KR101595380B1 - Mobile terminal and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal capable of detecting a specific object in each photograph and continuously merging the objects into a single photograph, and more particularly to a mobile terminal and a control method therefor. The mobile terminal comprises a camera, a display unit, And sequentially extracting the same objects from the continuously photographed photographs and sequentially merging the objects with the first photographed photographs. Thus, it is possible to provide the user with fun, It has the effect of making it easy to see the movement or connection movement.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal capable of detecting a specific object in each photograph when consecutively photographing and merging the objects into a single photograph, and a control method thereof.

The terminal can move And can be divided into a mobile / portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry the mobile terminal.

Such a terminal has various functions, for example, in the form of a multimedia device having multiple functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, etc. .

In order to support and enhance the functionality of such terminals, it may be considered to improve the structural and / or software parts of the terminal. Recently, most of mobile terminals have camera functions. However, the camera function does not include a function of merging specific objects having motion during continuous shooting in one photo.

The present invention provides a mobile terminal and a control method thereof that can detect a specific object moving during continuous shooting and combine the objects into a single photograph.

The present invention also provides a mobile terminal capable of setting the number of shots and the shooting time during continuous shooting, and a control method thereof.

The present invention also provides a mobile terminal and its control method in which the merging interval of each object is adjusted according to the movement of the object during continuous shooting.

The present invention also provides a mobile terminal and its control method capable of detecting the movement of a specific object to start and end continuous shooting.

In addition, the present invention provides a mobile terminal capable of displaying information indicating the order in which the objects are merged, and a control method thereof.

The present invention also provides a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, which can automatically apply the effect of movement of each of the merged objects at the time of continuous shooting.

The present invention also provides a mobile terminal capable of directly displaying a photograph including merged objects on a preview screen at the time of continuous shooting, and a control method thereof.

The present invention also provides a mobile terminal and a control method thereof for selectively editing merged objects during continuous shooting.

A mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above-mentioned object comprises a camera, a display unit, and a control unit for sequentially photographing the photographs using the camera, sequentially extracting the same objects from the photographs, And a controller for sequentially merging the objects in the first photographed image.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of automatically extracting an object from a photographed photograph after continuously photographing a photograph continuously, merging an object sequentially extracted from the photographed second and subsequent photographs into a first photograph, Is made to store the completed photograph.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can detect a specific object moving at the time of continuous shooting so that the objects can be merged into a single photo so that the movement of the specific object, So that the operation can be easily recognized.

In addition, the present invention does not require a separate editing operation by the user by automatically merging specific objects at the time of continuous shooting and directly outputting the merged photographs, thereby allowing the user to feel the convenience and fun of photographing There is an effect to be able to.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal described in this specification may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), navigation and the like. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to a fixed terminal such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like, unless the configuration is applicable only to a mobile terminal.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only (DVF-H) And a Digital Broadcasting System (ISDB-T) (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitable for other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally attached to the mobile terminal 100. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

The position information module 115 is a module for obtaining the position of the mobile terminal, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes an image frame such as a still image or moving image obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ Two or more cameras 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is for generating output related to the visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154 .

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another or may be disposed integrally with each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a display unit 151 and a sensor for sensing a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure, It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched or the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is surrounded by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch & The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152 so that they may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or a suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or arm. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the portable terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or transmits data to the external device. For example, you can connect a device with a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a device with an identification module, an audio input / A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted to the terminal. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 180 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code is stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

2A is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 has a bar-shaped terminal body. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. [ A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The cases may be formed by injection molding a synthetic resin or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti) or the like.

The display unit 151, the sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, the interface 170, and the like may be disposed in the front body 101 have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. An audio output unit 151 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The operation units 131 and 132 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

The contents inputted by the first or second operation unit 131 or 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 'may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the camera 121 ' It is desirable to have pixels at a high level. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are additionally disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera 121 '.

An acoustic output 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 'may implement the stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode during a call.

In addition to the antenna for talking and the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 116 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be built in the terminal body or may be detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [ Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

The touch pad 135 operates in correlation with the display portion 151 of the front case 101. The touch pad 135 may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

Various types of time information can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ These pieces of information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons. At least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons may be displayed in a predetermined arrangement for inputting such information, thereby being implemented as a keypad. Such a keypad may be called a so-called " soft key ".

