CN118102095A

CN118102095A - Camera control method, device, camera, readable storage medium and chip

Info

Publication number: CN118102095A
Application number: CN202211506654.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 崔晓杰; 乔畅
Original assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-11-28
Filing date: 2022-11-28
Publication date: 2024-05-28

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a camera control method, apparatus, camera, readable storage medium, and chip. A camera comprising an image sensor having an effective pixel area of a plurality of size types, the method comprising: determining a target effective pixel area of the camera from the plurality of size types of effective pixel areas in response to acquiring a camera shooting mode; configuring an image data stream according to the related data of the target effective pixel area; after the image data stream is configured, updating image parameters used for representing the region of interest in an image request according to the related data of the target effective pixel region so as to switch the effective pixel region of the camera into the target effective pixel region, wherein the image request is used for requesting to acquire the image data stream. Thus, the image quality collected by the camera and the user experience are improved.

Description

Camera control method, device, camera, readable storage medium and chip

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of cameras, and in particular relates to a camera control method, a camera control device, a camera, a readable storage medium and a chip.

Background

With the development of technology, mobile terminals such as mobile phones and tablet computers with shooting functions are widely used in recent years, so as to meet the requirements of people for shooting at any time and any place. The camera is one of basic applications in the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal camera is used for photographing conveniently and rapidly.

Meanwhile, the demand for cameras is also increasing, and besides taking pictures by using cameras, cameras are also used for video recording. The camera needs to output image data of a corresponding resolution for different photographing modes, for example, a photographing mode, a video recording mode, and the like, respectively. For example, in the photographing mode, the resolution of the output image data is 4:3, and in the video recording mode, the resolution of the output image data is 16:9. Typically, the camera has an effective pixel area of a default size within which the image output by the camera is located. Images with different resolutions are obtained by clipping in the effective pixel area with the default size.

Disclosure of Invention

To overcome the problems in the related art, the present disclosure provides a camera control method, apparatus, camera, readable storage medium, and chip.

According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a camera control method, the camera including an image sensor having a plurality of size-type effective pixel regions, the method including:

Determining a target effective pixel area of the camera from the plurality of size types of effective pixel areas in response to acquiring a camera shooting mode;

configuring an image data stream according to the related data of the target effective pixel area;

After the image data stream is configured, updating image parameters used for representing the region of interest in an image request according to the related data of the target effective pixel region so as to switch the effective pixel region of the camera into the target effective pixel region, wherein the image request is used for requesting to acquire the image data stream.

Optionally, the configuring the image data stream according to the related data of the target effective pixel area includes:

updating sensor information and logic camera information of the camera according to the related data of the target effective pixel area;

and configuring an image data stream according to the updated sensor information and the updated logic camera information.

Optionally, the camera includes a hardware abstraction layer and an application layer; the method further comprises the steps of:

And controlling the hardware abstraction layer to read the related data of the effective pixel area of each size type from a configuration file, and sending the related data of the effective pixel area of each size type to the application program layer, wherein the related data of the effective pixel area of each size type is stored in the configuration file in advance.

Optionally, before configuring the image data stream according to the related data of the target effective pixel area, the method further includes:

And initializing image parameters used for representing the region of interest in the image request by adopting related data of a first effective pixel region in response to receiving an instruction of opening the camera, wherein the first effective pixel region is an effective pixel region with a preset size type or the first effective pixel region is an effective pixel region adopted by the camera for the last time.

Optionally, the determining, in response to acquiring the camera shooting mode, a target effective pixel area from the plurality of size types of effective pixel areas includes:

In response to acquiring a camera shooting mode, determining a size type corresponding to the camera shooting mode according to a corresponding relation between a preset camera shooting mode and the size type of an effective pixel area;

And determining an effective pixel area of a size type corresponding to the camera shooting mode as a target effective pixel area.

Optionally, the effective pixel regions of multiple size types include, but are not limited to: an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 4:3 and an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Optionally, the image parameters for characterizing the region of interest include, but are not limited to: parameters for characterizing an auto-focus area, parameters for characterizing an auto-exposure area, parameters for characterizing a crop area, and parameters for characterizing a preset crop area.

According to a second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a camera control apparatus, the camera including an image sensor having a plurality of size-type effective pixel regions, the apparatus including:

A determining module configured to determine a target effective pixel area of the camera from among the plurality of size types of effective pixel areas in response to acquiring a camera shooting mode;

a configuration module configured to configure an image data stream according to the related data of the target effective pixel area;

And the updating module is configured to update image parameters used for representing the region of interest in an image request according to the related data of the target effective pixel region after the image data stream is configured, so as to switch the effective pixel region of the camera into the target effective pixel region, wherein the image request is used for requesting to acquire the image data stream.

