Device with a front facing camera having discrete focus positions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9848125-B2
Application number	US-201715478813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2017
Priority date	Feb 19, 2015
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A device with a front facing camera having two discrete focus positions is provided. The device comprises: a chassis comprising a front side; a display and a camera each at least partially located on the front side; the camera adjacent the display, the camera facing in a same direction as the display, the camera configured to: acquire video in a video mode; acquire an image in a camera mode; and, discretely step between a first and second focus position, the first position comprising a depth of field (“DOF”) at a hyperfocal distance and the second position comprising a DOF in a range of about 20 cm to about 1 meter; and, a processor configured to: when the camera is in the camera mode, automatically control the camera to the first position; and, when the camera is in the video mode, automatically control the camera to the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a camera device configured to: acquire video in a video mode; acquire an image in a camera mode; and, discretely step between a first focus position and a second focus position, the first focus position comprising a depth of field (“DOF”) at a hyperfocal distance and the second focus position comprising a respective DOF less than the hyperfocal distance, the respective DOF for acquiring faces in focus over a range of distances at the camera device while features outside the range of distances are not in focus;
a proximity detector configured to determine a distance between the device and a face in a field of view of the camera device; and,
a processor configured to:
determine, using the proximity detector, the distance between the device and the face;
when the distance is greater than a threshold distance, automatically control the camera device to the camera mode, and when the camera device is in the camera mode, automatically control the camera device to the first focus position; and,
when the distance is less than the threshold distance, automatically control the camera device to the video mode, and when the camera device is in the video mode, automatically control the camera device to the second focus position, the threshold distance in the range of distances of the respective DOF of the second focus position.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first focus position and the second focus position are discrete focus positions of the camera device.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the camera device is configured to step only between the first focus position and the second focus position.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein there are no further focus positions of the camera device other than the first focus position and the second focus position.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the camera device is configured to discretely step between the first focus position, the second focus position and a third focus position.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the video mode corresponds to a video chat mode and the camera mode corresponds to a selfie mode.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising an input device, the processor further configured to: control the camera device to the first focus position or the second focus position based on input data received at the input device.

8. A method comprising:
at a device comprising: a camera device configured to: acquire video in a video mode; acquire an image in a camera mode; and, discretely step between a first focus position and a second focus position, the first focus position comprising a depth of field (“DOF”) at a hyperfocal distance and the second focus position comprising a respective DOF less than the hyperfocal distance, the respective DOF for acquiring faces in focus over a range of distances at the camera device while features outside the range of distances are not in focus; a proximity detector configured to determine a distance between the device and a face in a field of view of the camera device; and, a processor:
determining, using the proximity detector, the distance between the device and the face;
when the distance is greater than a threshold distance, automatically controlling the camera device to the camera mode, and when the camera device is in the camera mode, automatically controlling, using the camera device, the camera device to the first focus position; and,
when the distance is less than the threshold distance, automatically controlling the camera device to the video mode, and when the camera device is in the video mode, automatically controlling, using the camera device, the camera device to the second focus position, the threshold distance in the range of distances of the respective DOF of the second focus position.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the first focus position and the second focus position are discrete focus positions of the camera device.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the camera device is configured to step only between the first focus position and the second focus position.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein there are no further focus positions of the camera device other than the first focus position and the second focus position.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the camera device is configured to discretely step between the first focus position, the second focus position and a third focus position.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the video mode corresponds to a video chat mode and the camera mode corresponds to a selfie mode.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the device further comprises an input device, and the method further comprises: controlling the camera device to the first focus position or the second focus position based on input data received at the input device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program, wherein execution of the computer program is for:
at a device comprising: a camera device configured to: acquire video in a video mode; acquire an image in a camera mode; and, discretely step between a first focus position and a second focus position, the first focus position comprising a depth of field (“DOF”) at a hyperfocal distance and the second focus position comprising a respective DOF less than the hyperfocal distance, the respective DOF for acquiring faces in focus over a range of distances at the camera device while outside the range of distances are not in focus; a proximity detector configured to determine a distance between the device and a face in a field of view of the camera device; and, a processor:
determining, using the proximity detector, the distance between the device and the face;
when the distance is greater than a threshold distance, automatically controlling the camera device to the camera mode, and when the camera device is in the camera mode, automatically controlling, using the camera device, the camera device to the first focus position; and,
when the distance is less than the threshold distance, automatically controlling the camera device to the video mode, and when the camera device is in the video mode, automatically controlling, using the camera device, the camera device to the second focus position, the threshold distance in the range of distances of the respective DOF of the second focus position.

Assignees

• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Yun Seok
• Tang Sui Tong
• Grandin Thomas Guillaume
• Weber Arnett Ryan

Classifications

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N23/667 Primary

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• H04N23/611

  where the recognised objects include parts of the human body · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/671 Primary

  in combination with active ranging signals, e.g. using light or sound signals emitted toward objects · CPC title