Method to evaluate contrast value for an image and applications thereof

• US 8,270,755 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asia Optical Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Asia Optical Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Hsieh, Wen-Hung, Tsai, Ching-Jung, Yang, Chih-Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Cunningham, Gregory F
• Application Number:
  US13/028,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20110134309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 396/79, 396/93, 396/102, 396/124, 359/319, 359/383, 359/410, 348/345, 348/353, 348/365, 348/603, 348/673, 348/678, 348/686, 348/745, 348/E9.021, 348/E3.048, 348/E5.119, 353/76, 352/139, 352/140, 382/255, 382/274, 345/617
• US Class Current: 382/274
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

An image contrast evaluation method is disclosed. First, focusing is performed based on the contrast value of an image rendered by a lens on optical sensors, wherein the calculation of the contrast value comprises: selecting an area of the image, calculating the absolute value of brightness difference between each neighboring pixel, and selecting a specific value there from as the contrast value of the image based on a distribution of the calculated absolute values of the brightness differences.

Claims

1. A method to focus a camera, and the method comprising:

using a processor to perform the steps of;

performing a focus operation in response to a contrast value of an image on an image sensing member formed by a lens;

adopting a first method to seek and find an optimum contrast value of the image during the focus operation; and

adopting a second method to seek and find the optimum contrast value when the first method fails, wherein the first method is not equal to the second method.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first method and the second method take respectively different areas of the image to handle seeking and finding the optimum contrast value.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second method takes a retrieving area from the image and calculates an absolute value of brightness difference of each pair of neighboring pixels of the retrieving area to determine a specific value that is set to be the contrast value of the image.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the retrieving area is a rectangular area located in a central area of the image, and a width and a length of the rectangular area are respectively ⅕

of a width and a length of the image.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first method takes a first area A from the image, the second method takes a second area B from the image, and the first area A is not equal to the second area B.