According to a third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a camera comprising:

A processor;

A memory for storing processor-executable instructions;

Wherein the processor is configured to:

According to a fourth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

According to a fifth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a chip comprising a processor and an interface; the processor is configured to read instructions to perform the steps of the method of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can comprise the following beneficial effects:

By adopting the technical scheme, the image sensor is provided with the effective pixel areas with various size types, the target effective pixel area is determined according to the camera shooting mode, and then in the image data stream configuration stage and the processing request stage, the relevant data of the effective pixel area are updated according to the relevant data of the target effective pixel area, so that the camera can acquire images under the target effective pixel area corresponding to the camera shooting mode, and the effective pixel area of the camera is switched into the target effective pixel area. Therefore, the image view angle is increased, the anti-shake effect of video image anti-shake is improved, and the image quality collected by the camera and the user experience are improved.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing cropping of an image with a resolution of 16:9 within an active pixel area of a size type with an aspect ratio of 4:3, according to an example embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a camera control method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another camera control method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a camera control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a camera, shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, the same numbers in different drawings refer to the same or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary examples are not representative of all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the accompanying claims.

It should be noted that, all actions of acquiring signals, information or data in the present application are performed under the condition of conforming to the corresponding data protection rule policy of the country of the location and obtaining the authorization given by the owner of the corresponding device.

As described in the background art, in the related art, a camera has only one effective pixel area of a default size, and for images of different resolutions, the images are all clipped in the effective pixel area of the default size. Illustratively, the default size of the effective pixel area is a size type effective pixel area having an aspect ratio of 4:3. In a photographing mode in which an image with a resolution of 4:3 is required to be output, the image can be directly imaged in an effective pixel area with the size type of 4:3 without clipping. If an image with a resolution of 16:9 is required to be output, cropping is required to be performed in the effective pixel area with the size type of 4:3 of the aspect ratio to obtain the image with the resolution of 16:9.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing cropping of an image with a resolution of 16:9 within an active pixel area of a size type with an aspect ratio of 4:3, according to an example embodiment. In fig. 1, an image a is a 4:3 resolution image generated in an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 4:3, and an image B is a 16:9 resolution image obtained by clipping in an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 4:3. As shown in fig. 1, the angle of view fov of the image B is small, and thus, the photographic subject included in the image B, for example, black stripes in fig. 1, is poor in integrity with respect to the image a.

Therefore, in the related art, the camera only includes an effective pixel area of one size type, and the effective pixel area of the size type is adopted in any camera shooting mode, so that the imaging quality of the camera is poor, and the use experience of a user is poor.

In view of this, the present disclosure provides a camera control method, apparatus, camera, readable storage medium and chip, where an image sensor in the camera has multiple size types of effective pixel areas, and can image with different size types of effective pixel areas for different camera shooting modes, so that the field angle of an image is increased, the anti-shake effect of video image anti-shake is improved, and the image quality and user experience are improved.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a camera control method according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in fig. 2, the method includes the following steps.

In step S21, in response to acquisition of the camera shooting mode, a target effective pixel area of the camera is determined from among the effective pixel areas of the plurality of size types.

In the present disclosure, a camera includes an image sensor having effective pixel areas of various size types. Among them, the image sensors can be classified into two types of CCDs (Charged Coupled Device, charge coupled devices) and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, complementary metal oxide semiconductors). In mobile terminals, the image sensor employed is typically of the CMOS type. Wherein the effective pixel areas of various size types include, but are not limited to: an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 4:3 and an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Further, the camera shooting mode includes: photo mode, portrait mode, time lapse photography mode, slow motion mode, movie effects mode, video mode, panoramic mode, etc. After the camera is opened, function keys corresponding to the camera shooting modes are displayed on a shooting interface of the camera, and a user can select the corresponding camera shooting modes by clicking the function keys corresponding to the camera shooting modes in the shooting interface. And when the user clicks the function key corresponding to the camera shooting mode, the camera can acquire the camera shooting mode selected by the user. For example, when it is detected that the user clicks a function key corresponding to the video mode, the camera shooting mode acquired by the camera is the video mode.

