Electronic device and method for capturing and displaying image

An electronic device for displaying an image includes: a display; a communicator configured to transmit, to an image-capturing device connected to the electronic device, synchronization information for synchronization and receive, from the image-capturing device, a first image, image-capturing time information of the first image generated based on the synchronization information, and position information on which the first image was captured; a memory configured to store one or more instructions; and a processor configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor is further configured to control, by executing the one or more instructions, one or more images to be obtained, a second image corresponding to the first image to be determined from among the one or more images based on the image-capturing time information of the first image and the position information on which the first image was captured, and a third image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image to be displayed on the display.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method of capturing and displaying an image, and more particularly, to an electronic device and a method of displaying an image synthesized by using synchronization information.

BACKGROUND ART

As multimedia technology and computer technology have been developed, users may receive various services using electronic devices. In particular, as image capturing and processing technology has been developed, users may receive images obtained by synthesizing a plurality of images by using electronic devices.

However, in order to provide users with images having various and wider fields of view, there is a demand for technology for efficiently using a plurality of electronic devices having image-capturing functions and communication functions.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Technical Problem

Provided are an electronic device and a method of synthesizing and displaying an image captured by at least one device by using synchronization information.

Solution to Problem

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device for displaying an image includes: a display; a communicator configured to transmit, to an image-capturing device connected to the electronic device, synchronization information for synchronization and receive, from the image-capturing device, a first image, image-capturing time information of the first image generated based on the synchronization information, and position information on which the first image was captured; a memory storing one or more instructions; and a processor configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor is further configured to control, by executing the one or more instructions, one or more images to be obtained, a second image corresponding to the first image to be determined from among the one or more images based on the image-capturing time information of the first image and the position information on which the first image was captured, and a third image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image to be displayed on the display.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, a method, performed by an electronic device, of displaying an image includes: transmitting, to an image-capturing device connected to the electronic device, synchronization information for synchronization; receiving a first image, image-capturing time information of the first image generated based the synchronization information, and position information on which the first image was captured from the image-capturing device; obtaining one or more images; determining a second image corresponding to the first image from among the one or more images, based on the image-capturing time information of the first image and the position information on which the first image was captured; and displaying a third image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image.

MODE OF DISCLOSURE

The disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings for one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to perform the disclosure without any difficulty. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Also, parts in the drawings unrelated to the detailed description are omitted to ensure clarity of the disclosure. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.

Throughout the specification, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” to another element, it may be “directly connected” to the other element or “electrically connected” to the other element with intervening elements therebetween. It will be further understood that when a part “includes” or “comprises” an element, unless otherwise defined, the part may further include other elements, not excluding the other elements.

The disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1is a view illustrating a system including an electronic device and a plurality of image-capturing devices, according to an embodiment.

Referring toFIG. 1, the system according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include an electronic device100and at least one image-capturing device200connected to the electronic device100. For example, the at least one image-capturing device200may be connected to the electronic device100through a network.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least one image-capturing device200may include a camera (a first image-capturing device)200a, a notebook (a second image-capturing device)200b, or a wearable electronic device (a third image-capturing device)200csuch as a smart watch. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the at least one image-capturing device200may include any of electronic devices having an image-capturing function and a communication function.

In order to obtain an image including a first area101, a second area102, a third area103, and a fourth area104which are adjacent to one another, the electronic device100may have to separately capture an image of each area. When the electronic device100obtains images of areas captured at different times, the electronic device100may fail to display an image including all areas at the same time.

Accordingly, in order to obtain an image of all areas including the first through fourth areas101,102,103, and104, the electronic device100according to an embodiment of the disclosure may obtain images of areas captured at the same time by the at least one image-capturing device200, which is separate from the electronic device100, and may synthesize the obtained images.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may receive an image captured by the at least one image-capturing device200from the at least one image-capturing device200and may display an image obtained by synthesizing the received image and at least one image corresponding to the received image. In this case, the electronic device100may display an image including all areas at the same time.

For example, the electronic device100may transmit synchronization information to the at least one image-capturing device200. When the at least one image-capturing device200captures an image, the at least one image-capturing device200may generate image-capturing time information based on the synchronization information received from the electronic device100. Also, the electronic device100may obtain one or more images. The one or more images may include an image captured by the electronic device100or an image received from the at least one image-capturing device200.

