Patent · US Active

Method and apparatus with fast camera auto focus

US8724013B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
2References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 27, 2007
Grant dateMay 13, 2014
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 30, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03B13/36
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus improves an auto focus system by altering, such as by positioning, at least one lens of a digital camera to a plurality of predetermined nonuniform lens positions corresponding to predetermined nonuniform lens position data. The method and apparatus selects a final lens position for the lens based on the predetermined nonuniform lens position data. In one example, a fixed number of predetermined nonuniform lens positions define a set of lens positions used to capture images during an auto focus operation. A final image is captured using a final lens position. The final lens position is determined by comparing focus metric information from each of the frames obtained at the various predetermined nonuniform focus lens positions and selecting the frame with, for example, the best focus metric as the lens position to be used for the final picture or image capture.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.