and a staring face. The method of claim 14, The control unit And an image capturing apparatus for automatically capturing the image. The method of claim 16, And an alarm unit for alarming completion of photographing of the recognized image. The method of claim 14, The input unit A first shutter input corresponding to an auto focusing adjustment on the preview image of the subject image; And A second shutter input input to capture the subject image; The second shutter input is And a delay time until acquisition of a recognition image for the second preview image different from the recognition image. The method of claim 18, And a shutter press preventing unit to delay the second shutter input. The method of claim 14, The control unit When the similarity is lower than a predetermined value by comparing the recognized image with at least one preset image sample, a delay time is added to a time point at which a signal for capturing the recognized image is input, and then the second preview image different from the first preview image. An image capturing apparatus, characterized in that it controls to start recording upon acquisition. An input unit generated by a shutter input for capturing an image of a subject; Taking a plurality of images at predetermined time intervals from the shutter input time point, recognizing the captured images, comparing the recognized images with at least one preset image sample, and then among the recognized images. A controller configured to display a recognized image having a similarity with a sample equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value; A display unit which displays the recognized image; And And a memory storing the image sample. The method of claim 21, The control unit And an image of which similarity with the image sample is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value is automatically deleted. The method of claim 21, The image sample is Is a video sample of facial expressions, Smiley face, expressionless face, closed eyes, face with open eyes, face with open mouth, face with closed mouth, crying face, angry based on the connection of components included in the face And at least one of a face, a face laughing, a hungry face, and a staring face.

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