Autofocus system
US8363108B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 9, 2009 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 9, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N23/635
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An autofocus system includes: an image pickup unit; an autofocus unit performing focus adjustment such that a subject in a AF area is to be in focus in the photographing image; a tracking unit moving the AF area to follow the movement of the subject in the range of the photographing image; a reference pattern registering unit registering the subject image in focus as a reference pattern; and a matched image detecting unit detecting a subject which is most closely matched with the reference pattern in the photographing image. When the amount of movement of the detected subject in a screen is less than a given value, the reference pattern is updated with the image of the subject, and an AF frame is updated to follow the moved subject. When the amount of movement is equal to or more than the given value, a tracking operation stops.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.