Electronic device for providing image and operating method thereof

Abstract

An electronic device according to one embodiment includes an image sensor and at least one processor operably connected to the image sensor. The at least one processor may be configured to: generate, based on at least some of a plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor, a motion map identifying at least some regions of the plurality of image frames as a stationary region or a moving region; setting a first exposure time corresponding to the moving area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stationary area based on the generated motion map; acquiring a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from an image sensor; and combining the acquired first image and second image on the basis of the motion map so as to generate a composite image. Other various embodiments are possible.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device for providing a long exposure image with an adjusted exposure time and a method of operating the electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Recently, the popularity of electronic devices including camera modules such as digital cameras, digital video cameras, or smart phones has increased. The electronic devices including camera modules can provide various functions related to shooting. For example, the electronic device can output a preview image acquired from the camera module to a display, and acquire a captured image from the camera module when a shutter is operated. In addition, the electronic device can provide functions such as automatic focusing, automatic exposure setting, zooming in, zooming out, continuous shooting, timed shooting, flash on / off, or filtering.

[0003] In order to obtain a properly exposed image, the camera module can properly control the amount of light by adjusting the exposure time through the shutter, and thus achieve a long exposure effect. The average value can be calculated for each pixel and multiple images can be synthesized to achieve the long exposure effect, thereby recording the movement of the subject included in the multiple images in one image. Summary of the invention

[0004] Technical Solution

[0005] An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include an image sensor and at least one processor operably connected to the image sensor. The at least one processor may be configured to generate a motion map for identifying at least one area of ​​the plurality of image frames as one of a stop area and a motion area based on at least a portion of the plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor. The at least one processor may be configured to set a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area based on the generated motion map. The at least one processor may be configured to acquire a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor. The at least one processor may be configured to generate a composite image by synthesizing the acquired first image and second image based on the motion map.

[0006] A method for operating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include generating a motion map for identifying at least one area of ​​the plurality of image frames as one of a stop area and a motion area based on at least a portion of the plurality of image frames acquired from an image sensor. The method may include setting a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area based on the generated motion map. The method may include acquiring a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor. The method may include generating a composite image by synthesizing the acquired first image and second image based on the motion map.

[0007] An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include an image sensor and at least one processor operably connected to the image sensor. The at least one processor may be configured to set an exposure time of an image frame based on an output image acquired from the image sensor. The at least one processor may be configured to set a readout period of the image frame to correspond to the configured exposure time. The at least one processor may be configured to acquire an image frame from the image sensor according to the configured exposure time based on the configured readout period.

[0008] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include, based on the execution of an application, generating a motion map for identifying at least one area of ​​the plurality of image frames as one of a stop area and a motion area based on at least a portion of the plurality of image frames acquired from an image sensor. The storage medium may include setting a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area based on the generated motion map. The storage medium may include acquiring a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor. The storage medium may include synthesizing the acquired first image and second image based on the motion map to generate a synthesized image. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2a is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2b is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 is a timeline of acquiring image frames according to an exposure time and a readout period of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 Operation signals of an image sensor based on a host mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

[0015] Figure 6 An operation signal of an image sensor based on a proxy mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 7a An overlapping time range for setting a first exposure time or a second exposure time of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 7b A non-overlapping time range for setting a first exposure time or a second exposure time of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a light core estimator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a glare degree based on each exposure time according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Fig.10 The process of generating a motion map according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Fig.11 An example of a motion map based on an image frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0022] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an image deblocker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig.13 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Fig.14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig.15 is a signal flow diagram illustrating real-time operation of long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig.16 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a non-real-time operation of long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Fig.17aA result of a real-time operation according to long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Fig.17b Results of real-time operation and non-real-time operation according to long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments.

[0030] Reference Figure 1 , the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 may communicate with the electronic device 102 via the first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or communicate with at least one of the electronic device 104 or the server 108 via the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, a memory 130, an input module 150, a sound output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a connection terminal 178, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a user identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one of the above components (e.g., the connection terminal 178) may be omitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the above-described components (eg, sensor module 176, camera module 180, or antenna module 197) may be implemented as a single integrated component (eg, display module 160).

[0031] The processor 120 may run, for example, software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware component or software component) of the electronic device 101 connected to the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, the processor 120 may store a command or data received from another component (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) in the volatile memory 132, process the command or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the resultant data in the non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)) or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is independent of or combined with the main processor 121 in operation. For example, when the electronic device 101 includes a main processor 121 and an auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or adapted to be dedicated to a specific function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121, or as part of the main processor 121.

[0032] When the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, the auxiliary processor 123 (rather than the main processor 121) may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one component among the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190), or when the main processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., running an application), the auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one component among the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) together with the main processor 121. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., a camera module 180 or a communication module 190) that is functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a neural processing unit) may include a hardware structure dedicated to artificial intelligence model processing. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. For example, such learning may be performed by the electronic device 101 where the artificial intelligence is executed or via a separate server (e.g., server 108). The learning algorithm may include, but is not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, for example. The artificial intelligence model may include multiple artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), or a deep Q network or a combination of two or more thereof, but is not limited thereto. Additionally or optionally, the artificial intelligence model may include a software structure in addition to a hardware structure.

[0033] The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program 140) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 or a nonvolatile memory 134.

[0034] The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 , and may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142 , middleware 144 , or applications 146 .

[0035] The input module 150 may receive commands or data to be used by other components (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101 from outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus).

[0036] The sound output module 155 can output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing records. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. Depending on the embodiment, the receiver can be implemented as a separate part from the speaker, or as part of the speaker.

[0037] The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user). The display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and a control circuit for controlling a corresponding one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch or a pressure sensor adapted to measure the strength of a force caused by a touch.

[0038] The audio module 170 may convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtain sound via the input module 150, or output sound via the sound output module 155 or an earphone of an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly connected to the electronic device 101.

[0039] The sensor module 176 may detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) outside the electronic device 101, and then generate an electrical signal or a data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illumination sensor.

[0040] The interface 177 may support one or more specific protocols to be used to connect the electronic device 101 directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

[0041] The connection end 178 may include a connector, wherein the electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102) via the connector. According to an embodiment, the connection end 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0042] The haptic module 179 may convert the electric signal into mechanical stimulation (eg, vibration or motion) or electric stimulation that can be recognized by the user via his sense of touch or kinesthetic sense. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulator.

[0043] The camera module 180 may capture still images or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

[0044] The power management module 188 may manage power supply to the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0045] The battery 189 may power at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0046] The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102, electronic device 104, or server 108), and perform communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors capable of operating independently from the processor 120 (e.g., an application processor (AP)) and supporting direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a traditional cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or a wide area network (WAN))). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multiple components (e.g., multiple chips) separated from each other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) using user information (e.g., an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196.