Hereinafter, embodiments related to a control method that can be implemented in the terminal configured as above will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments can be used alone or in combination with each other. In addition, the embodiments described below may be used in combination with the above-described user interface (UI).

The present invention relates to a photographing method using a camera function provided in a mobile terminal. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method (hereinafter referred to as "continuous shooting") in which a photograph of a specific subject can be continuously photographed automatically using the camera function. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of detecting the specific subject (hereinafter referred to as an object) in the continuously photographed photograph and automatically merging the same into a single photograph.

Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a mode capable of continuously photographing as described above is referred to as a continuous shooting mode (or continuous shooting mode).

3 is a diagram illustrating an environment setting screen for continuous shooting of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The continuous shooting mode may set a continuous shooting time (e.g., 5 seconds) 210 and a shooting time interval (e.g., 1 second) 211 or a shooting count (e.g., 5) have.

Also, the continuous shooting mode can set a continuous shooting start time (eg, 09:00 am) and a continuous shooting end time (eg, 09:02 am) 213 through a setting option. Accordingly, the control unit 180 detects the time, starts shooting at the continuous shooting start time, and performs shooting at a predetermined shooting time interval. Then, the photographing is automatically ended at the photographing end time.

Hereinafter, a method of starting shooting in the continuous shooting mode set as described above will be described.

4A to 4C are flowcharts for explaining a method of starting continuous shooting in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

4A, when the user presses a shutter (not shown) in the continuous shooting mode (S101), the control unit 180 shoots a picture (S102). Then, the photographing is automatically and continuously photographed at a preset photographing time interval (for example, 1 second) (S104, S105). When the predetermined continuous shooting time (e.g., 5 seconds) ends, the continuous shooting operation is automatically terminated (S103). Or a preset number of shots (for example, five shots) for a predetermined continuous shooting time (for example, 5 seconds) at a predetermined time interval (for example, 1 second). The shutter may use any hard key or soft key provided in the terminal.

As another example, as shown in FIG. 4B, while the user presses the shutter (S201), the photograph is continuously photographed automatically at a predetermined photographing time interval (for example, 1 second) (S202 to S204). For example, if it is assumed that the preset photographing time interval is 1 second, and the user holds the shutter for 10 seconds in the continuous shooting mode, the control unit 180 can continuously take a picture at intervals of 1 second for 10 seconds .

As another example, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the movement of a specific subject is detected (S302) in the continuous shooting mode (S301), the control unit 180 shoots a picture (S303). Then, a photograph is continuously taken at a preset photographing time interval (e.g., 1 second) while the motion of the subject is detected (S302 to S305). For example, when the subject enters the angle of view of the camera, the control unit 180 can start photographing. Then, when the subject continues to move within the angle of view, the photographing can be continued at a predetermined photographing time interval (e.g., 1 second). When the subject is out of the angle of view, the photographing can be stopped.

On the other hand, although not shown in the drawings, the photographing time interval may be automatically changed according to the degree of movement of the subject. For example, if the predetermined shooting time interval is 1 second, if the subject moves too much, the shooting time interval may be automatically changed at intervals of 0.5 second shorter than the time.

The method of starting the continuous photographing has been described above. Hereinafter, a method of extracting and merging specific objects from the photographed photographs will be described.

5 is a flowchart for explaining a method of merging consecutively photographed photographs in a mobile terminal according to the present invention. 6 is a view illustrating an example of a preview screen showing a process of merging objects in a continuous shooting mode in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The control unit 180 continuously photographs the photographs (S401) and extracts the objects from the photographs when the photographing is completed (S402). The objects extracted from the respective photographs may be temporarily stored in the memory 160. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that three photographs are consecutively photographed.

