Granted Patent B2

US 8,970,738 · App. 14/129,314 · Granted Mar 3, 2015

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a camera unit configured to capture images of target objects, and

a processor configured to control the apparatus:

to detect close-up photography conditions,

in response to said detection to automatically zoom said camera unit, and

to gradually increase a zoom ratio as distance to the target object decreases.

2. An apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to control the apparatus

to perform said zooming by automatically increasing the zoom ratio.

3. An apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a distance estimation unit configured to observe distance to a target object, and wherein the processor is further configured to control the apparatus

to detect the close-up photography conditions by detecting that observed distance to the target object is smaller than a predefined threshold distance.

4. An apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to control the apparatus

to increase the zoom ratio up to a predefined optimal zoom ratio.

5. An apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to control the apparatus

to increase the zoom ratio up to a predefined optimal zoom ratio.

6. An apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said optimal zoom ratio is maximum zoom ratio.

7. An apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the camera unit is configured to enable full focusing range at any zoom ratio.

8. An apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the camera unit comprises optical zoom.

9. An apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the camera unit comprises digital zoom.

10. A method, comprising:

capturing images of target objects with a camera unit,

detecting close-up photography conditions,

in response to said detection, automatically zooming said camera unit, and

gradually increasing a zoom ratio as distance to the target object decreases.

11. A method of claim 10 , further comprising

performing said zooming by automatically increasing the zoom ratio.

12. A method of claim 10 , further comprising

observing distance to a target object, and

detecting the close-up photography conditions by detecting that observed distance to the target object is smaller than a predefined threshold distance.

13. A method of claim 10 , further comprising

increasing the zoom ratio up to a predefined optimal zoom ratio.

14. A method of claim 13 , wherein said optimal zoom ratio is maximum zoom ratio.

15. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable program code which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform:

capturing images of target objects with a camera unit,

detecting close-up photography conditions,

in response to said detection, automatically zooming said camera unit, and

gradually increasing a zoom ratio as distance to the target object decreases.

Assignments (8)