[0047] The wireless communication module 192 can support 5G networks after 4G networks and next-generation communication technologies (e.g., new radio (NR) access technology). NR access technology can support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). The wireless communication module 192 can support high-frequency bands (e.g., millimeter wave bands) to achieve, for example, high data transmission rates. The wireless communication module 192 can support various technologies for ensuring performance on high-frequency bands, such as, for example, beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (massive MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, or massive antennas. The wireless communication module 192 can support various requirements specified in the electronic device 101, an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 104), or a network system (e.g., a second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may support a peak data rate for implementing eMBB (e.g., 20 Gbps or greater), loss coverage for implementing mMTC (e.g., 164 dB or less), or U-plane delay for implementing URLLC (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for a round trip).

[0048] The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiation element formed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192). A signal or power may then be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiation element may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 197.

[0049] According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form a millimeter wave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the millimeter wave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas), wherein the RFIC is disposed on a first surface (e.g., bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a designated high frequency band (e.g., millimeter wave band), and the plurality of antennas are disposed on a second surface (e.g., top surface or side surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the second surface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the designated high frequency band.

[0050] At least some of the above components may be connected to each other via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, a general purpose input output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and communicatively transfer signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween.

[0051] According to an embodiment, a command or data may be sent or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via the server 108 connected to the second network 199. Each of the electronic device 102 or the electronic device 104 may be a device of the same type as the electronic device 101, or a device of a different type from the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, all or some operations to be executed on the electronic device 101 may be executed on one or more of the external electronic device 102, the external electronic device 104, or the server 108. For example, if the electronic device 101 should automatically execute a function or service or should execute a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to execute at least part of the function or service instead of executing the function or service, or the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to execute at least part of the function or service in addition to executing the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute the requested at least part of the function or service, or execute another function or another service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a partial reply to the request with or without further processing the result. To this end, cloud computing technology, distributed computing technology, mobile edge computing (MEC) technology, or client-server computing technology, for example, may be used. The electronic device 101 may use, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing to provide ultra-low latency services. In another embodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 104 or the server 108 may be included in the second network 199. The electronic device 101 may be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart homes, smart cities, smart cars, or health care) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technologies.

[0052] Figure 2a is a block diagram of an electronic device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] Reference Figure 2a , the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may include an image sensor 210, a lens 220, a sensor interface 230 and / or a processor 240 (eg, Figure 1 processor 120).

[0054] The image sensor 210 according to an embodiment may be a camera (eg, Figure 1The image sensor 210 may receive light incident from the subject through the lens 220 and acquire an image.

[0055] The processor 240 according to an embodiment may receive an image frame acquired from the image sensor 210 through the sensor interface 230. As an embodiment, the processor 240 may acquire one or more image frames corresponding to respective exposure times from the image sensor 210 and acquire an image based on the one or more image frames.

[0056] As an embodiment, the processor 240 may include an image signal processor (ISP) 241 for processing the operation of the image sensor 210 and the image frames acquired from the image sensor 210. As an embodiment, the processor 240 may include a software module (e.g., a sensor proxy mode control 242, an exposure / frames per second (fps) calculator 243, a light kernel estimator 244, a motion map generator 245, an image mixer 246, a region matching mixer 247, and / or an image deblocker 248), which includes at least one instruction to be executed, and the operation may be understood as the operation of the processor 240. The software module is not limited to Figure 2a The configuration of the modules shown in the figure, and at least one module may be merged or deleted, or a new module may be further added.

[0057] As an example, the sensor proxy mode control 242 may control the timing of operations of the image sensor 210 as described below.

[0058] As an embodiment, the exposure / fps calculator 243 may set the exposure time of the image frame based on the output image acquired from the image sensor 210. The exposure / fps calculator 243 may determine the fps of the camera module including the image sensor 210 and determine the exposure time based on the output image of the image sensor 210.

[0059] As an embodiment, the exposure / fps calculator 243 may set the exposure time of each image frame based on the amount of light of the image input into the image sensor 210. For example, when calculating the exposure time based on the image output from the image sensor 210, the exposure / fps calculator 243 may calculate the average exposure of all images or apply a weighting factor to some areas with large exposure differences.

[0060] In addition, the exposure / fps calculator 243 may set the readout period of the image frame to correspond to the configured exposure time. The exposure / fps calculator 243 may set the readout period to the inverse of the exposure time of the image frame so that the readout operation of the previous image frame among the plurality of consecutive image frames corresponds to the reset operation of the next image frame. For example, as shown below with reference to Figure 6As described above, when the exposure time is configured to be 1 / 40 [second], the readout period may be configured to be 1 / 40 [second] and / or the fps may be configured to be 40 [frames].

[0061] As an example, the light kernel estimator 244 may predict the glare level based on the exposure time of the light source included in the image frame, as described below.

[0062] As an embodiment, the motion map generator 245 may generate a motion map for identifying at least one area of ​​the plurality of image frames as a stop area or a motion area based on at least a portion of the plurality of image frames. As an embodiment, in the motion map, some areas may be displayed as stop areas or some areas may be displayed as motion areas.

[0063] As an embodiment, the image mixer 246 can synthesize multiple image frames. The image mixer 246 can acquire multiple image frames corresponding to the exposure time output by the exposure / fps calculator 243, and synthesize the acquired multiple image frames in real time to acquire an image. As an embodiment, the image mixer 246 can acquire a first image by synthesizing multiple first image frames corresponding to a first exposure time. In response to this, the second image can be a single second image corresponding to a second exposure time, and can be acquired from the image sensor 210 before or after acquiring the multiple first image frames.

[0064] As an embodiment, the region matching mixer 247 may synthesize a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time based on the final motion map finally acquired by the motion map generator 245. As an embodiment, the region matching mixer 247 may generate a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing a first image corresponding to the moving region and a second image corresponding to the stop region in the final motion map.

[0065] As an example, the image deblocker 248 may generate a final image by post-processing a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image.

[0066] As an embodiment, the image signal processor 240 may set the exposure time of the image frame acquired by the image sensor 210 based on the average brightness of all pixels of the image frame. When the brightness difference between the light source and the surrounding background is large, the image frame according to the configured exposure time may not be able to properly express the light source and the surrounding background. Specifically, there is a high possibility of light saturation in the light source and the pixels around it, and when the captured image is synthesized, the pixels corresponding to the light source may lose color information due to saturation. When synthesizing individual image frames with saturation, the final synthesized image may not be able to express accurate colors due to the saturation of the light source. When the brightness difference between the light source included in the image frame and the surrounding objects is large, the exposure time can be configured by another method.

[0067] On the other hand, when capturing is performed for an exposure time configured based on the average brightness of all pixels of an image frame, surrounding objects (mainly objects in the stop area) may be captured dark. Since the final capture result is the average of multiple image frames, parts other than the light trail may still remain in a dark state. If the exposure time of the sensor is forcibly increased to express a dark area other than the light source, light saturation of the light source may occur.