Upon acquisition of the camera shooting mode, a target effective pixel area of the camera is determined from among the effective pixel areas of the plurality of size types.

It should be understood that the correspondence relationship of the camera shooting mode and the size type of the effective pixel area is preset. Correspondingly, the specific implementation manner of step S21 is as follows: in response to acquiring the camera shooting mode, determining a size type corresponding to the camera shooting mode according to a corresponding relation between the preset camera shooting mode and the size type of the effective pixel area; an effective pixel region of a size type corresponding to a camera shooting mode is determined as a target effective pixel region.

For example, in the correspondence between the preset camera shooting mode and the size type of the effective pixel area, the photo mode corresponds to the effective pixel area with the size type having the aspect ratio of 4:3, and the video recording mode corresponds to the effective pixel area with the size type having the aspect ratio of 16:9. And if the acquired camera shooting mode is a photo mode, determining an effective pixel area with the size type of 4:3 of the aspect ratio as a target effective pixel area. And if the acquired camera shooting mode is a video mode, determining an effective pixel area with the aspect ratio of 16:9 and the size type as a target effective pixel area.

It should be understood that in the video mode, the resolution of the image is 1920×1080, the size type of the corresponding effective pixel area is 16:9, and the actual size of the effective pixel area with the size type of 16:9 is 8768 ×4928. If the effective pixel area with the size type of 16:9 is directly used, the resolution of the image after 4-in-1 scaling is 4384x2464, and if the effective pixel area with the size type of 4:3 is used, the image is cut into 16 after 4-in-1 scaling: 9 is 4096x2304, therefore, in the present disclosure, the field angle of an image obtained by directly using an effective pixel region with a size type of 16:9 in the video mode is larger, which can provide a larger electronic anti-shake region, i.e., a better anti-shake effect.

In step S22, the configuration of the image data stream is performed based on the related data of the target effective pixel area.

Wherein the relevant data of the effective pixel area includes, but is not limited to: the method comprises the steps of full pixel size of a sensor, pixel area size of the sensor, physical size of the sensor, effective pixel area size before predistortion, effective pixel area size after clipping and the like.

It should be appreciated that at the stage of configuring the image data stream of the camera, the information of the configuration may be, for example: configuring the modules in the camera that participate in the processing of the image data streams, configuring the data size of the image data streams output by each module, and the resolution of the image data streams output by each module, etc.

In the stage of configuring the image data stream of the camera, a plurality of nodes in the hardware abstraction layer HAL of the camera need to use the related data of the effective pixel area, therefore, after determining the target effective pixel area to be used by the camera, the nodes using the related data of the effective pixel area need to be updated in the stage of configuring the image data stream of the whole camera, so that the related data of the current effective pixel area is updated into the related data of the target effective pixel area, and abnormal exit of the camera caused by error reporting in the stage of configuring the image data stream is avoided.

Since the number of nodes using the related data to the effective pixel area is large in the stage of configuring the image data stream, if each node using the related data to the effective pixel area is updated separately, the workload of updating is large and the updating efficiency is poor.

In one possible implementation, to reduce the workload of updating, only the source node corresponding to the node using the related data to the effective pixel area may be updated. The specific implementation manner of step S22 is as follows: updating sensor information and logic camera information of the camera according to related data of the target effective pixel area; and configuring an image data stream according to the updated sensor information and the logic camera information.

It should be understood that the sensor information and the logical camera information are typically stored in the form of tables, and thus, in this embodiment, the sensor information and the logical camera information of the camera, that is, the sensor information table and the logical camera information table of the camera are updated.

In this embodiment, the source node corresponding to the node using the related data to the effective pixel area is found to be the sensor information and the logical camera information by tracking the node using the related data to the effective pixel area, and therefore, in this embodiment, the sensor information and the logical camera information of the camera are updated according to the related data of the target effective pixel area, and the image data stream is arranged using the updated sensor information and logical camera information. Wherein the updated time is the initial time of the image data stream configuration stage.

It should be understood that the sensor information of the camera and the logical camera information are both located within the hardware abstraction layer HAL of the camera, i.e. the sensor information and the logical camera information of the hardware abstraction layer are updated according to the relevant data of the target active pixel area.

Therefore, only the sensor information and the logic camera information of the camera are updated, each node using the related data of the effective pixel area is not required to be updated independently, the workload of updating is effectively reduced, and the updating efficiency is improved.

In step S23, after the image data stream configuration is completed, the image parameters for characterizing the region of interest in the image request are updated according to the related data of the target effective pixel region.

