KR100551424B1 - Illumination automatic control apparatus using the distance of subject in mobile station - Google Patents

Abstract

1. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an automatic lighting control device of a mobile communication terminal using a distance from a subject.

2. The technical problem to be solved by the invention

The present invention measures the distance to the subject by using a distance measuring sensor to correspond to the information on the distance to the illuminance gain to more finely control the brightness of the lighting device of the mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera, thereby making To provide an automatic lighting control device of a mobile communication terminal to obtain a clear image.

3. Summary of the Solution of the Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighting control apparatus for a mobile communication terminal, comprising: signal transmitting / receiving means for transmitting a distance measuring signal to a subject to be captured in a camera mode and receiving a return signal from the subject to be picked up; Distance measuring means for calculating a distance to the subject to be imaged by calculating a time difference between the transmitted and received signals in the signal transmitting / receiving means; Illuminance detecting means for detecting illuminance around the mobile communication terminal; Distance / illumination value storage means for storing a reference distance / illuminance value; Control means for determining the brightness of the lighting means by comparing the illuminance value detected by the illuminance detecting means and the distance value measured by the distance measuring means with a reference distance / illuminance value stored in the distance / illuminance value storing means; The lighting means for emitting light at a corresponding brightness according to the brightness control signal of the control means; And screen display means for screen displaying a distance value to the subject to be imaged and an emission value (brightness step) of the lighting means.

4. Important uses of the invention

The present invention is used for controlling the camera lighting of the mobile communication terminal.

Camera, Illumination, Distance, Mobile Terminal, Subject

Description

Illumination automatic control apparatus using the distance of subject in mobile station}

1 is a configuration diagram of an automatic lighting control device of a mobile communication terminal using a distance from a subject according to the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an apparatus for automatically controlling lighting of a mobile communication terminal using a distance from a subject according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawing

11: distance measuring sensor drive unit 12: distance measuring sensor

13: distance calculation unit 14: control unit

15: illumination sensor 16: distance / illumination gain storage unit

17 lighting unit 18 display unit

19: CCD module 20: image signal processing unit

21: manual switch

The present invention relates to an automatic lighting control device of a mobile communication terminal using a distance from a subject, and more particularly, by measuring a distance from a subject using a distance measuring sensor to correspond to information on the distance to the illuminance gain. The present invention relates to an automatic control device for lighting of a mobile communication terminal capable of finely controlling the brightness of a lighting device of a mounted terminal.

Nowadays, from mobile pagers to cellular phones, personal mobile phones (PCS), IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunication) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service) based mobile communications in recent years The communication environment is developing at a tremendous speed, and with the development of mobile communication terminals, the search for additional services available through the terminals is actively being developed.

In particular, the development of ultra-high speed mobile communication to IMT-2000 and UMTS, which is actively progressing at home and abroad, foretells the growth of data communication field using wireless network, and among these data communication areas, which are currently receiving the most attention. It is the transmission and reception of various information through the wireless Internet, and as the transmission speed of wireless data transmission and reception is improved, it is possible to transmit and receive images with large data sizes.

In addition, due to the development of hardware, communication terminal devices using the transmitted images are being developed. In recent years, a communication system is provided to provide the mobile communication speed so that there is no shortage of video transmission. This is the situation where commercialization is being made.

However, such a technology has a limitation in transmitting the image rather than transmitting the image through a wire in the case of wireless data transmission and reception. Depending on the various video coding methods, efforts have been made to improve the image quality compared to the communication speed on the receiving side by increasing the compression ratio for unnecessary parts and slightly lowering the compression ratio for important parts that interfere with the video. It can be said to be a complex technical complement, such as a change in the hardware to which the software is applied.

However, in consideration of the movement characteristic, which is the biggest characteristic of the portable, the ambient brightness changes due to the change of the ambient lighting (or illuminance) according to the moving position. In addition, the ambient brightness changes with sunlight.

Therefore, when the user transmits the image of the subject obtained through the camera to the counterpart while the ambient illumination is lowered (that is, in a dark state), a clear image cannot be obtained from the position of the receiver receiving the image. In other words, an image of deteriorated image quality is transmitted from the image transmission step.

This problem of image quality deterioration exists from the subject imaging stage, and is not limited only to the transmission of the captured image, and even if it is stored (stored) in the terminal regardless of the transmission, the imaging of the surrounding illumination accurately reflected from the subject imaging stage Because of this difficulty, the above-mentioned problem still exists. Since the imaging of which the illuminance of the surroundings is accurately reflected from the subject imaging step is difficult, the problem of deterioration of image quality still exists.