When the electronic device100receives an image from the at least one image-capturing device200, the electronic device100may also receive image-capturing time information of the image and position information of the image, and the image-capturing time information may be information about a time when the image generated based on the synchronization information is captured. The electronic device100may synthesize the one or more images obtained by the electronic device100based on the image-capturing time information and the position information of the image.

Referring toFIG. 1, the electronic device100may obtain a first image by photographing the first area101. The electronic device100may transmit synchronization information to the first image-capturing device200a, the second image-capturing device200b, and the third image-capturing device200c. Also, the electronic device100may receive a second image of the second area102and image-capturing time information of the second image from the first image-capturing device200a, may receive a third image of the third area103and image-capturing time information of the third image from the second image-capturing device200b, and may receive a fourth image of the fourth area104and image-capturing time information of the fourth image from the third image-capturing device200c.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may determine at least one image corresponding to the second image based on the image-capturing time information of the second image. For example, the electronic device100may determine the first image, the third image, and the fourth image captured at the same time as that of the second image as images corresponding to the second image, based on the image-capturing time information of the second image.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may display a synthesized image so that the first through fourth images are located at the same positions as spatial positions of the first through fourth areas101through104.

Examples of the electronic device100may include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a PC, a smart television (TV), a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, a media player, a micro-server, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an electronic book terminal, a digital broadcast terminal, a navigation system, a kiosk, an MP3 player, a digital camera, a home appliance, and any of other mobile or non-mobile computing devices. Also, examples of the electronic device100may include a wearable device such as a watch, glasses, a hair band, or a ring having a display function and a data processing function. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the electronic device100may be any type of device having a communication function and an image display function.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, examples of the network through which the electronic device100and the at least one image-capturing device200are connected may include a wired network such as a local area network (LAN) and any type of wireless network such as a mobile radio communication network, Wi-Fi, or a satellite communication network. Examples of the network may include Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Zigbee, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), ultra-wideband (UWB), infrared data association (IrDA), and near-field communication (NFC). Also, the network may include an Internet-of-Things (IoT).

For example, the electronic device100and the first through third image-capturing devices200a,200b, and200cmay be configured to perform synchronization and image sharing in a distributed manner in an IoT environment.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, because the electronic device100shares captured images with other apparatuses by using synchronization information, the electronic device100may provide a synthesized image in real time without employing a separate image-collecting server. Because the electronic device100shares captured images with other apparatuses through short-range wireless communication, the electronic device100may improve a data communication environment.

Although the electronic device100is a control apparatus for controlling synchronization and image sharing with the at least one image-capturing device200in the system inFIG. 1, one of the first through third image-capturing devices200a,200b, and200cmay perform a function of the electronic device100ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 2is a flowchart of a method, performed by an electronic device, of displaying an image, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring toFIG. 2, in operation S202, the electronic device100may transmit synchronization information for synchronization to the image-capturing device200connected to the electronic device100. The term ‘synchronization’ may refer to an adjustment of times when a plurality of operations are performed by a plurality of apparatuses. Also, the synchronization information may be used to receive an image from the image-capturing device200or generate information needed to process the received image.

For example, the synchronization information may include a reference time and control information for controlling an image-capturing time of the image-capturing device200generated based on the reference time. In detail, the reference time may be a relative time value with a time when the electronic device100transmits the synchronization information to the image-capturing device200as ‘0’. Alternatively, the electronic device100may use a coordinated universal time (UTC) or Greenwich mean time (GMT)-based standard time as the reference time.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may perform pairing to be connected to the image-capturing device200. For example, the electronic device100may transmit a pairing request to the image-capturing device200. Also, the electronic device100may receive a response to the pairing request from the image-capturing device200.

For example, the electronic device100may search for the image-capturing device200by using a communication signal. The electronic device100may search for the image-capturing device200existing in an area where communication is possible. When the image-capturing device200is included in a pre-registered image-capturing device list, the electronic device100may transmit a pairing request signal to the image-capturing device200.

Alternatively, when the image-capturing device200is not included in the pre-registered image-capturing device list, the electronic device100may transmit an authentication request to the image-capturing device200. Also, the electronic device100may register the image-capturing device200by receiving authentication information related to the authentication request from the image-capturing device200and may perform pairing with the image-capturing device200.

In operation S204, the electronic device100may receive a first image, and image-capturing time information of the first image and position information of the first image generated based on the synchronization information. The first image may be an image captured by the image-capturing device200.

For example, the electronic device100may receive the image-capturing time information of the first image generated based on the reference time included in the synchronization information from the image-capturing device200. In detail, when the first image is captured by the image-capturing device200after 3.0 seconds elapse from the reference time, the electronic device100may receive ‘3.0 seconds’ as the image-capturing time information of the first image.