Wherein the image request is for requesting acquisition of an image data stream. After updating the image parameters characterizing the region of interest in the image request according to the relevant data of the target effective pixel region, the effective pixel region of the camera may be switched to the target effective pixel region in which the subsequently acquired images are generated.

It should be understood at first that the camera captures images at a preset frequency, both in the preview image stage and in the actual capture image stage. In the image previewing stage, the camera does not store the collected image, but in the image actual shooting stage, the camera stores the image of the user clicking the shooting button. The camera generates an image request for requesting to acquire an image data stream in each image acquisition process, and updates image parameters for representing a region of interest (ROI) in the image request according to related data of a target effective pixel region in a processing request stage so as to switch the effective pixel region of the camera into the target effective pixel region.

In the present disclosure, the image request includes image parameters for characterizing the region of interest, which may include, but are not limited to: parameters for characterizing an auto-focus area, parameters for characterizing an auto-exposure area, parameters for characterizing a crop area, and parameters for characterizing a preset crop area. Wherein, the parameters for characterizing the auto-focusing area, the parameters for characterizing the auto-exposing area and the parameters for characterizing the clipping area are related to the area of the preview image clicked by the user, so that when the preview image is not clicked by the user, the values of the parameters for characterizing the auto-focusing area, the parameters for characterizing the auto-exposing area and the parameters for characterizing the clipping area in the image request corresponding to the preview image are null or 0.

It should be further appreciated that, in the processing request stage, the specific embodiment of updating the image parameters for characterizing the region of interest in the image request according to the relevant data of the target effective pixel region may refer to the related art, which will not be described in detail in this disclosure.

In order to facilitate a better understanding of the camera control method provided by the present disclosure, a complete embodiment of the camera control method is described below.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another camera control method according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in fig. 3, the method may include the following steps.

In step S31, the control hardware abstraction layer reads the relevant data of the effective pixel area of each size type from the configuration file.

It should be appreciated that in the development stage, the technician defines the effective pixel areas of the various size types in the configuration file, i.e., writes the relevant data for each size type of effective pixel area into the configuration file. The configuration file may be located in an electronic device to which the camera belongs. Further, in this embodiment, the camera includes a hardware abstraction layer and an application layer.

When a camera process starts, for example, the camera process starts when the electronic device to which the camera belongs starts. The hardware abstraction layer in the camera reads the relevant data of the effective pixel area of each size type from the configuration file. For example, the hardware abstraction layer defines the variables corresponding to the effective pixel areas of each size type in advance, and after the hardware abstraction layer reads the relevant data of the effective pixel areas of each size type from the configuration file, the relevant data of the effective pixel areas of each size type are assigned to the respective corresponding variables.

For example, the variable a corresponds to an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 4:3, and the variable b corresponds to an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 16:9. After the hardware abstraction layer reads the related data of the effective pixel area with the size type with the aspect ratio of 4:3 and the related data of the effective pixel area with the size type with the aspect ratio of 16:9 from the configuration file, the related data of the effective pixel area with the size type with the aspect ratio of 4:3 is assigned to a variable a, and the related data of the effective pixel area with the size type with the aspect ratio of 16:9 is assigned to a variable b.

In step S32, the control hardware abstraction layer transmits the related data of the effective pixel area of each size type to the application layer.

It should be understood that if the camera itself already has an effective pixel area of a default size type, the application layer may acquire the relevant data of the effective pixel area of the default size type in a manner in the prior art, so only the relevant data of the effective pixel area of the size type other than the default size type need be sent to the application layer through the private variable. The private variable used when the hardware abstraction layer sends the related data of the effective pixel areas of different size types is different, and the private variable used for each size type of effective pixel area is different from the variable corresponding to the size type of effective pixel area predefined at the hardware abstraction layer.

In step S33, in response to receiving the instruction to turn on the camera, image parameters characterizing the region of interest in the image request are initialized with the relevant data of the first active pixel region.

When a user clicks a function button on the electronic device that turns on the camera, the camera may receive an instruction to turn on the camera, thereby initializing image parameters in the image request that characterize the region of interest. The image parameters characterizing the region of interest in the image request are updated with the relevant data of the first active pixel region, for example.