Although conventional techniques exist that can improve image quality by automatically controlling the lighting device according to the ambient brightness (illuminance), but only when the brightness is higher than the reference value, the lighting device is turned off (i.e., lighting). If the brightness is less than the reference value, the device is turned ON (i.e., the device is turned on), and only the on / off of the lighting device is controlled according to the ambient brightness. Of course, as a more advanced technology, there is a technology for controlling the brightness of the lighting device according to the ambient brightness (illuminance), away from simply turning on / off the lighting device according to the ambient brightness (illuminance), This simply reflects only the illuminance value detected from the outside in controlling the brightness of the illumination device according to the illuminance of the surroundings, so that it is difficult to obtain a clearer image in the subject image capturing step.

That is, in controlling the brightness of the lighting device, not only does the ambient light value be accurately reflected, but even if the user adjusts it by artificial manipulation, there is a limit to the set value (brightness control value). Since it is more difficult to accurately reflect the environmental factors that vary according to the illumination intensity, distance to the subject, and the like, there is a problem in that a clearer image cannot be obtained from the subject photographing step.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, by measuring the distance to the subject using a distance sensor to match the information on the distance to the illumination gain of the lighting apparatus of the mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic lighting control device of a mobile communication terminal for obtaining a clearer image in a subject photographing step by controlling brightness more finely.

The present invention for achieving the above object is a signal for transmitting a distance measuring signal to a subject to be imaged, and receiving a return signal from the subject to be imaged, in a camera mode state in an illumination control apparatus of a mobile communication terminal. Transmission / reception means; Distance measuring means for calculating a distance to the subject to be imaged by calculating a time difference between the transmitted and received signals in the signal transmitting / receiving means; Illuminance detecting means for detecting illuminance around the mobile communication terminal; Distance / illumination value storage means for storing a reference distance / illuminance value; Control means for determining the brightness of the lighting means by comparing the illuminance value detected by the illuminance detecting means and the distance value measured by the distance measuring means with a reference distance / illuminance value stored in the distance / illuminance value storing means; The lighting means for emitting light at a corresponding brightness according to the brightness control signal of the control means; And screen display means for screen displaying the distance value to the subject to be imaged and the emission value (brightness step) of the illumination means.

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In addition, the present invention includes an image pickup means for converting the image of the subject to be captured into an electrical signal through photoelectric conversion; And video signal processing means for encoding the video signal of the subject to be imaged.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the on / off is determined by the user's operation further comprises a switching means for selectively operating the lighting means.

The present invention implements and matches the data according to the distance (distance with the subject) in advance in a table, thereby automatically controlling the lighting device according to the brightness (illuminance) of the surroundings. By reflecting, the lighting device can be controlled more precisely and finely.

The above objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a configuration diagram of an apparatus for automatically controlling lighting of a mobile communication terminal using a distance from a subject according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic control device of the lighting mobile communication terminal using the distance to the subject according to the present invention transmits a distance measuring signal to a subject to be captured in a camera mode (photo shooting mode), Distance calculating unit for calculating the distance to the subject to be imaged by calculating the time difference between the distance measuring sensor 12 for receiving a return signal from the subject to be imaged and the transmission / reception signal from the distance measuring sensor 12 ( 13), an illuminance sensor 15 for detecting illuminance around the camera, a distance / illumination gain storage unit 16 storing a reference distance / illuminance value, and illuminance sensed by the illuminance sensor 15 A controller 14 for determining the brightness of the illumination unit 17 by comparing the value and the distance value calculated by the distance calculator 13 with the reference distance / illumination value stored in the distance / illumination gain storage unit 16; According to the brightness control signal of the control unit 14, And a lighting unit 17, a display unit 18 to display a radiation value radiated from the distance value and the lighting unit 17 to the image capturing target subject (that is, the brightness level) for emitting light with brightness. In addition, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) module 19 for converting an image of an object to be captured into an electrical signal through optical / electric conversion, and an image signal processor 20 for encoding an image signal of an object to be captured. More). In addition, the on / off (off) is determined by the user's operation further includes a manual switch 21 for selectively operating the lighting unit 17.

The automatic lighting control device of the mobile communication terminal using the distance to the subject according to the present invention as described above according to the ambient brightness (illuminance) in the normal mode whenever the user uses the camera mode (photo shooting mode) The brightness of the lighting unit 17 is more precisely and finely controlled by comparing the value and the distance value between the object to be imaged with the reference illuminance / distance gain value.

However, when the camera mode (photo shooting mode) is used in a place where the use is extremely limited, such as a theater, it may cause inconvenience to others by illuminating the bar. Alternatively, the lighting operation of the lighting unit 17 may be forcibly turned off.