Also, the electronic device100may receive GPS-based position information of the first image from the image-capturing device200. Alternatively, the electronic device100may receive relative position information based on a current position of the electronic device100as the position information of the first image from the image-capturing device200.

In operation S206, the electronic device100may obtain one or more images. For example, the electronic device100may receive at least one image from an image-capturing device other than the image-capturing device200that transmits the first image from among image-capturing devices (e.g., the first through third image-capturing devices200a,200b, and200cofFIG. 1) connected to the electronic device100. Alternatively, the electronic device100may obtain one or more images by using at least one camera module included in the electronic device100.

For example, the electronic device100may include a plurality of camera modules. In detail, the electronic device100may include at least one camera module on each of a front surface and a rear surface of the electronic device100. Also, the electronic device100may obtain one or more images by sequentially or simultaneously capturing images by using the plurality of camera modules.

In operation S208, the electronic device100may determine a second image corresponding to the first image from among the one or more images based on the image-capturing time information and the position information. The second image corresponding to the first image may be an image captured by another apparatus around the image-capturing device200in order to form one image with the first image. For example, the electronic device100may determine the second image corresponding to the first image in order to form one panoramic image.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may determine the second image by comparing image-capturing time information and position information of each obtained image with the image-capturing time information and the position information on which the first image was captured. For example, the electronic device100may determine an image captured at the same time as the image-capturing time information of the first image from among the one or more images as the second image. Alternatively, the electronic device100may determine an image captured at a time within a predetermined range (e.g., ±4.0 seconds) from the image-capturing time information of the first image from among the one or more images as the second image.

For example, the electronic device100may determine an image captured within a predetermined range from the position information on which the first image was captured from among the one or more images as the second image corresponding to the first image. For example, the electronic device100may determine an image captured within a range where short-range wireless communication with the electronic device100or the image-capturing device200is possible as the second image.

For example, the predetermined range related to the image-capturing time or the position may be a value set by a user input or a default value pre-stored in the electronic device100. Alternatively, the predetermined range related to the image-capturing time or the position may be a value determined according to an application stored in the electronic device100.

In operation S210, the electronic device100may display a third image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image. For example, the electronic device100may display the third image by combining the first image and the second image.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may determine portions of the third image where the first image and the second image are displayed, and may display the third image in which the first image and the second image are located in the determined portions. The portions of the third image where the first image and the second image are displayed may be determined in various ways. For example, the electronic device100may display the third image in which the second image overlaps a specific portion of the first image in a circular or polygonal shape. Also, the electronic device100may determine portions divided from the third image according to the total number of the first and second images. Alternatively, when there are a plurality of the second images, the electronic device100may display the third image in which the first image is located between any two of the second images.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may determine a portion of the third image corresponding to the first image based on the position information on which the first image was captured and direction information on which the first image was captured. Also, the electronic device100may synthesize the first image with the second image based on the determined portion. For example, the electronic device100may receive the direction information on which the first image was captured along with the position information on which the first image was captured from the image-capturing device200.

For example, the electronic device100may determine that a scene included in the first image is located at the right of a scene included in the second image based on the position information and the direction information on which the first image was captured. The electronic device100may determine that a position of the first image is located at the right of a position of the second image. In this case, the electronic device100may determine that, in the third image, the first image is to be displayed at the right of the second image.

Alternatively, when the electronic device100divides the third image into two parts, at least a portion of the second image may be displayed in the left part and at least a portion of the first image may be displayed in the right part.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the third image may be a three-dimensional (3D) image. For example, the electronic device100may synthesize the first image and the second image into a 3D image based on the position information and the direction information on which the first image was captured received from the image-capturing device200.

FIG. 3is a view illustrating an example where an image synthesized by an electronic device is displayed, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring toFIG. 3, the electronic device100may display a first image300obtained by synthesizing a plurality of images. For example, the first image300may include a second image310captured by the electronic device (that is a first image-capturing device)100, a third image320and a fourth image321captured by a second image-capturing device301, a fifth image330and a sixth image331captured by a third image-capturing device302, and at least a part of a seventh image340captured by a fourth image-capturing device303.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may display the first image300obtained by synthesizing the plurality of images, based on relative position information of the image-capturing device200that is determined based on a position of the electronic device100. The relative position information of the image-capturing device200may be represented as coordinates ‘x,y’ with the position of the electronic device100that becomes a criterion as ‘0,0’.

