Dynamic auto-focus window selection that compensates for hand jitter

• US 7,634,187 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Hung, Szepo, Li, Jingqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Koval; Melissa J
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARKER, AUTUMN H
• Application Number:
  US11/619,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20080166117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 396/121, 396/123, 396/128, 348/348, 348/351
• US Class Current: 396/121
• 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 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6842 by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing

Abstract

The invention relates to methods and devices for mitigating and/or minimizing effects of hand jitter or shaking during an auto-focusing process of an image-capturing device. In order to more accurately focus a lens for capturing a digital image, the lens is moved between a minimum and maximum position (along an axis) while capturing sample image frames using a focus window at various lens positions. Improved auto-focusing is achieved by dynamically adjusting the relative position of the focus window for each image frame to cover substantially the same image portion of the target image. By adjusting the focus window for each image frame to cover substantially the same image portion of the target image, variations from shaking may be minimized, thereby improving auto-focusing.

Claims

1. A method for auto-focusing an image, wherein the image is captured through a lens, comprising:

obtaining a first image frame having a first focus window;

moving the lens from a first position to a second position;

obtaining a second image frame having a second focus window;

obtaining a first motion vector between the first and second image frames;

obtaining a third image frame having a third focus window adjusted by the first motion vector to cover substantially the same target image portion as the first focus window; and

comparing the target image in the third focus window with the target image in the first focus window to auto-focus the lens.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a plurality of image frames with different lens positions, each image frame having its focus window adjusted by an associated motion vector between previous focus windows to cover substantially the same target image portion as the previous focus windows.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the previous focus windows immediately precede the image frame that has its focus window adjusted by the motion vector.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

selecting a focus window having the most contrast from the plurality of image frames; and

focusing the image-capturing device by using a lens position associated with the selected focus window.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

obtaining a digital photograph using the lens position.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

identifying a focus window having the most contrast from the plurality of image frames.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the method is performed in a cell phone.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the image frames are obtained at a frequency of fifteen (15) frames per second or greater.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first focus window has an associated first reference point relative to an image being photographed, and the second focus window has an associated second reference point relative to an image being photographed, the first motion vector obtained by taking the difference between the first and second reference points.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a focus window covers only a portion of an image being photographed.

11. An image-capturing device, comprising:

means for obtaining a first image frame having a first focus window;

means for moving the lens from a first position to a second position;

means for obtaining a second image frame having a second focus window;

means for obtaining a first motion vector between the first and second image frames;

means for obtaining a third image frame having a third focus window adjusted by the first motion vector to cover substantially the same image portion as the first focus window; and

means for comparing the target image in the third focus window with the target image in the first focus window to auto-focus the lens.

12. The device of claim 11 further comprising:

means for obtaining a plurality of image frames at different lens positions, each image frame having its focus window adjusted by an associated motion vector between previous focus windows to cover substantially the same target image portion as the previous focus windows.

13. The device of claim 12 further comprising:

means for selecting a focus window having the most contrast from the plurality of image frames; and

means for focusing the image-capturing device using a lens position associated with the selected focus window.

14. The device of claim 13 further comprising:

means for obtaining a digital photograph using the lens position.

15. The device of claim 11 wherein the first focus window has an associated first reference point relative to an image being photographed, and the second focus window has an associated second reference point relative to an image being photographed, the first motion vector obtained by taking the difference between the first and second reference points.

16. An image-capturing device, comprising:

an image sensor for capturing image frames; and

an auto-focus module coupled to the image sensor, the auto-focus module configured to obtain a first image frame having a first focus window;

move the lens from a first position to a second position;

obtain a second image frame having a second focus window;

obtain a first motion vector between the first and second image frames;

obtain a third image frame having a third focus window adjusted by the first motion vector to cover substantially the same target image portion as the first focus window; and

compare the target image in the third focus window with the target image in the first focus window to auto-focus the lens.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the auto-focus module is further configured to

obtain a plurality of image frames with different lens positions, each image frame having its focus window adjusted by an associated motion vector between previous focus windows to cover substantially the same target image portion as the previous focus windows.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the auto-focus module is further configured to

identify a focus window having the most contrast from the plurality of image frames;

select a focus window having the most contrast from the plurality of image frames; and

focus the image-capturing device by using a lens position associated with the selected focus window.

19. The device of claim 16 wherein the first focus window has an associated first reference point relative to an image being photographed, and the second focus window has an associated second reference point relative to an image being photographed, the first motion vector obtained by taking the difference between the first and second reference points.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is a cell phone.

21. The device of claim 16 wherein a focus window covers only a portion of an image being photographed.

22. The device of claim 16 wherein the image frames are obtained at a frequency of fifteen (15) frames per second or greater.

23. The device of claim 16 wherein the auto-focus module includes:

a focus window module to determine the focus windows;

an image capture module to capture the image frames; and

a motion vector calculation module to obtain motion vectors between an image frame and a previous image frame.

24. A computer-readable medium having one or more instructions operational on an image-capturing device to mitigate the effects of shaking during auto-focusing, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

obtain a first image frame having a first focus window;

move the lens from a first position to a second position;

obtain a second image frame having a second focus window;

obtain a first motion vector between the first and second image frames;

obtain a third image frame having a third focus window adjusted by the first motion vector to cover substantially the same image portion as the first focus window; and

compare the target image in the third focus window with the target image in the first focus window to auto-focus the lens.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 having one or more instructions which when executed by a processor causes the processor to further:

obtaining a plurality of image frames with different lens positions, each image frame having its focus window adjusted by an associated motion vector between previous focus windows to cover substantially the same target image portion as the previous focus windows.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 having one or more instructions which when executed by a processor causes the processor to further:

identify a focus window having the most contrast from the plurality of image frames;

select a focus window having the most contrast from the plurality of image frames; and

focus the image-capturing device by using a lens position associated with the selected focus window.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein the first focus window has an associated first reference point relative to an image being photographed, and the second focus window has an associated second reference point relative to an image being photographed, the first motion vector obtained by taking the difference between the first and second reference points.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the image capturing device is a cell phone.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein a focus window covers only a portion of an image being photographed.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the image frames are obtained at a frequency of fifteen (15) frames per second or greater.