The manual switch 21 is preferably installed on one side of a portable terminal device (preferably, a cellular phone, a PCS phone, an IMT-2000 phone, a UMTS phone, etc.), but adds this function to an existing keypad. It can also be used.

First, when the user selects a camera mode (photo shooting mode), the distance sensor driver 11 is driven to drive the distance sensor 12. Then, the distance measuring sensor 12 transmits a distance measuring signal to the image capturing object to measure the distance to the image capturing object, and returns a signal from the image capturing object.

Thereafter, the distance calculator 13 calculates a time difference between the transmission signal transmitted from the distance measuring sensor 12 and the returned reception signal to calculate the distance to the imaging object. The distance value to the subject to be captured is transferred to the controller 14.

On the other hand, in the camera mode (photo shooting mode), the ambient illuminance value detected by the illuminance sensor 15 is input to the control unit 14, and the control unit 14 distances the ambient illuminance value and the distance value to the subject to be imaged. The optimum illumination brightness is obtained by applying to the distance / illuminance gain table preset in the / illuminance gain storage unit 16. Here, the distance / illumination gain table is implemented by optimizing the brightness level of the lighting unit 17 according to the distance to the subject and the peripheral illumination value.
In this case, the brightness control values according to the illuminance / distance may be implemented as values optimized by actual experimental values. That is, by adjusting the brightness value (brightness level) according to the illuminance (illuminance value) around the camera and the distance (distance value) from the subject, the amount of received light reaching the subject is kept constant (i.e., when the distance is close, the amount of light emitted Smaller, and the larger the distance, the larger the amount of light emitted), and more clear image quality can be ensured. At this time, in order to ensure a clear image quality, the optimal light emission amount (the brightness level of the lighting unit 17) is calculated by a plurality of experimental values so that the amount of light received to the subject is constant and stored in the distance / illuminance gain table.
For example, the implementation of the distance / illuminance gain table calculated as an optimized value by a plurality of experimental values may be performed in the following manner.
First, in the conventional method of automatically controlling the lighting device in accordance with the ambient light (illuminance), "illuminance 55Lux or more: do not drive the lighting device", "50 ~ 55Lux: brightness step 1 (for example, 10Gno) "," 45-50Lux: brightness level 2 (e.g. 20Gno) "," 40 ~ 45Lux: brightness level 3 (e.g. 30Gno) "," 35-40Lux: brightness level 4 (e.g. 40Gno ) "," 30 ~ 35Lux: brightness level 5 (eg 50Gno) "," 25 ~ 30Lux: brightness level 6 (eg 60Gno) "," 20 ~ 25Lux: brightness level 7 (eg 70Gno) "," 15 ~ 20Lux: Brightness Level 8 (eg 80Gno) "," 10 ~ 15Lux: Brightness Level 9 (eg 90Gno) "," 5 ~ 10Lux: Brightness Level 10 (eg Suppose that the illuminance gain table is set to "0 ~ 5Lux: brightness level 11 (eg, 110Gno)". However, if the brightness level (light emission amount) is adjusted according to the illuminance gain table without considering the distance to the subject, there is a difference in the amount of light received at the subject according to the distance, so that it is difficult to obtain a clear picture quality. This is because the amount of received light is usually inversely proportional to the distance.
Therefore, by implementing a distance / illuminance gain table in consideration of the distance value in the illuminance gain table, it is possible to more precisely adjust the brightness value (light emission amount) to obtain clear picture quality. The distance / illuminance gain table is set to reduce the amount of light emitted when the distance is close, and to set the amount of light emitted as the distance increases so that the amount of received light reaching the subject can be kept constant. This is set to a value optimized by a number of experimental values.
For example, based on the optimal amount of received light reaching the subject (eg, assumed to be 30 Gno) in order to ensure clear image quality, the optimal brightness level (amount of emitted light) is determined by the experimental value according to the distance value and illuminance value. .
Namely, "30-35Lux: distance 1m: brightness level 5 (for example, light emission 50 Gno)", "30-35Lux: distance 2m: brightness level 6 (for example, light emission amount 60Gno)", "30-35Lux: distance 0.5 m: brightness level 4 (e.g., 40 Gno of light emission amount) ", etc., are set to the value optimized by the experimental value.
In addition, "25-30Lux: distance 1m: brightness level 6 (for example, 60 Gno of light emission)", "25-30Lux: distance 2m: brightness level 7 (for example, 70Gno light emission)", "25-30Lux: distance 0.5 m: brightness level 5 (e.g., emission amount 50 Gno) ", etc., are set to the value optimized by the experimental value.
As such, the brightness control values according to the illuminance / distance can be realized as values optimized by actual experimental values. Therefore, by adjusting the brightness value according to the illuminance around the camera and the distance from the subject, the amount of received light reaching the subject is kept constant (that is, when the distance is close, the amount of light emitted is reduced, and the distance is increased, the amount of light emitted is increased. ), To ensure a clearer picture quality.