For example, sequentially, the second image-capturing device301may be located at the right of the electronic device100, the third image-capturing device302may be located at the right of the second image-capturing device301, and the fourth image-capturing device303may be located at the right of the third image-capturing device302. In this case, it may be determined that the position of the electronic device100is ‘0,0’, relative position information of the second image-capturing device301is ‘1,0’, relative position information of the third image-capturing device302is ‘2,0’, and relative position information of the fourth image-capturing device303is ‘3,0’.

Also, the electronic device100may display the first image300in which the second image310, the third image320, the fifth image330, and the seventh image340are arranged according to coordinates based on the relative position information of the first through fourth image-capturing devices.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when adjacent images in the first image300partially overlap each other, the electronic device100may display the first image300having an overlapping portion.

For example, the electronic device100may determine an overlapping portion between at least two images by analyzing pixels of at least two adjacent images. The electronic device100may display the first image300obtained by synthesizing an overlapping portion350between the second image310and the third image320. For example, the electronic device100may display the first image300by selecting one image from among at least two adjacent images and cutting away an overlapping portion of an image other than the selected image, or by adjusting a transparence of the overlapping portion.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may display the fourth image321in a portion of the first image300where the third image320is displayed. For example, the third image320may be an image captured by a camera located on a rear surface of the second image-capturing device301, and the fourth image321may be an image captured by a camera located on a front surface of the second image-capturing device301.

Likewise, the electronic device100may display the sixth image331in a portion of the first image300where the fifth image330is displayed.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may display the first image300including text information (‘USER1’)360. For example, the text information360may be text information corresponding to the image-capturing device200. Also, the electronic device100may also display the text information360corresponding to the third image-capturing device302in the portion of the first image300where the fifth image330is displayed.

For example, the electronic device100may receive the text information360corresponding to the third image-capturing device302from the third image-capturing device302. Alternatively, the electronic device100may receive the text information360as information included in metadata about a corresponding image. The text information360corresponding to the third image-capturing device302may be text information input by a user or pre-stored device-related information. In detail, the text information360corresponding to the third image-capturing device302may include a phone number, a user name, or a device name.

FIG. 4is a view for describing a method, performed by an electronic device, of displaying an image obtained by receiving and synthesizing an image captured by an image-capturing device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring toFIG. 4, in operation S402, the electronic device100may transmit a pairing request to the image-capturing device200. In operation S404, the image-capturing device200may transmit a response to the pairing request to the electronic device100. For example, the image-capturing device200may transmit the response to the pairing request including device information of the image-capturing device200to the electronic device100. For example, the device information of the image-capturing device200may include a position of the image-capturing device200and a resolution of an image captured by the image-capturing device200.

In operation S406, the electronic device100may generate synchronization information. For example, the synchronization information may include a reference time and control information for controlling an image-capturing start time of the image-capturing device200generated based on the reference time.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may generate the synchronization information based on the response received in operation S404. For example, the electronic device100may generate the control information for controlling the image-capturing start time of the image-capturing device200based on the device information of the image-capturing device200. In detail, the electronic device100may generate the control information with the image-capturing start time of the image-capturing device200as a time after 3.0 seconds elapse from the reference time, based on the position of the image-capturing device200.

In operation S408, the electronic device100may transmit the generated synchronization information. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may determine whether to transmit the synchronization information based on the device information of the image-capturing device200.

For example, when the position of the image-capturing device200is not within a preset range, the electronic device100may not transmit the synchronization information. Alternatively, when a difference between the resolution of the image captured by the image-capturing device200and a resolution of an image captured by the electronic device100exceeds a preset range, the electronic device100may not transmit the synchronization information. The electronic device100may efficiently obtain and synthesize necessary images by transmitting the synchronization information in consideration of the device information of the image-capturing device200.

In operation S410, the image-capturing device200may capture a first image. For example, the image-capturing device200may capture the first image based on the synchronization information received from the electronic device100in operation S408. For example, the image-capturing device200may capture the first image according to the reference time and the control information for controlling an image-capturing time of the first image included in the synchronization information. The control information for controlling the image-capturing time of the first image may include a time value generated based on the reference time.

Also, in operation S410, the image-capturing device200may generate and store image-capturing time information of the first image based on the synchronization information received from the electronic device100in operation S408. For example, when the first image is captured after 3.0 seconds elapse from the reference time included in the synchronization information, the image-capturing device200may generate the image-capturing time information of the first image as ‘3.0’. Also, the image-capturing device200may store the image-capturing time information of the first image as metadata about the first image.