Here, as an example of the method of extracting the object, any known object extraction algorithm (e.g., Harris algorithm) may be used. Also, it is possible to compare the first photo and the second photo to detect the changed part and refer to it when extracting the object. In addition, when there are a plurality of candidates of the object extracted by using the object extraction algorithm, the selection can be made from the user. The object extraction algorithm is performed so that the same object can be detected regardless of the rotation or size of the object. Then, the object extracted from the first photograph is extracted from the next captured photograph to detect a region difference of the object in the two photographs. That is, if there is a difference in area between the object extracted from the second photograph and the object extracted from the first photograph, it can be determined that the object is moving. More specifically, when an object is extracted using the object extraction algorithm, a background and an object can be separated by obtaining a histogram difference between a current photograph and a next photograph based on the object candidate region information.

Then, the control unit 180 merges the object extracted from the second photograph into the first photograph (S403). That is, the object extracted from the second photograph is copied and pasted to the first photograph. At this time, not only the attribute of the extracted image but also the location of the extracted image are copied and pasted into the first photograph. Here, the merging process is performed internally by the controller 180. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the merged scene may be displayed on the display unit 151 every time a photograph is taken (310 to 313).

On the other hand, the process of extracting and merging the object is performed in the same manner with respect to the pictures of the next order (e.g., the third picture, the fourth picture, the fifth picture, etc.).

That is, the object can be extracted from the third photographed photograph and merged into the first photograph. Therefore, the objects extracted from the second photograph are already merged in the first photograph, and when the objects extracted from the third photograph are merged, they are merged into an upper layer than the objects already merged. So that a portion of the merged objects may be merged over previously merged objects.

The merging process may be executed using the stored photographs after the continuous photographing is completely finished, or may be executed sequentially each time the photograph is photographed. When the merging picture of the objects is completed as described above, the controller 180 stores the merged picture in the memory 160. [ In addition, the merged photograph can be stored in a form that can be distinguished from other photographs (for example, a file name is different).

On the other hand, the control unit 180 may automatically change the attributes (e.g., color, contrast, brightness) when merging the objects. It is also possible to add additional information (e.g. arrows) related to the movement of the object. The method of changing the attribute information or adding the additional information will be described in detail with reference to other drawings.

Hereinafter, a method of extracting an object from a continuously photographed photograph and merging it into one photograph (for example, a first photograph) has been described.

The present invention is for outputting photographs of movement of a subject (for example, a change in position or motion) by subjecting a subject in a certain space (a space that can be photographed with a camera). Therefore, a specific effect can be applied to make the movement of the subject more visible. Therefore, the effects that can be applied when the continuous photographs are merged will be described below.

7A to 7D are views showing merged photographs in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the objects extracted from the continuously photographed photographs are merged, the controller 180 determines that the object has been photographed, in order to further emphasize the movement of the objects according to the time (order) You can change the attributes of the object (eg color, contrast, brightness) in order.

For example, you can change the oldest captured object in time to the faintest state, and change the most recently captured object to the clearest state. Of course, depending on your environment settings, you can change to the opposite attribute. For example, you can change the oldest captured object to the sharpest state, and change the most recently captured object to the faintest state.

As shown in FIG. 7B, additional information (e.g., arrows, numbers, and alphabets) indicating the direction in which the continuously photographed objects move or the order in which they were photographed can be additionally displayed on one side of the photograph. For example, a number (eg, ①, ②, ③, ④) or an alphabet corresponding to the order in which each object was shot can be automatically displayed on the upper or lower side of each object. Alternatively, a continuous arrow may be displayed from the position of the object that was photographed the longest to the position of the most recently photographed object.

As shown in FIG. 7C, objects can be highlighted and displayed so that each successively captured object can be contrasted with the background. For example, each object can additionally display an outline with a specific thickness. At this time, an effect such as color or dotted line may be applied to the contour line. Alternatively, the background portion can be dimmed and the objects can be clearly displayed.

As shown in FIG. 7D, it is possible to control the merging interval of each object continuously photographed. For example, the closer the objects are located closer to the object captured the longest, the closer the merging interval of the objects, and the closer the objects are, the closer the merging interval of the objects becomes. Of course, it is also possible to adjust the merging interval of objects. For example, the closer the object is to the oldest object, the more distant objects are merged, and the closer the object is to the most recently captured object, the closer the merging interval of objects is.