[0068] In addition, when capturing multiple images or moving images, unexpected image blur may occur due to user hand shaking. In order to prevent image blur due to hand shaking, an optical image stabilizer (OIS) or a digital image stabilizer (DIS) may be used. Although OIS can correct shake without damaging the output image, it has limitations on the correction range, but DIS can correct a relatively wide range, but the viewing angle may be reduced in proportion to the correction range after processing. Even with shake prevention correction, shake may remain in the output image due to the limitations of each scheme in long-term capture. In a moving area with motion, user hand shaking does not have a large impact on the quality of the final image. However, in a stop area, when multiple images are synthesized, the resolution may deteriorate due to the synthesis of subjects present in different positions, which may affect the quality of the picture.

[0069] Figure 2b is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] Reference Figure 2b In operation 260, the electronic device according to the embodiment (eg, Figure 2a The electronic device 200 may be based on the image sensor (eg, Figure 2a The motion map is generated based on at least a portion of a plurality of image frames acquired by an image sensor 210 of the image sensor 210 to identify at least one area of ​​the plurality of image frames as a stationary area or a moving area.

[0071] In operation 270 , the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may set a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area based on the generated motion map.

[0072] In operation 280 , the electronic device according to the embodiment may acquire a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor 210 .

[0073] In operation 290, the electronic device according to the embodiment may generate a synthesized image by synthesizing the acquired first image and the second image based on the motion picture.

[0074] Figure 3 2 is a timeline of acquiring image frames according to the exposure time and the readout period of the image sensor 210 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0075] Reference Figure 3 According to an embodiment, the image sensor 210 can acquire image frames based on the exposure time and readout cycle configured by the processor 240. For example, the image sensor 210 can control the opening and closing of the shutter to expose within the configured exposure time and acquire image frames according to a preset readout cycle.

[0076] For example, Figure 3 As shown, when capturing light trails under conditions with relatively high illumination (e.g., around night), the exposure time (e.g., shutter speed) may be configured to be 1 / 120 [second], the number of frames per second (fps) of the image sensor may be 30 [frames], and the readout cycle may be preset to be 1 / 30 [second]. In this case, a time interval of 3 / 120 [second] may be generated between each image frame, and accordingly, in the case where the subject moves at high speed, a long time interval may be generated between the image frames, and thus smooth trajectory expression may be difficult.

[0077] Therefore, the embodiment of the present disclosure can reflect the exposure time for preventing light saturation of the light source in the moving area with motion and well expressing the subject in the stop area in the image sensor 210. The embodiment of the present disclosure can prevent an increase in user hand shake generated for the exposure time due to synthesis of image frames and minimize the time interval between image frames, thereby expressing a natural light track in the final image.

[0078] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an electronic device 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 Operation signals of the image sensor 410 based on the host mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown. Figure 6 Operation signals of the image sensor 410 based on the proxy mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

[0079] Reference Figures 4 to 6 , the electronic device 400 according to the embodiment may include an image sensor 410 and / or a processor 420 (eg, Figure 1 The processor 120 or Figure 2a processor 240).

[0080] As an embodiment, the image sensor 410 may receive input of various operation modes from the processor and acquire image frames accordingly. As an embodiment, the image sensor 410 may control the exposure time of the image frame and the readout cycle of the image frame based on the acquired output image or operation mode.

[0081] As an embodiment, the processor 420 may include, for example, an application processor (AP). As an embodiment, the processor 420 may operate the image sensor 410 in a host mode, such as Figure 5 As shown. The image sensor 410 may determine the operation timing thereof based on the operation mode received from the processor 420 in the host mode. As an embodiment, the image sensor 410 may receive inputs of exposure time and readout cycle (e.g., fps) from the processor 420 in the host mode, and determine the pixel reset and pixel readout timing thereof by calculation.

[0082] Since the signal for setting the operation mode of the image sensor 410 does not require very accurate real-time operation in the host mode, the operation mode of the software may generally be transmitted to the image sensor 410 based on the exposure time of the output image analyzed by the hardware. Therefore, the control type of the processor 420 in the host mode is a non-real-time control type that does not directly include the operation timing of the image sensor 410.

[0083] Depending on the host mode, it may be difficult to freely change the exposure time and readout cycle (e.g., fps) in real time, and it may be difficult to know the time point when the operating mode is actually changed because the application inside the sensor and the output scheme of the image frame according to the input from the outside are different for each image sensor 410.

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in the example conditions, when the fps is 30 [frames] and the exposure time is 1 / 40 [second], a time interval is generated between the time of each frame and the exposure time, so it may be difficult to express the trajectory smoothly.

[0085] As an example, the image sensor 410 may operate in a proxy mode, such as Figure 5 In the proxy mode, the image sensor 410 may receive pixel reset and pixel readout timing from the processor 420 and thus perform pixel reset and pixel readout operations.

[0086] Therefore, the image sensor 410 can passively perform pixel reset and pixel readout operations according to a trigger signal received from the processor 420 (e.g., the sensor proxy mode control 423) without receiving an exposure time and / or a readout period from the processor 420. The remaining information for setting the ADC, sensor ISP, interface, and clock within the image sensor 410 except for the pixel reset and pixel readout trigger signals can be received from the outside.

[0087] As an embodiment, the processor 420 may include a sensor proxy mode control 423 as a hardware element for controlling cell reset and pixel readout of the image sensor 410. The sensor proxy mode control 423 may generate a trigger signal output to the image sensor 410 to control cell reset and pixel readout.

[0088] As an embodiment, the electronic device 400 includes a signal line for connecting the image sensor 410 and at least one processor 420, and the sensor proxy mode control 423 can output a trigger signal for pixel reset and pixel readout to the image sensor 410 through a hardware signal line. Generally, in the case of a software signal, there is a time error in the control signal of each image frame according to the load of the CPU 421, so a hardware signal line should be provided to perform control in real time so that the variability of the control signal is reduced. In addition, the control signal should be synchronized with the display synchronization signal to ensure that it is transmitted to the display (e.g., Figure 1 Thus, the sensor proxy mode control 423 may receive a display synchronization signal from the display control 424 for controlling the display.

[0089] As an embodiment, the electronic device 400 and the image sensor 410 may be connected wirelessly.

[0090] As an example, the sensor proxy mode control 423 can be based on the processor (e.g., Figure 2a The exposure time and / or readout cycle configured by the exposure / fps calculator) outputs trigger signals for pixel reset and pixel readout to the image sensor 410.

[0091] As an embodiment, the image sensor 410 may perform pixel reset and pixel readout operations based on the received trigger signal, and thus, send an image frame to an image signal processor (ISP) 422 according to a configured exposure time.

[0092] According to the electronic device 400 and the operating method thereof according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, even when the motion of the subject is fast, it is possible to prevent discontinuity of light traces and acquire a natural image by minimizing the time interval between pixel resetting and pixel readout.