In operation S412, the electronic device100may capture a second image. For example, the electronic device100may capture the second image at the same time as transmitting the synchronization information in operation S408. Alternatively, the electronic device100may capture the second image based on the control information for controlling the image-capturing start time of the image-capturing device200generated in operation S406. For example, the electronic device100may capture the second image at the same time as the image-capturing start time of the image-capturing device200, or may capture the second image at a time 2.0 seconds earlier than the image-capturing start time.

In operation S414, the image-capturing device200may transmit the first image and image-capturing information of the first image. The image-capturing information of the first image may include time information, position information, and direction information on which the first image was captured, and an identification value of the image-capturing device200that captures the first image. For example, the identification value of the image-capturing device200may be a value assigned by the electronic device100to identify the image-capturing device200from among a plurality of apparatuses connected to the electronic device100. The electronic device100may receive the identification value from the electronic device100, and may transmit the identification value along with the first image to the electronic device100.

In operation S416, the electronic device100may determine an image corresponding to the first image based on the image-capturing time information of the first image and the position information on which the first image was captured. For example, the electronic device100may determine the second image as the image corresponding to the first image, based on the image-capturing time information of the first image and the position information on which the first image was captured. Embodiments described with reference to operation S208ofFIG. 2may be applied to operation S416.

In operation S418, the electronic device100may determine a portion of a third image where the first image is displayed, based on the position information and the direction information on which the first image was captured. In operation S420, the electronic device100may display the third image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image based on the determined portion.

FIG. 5is a view for describing a method, performed by an electronic device, of displaying an image obtained by receiving and synthesizing images captured by a plurality of image-capturing devices, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a first image-capturing device550existing in an area where communication is possible is searched for and found, the electronic device100may transmit a pairing request to the first image-capturing device550and may receive a response to the pairing request from the first image-capturing device550.

Referring toFIG. 5, in operation S502, the electronic device100may transmit synchronization information to the first image-capturing device550. In operation S504, the first image-capturing device550may capture a first image based on the synchronization information received from the electronic device100. In operation S506, the electronic device100may capture a second image.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as a second image-capturing device500or the electronic device100moves after the electronic device100transmits the synchronization information to the first image-capturing device550in operation S502, the second image-capturing device500within an area where communication with the electronic device100is possible may be searched for and found. Also, the electronic device100may perform pairing with the second image-capturing device500.

In operation S508, the electronic device100may transmit a pairing request to the second image-capturing device500. In operation S510, the second image-capturing device500may transmit a response to the pairing request to the electronic device100. In operation S512, the first image-capturing device550may transmit the first image and image-capturing information of the first image to the electronic device100.

In operation S514, the electronic device100may transmit the synchronization information to the second image-capturing device500. In operation S516, the electronic device100may transmit the synchronization information to the first image-capturing device550. However, according to the synchronization information transmitted in operation S502, the electronic device100may omit operation S516.

In operation S518, the electronic device100may display a third image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image. For example, the electronic device100may determine the second image captured by the electronic device100as an image corresponding to the first image, based on the image-capturing information of the first image.

In operation S520, the second image-capturing device500may capture a fourth image. In operation S522, the electronic device100may capture a fifth image. In operation S524, the first image-capturing device550may capture a sixth image. In operation S526, the first image-capturing device550may transmit the sixth image and image-capturing information of the sixth image. In operation S528, the second image-capturing device500may transmit the fourth image and image-capturing information of the fourth image.

In operation S530, the electronic device100may display a seventh image obtained by synthesizing the fourth image, the fifth image, and the sixth image. For example, the electronic device100may determine the fifth image captured by the electronic device100and the fourth image captured by the second image-capturing device500as images corresponding to the sixth image, based on the image-capturing information of the sixth image.

As described above, the electronic device100may display various images by receiving a plurality of images from a plurality of image-capturing devices, e.g., the first and second image-capturing devices550and500. Also, when a new image-capturing device existing within an area where communication is possible is searched for and found, the electronic device100may update an image sharing environment by transmitting the synchronization information to the new image-capturing device.

FIG. 6is a diagram illustrating metadata according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, image-capturing information of an image captured by the image-capturing device200may be stored as metadata about the image. The term ‘metadata’ may refer to information related to a target image of the metadata and information assigned to an image according to a predetermined rule. For example, the electronic device100and the image-capturing device200may generate the metadata including information corresponding to a field determined according to a predetermined rule. Also, the electronic device100may extract information related to the image from the metadata tagged to the image and may process the image by using the extracted information.