Accordingly, the light generated from the illumination unit 17 by the more precise and finer control of the control unit 14 is emitted in the direction toward the CCD module 19, and the object image of the CCD module 19 is emitted by such light emission. Since the bright state is maintained, a clearer subject image can be obtained.

The display unit 18 displays the distance value to the subject to be captured and the emission value (brightness level) of the illumination unit 17 on the screen, and the user can accurately know the distance to the subject through the display value, and randomly selects the brightness. You can adjust (lighter or darker).

Of course, the brightness level of the lighting unit 17 automatically obtained by the controller 14 may or may not be displayed on the display unit 18. However, for convenience of the user, it may be more preferable to display the distance value to the subject and the brightness level together. In this way, the distance to the subject to be captured can be measured and used as a notification function at the rear of the car.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an apparatus for automatically controlling lighting of a mobile communication terminal using a distance from a subject according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the user selects a camera mode (photo shooting mode) in operation method of the automatic lighting control apparatus of the mobile communication terminal using the distance to the subject according to the present invention (201), the distance measuring sensor A distance measuring signal is transmitted to the subject to be imaged using (12), and a return signal from the subject to be imaged is received (202).

In operation 203, the distance calculator 13 calculates a time difference between the transmission / reception signals of the distance measurement sensor 12 and the distance to the subject to be captured.

Meanwhile, the illuminance sensor 15 detects the illuminance around the camera (204), and the controller 14 measures the illuminance value detected by the illuminance sensor 15 and the distance value calculated by the distance calculator 13. The brightness of the illumination unit 17 is determined by comparing with the reference distance / illumination value stored in the distance / illumination gain storage unit 16 (205). At this time, the lighting unit 17 emits light at the corresponding brightness according to the brightness control signal of the control unit 14 (206). In addition, the distance value to the subject to be captured and the radiation value emitted from the illumination unit 17 (that is, the brightness level) are displayed on the screen so that the user can recognize it (207).

In the present invention as described above, in order to automatically control the lighting device according to the brightness (illuminance) of the surroundings, not only the illumination of the surroundings but also reflecting the distance to the subject can be more accurately and finely control the lighting device, Since the distance to the object (the subject to be photographed) can be measured, it can be utilized as a notification function when the vehicle is parked rearward by switching to the camera mode (photo shooting mode) when the car is parked.

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, and various substitutions, modifications, and changes are possible in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be clear to those of ordinary knowledge.

The present invention as described above, in automatically controlling the lighting device according to the brightness (illuminance) of the surroundings, by measuring the distance to the subject using a distance measuring sensor to correspond to the information on the distance to the illuminance gain camera By controlling the brightness of the lighting device of the equipped mobile communication device more finely, a clearer image can be automatically obtained at the subject image capturing step. In particular, the distance to the subject to be captured can be measured. There is also an effect that can be utilized.

Claims (4)

delete In the lighting control device of a mobile communication terminal, Signal transmitting / receiving means for transmitting a distance measuring signal to a subject to be imaged and receiving a return signal from the subject to be imaged in a camera mode state; Distance measuring means for calculating a distance to the subject to be imaged by calculating a time difference between the transmitted and received signals in the signal transmitting / receiving means; Illuminance detecting means for detecting illuminance around the mobile communication terminal; Distance / illumination value storage means for storing a reference distance / illuminance value; Control means for determining the brightness of the lighting means by comparing the illuminance value detected by the illuminance detecting means and the distance value measured by the distance measuring means with a reference distance / illuminance value stored in the distance / illuminance value storing means; The lighting means for emitting light at a corresponding brightness according to the brightness control signal of the control means; And Screen display means for displaying a distance value to the subject to be imaged and an emission value (brightness step) of the lighting means; Automatic lighting device of the mobile communication terminal using the distance to the subject including. The method of claim 2, Imaging means for converting an image of the subject to be captured into an electrical signal through photoelectric conversion; And Video signal processing means for encoding the video signal of the subject to be imaged Automatic lighting control device of the mobile communication terminal using a distance to the subject further comprising. The method of claim 2 or 3, Switching means for selectively operating the lighting means is determined on / off by the user's operation Automatic lighting control device of the mobile communication terminal using a distance to the subject further comprising.

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