[0093] Figure 7a An overlapping time range for setting a first exposure time or a second exposure time of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7b A non-overlapping time range for setting a first exposure time or a second exposure time of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0094] As an example, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 2aThe exposure / fps calculator 243) may receive not only the output image of the image sensor but also the motion map of the light source described below and the degree of glare (e.g., the result of the light kernel estimator) as input. The electronic device may calculate a first exposure time for acquiring a trajectory image of a subject included in the moving area and a second exposure time for acquiring a still image of the stopping area. The electronic device may set the first exposure time in real time to correspond to the moving area based on the motion map updated in real time, and set the second exposure time to correspond to the stopping area based on the acquired motion map of an image frame (N-1 frame) immediately before the final image frame (N frame).

[0095] As an embodiment, the electronic device may set the first exposure time based on whether oversaturation of exposure to the motion area or the resolution of the motion area is generated. For example, the electronic device may set the first exposure time within a range where the resolution of the motion area is greater than or equal to a preset reference and does not generate oversaturation. The resolution may be the distance between two points that an optical instrument can identify, and as an embodiment, the electronic device may set the first exposure time so that the analysis result of the image according to the frequency analysis becomes a preset optimal level.

[0096] As an embodiment, the electronic device may set a first exposure time based on the glare of a light source included in a motion area. The electronic device may set an exposure time for clearly viewing the shape of the light source and an exposure time range of a glare degree suitable for synthesis of the image frame based on the exposure time of the light source included in the image frame and based on the glare degree (e.g., the result of the light kernel estimator described below), and may set the first exposure time by combining a predetermined range limit therewith.

[0097] As an embodiment, the electronic device can set the first exposure time based on a first time range and a second time range, wherein the first time range is configured based on whether oversaturation of exposure to the motion area or the resolution of the motion area is generated, and the second time range is configured based on the glare of the light source included in the motion area.

[0098] As an example, when the first time range and the second time range are as follows Figure 7a When overlapping as shown, the electronic device may set a first exposure time within the overlapping region (exposure boundary 1 to exposure boundary 4 ).

[0099] As an example, when the first time range and the second time range are as follows Figure 7bWhen there is no overlap, the electronic device may set the first exposure time to a value (exposure boundary 4) closest to the first time range in the second time range, because the expression of the light trajectory has the highest priority to capture the nighttime road conditions in an environment with strong car lights at night. As an example, when there are only a few light resources such as a rural road at night, the first exposure time may be configured to be a value (exposure boundary 1) closest to the second time range in the first time range in order to appropriately express the subject.

[0100] As an embodiment, the electronic device may compare the exposure time with a preset fps, and may control the fps when determining that a light track discontinuity (eg, time interval) is generated according to a reduction in the exposure time. As an embodiment, the electronic device may automatically control the fps by controlling pixel reset and pixel readout timing in a proxy mode.

[0101] As an embodiment, the electronic device may set the second exposure time based on the resolution of the stop area. The electronic device may set the second exposure time within a range where the resolution of the stop area is greater than or equal to a preset reference.

[0102] As an embodiment, the electronic device may set the second exposure time by applying a preset available range to the first exposure time. The electronic device may set the second exposure time by combining an average value of the first exposure time of the motion region and the preset available range.

[0103] As an embodiment, the electronic device may set a third time range based on the resolution of the stop area, set a fourth time range obtained by applying a preset available range to the first exposure time of the moving area, and set a second exposure time based on the configured third time range and fourth time range.

[0104] As an embodiment, when the third time range is configured based on the resolution of the stop area and the fourth time range is configured by a combination of an average value of the first exposure time for the motion area and a preset available range overlap, as Figure 7a As shown, the electronic device can set the second exposure time in the overlapping area (exposure boundary 1 to exposure boundary 4).

[0105] As an example, when the third time range and the fourth time range do not overlap, such as Figure 7bAs shown, the electronic device may set the second exposure time to be the value closest to the fourth time range in the third time range (exposure boundary 1), because the resolution of the stop area has the highest priority to capture the night road conditions in the environment with strong vehicle lights at night. As an embodiment, in the case of less light resources such as rural roads at night, the second exposure time may be configured to be the value closest to the third time range in the fourth time range (exposure boundary 4) in order to reduce the mismatch with the motion area.

[0106] As an example, when the user receives input related to the exposure time of the motion area or the stop area as required, the electronic device may place the user's input as required at the highest priority and set the first exposure time or the second exposure time.

[0107] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a light kernel estimator 800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a glare degree based on each exposure time according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0108] Reference Figures 8 to 9 , optical kernel estimators (e.g., Figure 2a The light kernel estimator 244) can predict the glare level according to the exposure time of the image frame.

[0109] When capturing light trails, the exposure time of an image frame acquired by an image sensor may affect the shape of the glare. When capturing light trails, a relatively short exposure has almost no glare, so the shape of the light source can be clearly expressed and the color of the light source can be maintained, but when synthesizing image frames, the final light trail may be expressed too clearly, so naturalness may be reduced. On the other hand, a relatively long exposure makes the synthesis smooth, but may produce light saturation of the light source, so the color may disappear or multiple light trails are constrained and it may be difficult to separate them. Therefore, it may be important to calculate the size of the light source in the image frame acquired by the image sensor and the exposure time used to naturally express the corresponding light source.

[0110] As an embodiment, the light kernel estimator 800 may receive an input of an exposure time model, a light model, a motion map, and / or a resized image and output three or more exposure times. The light kernel estimator 800 according to an embodiment may receive an input of a motion region of an image frame based on a motion map and calculate the size of the light source and the exposure time suitable for each light source.

[0111] For example, the exposure time model is a model for calculating the amount of light to be output from a pixel included in the image sensor according to the exposure time, and may be a model preset in the image sensor. In addition, the light model is a model for calculating the glare of a light source that varies according to an image pattern of the light source and the control of the brightness of an input image, and may be a model configured based on an image frame acquired from the image sensor.

[0112] As an embodiment, the light kernel estimator 800 may predict glare based on exposure time and the position and size of a general light source. For example, the light kernel estimator 800 may predict an exposure time for making glare suitable for long exposure synthesis of a motion region of an image frame. If there are multiple light sources in an image frame, the light kernel estimator 800 may output a position (coordinate) and size only for a light source that meets a predetermined condition based on the brightness and size of the light source, and thus reduce the computational load.

[0113] As an example, as shown in FIGS. 7 to Figure 8 As shown, the light kernel estimator 800 may output at least three or more exposure times (exposure times 1, 2, and 3), and output an exposure time (exposure time 1) at which the light source has almost no glare on average, an exposure time (exposure time 2) at which the average value of the glare of the light source corresponds to a predetermined minimum value, and an exposure time (exposure time 3) at which the average value of the glare of the light source corresponds to a predetermined maximum value. The degree of glare may be the size (radius size) of glare generated from the light source, and the exposure times (exposure times 1, 2, and 3) output by the light kernel estimator 800 may be used to calculate an exposure / fps calculator (e.g., Figure 2a The exposure time of the exposure / fps calculator 243).