For example, the image-capturing device identification value601may be identification information assigned by the electronic device100. The image-capturing device identification value601may be included in the metadata as a number or text.

For example, the image-capturing position information602may include information about coordinates and an altitude at which the image is captured. The image-capturing direction information603may include an angle value determined based on the magnetic North Pole. The relative position information604may include relative position information determined based on the electronic device100. For example, the relative position information604may be determined based on the image-capturing position information602and the image-capturing direction information603. The image-capturing time information605may be time information (msec) determined based on a reference time.

For example, referring toFIG. 6, first metadata610may be metadata about a first image captured by a first image-capturing device at a relative position of ‘0,0’ (i.e., a criterion position) after 1.0 msec elapses from the reference time.

For example, referring toFIG. 6, second metadata620may be metadata about a second image captured by a second image-capturing device at a relative position ‘2,0’ after 1.0 msec elapses from the reference time.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may receive the second metadata620along with the second image from the image-capturing device200. The electronic device100may extract the image-capturing time information of the second image and the relative position information of the second image from the second metadata620. Also, the electronic device100may extract the image-capturing time information of the first image and the relative position information on which the first image was captured from the first metadata610. The electronic device100may determine the first image captured after ‘1.0 msec’ elapses from the reference time as an image corresponding to the second image, based on the extracted information. Also, the electronic device100may display a synthesized image by locating the second image whose relative position information is ‘2.0’ at the right of the first image, based on the extracted information. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may simultaneously receive and synthesize an image by using metadata and may display the synthesized image.

FIGS. 7 and 8are block diagrams illustrating a configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

As shown inFIG. 7, the electronic device100according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a memory1100, a communicator1200, a display1410, and a processor1300.

However, all elements illustrated inFIG. 7are not essential elements of the electronic device100. The electronic device100may include elements more or fewer than those illustrated inFIG. 7.

For example, as shown inFIG. 8, the electronic device100according to an embodiment of the disclosure may further include an output interface1400, a sensor1500, an audio/video (A/V) input interface1600, and a user input interface1700in addition to the memory1100, the communicator1200, the display1410, and the processor1300.

The memory1100may store a program for processing and controlling the processor1300, and may store an image input to the electronic device100. Also, the memory1100may store data needed for the processor1300to process an image.

For example, the memory1100may store an image received from the image-capturing device200, and image-capturing time information, position information on which the image was captured, and direction information on which the image was captured. Also, the memory1100may store device information of the image-capturing device200received from the image-capturing device200and text information corresponding to the image-capturing device200.

The memory1100may include at least one type of storage medium from among a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card-type memory (e.g., an SD or XD memory), a random-access memory (RAM), a static random-access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk.

Programs stored in the memory1100may be classified into a plurality of modules according to functions of the memory1100. For example, the memory1100may include a user interface (UI) module1110, a touchscreen module1120, and a notification module1130.

The UI module1110may provide a specialized UI or a graphical user interface (GUI) that interoperates with the electronic device100according to an application. The touchscreen module11120may detect a user's touch gesture on a touchscreen, and may transmit information about the touch gesture to the processor1300. The touchscreen module1120according to an embodiment of the disclosure may recognize and analyze a touch code. The touchscreen module1120may be configured as separate hardware including a controller.

The notification module1130may generate a signal for notifying an event occurring in the electronic device100. Examples of the event occurring in the electronic device100may include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, and schedule notification. The notification module1130may output a notification signal as a video signal through the display1410, may output a notification signal as an audio signal through a sound output interface1420, or may output a notification signal as a vibration signal through a vibration motor1430. For example, the notification module1130may generate a signal for outputting guide information based on estimated lane information.

The output interface1400may output an audio signal, a video signal, or a vibration signal, and may include the display1410, the sound output interface1420, and the vibration motor1430.

The display1410displays and outputs information processed by the electronic device100. In detail, the display1410may output an image captured by a camera1610. Also, the display1410may output an image synthesized by the processor1300.

Also, the display1410may output a user interface for executing a step related to a response to a user input.

The sound output interface1420outputs audio data received from the communicator1200or stored in the memory1100. Also, the sound output interface1420outputs a sound signal (e.g., a call signal receiving sound, a message receiving sound, or a notification sound) related to a function performed by the electronic device100.

