Continuous autofocus mechanisms for image capturing devices

• US 9,720,302 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hayward, David, Brunner, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrington, Alicia M
• Application Number:
  US14/313,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20140368725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 348345, 348349, 348351-353
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/36 Autofocus systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• 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 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

At least certain embodiments described herein provide a continuous autofocus mechanism for an image capturing device. The continuous autofocus mechanism can perform an autofocus scan for a lens of the image capturing device and obtain focus scores associated with the autofocus scan. The continuous autofocus mechanism can determine an acceptable band of focus scores based on the obtained focus scores. Next, the continuous autofocus mechanism can determine whether a current focus score is within the acceptable band of focus scores. A refocus scan may be performed if the current focus score is outside of the acceptable band of focus scores.

Claims

1. A method to implement a continuous autofocus mechanism for an image capturing device, the method comprising:

performing an autofocus scan that positions a lens of the image capturing device in a plurality of positions;

obtaining a plurality of focus scores with each focus score being associated with a respective lens position of the autofocus scan; and

determining an acceptable band of focus scores based on the obtained plurality of focus scores when the focus scores have not decreased twice in a row, wherein determining the acceptable band of focus scores comprises determining a lower limit and an upper limit of the acceptable band of scores, wherein determining each of the lower limit and the upper limit of the acceptable band of focus scores is based on a peak focus score.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a frame is stable;

determining a current lens position and a current focus score associated with the frame if the frame is stable; and

determining whether the current focus score associated with the frame is within the acceptable band of focus scores.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the acceptable band of focus scores comprises differentiating a peak focus score value with respect to first and second focus score values that are adjacent to the peak focus score value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining each of the lower limit and the upper limit of the acceptable band of focus scores is based on a peak focus score value, a window that is computed based on the lens position associated with the peak focus score value, and a largest derivative of the peak focus score value with respect to one of a plurality of focus scores values adjacent to the peak focus score value.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining an intersection of a current score on a focus graph of focus scores versus lens positions if the current score is less than the lower limit of the acceptable band of scores;

estimating a lens position based on the intersection; and

starting a refocus scan, which is a new autofocus scan, at the lens position.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the image capturing device is stable;

determining whether a current score associated with a current lens position is greater than the upper limit of the acceptable band of scores;

setting the current lens position to a new position in which the lens moves from the current lens position by a predetermined adjustment towards a lens position associated with the lens being focused near infinity if the current score is greater than the upper limit of the acceptable band of scores; and

starting a refocus scan at the new position.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a lens is focused close to infinity; and

setting a starting position that corresponds to the lens focused at infinity for a refocus scan if the lens is focused close to infinity.

8. A machine readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause said system to perform a method, the method comprising:

performing an autofocus scan for a lens of an image capturing device;

obtaining a plurality of focus scores associated with the autofocus scan; and

determining an acceptable band of focus scores based on the obtained focus scores when the focus scores have not decreased twice in a row, wherein determining the acceptable band of focus scores comprises determining a lower limit and an upper limit of the acceptable band of scores, wherein determining each of the lower limit and the upper limit of the acceptable band of focus scores is based on a peak focus score.

9. The medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

determining whether a frame is stable;

determining a current lens position and a current focus score associated with the frame if the frame is stable; and

determining whether the current focus score associated with the frame is within the acceptable band of focus scores.

10. The medium of claim 8, wherein determining the acceptable band of focus scores comprises differentiating a peak focus score value with respect to first and second focus score values that are adjacent to the peak focus score value.

11. The medium of claim 8, wherein determining each of the lower limit and the upper limit of the acceptable band of focus scores is based on the peak focus score value, a window that is computed based on a lens position associated with the peak focus score value, and a largest derivative of the peak focus score value with respect to one of a plurality of focus scores values adjacent to the peak focus score value.

12. The medium of claim 11, the method further comprising:

determining an intersection of the current score on a focus graph of focus scores versus lens positions if the current score is less than the lower limit of the acceptable band of scores;

estimating a lens position based on the intersection; and

starting a refocus scan, which is a new autofocus scan, at the lens position.

13. The medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

determining whether the image capturing device is stable;

determining whether a current score associated with a current lens position is greater than the upper limit of the acceptable band of scores;

setting the current lens position to a new position in which the lens moves from the current lens position by a predetermined adjustment towards a lens position associated with the lens being focused near infinity if the current score is greater than the upper limit of the acceptable band of scores; and

starting a refocus scan at the new position.

14. An image capturing device, comprising:

a storage device to store a plurality of captured images;

a lens to receive incident light associated with an image to be captured; and

a processing system coupled to the storage device, wherein the processing system causes the lens to perform an autofocus scan, wherein a lower limit and an upper limit of an acceptable band of focus scores for the lens are derived from a peak focus score value of a plurality of focus score values associated with the autofocus scan when the focus score values have not decreased twice in a row.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

a motion sensor to provide motion information associated with the focus scores.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the motion sensor comprises an accelerometer.

17. An image capturing device, comprising:

a storage device to store a plurality of captured images;

a lens to receive incident light associated with an image to be captured; and

a processing system coupled to the storage device, wherein the processing system causes the lens to perform an autofocus scan and further causes the lens to perform a refocus scan using a plurality of lens positions based on a plurality of focus scores associated with the autofocus scan, wherein the processing system causes the lens to abort the refocus scan without moving the lens to the remaining positions of the refocus scan when the lens moves past a predetermined position or when the focus scores decrease twice in a row.

18. The image capturing device of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more motion sensors to provide motion information associated with the focus scores, wherein when the motion information indicates the image capturing device is moving, each focus score is filtered by applying a dampening factor to each focus score based on the associated motion information, with the dampening factor indicating how fast a filter reacts to changes in the focus scores, and wherein the processing system causes the lens to be parked at a hyperfocus position when the device is moving for a period of time that compares in a predetermined manner with a threshold value; and

an autofocus mechanism used by the processing system to cause the lens to perform the autofocus scan, wherein the autofocus mechanism is started or stopped based on the motion information.

19. The image capturing device of claim 18, wherein the one or more motion sensors comprise an accelerometer.