[0114] Fig.10 The process of generating a motion map according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.11 An example of a motion map based on an image frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0115] Reference Figure 10 to Figure 11 , according to the electronic device of the embodiment (eg, Figure 2a The ISP 241) may receive an input of an image frame output from an image sensor.

[0116] As an example, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 2a The motion map generator 245 of the image sensor may generate a motion map showing an area in which there is motion of a subject included in an image frame output from the image sensor. As an embodiment, the electronic device may display a motion area and / or a stop area in the motion map.

[0117] As an embodiment, the electronic device may generate an initial motion map by using two frames (frame 0 and frame 1) initially acquired from the image sensor. The electronic device may accumulate the continuously acquired image frames and update the motion map in real time.

[0118] As an embodiment, when a subject (or pixel) moves a preset distance or more or moves in a specific direction in consecutive image frames among a plurality of image frames acquired from an image sensor, the electronic device may identify an area corresponding to the subject as a motion area. As an embodiment, the electronic device may detect an area of ​​a subject that directionally moves a preset distance or more in two consecutive image frames as a motion area, and identify an area of ​​a subject that moves in a specific direction or moves a preset distance or more in a predetermined number or more of consecutive image frames as a motion area.

[0119] As an embodiment, the electronic device recognizes a motion region by detecting motion of a subject, but may exclude a region where there is no motion of the subject as a predetermined time elapses or in a predetermined number or more of image frames, or recognize the region as a motion region.

[0120] For example, Fig. 9 As shown, the electronic device may display region A including motion in frame 1 as a motion region in the motion map, but there is no motion thereafter, so region A may be excluded from the motion region and displayed as a stop region in frame 6. In addition, the electronic device may determine whether region B including motion in frame 2 is excluded from the motion region, but there is motion after frame 3, so region B may be kept as a motion region.

[0121] As an embodiment, the electronic device may update the motion map in real time based on some of the most recently acquired image frames among the multiple image frames acquired from the image sensor. As an embodiment, the motion map may be as follows: Fig.10 The illustration shows the moving area in white and the stop area in black.

[0122] As an embodiment, when generating a motion map, the electronic device can determine whether the user's hand shake is greater than a predetermined level by analyzing the motion in the motion area. When a motion of a predetermined size or larger is generated in all image frames, the electronic device can determine it as a motion through the user's hand shake. When the hand shake lasts for a predetermined time or lasts in a predetermined image frame or more image frames, the electronic device can display a corresponding message to the user and stop acquiring the long exposure image. This is because the quality of the final image may deteriorate when the user's hand shakes excessively. The user's hand shake generated in continuous image frames may cause problems in image synthesis. Hand shake is not a big problem in the motion area, but in the stop area where the user expects high definition, the user does not want the user's hand shake and the degradation of definition through the synthesized image frame.

[0123] As an example, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 2a The image mixer 246 of the embodiment can synthesize multiple image frames input from the image sensor based on the motion map updated in real time. As an embodiment, the electronic device can obtain multiple first image frames corresponding to the first exposure time from the image sensor, and synthesize and output the obtained multiple first image frames in real time. Finally, the electronic device can generate a first image for obtaining an image of the motion area based on the final motion map and the N-2 image frames.

[0124] As an embodiment, the electronic device may synthesize a plurality of image frames by applying a weighting factor (W) according to a pre-stored condition. As an embodiment, the electronic device may apply a relatively large weighting factor (W) to an image frame acquired at a time point adjacent to a time point at which a final image is generated, and apply a gradually smaller weighting factor (W) as the time interval becomes larger. Therefore, considering the weighting factor (W) applied to the final image obtained by synthesizing a plurality of image frames, the image frame of segment L may be an important segment in the final image.

[0125] As an example, when the number of light sources within the motion region is fixed to a specific range, if the weighting factor of the new image frame is preset to 0.65, the image frame may be synthesized by the following method.

[0126] Mixed image 1 = frame 0*0.35+frame 1*0.65

[0127] Mixed Image 2 = Mixed Image 1*0.35+Frame 2*0.65

[0128] Mixed image 3 = mixed image 2*0.35+frame 2*0.65

[0129] As an embodiment, the electronic device may change and apply a weighting factor (W) based on the number of light sources within the motion area. For example, when the number of light sources within the motion area is large, the electronic device may increase the difference between the weighting factors applied to the synthesis of the traditional image frame and the new image frame. This is to reduce the monotony of the image and the color saturation caused by many light sources. On the other hand, when the number of light sources within the motion area is small, the electronic device may reduce the difference between the weighting factors applied to the synthesis of the traditional image frame and the new image frame. For example, when the number of light sources within the motion area is 1, the difference between the weighting factors applied to the synthesis of the traditional image frame and the new image frame can be minimized, thereby well expressing the light trajectory of the light source.

[0130] A motion map may also be generated based on the influence of a weighting factor (W). When motion exists only in image frames with a large time interval from the final image, this means a meaningless image because the light trails are blurred in the final image, and thus the electronic device may synthesize the corresponding area as a stop area in order to obtain better quality.

[0131] As an example, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 2a The region matching mixer 247 of the electronic device may acquire images from a source in each of the moving region and the stop region based on the motion map, and synthesize the images so as to improve the clarity of the stop region. The electronic device may generate a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing a first image of the moving region and a second image of the stop region based on the final motion map. As an embodiment, the electronic device may acquire the images obtained from the image mixer (e.g., Figure 2a The electronic device may obtain a portion corresponding to the motion region in the first image outputted from the image mixer 246 of the image mixer 246, and obtain a portion corresponding to the stop region in the second image corresponding to the image frame captured based on the exposure time for capturing the stop region. As an embodiment, the electronic device may obtain a motion region and a stop region that are larger than the motion region and the stop region identified in a motion map (e.g., a final motion map) generated from the first image and the second image, and synthesize the synthesized image by storing them in two layers, respectively.

[0132] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an image deblocker 1200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0133] Reference Fig.12 , according to the image deblocker 1200 of the embodiment (eg, Figure 2a The image deblocker 248) may remove the image from the region matching mixer (e.g., Figure 2a The region matching mixer 247 outputs the composite image outputted from the moving region and the stop region. The boundary difference may be generated by the continuous movement of the user or the error of the motion map.

[0134] The image deblocker 1200 according to an embodiment may apply a deblocking process to a boundary between a motion region and a stop region of a synthesized image. The image deblocker 1200 may receive inputs of an exposure time model, a noise model, a final motion map, and a region mixed image and output a final image.

[0135] The deblocking process may apply various algorithms according to the motion intensity, exposure, capture time, and noise of the image. For example, the deblocking process may include a function of applying the noise level (noise model) and the brightness level (exposure time model) similarly to all stop areas and motion areas in order to maintain uniformity between all image frames. In addition, the stop area may have a relatively excessive amount of noise compared to the motion area, and therefore when it is difficult to remove noise from the stop area, a method of adding a predetermined level of noise to the motion area may be used. The electronic device may generate a final image by synthesizing images that have completed boundary processing and noise / brightness processing into one layer.