The processor1300typically controls an overall operation of the electronic device100. For example, the processor1300may control the user input interface1700, the output interface1400, the sensor1500, the communicator1200, and the A/V input interface1600by executing programs stored in the memory1100. Also, the processor1300may perform a function of the electronic device100ofFIGS. 1 through 6by executing programs stored in the memory1100.

In detail, the processor1300may control the communicator1200to transmit synchronization information for synchronization to the image-capturing device200connected to the electronic device100by executing one or more instructions stored in the memory1100. The processor1300may control the communicator1200to transmit the synchronization information including a reference time and control information for controlling an image-capturing start time of the image-capturing device200generated based on the reference time. Also, the processor1300may control the communicator1200to receive a first image, image-capturing time information of the first image generated based on the synchronization information, and position information on which the first image was captured from the image-capturing device200. For example, the first image may be an image captured by the image-capturing device200.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor1300may generate the control information for controlling the image-capturing start time of the image-capturing device200based on the reference time. The first image may be an image captured by the image-capturing device200according to the control information generated by the processor1300.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor1300may perform pairing to be connected to the image-capturing device200. For example, the processor1300may control the communicator1200to perform pairing with the image-capturing device200. For example, the processor1300may control a short-range communicator1210to search for the image-capturing device200within an area where short-range wireless communication with the electronic device100is possible and to be connected to the image-capturing device200. Also, the processor1300may control the communicator1200to receive a response to a pairing request including device information of the image-capturing device200.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor1300may determine whether to transmit the synchronization information based on the device information of the image-capturing device200. For example, when a position of the image-capturing device200is not within a preset range, the processor1300may not transmit the synchronization information. Alternatively, when a difference between a resolution of an image captured by the image-capturing device200and a resolution of an image captured by the camera1610exceeds a preset range, the processor1300may not transmit the synchronization information.

Also, the processor1300may obtain one or more images. The processor1300may obtain the one or more images by receiving at least one image from another image-capturing device connected to the electronic device100through the communicator1200. Alternatively, the processor1300may obtain the one or more images by controlling the camera1610to capture an image by executing one or more instructions stored in the memory1100.

For example, when the electronic device100includes a plurality of the cameras1610, the processor1300may obtain the one or more images by controlling the plurality of cameras1610to sequentially or simultaneously capture images.

Also, the processor1300may determine a second image corresponding to the first image from among the one or more images, based on the image-capturing time information of the first image and the position information on which the first image was captured. For example, the processor1300may determine the second image by comparing image-capturing time information of the obtained images and position information of the images with the image-capturing time information of the first image and the position information on which the first image was captured.

Alternatively, the processor1300may determine an image captured within a predetermined range from the position information on which the first image was captured from among the one or more images as the second image corresponding to the first image. For example, the processor1300may determine an image captured within a range where short-range wireless communication with the electronic device100or the image-capturing device200is possible as the second image.

Also, the processor1300may control the display1410to display a third image obtained by synthesizing the first image and the second image. For example, the processor1300may determine portions of the third image where the first image and the second image are displayed. Also, the processor1300may control the display1410to display the third image in which the first image and the second image are located in the determined portions.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor1300may control the communicator1200to receive the position information on which the first image was captured and direction information on which the first image was captured from the image-capturing device200. Also, the processor1300may determine a portion of the third image corresponding to the first image, based on the position information on which the first image was captured and the direction information on which the first image was captured. Also, the processor1300may synthesize the first image with the second image based on the determined portion.

Also, when the first image and the second image which are adjacent to each other in the third image partially overlap each other, the processor1300may synthesize the first image with the second image to have an overlapping portion.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor1300may control the display1410to also display text information corresponding to the image-capturing device200in a portion of the third image where the first image is displayed. For example, the processor1300may control the communicator1200to receive the text information corresponding to the image-capturing device200from the image-capturing device200.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the third image may be a 3D image. For example, the processor1300may synthesize the first image and the second image into a 3D image, based on the position information on which the first image was captured and the direction information on which the first image was captured.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the image-capturing time information of the first image and the position information of the first image captured by the image-capturing device200may be stored as metadata about the first image. Also, the processor1300may extract information related to the first image from the metadata tagged to the first image and may process the first image by using the extracted information.

The communicator1200may include one or more elements through which the electronic device100communicates with the image-capturing device200. The image-capturing device200may be, but is not limited to, a computing device, like the electronic device100, or a sensing device. For example, the communicator1200may include the short-range communicator1210, a mobile communicator1220, and a broadcast receiver1230.

