IP Library Granted Patent US 8,542,302
Granted Patent B2
US 8,542,302 · App. 12/708,614 · Granted Sep 24, 2013

Digital photographing apparatus, method of controlling the digital photographing apparatus, and recording medium storing program to implement the method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,542,302
App. No.
12/708,614
Granted
Sep 24, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided are a digital photographing apparatus capable of accurate and quick auto-focusing, a method of controlling the digital photographing apparatus, and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method. The digital photographing apparatus includes: a lens unit including a focus lens; an imaging device generating data from light incident on the imaging device through the lens unit; a condition determining unit determining a photographing condition from the data generated by the imaging device; and an auto-focusing value detecting unit detecting an auto-focusing value from the data generated by the imaging device and comprising a first gamma correction unit, wherein the first gamma correction unit varies the degree of gamma correction according to the photographing condition determined by the condition determining unit, and the auto-focusing value detecting unit detects an auto-focusing value.

Claims (24)

1. A digital photographing apparatus comprising:

a lens;

an imaging device that generates data from light incident on the imaging device through the lens;

a condition determining unit that determines a photographing condition from the data generated by the imaging device; and

an auto-focusing value detecting unit that detects an auto-focusing value from the data generated by the imaging device and that comprises a first gamma correction unit,

wherein after the first gamma correction unit varies a degree of gamma correction according to the photographing condition determined by the condition determining unit, the auto-focusing value detecting unit detects an auto-focusing value for the varied degree of gamma correction,

wherein if the condition determining unit determines the condition as a back light condition, the first gamma correction unit gamma-corrects the data generated by the imaging device such that luminance of a region of a subject to be auto-focused on is high.

2. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a storage medium that stores a file including the data generated by the imaging device; and

a display unit that displays a still image or a motion image from the data generated by the imaging device or the file stored in the storage medium,

wherein the display unit displays a preview motion image corresponding to the data generated by the imaging device until a signal is sent by a user, and the preview motion image is gamma-corrected by the first gamma correction unit of the auto-focusing value detecting unit.

3. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a second gamma correction unit,

wherein still image data is stored in the storage medium from the data generated by the imaging device according to a signal sent by the user, after gamma-correcting the data generated by the imaging device, by using the second gamma correction unit.

4. The digital photographing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein if the condition determining unit determines the condition as a back light condition, the first gamma correction unit gamma-corrects the data generated by the imaging device such that luminance of a region of a subject to be auto-focused on is the same as a preset luminance or is larger than the preset luminance.

5. A method of controlling a digital photographing apparatus, the method comprising:

(a) determining a photographing condition; and

(b) adjusting a degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value according to the photographing condition,

wherein if a back light condition is determined in (a), the degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value is adjusted as a first degree in (b), and if no back light condition is determined in (a), the degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value is adjusted as a second degree in (b),

wherein when the degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value is adjusted to be the first degree, a luminance of a region of a subject to be auto-focused on is higher than when the degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value is adjusted to be the second degree.

6. A non-transitory computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for controlling a digital photographing apparatus, said method comprising:

(a) determining a photographing condition; and

(b) adjusting a degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value according to the photographing condition,

wherein the method further comprises if a back light condition is determined in (a), the degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value is adjusted as a first degree in (b), and if no back light condition is determined in (a), the degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value is adjusted as a second degree in (b),

wherein the method further comprises, when the degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value is adjusted to be the first degree, a luminance of a region of a subject to be auto-focused on is higher than when the degree of gamma correction for detecting an auto-focusing value is adjusted to be the second degree.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Apr 14, 2011
From: SAMSUNG DIGITAL IMAGING CO., LTD.
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 026128/0759 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 6, 2010
From: HWANG, KYU-ERN; KIM, EUN-HO
To: SAMSUNG DIGITAL IMAGING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 024191/0851 →