[0136] Fig.13 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 of operating an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0137] Reference Fig.13 According to the method of operating an electronic device of the first embodiment of the present disclosure, a second image of the stop area can be captured after initially completing the capture and synthesis of the first image of the motion area. As described above, when the second image of the stop area is captured later, an image of the stop area corresponding to the later part of the long exposure capture can be captured.

[0138] The electronic device according to an embodiment may acquire an image frame from an image sensor in operation 1310. When capturing an image, the electronic device may sequentially acquire a plurality of image frames, and may preset the number (N) of acquired image frames.

[0139] According to an embodiment, the electronic device can acquire image frames based on the first exposure time or the second exposure time configured thereafter, and acquire image frames based on the amount of light incident on the image sensor, the preset exposure time or fps before (for example, initially) the configuration of the first exposure time or the second exposure time.

[0140] In operation 1330, the electronic device according to the embodiment may generate a motion map based on at least some of the plurality of image frames. The electronic device may initially generate a motion map based on two image frames (frame 0 and frame 1) initially acquired, and update the motion map based on image frames sequentially acquired thereafter. The electronic device may generate a motion map based on a preset number or less of the plurality of acquired image frames.

[0141] In operation 1340, the electronic device according to an embodiment may identify whether the acquired image frame is an N-1th frame.

[0142] When the acquired image frame is not the N−1th image frame, in operation 1341 , the electronic device according to an embodiment may set a first exposure time of the area identified as the motion area based on the motion map.

[0143] When the acquired image frame is the N−1th image frame, in operation 1342, the electronic device according to the embodiment may set a second exposure time of the area identified as the stop area based on the motion map.

[0144] The electronic device according to an embodiment may identify whether the acquired image frame is the Nth image frame in operation 1350 , and when the acquired image frame is not the Nth frame, repeatedly acquire the image frame.

[0145] When the acquired image frame is the Nth frame, the electronic device according to the embodiment may acquire the first image and the second image based on the plurality of image frames in operation 1360. For example, the electronic device may acquire the first image by synthesizing N-2 image frames (frame 2, ..., frame N-1) corresponding to the first exposure time, and acquire the image frame (frame N) corresponding to the second exposure time as the second image.

[0146] In operation 1370, the electronic device according to the embodiment may generate a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image based on the finally updated motion map.

[0147] In operation 1380, the electronic device according to an embodiment may generate a final image by applying post-processing to the generated composite image. As an embodiment, the electronic device may apply a deblocking process to the composite image.

[0148] Fig.14 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 of operating an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0149] Reference Fig.14 According to the method of operating an electronic device of the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the second image of the stop area can be initially captured, and then the first image of the motion area can be captured and synthesized. As described above, when the second image of the stop area is captured in advance, the image of the stop area corresponding to the start portion of the long exposure capture can be captured.

[0150] In operation 1410 , the electronic device according to an embodiment may acquire an image frame from an image sensor.

[0151] In operation 1430, the electronic device according to an embodiment may generate a motion map based on at least some of the plurality of image frames. As an embodiment, the electronic device may generate a motion map based on two image frames (frame 0 and frame 1) initially acquired.

[0152] In operation 1440 , the electronic device according to an embodiment may identify whether the acquired image frame is the third frame (Frame 2 ).

[0153] When the acquired image frame is not the third frame, in operation 1441, the electronic device according to the embodiment may set a first exposure time of the area identified as the motion area based on the motion map.

[0154] When the acquired image frame is the third frame, in operation 1442, the electronic device according to the embodiment may set a second exposure time of the area identified as the stop area based on the motion map.

[0155] The electronic device according to an embodiment may identify whether the acquired image frame is the Nth image frame in operation 1450, and when the acquired image frame is not the Nth frame, repeatedly acquire the image frame.

[0156] When the acquired image frame is the Nth frame, the electronic device according to the embodiment may acquire the first image and the second image based on the plurality of image frames in operation 1460. For example, the electronic device may acquire the first image by synthesizing N-2 image frames (frame 3, frame 4, ..., frame N) corresponding to the first exposure time, and acquire the image frame (frame 2) corresponding to the second exposure time as the second image.

[0157] In operation 1470, the electronic device according to the embodiment may generate a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image based on the finally updated motion map.

[0158] In operation 1480, the electronic device according to an embodiment may generate a final image by applying post-processing to the generated composite image. As an embodiment, the electronic device may apply a deblocking process to the composite image.

[0159] Fig.15 is a signal flow diagram illustrating real-time operation of long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.16 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a non-real-time operation of long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0160] Reference Fig.15 According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 240 may receive an input for long exposure capture or determine a condition for long exposure capture. The processor 240 may operate the image sensor 210 to sequentially acquire a preset number of image frames and acquire image frames output from the image sensor 210.

[0161] As an embodiment, the electronic device may perform a non-real-time operation based on data acquired through the real-time operation after performing the real-time operation, but a separate device receiving the data acquired through the real-time operation may perform the non-real-time operation.

[0162] The image sensor 210 according to the embodiment may capture at least two or more image frames (frame 0 and frame 1) according to a normal exposure time, and the motion map generation module 1520 may generate a motion map based on the motion of the subject included in the two acquired image frames. Figure 1 The light kernel estimator 1530 can be based on the motion Figure 1 Estimate the kernel size of the light source located in the moving area and estimate the exposure time based on the appropriate glare required for the synthesis and compare it with the motion Figure 1 The exposure time and fps control module 1540 can be sent together with the exposure time and fps control module 1540. The exposure time and fps control module 1540 can be based on the exposure time, motion corresponding to all frames calculated by the traditional scheme Figure 1 The first exposure time and / or the first fps are calculated based on the recommended exposure time of the light kernel estimator and the exposure time corresponding to the stop area calculated therein, and the image sensor 210 is controlled accordingly.

[0163] In the frame 2 continuously input thereafter, the exposure time and fps control module 1540 according to the embodiment can control the exposure time and fps based on the motion area according to the motion map until frame (N-1). The motion map can be updated by accumulating the motion between the corresponding image frames. The motion map generation module 1520 can apply a weighting factor according to the generation frequency and time of the motion for each motion determination unit (e.g., pixel or specific size) to accurately determine the motion area that changes in each image frame.

[0164] The image mixing module 1510 according to an embodiment can synthesize image frames while inputting image frames according to exposure times corresponding to motion regions. The image mixing module 1510 can continuously perform synthesis by adding new image frames to a cumulative scheme of conventional synthesized images. The image mixing module 1510 can synthesize conventional synthesized images and newly acquired image frames by applying weighting factors according to the capture environment.