Examples of the short-range communicator1210may include, but are not limited to, a Bluetooth communicator, a BLE communicator, a near-field communicator, a WLAN (Wi-Fi) communicator, a Zigbee communicator, an IrDA communicator, a WFD communicator, a UWB communicator, and an Ant+ communicator. For example, the short-range communicator1210may transmit a pairing request to the image-capturing device200and may receive a response to the pairing request. Also, the short-range communicator1210may transmit synchronization information to the image-capturing device200, and may receive an image and data related to the image from the image-capturing device200.

The mobile communicator1220transmits/receives a wireless signal to/from at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server via a mobile communication network. Examples of the wireless signal may include a voice call signal, a video call signal, and any of various pieces of data according to text/multimedia message transmission/reception.

The broadcast receiver1230receives a broadcast signal and/or broadcast-related information from the outside through a broadcast channel. Examples of the broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device100may not include the broadcast receiver1230.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the communicator1200may transmit synchronization information to the image-capturing device200. For example, the communicator1200may transmit the synchronization information according to whether the processor1300transmits the synchronization information. Also, the communicator1200may transmit a pairing request to the image-capturing device200and may receive a response to the pairing request from the image-capturing device200. For example, the communicator1200may receive the response to the pairing request including device information of the image-capturing device200from the image-capturing device200.

Also, the communicator1200may receive a first image, image-capturing time information of the first image, position information on which the first image was captured, and direction information on which the first image was captured from the image-capturing device200. Also, the communicator120may receive the device information of the image-capturing device200and text information corresponding to the image-capturing device200from the image-capturing device200.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the communicator1200may receive at least one image from another image-capturing device connected to the electronic device100.

The sensor1500may detect a state of the electronic device100or a state around the electronic device100, and may transmit information about the state to the processor1300.

The sensor1500may include at least one of, but not limited to, a terrestrial magnetism sensor1510, an acceleration sensor1520, a temperature/humidity sensor1530, an infrared sensor1540, a gyroscope sensor1550, a position sensor (e.g., a GPS)1560, a barometric pressure sensor1570, a proximity sensor1580, and an RGB sensor1590. Functions of the sensors would have been intuitively derived by one of ordinary skill in the art from their names, and thus a detailed explanation thereof will not be given.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the sensor1500may measure a distance between at least one object and a vehicle determined in a captured image.

The A/V input interface1600for receiving an audio signal input or a video signal input may include the camera1610and a microphone1620. The camera1610may obtain image frames such as a still image or a moving image by using an image sensor in a video call mode or an image-capturing mode. An image captured by the image sensor may be processed by the processor1300or an additional image processor (not shown).

The microphone1620receives an external sound signal and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. For example, the microphone1620may receive a sound signal from an external device or the user. The microphone1620may receive the user's voice input. The microphone1620may use any of various noise removing algorithms to remove noise occurring when receiving the external sound signal.

The user input interface1700is a unit through which the user inputs data for controlling the electronic device100. Examples of the user input interface1700may include, but are not limited to, a keypad, a dome switch, a touchpad (e.g., a contact-type capacitance method, a pressure-type resistance film method, an infrared sensing method, a surface ultrasound transmission method, an integral tension measuring method, or a piezoelectric effect method), a jog wheel, and a jog switch.

An embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented as a recording medium including computer-readable instructions such as a computer-executable program module. The computer-readable medium may be an arbitrary available medium accessible by a computer, and examples thereof include all volatile and non-volatile media and separable and non-separable media. Further, examples of the computer-readable recording medium may include a computer storage medium and a communication medium. Examples of the computer storage medium include all volatile and non-volatile media and separable and non-separable media, which have been implemented by an arbitrary method or technology, for storing information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data. The communication medium typically includes computer-readable instructions, a data structure, a program module, other data of a modulated data signal, or another transmission mechanism, and an example thereof includes an arbitrary information transmission medium.

Also, the term “unit” used herein may be a hardware component such as a processor a circuit and/or a software component executed in a hardware component such as a processor.

While the disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims. Hence, it will be understood that the embodiments described above are not limiting of the scope of the disclosure. For example, each component described in a single type may be executed in a distributed manner, and components described distributed may also be executed in an integrated form.

The scope of the disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than by the detailed description of the disclosure, and it should be understood that the claims and all modifications or modified forms drawn from the concept of the claims are included in the scope of the disclosure.