Electronic device for controlling focus of lens and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10516820-B2
Application number	US-201815997968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2018
Priority date	Jul 18, 2017
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device includes a camera and a processor. The processor is configured to: obtain a first image from the camera with respect to an external object, move a lens device depending on a specified amount of movement using a lens driver, obtain a second image corresponding to a position to which the lens device moves with respect to the external object, determine a first partial area of the first image corresponding to a specified portion of the external object, determine a second partial area of the second image corresponding to the first partial area based on the first partial area and the specified movement amount, determine a focus position with respect to the lens device based on a defocus difference between the first partial area and the second partial area and the specified movement amount, and move the lens device to the focus position using the lens driver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a camera, the camera including:
a lens device comprising at least one lens; and
a lens driver comprising lens driving circuitry configured to move the lens device, the lens device being configured such that a difference occurs between a first viewing angle when the lens device is located at a first position and a second viewing angle when the lens device is located at a second position and/or a difference occurs between a first magnification when the lens device is located at the first position and a second magnification when the lens device is located at the second position in at least some sections; and

a processor configured to cause the electronic device to:
obtain a first image from the camera with respect to an external object;
move the lens device depending on a specified amount of movement using the lens driver;
obtain a second image corresponding to a position to which the lens device moves with respect to the external object;
determine a first partial area of the first image corresponding to a specified portion of the external object;
determine a second partial area of the second image corresponding to the first partial area based on the first partial area and the specified amount of movement;
determine a focus position with respect to the lens device based on a defocus difference between the first partial area and the second partial area and the specified amount of movement; and
move the lens device to the focus position using the lens driver.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to: determine a position of the second partial area based on a difference in distance between a position of the first partial area and a center position of the first image.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to:
determine a distance between a center position of the first partial area and the center position of the first image;
determine a distance, which is to be changed depending on the specified amount of movement, by multiplying a specified distance variation coefficient, the determined distance, and the specified amount of movement by each other, the specified distance variation coefficient being determined based on a distance of a point in the first image other than the center position of the first image from the center position of the first image depending on a unit movement amount set in the lens driver;
determine a distance between a center position of the second image and a center of the second partial area by adding the distance, which is to be changed, to the distance between the center of the first partial area and the center position of the first image; and
determine a center coordinate of the second partial area using the distance between the center of the second image and the center of the second partial area.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to determine the second partial area including pixels corresponding to a number of pixels included in the first partial area with respect to the determined center coordinate of the second partial area.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to, when a center of the first image is shifted from a crossing point between an optical axis of the lens device and the first image:
determine a position of the first partial area based on a crossing point between the optical axis and a first surface of the first image; and
determine a position of the second partial area based on a crossing point between the optical axis and a first surface of the second image.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to, when an optical axis of the lens device is not vertical to the first image:
correct the first image such that the first image is vertical to the optical axis;
determine the first partial area using the corrected first image;
correct the second image such that the second image is vertical to the optical axis; and
determine the second partial area using the corrected second image.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to determine a position of the second partial area based on a unit movement amount set in the lens driver.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to determine a position of the second partial area based on a change in a distance between a point of the first image other than a center position of the first image and a center of the first image, based on the unit movement amount.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to:
correct the first partial area or the second partial area based on a difference in brightness between the first partial area and the second partial area; and
determine the defocus difference between the first partial area and the second partial area using at least the corrected first partial area or the corrected second partial area.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the electronic device to:
determine an average brightness of the first partial area and an average brightness of the second partial area; and
correct a brightness of the first partial area or a brightness of the second partial area such that a difference between the average brightness of the first partial area and the average brightness of the second partial is within a specified range.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an input module comprising input circuitry configured to receive and/or sense an input, wherein the processor is configured to determine the specified portion of the external object based on the received and/or sensed input.

12. A method of controlling an electronic device comprising a camera comprising a lens device including at least one lens and a lens driver comprising lens driving circuitry configured to move the lens device, the lens device being configured such that a difference occurs between a first viewing angle when the lens device is located at a first position and a second viewing angle when the lens device is located at a second position and/or a difference occurs between a first magnification when the lens device is located at the first position and a second magnification when the lens device is located at the second position in at least some sections, the method comprising:
obtaining a first image from the camera with respect to an external object;
moving the lens device depending on a specified amount of movement using the lens driver;
obtaining a second image corresponding to a position to which the lens device moves with respect to the external object;
determining a first partial area of the first image corresponding to a specified portion of the external object;
determining a second partial area of the second image corresponding to the first partial area based on the first partial area and the specified amount of movement;
determining a focus position with respect to the lens device based on a defocus difference between the first partial area and the second partial area and the specified amount of movement; and
moving the lens device to the focus position using the lens driver.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the determining of the second partial area includes determining a position of the second partial

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoon Kyung Hoon
• Park Jae Hyoung
• Lee Jeong Won
• Kim Han Sung

Classifications

• H04N17/002

  for television cameras · CPC title

• H04N23/67 Primary

  Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• H04N23/663 Primary

  for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• H04N23/71

  Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation · CPC title

• H04N5/2351

  Electricity · mapped topic