MEMS Fast Focus Camera Module

• US 20130329106A1
• Filed: 06/07/2013
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation MEMS (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation Europe Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Bigioi, Petronel, Corcoran, Peter, Miki, Takanori
• Granted Patent: US 9,354,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/308
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 3/10 Power-operated focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body

Abstract

An auto focus camera module includes a camera module housing defining an aperture and an internal cavity to accommodate camera module components, an image sensor coupled to or within the housing, a lens barrel within the housing that contains an optical train including at least one movable lens disposed relative to the aperture and image sensor to focus images of scenes onto the image sensor along an optical path, and a fast focus MEMS actuator coupled to one or more lenses of the optical train including the at least one movable lens and configured to rapidly move said at least one movable lens relative to the image sensor to provide autofocus for the camera module in each frame of a preview or video sequence or both.

Claims

1. An auto focus camera module, comprising:

a camera module housing defining an aperture and an internal cavity to accommodate camera module components;

an image sensor coupled to or within the housing;

a lens barrel within the housing that contains an optical train including at least one movable lens disposed relative to the aperture and image sensor to focus images of scenes onto the image sensor along an optical path; and

a fast focus MEMS actuator coupled to one or more lenses of the optical train including the at least one movable lens and configured to rapidly move said at least one movable lens relative to the image sensor to provide autofocus for the camera module in each frame of a preview or video sequence or both.

2. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the fast focus MEMS actuator is configured to reliably refocus within approximately 33 ms.

3. The camera module of claim 1, comprising a face tracking module that is configured to predict a location of a face region of interest in a future frame permitting the auto focus camera module to focus on the region of interest quickly.

4. The camera module of claim 1, comprising a face detection module that is configured to apply multiple short classifier chains in parallel to one or more windows of an image frame.

5. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to alternately auto focus on two or more regions of interest, such that each region of interest is refocused every respective two or more frames of the preview or video sequence or both.

6. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the two or more regions of interest comprise two or more sub-regions of a face.

7. The camera module of claim 1, comprising a face recognition module that is configured to identify and prioritize one or more faces that correspond to one or more specific persons.