In the present disclosure, the first effective pixel area may be an effective pixel area of a preset size type, or the first effective pixel area may be an effective pixel area that was previously adopted by the camera, that is, an effective pixel area that was adopted by the camera before being not switched to the target effective pixel area. The effective pixel area of the preset size type may be a default effective pixel area, for example, the default effective pixel area may be an effective pixel area of a size type with an aspect ratio of 4:3. It should be understood that the first effective pixel area herein is not necessarily the target effective pixel area determined as described above, and the image parameters used to characterize the region of interest in the initialized image request do not necessarily match the relevant data of the target effective pixel area, so that the image parameters in the initialized image request need to be updated after the target effective pixel area is determined later.

In step S34, in response to acquisition of the camera shooting mode, a target effective pixel area of the camera is determined from among the effective pixel areas of the plurality of size types.

In step S35, the configuration of the image data stream is performed based on the related data of the target effective pixel area.

In step S36, after the image data stream configuration is completed, the image parameters for characterizing the region of interest in the image request are updated according to the related data of the target effective pixel region.

In this way, the effective pixel area of the camera can be switched to the target effective pixel area, and the images acquired subsequently are all generated in the target effective pixel area.

By adopting the technical scheme, the target effective pixel area of the camera is determined according to the shooting mode of the camera, so that in the video recording mode, the video images can be acquired by adopting the effective pixel area with the aspect ratio of 16:9, each video image has a larger field angle, a larger electronic anti-shake area is further provided, and a better anti-shake effect is generated.

Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also provides a camera control apparatus. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a camera control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. The camera includes an image sensor having an effective pixel area of a plurality of size types, and the camera control apparatus 400 includes:

A determining module 401 configured to determine a target effective pixel area of the camera from the plurality of size types of effective pixel areas in response to acquiring a camera shooting mode;

a configuration module 402 configured to configure an image data stream according to the related data of the target effective pixel area;

And the updating module 403 is configured to update image parameters used for representing the region of interest in an image request according to the related data of the target effective pixel region after the image data stream is configured, so as to switch the effective pixel region of the camera to the target effective pixel region, wherein the image request is used for requesting to acquire the image data stream.

Optionally, the configuration module 402 includes:

an updating sub-module configured to update sensor information and logical camera information of the camera according to the related data of the target effective pixel area;

and the configuration sub-module is configured to configure an image data stream according to the updated sensor information and the updated logic camera information.

Optionally, the camera includes a hardware abstraction layer and an application layer; the camera control apparatus 400 further includes:

The control module is configured to control the hardware abstraction layer to read the relevant data of the effective pixel area of each size type from a configuration file and send the relevant data of the effective pixel area of each size type to the application program layer, wherein the relevant data of the effective pixel area of each size type is stored in the configuration file in advance.

Optionally, before the configuration of the image data stream according to the related data of the target effective pixel area, the camera control apparatus 400 further includes:

the initialization module is configured to initialize image parameters used for representing a region of interest in an image request by adopting relevant data of a first effective pixel region in response to receiving an instruction for opening a camera, wherein the first effective pixel region is an effective pixel region with a preset size type or the first effective pixel region is an effective pixel region adopted by the camera last time.

Optionally, the determining module 401 includes:

the first determining submodule is configured to determine a size type corresponding to a camera shooting mode according to a corresponding relation between the preset camera shooting mode and the size type of an effective pixel area in response to acquiring the camera shooting mode;

and a second determination sub-module configured to determine an effective pixel area of a size type corresponding to the camera shooting mode as a target effective pixel area.

The specific manner in which the various modules perform the operations in the apparatus of the above embodiments have been described in detail in connection with the embodiments of the method, and will not be described in detail herein.

The present disclosure also provides a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the camera control method provided by the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a camera, shown according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the camera 500 may be provided in a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging device, a game console, a tablet device, a medical device, an exercise device, a personal digital assistant, or the like.

Referring to fig. 5, a camera 500 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 502, a memory 504, a power supply component 506, a multimedia component 508, an audio component 510, an input/output interface 512, a sensor component 514, and a communication component 516.

The processing component 502 generally controls overall operation of the camera 500, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 502 may include one or more processors 520 to execute instructions to perform all or part of the steps of a camera control method. Further, the processing component 502 can include one or more modules that facilitate interactions between the processing component 502 and other components. For example, the processing component 502 can include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between the multimedia component 508 and the processing component 502.

The memory 504 is configured to store various types of data to support operation at the camera 500. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on the camera 500, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, video, and the like. The memory 504 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or nonvolatile memory devices such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic or optical disk.

The power supply component 506 provides power to the various components of the camera 500. The power components 506 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for the camera 500.