[0165] When the image frame reaches the N-1th frame by the user's capture stop input, the automatic stop due to the detection of the motion of the subject, or the acquisition of a predetermined number of image frames, the exposure time and fps control module 1540 according to the embodiment can control the image sensor by setting a second exposure time and / or a second fps to more clearly express the subject in the stop area (with a balance of clarity, color, and motion area), and thus, the image sensor can acquire and output frame N. After generating a motion map N reflecting the final frame N, the motion map generation module 1520 can remove high-frequency components of the motion area and the stop area from the motion map, and perform map refinement that smoothes the boundaries between the respective areas, so as to generate a final motion map. Therefore, real-time operation of long exposure capture can be completed.

[0166] As an example, the processor 240 may display the mixed image N-1 of the image mixing module 1510 on the display so as to quickly display the capture result before the non-real-time operation described below is completed.

[0167] Reference Fig.16 , the processor 240 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may enter a non-real-time operation of long exposure capture. The processor 240 may generate a final image based on the mixed image N-1, frame N, and the final motion map as a result of the real-time operation of long exposure capture.

[0168] As an embodiment, the region matching mixer 247 may obtain a region corresponding to a motion region in the mixed image N-1 and a region corresponding to a stop region in the frame N based on the final motion map. The region matching mixer may apply pre-processing to exposure, sharpening, and coloring of each region so as to naturally synthesize the stop region and the motion region.

[0169] As an example, the image deblocker 248 may generate a final image by processing a boundary portion between respective regions so as to naturally synthesize a stationary region and a moving region.

[0170] According to the electronic device and the operating method thereof of the embodiment of the present disclosure, even if the exposure time is not configured according to the brightness of one or more light sources included in the image, light saturation of the trajectory of the light source can be prevented. In addition, by separately acquiring an image according to an exposure time suitable for the stop area in the start part or the later part, the resolution and color of the subject of the stop area can be appropriately acquired, and hand shaking in the stop area can be minimized.

[0171] Fig.17a A result of a real-time operation according to long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.17b Results of real-time operation and non-real-time operation according to long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

[0172] Reference Figure 17a to Figure 17b It can be noted that the light trajectory of the moving area included in the image is naturally expressed in the result of the long exposure capture of the electronic device according to the embodiment. Fig.17a As shown, when image frames are acquired and synthesized based on the exposure time corresponding to the motion region, hand shaking is reflected in the stop region and the definition is deteriorated.

[0173] like Fig.17b As shown, an image frame is acquired based on a separate exposure time corresponding to a stop area included in an image in a result of a real-time operation and a non-real-time operation for long exposure capture of an electronic device according to an embodiment. Therefore, the exposure time is appropriately applied to correspond to the brightness of the stop area and minimize hand shaking.

[0174] The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a household appliance. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to those electronic devices described above.

[0175] It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to specific embodiments, but include various changes, equivalent forms or alternative forms for the corresponding embodiments. For the description of the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It will be understood that the nouns in the singular form corresponding to the term may include one or more things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C" and "at least one of A, B or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together with the corresponding one of the multiple phrases. As used herein, terms such as "1st" and "2nd" or "first" and "second" may be used to simply distinguish the corresponding component from another component, and do not limit the component in other aspects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “coupled with another element (e.g., the second element)”, “coupled to another element (e.g., the second element)”, “connected with another element (e.g., the second element)”, or “connected to another element (e.g., the second element)” with or without the terms “operably” or “communicatively” being used, it means that the element may be directly (e.g., wired) connected to the other element, wirelessly connected to the other element, or connected to the other element via a third element.

[0176] As used in connection with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., "logic," "logic block," "portion," or "circuit"). A module may be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions or a minimum unit or portion of the single integrated component. For example, according to an embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0177] The various embodiments described herein may be implemented as software (e.g., program 140) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) that can be read by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101). For example, under the control of a processor, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and execute the at least one instruction with or without the use of one or more other components. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be executed by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. The term "non-transitory" only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), but the term does not distinguish between data being semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and data being temporarily stored in the storage medium.

[0178] According to an embodiment, the method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be released in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be downloaded via an application store (e.g., Play Store TM ) the computer program product may be published (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online, or the computer program product may be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). If published online, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily generated, or at least part of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium (such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, a server of an application store, or a forwarding server).

[0179] According to various embodiments, each of the above-mentioned components (e.g., a module or a program) may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separately arranged in different components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-mentioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform the one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as the corresponding one of the multiple components performed one or more functions before integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, a program or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly or in a heuristic manner, or one or more of the operations may be run in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0180] The electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include an image sensor 210, 410 and at least one processor 120, 240, 420 operably connected to the image sensor 210, 410. The at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to generate a motion map for identifying at least one area of ​​the plurality of image frames as one of a stop area and a motion area based on at least a portion of the plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor 210, 410. The at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to set a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area based on the generated motion map. The at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to acquire a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor 210, 410. The at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to generate a composite image by synthesizing the acquired first image and second image based on the motion map.

[0181] In the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may also be configured to, as at least a part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time, set the first exposure time based on whether oversaturation of exposure to the motion area or resolution of the motion area is generated.

[0182] In the electronic devices 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may also be configured to set the first exposure time based on glare of a light source included in the motion area as at least part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time.

[0183] In the electronic devices 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may also be configured to, as at least a part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time, set the first time range based on whether oversaturation of exposure to the motion area or the resolution of the motion area is generated, set the second time range based on glare of the light source included in the motion area, and set the first exposure time based on the configured first time range and second time range.

[0184] In the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may also be configured to, as at least part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time, set a third time range based on the resolution of the stop area, set a fourth time range obtained by applying a preset available range to the first exposure time, and set the second exposure time based on the configured third time range and fourth time range.

[0185] In the electronic devices 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may also be configured to, as at least a part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time, in response to receiving user input related to the first exposure time or the second exposure time, set the first exposure time or the second exposure time based on the user input.

[0186] In the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may also be configured to, as at least a part of acquiring the first image and the second image, acquire a plurality of first image frames corresponding to the first exposure time from the image sensor (210, 410), and acquire the first image by synthesizing the acquired plurality of first image frames.

[0187] In the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may also be configured to, as at least a part of acquiring the first image and the second image, acquire a single second image frame corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor (210, 410) as the second image.

[0188] In the electronic devices 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may also be configured to, as at least part of generating a motion map, identify an area corresponding to a subject as a motion area based on recognizing that the subject moves a preset distance or longer distance or moves in a specific direction between consecutive image frames in a plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor 210, 410.

[0189] In the electronic devices 101, 200, 400 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may further be configured to, as at least part of generating a motion map, update the motion map in real time based on a portion of multiple image frames acquired from the image sensor 210, 410.

[0190] In the electronic devices 101, 200, 400 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may further be configured to synthesize a first image of a moving area and a second image of a stopped area based on an updated motion map as at least part of generating a synthesized image.

[0191] The method of operating the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include generating a motion map for identifying at least one area of ​​the multiple image frames as one of a stop area and a motion area based on at least a portion of the multiple image frames acquired from the image sensor 210, 410. The method may include setting a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area based on the generated motion map. The method may include acquiring a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor 210, 410. The method may include generating a composite image by synthesizing the acquired first image and second image based on the motion map.

