Auto focus method and electronic device for performing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10382665-B2
Application number	US-201715841521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2017
Priority date	Dec 30, 2016
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a first camera module including a first lens set, a second camera module including a second lens set, and a processor connected to the first camera module and a second camera module. The processor is configured to move the first lens focus on a subject, resulting in an auto focus (AF) value and an image obtained by the first camera module, evaluate reliability of the AF value, based on the reliability of the AF value, calculate a movement parameter of the second lens set, corresponding to a movement parameter of the first lens set, and move the second lens set depending on the calculated movement parameter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a first camera module including a first lens set;
a second camera module including a second lens set; and
a processor connected to the first camera module and a second camera module,
wherein the processor is configured to:
move the first lens set to focus on a subject using an auto focus (AF) value obtained by the first camera module;
evaluate reliability of the AF value;
based on the reliability of the AF value, calculate a movement parameter of the second lens set, corresponding to a movement parameter of the first lens set; and
move the second lens set depending on the calculated movement parameter.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, when the reliability is higher than a first threshold, the movement parameter of the first lens set comprises a movement direction to a target location that causes the first lens to focus on the subject and an amount of movement to the target location, and
wherein move the second lens set depending on the calculated movement parameter comprises:
move the second lens set by another movement direction and another amount of movement respectively corresponding to the movement direction of the first lens set and the amount of movement of the first lens set.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, when the reliability is higher than a second threshold and lower than a first threshold, the movement parameter of the first lens set consists of a movement direction to a target location that causes the first lens to focus on the subject and a target range including the target location, and
wherein the first threshold is higher than the second threshold.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to:
move the second lens set in a direction corresponding to the movement direction of the first lens set; and
re-evaluate the reliability periodically or aperiodically.

5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to move the second lens set in a direction corresponding to the movement direction of the first lens set, and
wherein, the processor is configured to re-evaluate the reliability when the second lens set enters a range corresponding to the target range of the first lens set.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, when the reliability is evaluated to be lower than a second threshold lower than a first threshold, the movement parameter of the first lens set comprises a direction to a target location where the first lens set is on focus.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein evaluate the reliability value of the AF comprises:
evaluate the reliability based on a level of a noise included in the AF value, brightness of the image, a contrast ratio of the image, a blur level of the image, the number of saturated pixels included in the image, a degree of a flicker phenomenon of the AF value, or two or more combinations thereof.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, when a difference between a current location of the second lens set and a location indicated by the calculated movement parameter departs from a specified threshold range, the processor is configured to move the second lens set depending on the calculated movement parameter.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the threshold range is set based on an acceptable depth of field (DoF) of the second camera module.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a display configured to output an image received from the second camera module.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to;
control the first camera module such that the first lens set focuses on the subject depending on a contrast AF scheme or a phase difference AF scheme.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
calculate a location parameter of the second lens set by converting a location parameter of the first lens set.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first camera module has at least part of a field of view (FoV), which is in common with an FoV of the second camera module.

14. An electronic device, comprising:
a first camera module;
a second camera module configured to capture an image with a deeper depth of field (DoF) than the first camera module; and
a processor connected to the first camera module and the second camera module,
wherein the processor is configured to:
select any one of the first camera module or the second camera module based on a blur level of an image obtained by the first camera module or the second camera module;
move a lens set of the selected camera module such that the lens set focuses on the subject using an AF value obtained by the selected camera module;
calculate a movement parameter of a lens set included in a camera module which is not selected, corresponding to a movement parameter of a lens set included in the selected camera module, as a result of evaluating reliability of the AF value of the image obtained from the selected camera module; and
move the lens set included in the camera module which is not selected, depending on the calculated movement parameter.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein, if the blur level is higher than a specified level, the processor selects the second camera module.

16. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein, if the blur level is lower than a specified level, the processor selects the first camera module.

17. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the second camera module corresponds to a camera module with a high F-number.

18. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to:
control the selected camera module such that the subject is on focus, depending on a contrast AF scheme or a phase difference AF scheme.

19. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to:
evaluate the reliability based on a level of a noise included in the AF value, brightness of the image, a contrast ratio of the image, a blur level of the image, the number of saturated pixels included in the image, a degree of a flicker phenomenon of the AF value, or two or more combinations thereof.

20. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the first camera module and the second camera module are exposed to the outside through a common surface of the electronic device.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sa Seok Woon
• Park Byeong Chan
• Kang In Koo
• Lee Seung Han
• Kim Kwang Tai
• Yeom Dong Hyun
• Won Jong Hoon
• Lee Ki Huk

Classifications

• H04N23/45 Primary

  for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images · CPC title

• H04N23/673 Primary

  based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/54

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title