In the above, a method of applying various effects to emphasize the motion of the objects when merging the objects extracted from the continuous photographs has been described. However, even after the photograph is completed as described above, the user can edit the desired shape. Hereinafter, a method of editing a photograph in which the objects are merged will be described.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method of editing a photograph in which objects are merged in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The user can select the merge photograph from the photo album menu (S501).

When the user wants to edit the selected picture (S502), the controller 180 displays the selected picture on the display unit 151 and changes the camera mode to the picture editing mode. Here, it is possible to display an indicator that recognizes the photo editing mode.

In step S503, the control unit 180 separates the objects merged into the photo in the background in the photo editing mode. An outline of each object may be additionally displayed to indicate that the object is separated from the background (S504). The outline can be indicated by a dotted line.

If the objects are separated as described above, the user can select any one or all of the objects. You can then delete, move, or rotate the selected object. That is, the user can adjust the merging interval in a desired format. Of course, the user can change the attributes of the selected object. For example, the selected object can be displayed as an upper layer, the attribute of the selected object can be changed to display more clearly than other objects, or the additional information (for example, text, image) desired by the user can be called (S505).

After the editing by the user is completed (S506), when the user inputs the storage key, the controller 180 stores the merged photographs in operation S507.

In the foregoing, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Here, the terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the technical ideas of the present invention are described. Therefore, It should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be present.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

3 is an exemplary view showing a configuration screen for continuous shooting of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

4A to 4C are flowcharts for explaining a method of starting continuous shooting in a mobile terminal according to the present invention

5 is a flowchart for explaining a method of merging consecutively photographed photographs in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

6 is a view showing an example of a preview screen showing a merging process of objects in continuous shooting in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

7A to 7D are views illustrating merged photographs in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

8 is a view for explaining a method of editing a photograph in which objects are merged in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

Claims (19)

Automatically photographing continuously at preset time intervals while satisfying preset conditions; Extracting an object from the photographed photograph; Merging an object sequentially extracted from the photographed second and subsequent photographs into a first photograph; And storing a photograph in which the merge of the objects is completed, Wherein the predetermined time interval varies depending on a degree of motion of the subject. 2. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the automatic photographing is continuously performed at a preset photographing time interval while the user holds the shutter. 2. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the automatic photographing is continuously performed at a predetermined photographing time interval while the movement of the subject is detected. 2. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the automatic photographing is continuously performed at a preset photographing time interval from a preset photographing start time to a photographing end time. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein merging the objects further comprises: Wherein the merged object is merged into a higher layer than the merged object. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein merging the objects further comprises: Wherein the property of the objects is automatically changed in order to emphasize the movement of the objects. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein merging the objects further comprises: Wherein the positions of the images and the images of the objects are also copied and merged. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein merging the objects further comprises: And adding the effect or the additional information for emphasizing the motion of the objects. 9. The method of claim 8, Highlighting the objects relative to the background, Adjusts the merging interval of the objects, or And an effect of changing attributes of the objects such as color, brightness, and brightness. 2. The method of claim 1, And temporarily storing the extracted object in the memory in the memory. 2. The method of claim 1, And displaying the merged scene on the display unit whenever merging of the objects is performed. 2. The method of claim 1, Entering the edit mode when the stored photo is selected; Separating the objects merged into the photo from the background; Editing the separated objects according to a user's operation; And storing the edited photo in the step of storing the edited photo. A camera; A display unit; Controls the camera to continuously take a picture at predetermined time intervals while satisfying predetermined conditions, And a controller for sequentially photographing the photographs using the camera, sequentially extracting the same objects from the consecutively photographed photographs, and sequentially merging the objects in the first photographs, Wherein, Wherein the predetermined time interval is set differently according to the degree of movement of the subject. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, Wherein the photographing is continuously performed at a predetermined photographing time interval while the user holds the shutter. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, Wherein the photographing is performed consecutively at a predetermined photographing time interval while the movement of the subject is detected. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, And merges the objects merged later among the merging objects into an upper layer than the merged object. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, And automatically changes the attributes of the objects to emphasize the movement of the merging objects. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, And automatically adds the effect or the additional information for emphasizing the motion of the merging objects. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, And displays the merged scene on the display unit whenever the merging of the objects is performed.

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