[0192] In the method of operating the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiment, setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time may include setting the first time range based on whether oversaturation of exposure to the motion area or the resolution of the motion area is generated, setting the second time range based on the glare of the light source included in the motion area, and setting the first exposure time based on the configured first time range and second time range.

[0193] In the method of operating the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiment, setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time may include configuring a third time range based on the resolution of the stop area, setting a fourth time range obtained by applying a preset available range to the first exposure time, and setting the second exposure time based on the configured third time range and fourth time range.

[0194] In the method of operating the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiment, acquiring the first image and the second image may include acquiring multiple first image frames corresponding to the first exposure time from the image sensor 210, 410, and acquiring the first image by synthesizing the acquired multiple first image frames, and acquiring a single second image frame corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor 210, 410 as the second image.

[0195] In the method of operating the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiment, generating a motion map may include updating the motion map in real time based on a portion of multiple image frames acquired from the image sensor 210, 410, and generating a composite image may include synthesizing a first image of a moving area and a second image of a stopped area based on the updated motion map to generate a composite image.

[0196] The electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include an image sensor 210, 410 and at least one processor 120, 240, 420 operably connected to the image sensor 210, 410. The at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to set the exposure time of the image frame based on the output image acquired from the image sensor 210, 410. The at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to set the readout period of the image frame to correspond to the configured exposure time. The at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to acquire the image frame from the image sensor 210, 410 according to the configured exposure time based on the configured readout period.

[0197] In the electronic device 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiment, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 can be configured to set the readout period of the image frame to the inverse of the exposure time of the image frame as a function of setting the readout period of the image frame to correspond to at least a part of the configured exposure time, so that the readout operation of the previous image frame corresponds to the reset operation of the next image frame in multiple consecutive image frames.

[0198] According to the embodiment, the electronic device 101, 200, 400 may further include a signal line connecting the image sensor 210, 410 and at least one processor 120, 240, 420, and the at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to send a control signal of a reset operation of the image frame or a readout operation of the image frame to the image sensor 210, 410 through the signal line.

[0199] In the electronic devices 101, 200, 400 according to the embodiments, at least one processor 120, 240, 420 may be configured to, as at least a part of setting the exposure time of an image frame, generate a motion map for identifying at least one area of ​​the output image as one of a stop area and a motion area based on an output image acquired from the image sensor 210, 410, and set a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area based on the generated motion map.

[0200] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs may include generating a motion map for identifying at least one area of ​​the plurality of image frames as one of a stop area and a motion area based on at least a portion of the plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor 210, 410 based on the execution of the application. The storage medium may include setting a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area based on the generated motion map. The storage medium may include acquiring a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor 210, 410. The storage medium may include generating a composite image by synthesizing the acquired first image and second image based on the motion map.

Claims

1. An electronic device (101; 200; 400), including: an image sensor (210; 410); and at least one processor (120; 240; 420) operatively connected to the image sensor (210; 410), Wherein, the at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is configured to: generating a motion map for identifying at least one region of the plurality of image frames as one of a stationary region and a moving region based on at least a portion of the plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor (210; 410); Based on the generated motion map, setting a first exposure time corresponding to the motion area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stop area; acquiring a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor (210; 410); and Based on the motion map, a composite image is generated by combining the acquired first image and second image.

2. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is further configured to, as at least part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time, set the first exposure time based on whether oversaturation of exposure to the motion region or resolution of the motion region is generated.

3. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to at least one of claims 1 and 2, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is further configured to, as at least part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time, set the first exposure time based on glare of a light source included in the motion area.

4. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is also configured to, as at least part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time, set a first time range based on whether oversaturation of exposure to the motion area or a resolution of the motion area is generated, set a second time range based on glare of a light source included in the motion area, and set the first exposure time based on the configured first time range and second time range.

5. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to at least one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is also configured to, as at least part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time, set a third time range based on a resolution of the stop area, set a fourth time range obtained by applying a preset available range to the first exposure time, and set the second exposure time based on the configured third time range and fourth time range.

6. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is also configured to, in response to receiving user input related to the first exposure time or the second exposure time, set the first exposure time or the second exposure time based on the user input as at least part of setting the first exposure time and the second exposure time.

7. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is also configured to, as at least a part of acquiring the first image and the second image, acquire a plurality of first image frames corresponding to the first exposure time from the image sensor (210; 410), and acquire the first image by synthesizing the acquired plurality of first image frames.

8. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to claim 7, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is further configured to, as at least part of acquiring the first image and the second image, acquire from the image sensor (210; 410) a single second image frame corresponding to the second exposure time as the second image.

9. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to at least one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is further configured to, as at least part of generating the motion map, identify an area corresponding to the subject as the motion area based on recognizing that the subject moves a preset distance or longer distance or moves in a specific direction between consecutive image frames of the plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor (210, 410).

10. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to at least one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is further configured to, as at least part of generating the motion map, update the motion map in real time based on a portion of the plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor (210; 410).

11. The electronic device (101; 200; 400) according to claim 10, wherein: The at least one processor (120; 240; 420) is further configured to, as at least part of generating the composite image, composite the first image of the moving area and the second image of the stationary area based on an updated motion map.

12. An operating electronic device (101; 200; 400) method (1300 or 1400), the method comprising: Based on at least a portion of a plurality of image frames acquired from an image sensor (210; 410), generating (260, 1330, or 1430) a motion map for identifying at least one region of the plurality of image frames as one of a stationary region and a moving region; Based on the generated motion map, setting (270, 1341, 1342, 1441 or 1442) a first exposure time corresponding to the moving area and a second exposure time corresponding to the stopping area; acquiring (280, 1360 or 1460) a first image corresponding to the first exposure time and a second image corresponding to the second exposure time from the image sensor (210; 410); and Based on the motion map, a composite image is generated (290, 1370, or 1470) by combining the acquired first image and the second image.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Setting (270, 1341, 1342, 1441 or 1442) the first exposure time and the second exposure time includes setting a first time range based on whether oversaturation of exposure to the motion area or a resolution of the motion area is generated, setting a second time range based on glare of a light source included in the motion area, and setting the first exposure time based on the configured first time range and second time range.

14. The method according to at least one of claims 12 to 13, wherein: Setting (270, 1341, 1342, 1441 or 1442) the first exposure time and the second exposure time includes setting a third time range based on a resolution of the stop area, setting a fourth time range obtained by applying a preset available range to the first exposure time, and setting the second exposure time based on the configured third time range and fourth time range.

15. The method according to at least one of claims 12 to 14, wherein: Generating (260, 1330 or 1430) the motion map includes updating the motion map in real time based on a portion of the plurality of image frames acquired from the image sensor (210; 410), and generating (290, 1370 or 1470) the composite image includes composite the first image of the moving area and the second image of the stationary area based on the updated motion map to generate the composite image.

Images