Focusing method, and image capturing device for implementing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9584717-B2
Application number	US-201514950119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2015
Priority date	Jun 4, 2015
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A focusing method includes the steps of calculating a diameter difference between a first circle of confusion diameter and a second circle of confusion diameter which correspond respectively to first image data and second image data associated respectively with light energy of a first spectrum and light energy of a second spectrum, generating a control signal associated with a target image distance according to an initial image distance, the diameter difference, and a lookup table, driving movement of a lens module so as to change a distance between the lens module and an image sensor from the initial image distance into the target image distance according to the control signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A focusing method to be implemented by an image capturing device, the image capturing device including an image sensor, a lens module that is movable relative to the image sensor, a focus driver that is for driving movement of the lens module, and a processor module that is connected electrically to the image sensor and the focus driver, the lens module including a first diaphragm and a second diaphragm different from the first diaphragm, the focusing method comprising the steps of:
detecting simultaneously, by the image sensor, light energy of a first spectrum and light energy of a second spectrum which are associated with an image containing an object when the lens module is located at an initial position, for respective generation of a first image data corresponding to the light energy of the first spectrum and a second image data corresponding to the light energy of the second spectrum, each of the first image data and the second image data being associated with a respective one of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm, a distance between the lens module which is located at the initial position and the image sensor being defined as an initial image distance;
obtaining, by the processor module according to the first image data and the second image data, a first circle of confusion diameter and a second circle of confusion diameter which are associated with the object and which correspond respectively to the first image data and the second image data;
calculating, by the processor module, a diameter difference between the first circle of confusion diameter and the second circle of confusion diameter;
generating, by the processor module, a control signal associated with a target image distance at least according to the initial image distance, the diameter difference, and a lookup table which contains information of at least one image distance and at least one corresponding difference between circle of confusion diameters; and
driving, by the focus driver according to the control signal, movement of the lens module so as to change the distance between the lens module and the image sensor from the initial image distance into the target image distance.

2. The focusing method according to claim 1 , an aperture of the first diaphragm being greater than an aperture of the second diaphragm, wherein, in the step of detecting simultaneously light energy of a first spectrum and light energy of a second spectrum, the light energy of the first spectrum corresponds to light energy of a visible light spectrum, and the light energy of the second spectrum corresponds to light energy of an infrared light spectrum.

3. The focusing method according to claim 2 , wherein, in the step of generating a control signal,
the lookup table contains K numbers of different reference image distances, K numbers of threshold values for differences between circle of confusion diameters corresponding respectively to the K numbers of reference image distances, and K numbers of adjustment image distances corresponding respectively to the K numbers of reference image distances, in which K is an integer; and
each of the threshold values for differences between circle of confusion diameters contained in the lookup table is obtained under a condition that the distance between the lens module and the image sensor is equal to a corresponding one of the reference image distances and that a distance between the object and the lens module is equal to a predetermined object distance.

4. The focusing method according to claim 3 , wherein, in the step of generating a control signal, the predetermined object distance is greater than an in-focus object distance, a corresponding difference between circle of confusion diameters is equal to zero when the distance between the object and the lens module is equal to the in-focus object distance and when the distance between the lens module and the image sensor is equal to said corresponding one of the reference image distances.

5. The focusing method according to claim 4 , wherein, in the step of generating a control signal, the predetermined object distance is not smaller than twenty-two times the in-focus object distance.

6. The focusing method according to claim 3 , wherein the step of generating a control signal includes the sub-steps of:
selecting, by the processor module from the lookup table, a selected one of the K numbers of reference image distances that is equal to the initial image distance;
determining, by the processor module, whether the diameter difference thus calculated is greater than one of the threshold values that corresponds to the selected one of the K numbers of reference image distances;
when it is determined that the diameter difference thus calculated is greater than said one of the threshold values, by the processor module, selecting one of the adjustment image distances that corresponds to the selected one of the K numbers of reference image distances to serve as the target image distance, and generating the control signal according to the target image distance; and
when it is determined that the diameter difference thus calculated is not greater than said one of the threshold values, by the processor module, obtaining contrast of the first image data, determining the target image distance according to the contrast thus obtained, and generating the control signal according to the target image distance.

7. An image capturing device comprising:
an image sensor;
a lens module which is movable relative to said image sensor and which includes a first diaphragm and a second diaphragm different from said first diaphragm;
a storage module which stores a lookup table that contains information of at least one image distance and at least one corresponding difference between circle of confusion diameters;
a focus driver for driving movement of said lens module; and
a processor module which is coupled electrically to said image sensor, said focus driver and said storage module and which controls said driver module; and
wherein said image sensor detects simultaneously light energy of a first spectrum and light energy of a second spectrum which are associated with an image containing an object when said lens module is located at an initial position, for respective generation of a first image data corresponding to the light energy of the first spectrum and a second image data corresponding to the light energy of the second spectrum, each of the first image data and the second image data being associated with a respective one of said first diaphragm and said second diaphragm, a distance between said lens module which is located at the initial position and said image sensor being defined as an initial image distance;
wherein said processor module receives the first image data and the second image data from said image sensor, obtains, according to the first image data and the second image data, a first circle of confusion diameter and a second circle of confusion diameter which are associated with the object and which correspond respectively to the first image data and the second image data, and calculates a diameter difference between the first circle of confusion diameter and the second circle of confusion diameter;
said processor module generates a control signal associated with a target image distance at least according to the initial image distance, the diameter difference and the lookup table, and outputs the control signal to said focus driver, so that said focus driver drives, according to the control signal received from said processor module, movement of said lens module so as to change the distance between said lens module and said image sensor from the initial image distance into the target image distance.

Assignees

• Lite On Technology Corp
• Lite On Electronics Guangzhou Ltd

Inventors

• Shih Ming-Huang
• Chen Jau-Yu
• Chen Hsing-Hung

Classifications

• H04N23/54

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

• H04N23/673 Primary

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

• H04N5/2254

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/23212 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/2253

  Electricity · mapped topic