The multimedia component 508 includes a screen between the camera 500 and the user that provides an output interface. In some embodiments, the screen may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a Touch Panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive input signals from a user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touches, swipes, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may sense not only the boundary of a touch or slide action, but also the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 508 includes a front-facing camera and/or a rear-facing camera. The front camera and/or the rear camera may receive external multimedia data when the camera 500 is in an operation mode, such as a photographing mode or a video mode. Each front camera and rear camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have focal length and optical zoom capabilities.

The audio component 510 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 510 includes a Microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when the camera 500 is in an operational mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may be further stored in the memory 504 or transmitted via the communication component 516. In some embodiments, the audio component 510 further comprises a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The input/output interface 512 provides an interface between the processing component 502 and peripheral interface modules, which may be keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to: homepage button, volume button, start button, and lock button.

The sensor assembly 514 includes one or more sensors for providing status assessment of various aspects of the camera 500. For example, the sensor assembly 514 may detect the on/off state of the camera 500, the relative positioning of the components, such as the display and keypad of the camera 500, the sensor assembly 514 may also detect a change in position of the camera 500 or a component of the camera 500, the presence or absence of user contact with the camera 500, the orientation or acceleration/deceleration of the camera 500, and a change in temperature of the camera 500. The sensor assembly 514 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. The sensor assembly 514 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor assembly 514 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscopic sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

The communication component 516 is configured to facilitate communication between the camera 500 and other devices, either wired or wireless. The camera 500 may access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi,2G, or 3G, or a combination thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the communication component 516 receives broadcast signals or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 516 further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module to facilitate short range communications. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

In an exemplary embodiment, the camera 500 may be implemented by one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), digital Signal Processors (DSPs), digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic elements for performing a camera control method.

In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium is also provided, such as memory 504, including instructions executable by processor 520 of camera 500 to perform a camera control method. For example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be ROM, random Access Memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc.

The apparatus may be a stand-alone electronic device or may be part of a stand-alone electronic device, for example, in one embodiment, the apparatus may be an integrated circuit (INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, IC) or a chip, where the integrated circuit may be an IC or may be a collection of ICs; the chip may include, but is not limited to, the following: GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, graphics Processor), CPU (Central Processing Unit ), FPGA (Field Programmable GATE ARRAY, programmable logic array), DSP (DIGITAL SIGNAL Processor ), ASIC (Application SPECIFIC INTEGRATED Circuit), SOC (System on Chip, SOC, system on Chip or System on Chip), and the like. The integrated circuits or chips described above may be used to execute executable instructions (or code) to implement the camera control methods described above. The executable instructions may be stored on the integrated circuit or chip or may be retrieved from another device or apparatus, such as the integrated circuit or chip including a processor, memory, and interface for communicating with other devices. The executable instructions may be stored in the memory, which when executed by the processor implement the camera control method described above; or the integrated circuit or the chip can receive the executable instructions through the interface and transmit the executable instructions to the processor for execution, so as to realize the camera control method.

In another exemplary embodiment, a computer program product is also provided, comprising a computer program executable by a programmable apparatus, the computer program having code portions for performing the above-mentioned camera control method when executed by the programmable apparatus.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be effected without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A camera control method, wherein the camera includes an image sensor having an effective pixel area of a plurality of size types, the method comprising:

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said configuring of the image data stream according to the related data of the target effective pixel area comprises:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the camera includes a hardware abstraction layer and an application layer; the method further comprises the steps of:

4. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to configuring the image data stream based on the data associated with the target active pixel area, the method further comprises:

5. The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein the determining a target effective pixel area from the plurality of size type effective pixel areas in response to acquiring a camera capture mode comprises:

6. A method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the plurality of size types of active pixel areas include, but are not limited to: an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 4:3 and an effective pixel region of a size type having an aspect ratio of 16:9.

7. The method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the image parameters used to characterize the region of interest include, but are not limited to: parameters for characterizing an auto-focus area, parameters for characterizing an auto-exposure area, parameters for characterizing a crop area, and parameters for characterizing a preset crop area.

8. A camera control apparatus, wherein the camera includes an image sensor having an effective pixel area of a plurality of size types, the method comprising:

9. A camera, comprising:

A processor;

A memory for storing processor-executable instructions;

Wherein the processor is configured to:

10. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions, which when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method of any of claims 1-7.

11. A chip, comprising a processor and an interface; the processor is configured to read instructions to perform the method of any of claims 1-7.