2074 results about "Automatic focus" patented technology

A system and method for decoding an image of decodable indicia, the computer system that includes receiving a request to decode an image, disabling the automatic focus on a camera in a client, setting the focus to a predetermined focus point that is close to the camera lens, capturing the image, locating the decodable indicia in the image and decoding the image of decodable indicia.

An image processing apparatus and method, which can appropriately extract an object even when the focus of a camera having an automatic focus adjustment function shifts from the background to the object. To this end, frame images which are sensed by an image sensing unit and are sequential in the time axis direction are input from an input unit. The input frame images are smoothed by a filter unit. A background image generation unit generates an average image of a predetermined number of smoothed frame images as a background image. An image differential unit generates a differential image between the predetermined smoothed frame image and the background image. An object extraction unit extracts an object region where a predetermined object is sensed, on the basis of the differential image.

In a digital camera, control operations, such as an AF (automatic focusing) operation which is performed immediately after zooming or panning of the camera, can be performed quickly in an appropriate manner. When a zoom lens 3 is driven to zoom “up”(“in”), a control processor and timing generator 40 uses, of imaging conditions data, such as distance measuring data and photometering data, which are obtained at a wide viewing angle before zooming up, a portion of the imaging conditions data corresponding to a “tele” (telephoto) viewing angle after zooming up, to thereby perform AF, AE, and / or AWB operations after zooming up. When the user pans the camera to shift the viewing angle out of the range of the original wide viewing angle, the data of an area of the image plane of the wide viewing angle closest to the image plane of a new post-panning viewing angle is reused. In a digital camera having a plurality of image capturing optical systems which are switched in response to a zoom position, data obtained by the pre-switching image capturing optical system is reused by a selected post-switching image capturing optical system.

The present invention relates to an integrated video camera device and self-adapting automatic focus method. The method includes: using climbing method to a curve composed of an evaluation function evaluating the definition and the definition evaluation values of multiple images acquired continuously, selecting a focus method base on the zooming situation, searching the peak of the curve and driving the lens to reach the focusing position corresponding to the peak of the curve, performing real time motion detection to the lens scenes upon searching the peak, driving the lens motor to startup a new cycle of automatic focus process when a certain degree of fuzzy is judged to appear on the lens scene or the moving scene varies and at a non-focus status. The invention has beneficial effects that the device and the method can effectively determine the focus direction in a variety of zoom magnifications, can 'recognize' images at fuzzy status and accelerate them out of the fuzzy status, and overcomes the problems of the traditional focus method that it is difficult to judge focus direction in the fuzzy region under high magnifications, and the traditional focus method has slow focus velocity and repeated oscillation.

System controller (10) seeks a focus adjusting evaluating value which is indicative of focus adjusting state as a criterion from object image information, and searches a focus adjusted position where focus adjusting evaluating value becomes the most appropriate and drives the focus operating means to the focus adjusted position to perform a focus adjusting by a focus adjusting scan to obtain a plurality of focus adjusting evaluating value by operating the focus adjusting evaluating value detecting means while driving focusing lens (1a) in at lease one way of continuous way or intermittent way which varies focus adjusting state of the object image.System controller (10) shifts a scan starting point from an initial locating position Po of the focusing lens (1a) in a first predetermined amount of distance in a predetermined direction then initiate scan from the initial locating position toward an opposite direction to the predetermined direction.

An image pickup apparatus which can reduce the time required for automatic focus scanning. The size of the face is determined based on information on a subject's face, which is detected from image data acquired by shooting by an image pickup device. The subject distance is estimated based on the determined size of the face. The depth of field is calculated. A range over which the focus lens is driven varies according to the estimated subject distance and the calculated depth of field.

A variable focus imaging lens assembly for an imaging system of an imaging-based bar code reader for imaging and decoding a target bar code. The lens assembly includes an automatic focusing system for energizing a drive mechanism and imaging system to move a movable lens from the predetermined position along its path of travel and generate a series of image frames; analyzing one or more image frames of the series of image frames to determine a region of interest, the region of interest including an image of a target bar code; analyzing the region of interest in subsequent image frames of the series of image frames to determine an amount of blurring; selecting an image frame from the series of image frames having blurring less than a threshold amount of blurring; and utilizing a decoder to decode the image of the target bar code in the selected image frame.

The invention relates to a camera module with focusing and anti-shaking functions. The camera module comprises a support shell, a first circuit board, an automatic focusing lens module and an anti-shaking mechanism; during shooting under the condition without shaking, the automatic focusing lens module is used for automatically focusing and shooting a shot object after electrification; during shooting under the condition that shaking is generated, a first guiding piece is positioned on the first circuit board, a second guiding piece is positioned at the bottom of the automatic focusing lens module, and a first connecting piece is used for connecting the first guiding piece with the second guiding piece, so that the first driving piece can drive the whole automatic focusing lens module to move along the plane vertical to the optical axis of the automatic focusing lens module relative to the first circuit board, and shaking compensation is generated to guarantee shooting quality. According to the camera module with the focusing and anti-shaking functions, a supporting wire structure is not used when the focusing and anti-shaking functions are realized, so that special materials do not need to be used, the structure is simple, and the cost is reduced.

An intermediate image of an image from the LCD module 142 is deflected by reflection mirrors M1 and M2 via zoom automatic focus control system (g) and then is formed on diffusion glass 131 via relay lens (b) and reflection mirrors M3 and M4. The LCD image is projected on the retina of eyeballs via eyepiece lens 132 by the light flux diffused at an order of ±20 degrees by diffusion glass 131. One side of the eyepiece lens 132 close to the crystal balls 2 has an aspherical shape of a Conic surface and a Conic coefficient of the Conic surface is −1 and less. Thereby the optical system that has a viewing angle of 60 degrees and over and has a small aberration can be obtained.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic focusing apparatus which can reduce the time required to detect focused position in accordance with the operating environment by adjusting the voltage applied to a liquid crystal lens. The apparatus includes a liquid crystal lens whose focal length varies with an applied voltage, a liquid crystal lens driving unit which applies a prescribed voltage to the lens, an optical-to-electrical converter which produces an image signal from an optical image passed through the lens, a temperature sensor which detects temperature near the lens, and a control unit which extracts a plurality of focus signals by adjusting the prescribed voltage and controlling the driving unit based on the temperature or on the image signal acquisition period of the converter, and which controls the driving unit based on the extracted plurality of focus signals so that a maximum focus signal is achieved.

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging sensor for performing photoelectric conversion of incident light and a focus control portion for adjusting a focal point based on an image signal obtained by the photoelectric conversion performed by the imaging sensor. The focus control portion includes a change detecting portion for detecting a change in size of a specific subject in a moving image based on the image signal, and adjusts the focal point so that the specific subject becomes in focus with the change taken into account.

The invention relates to a method and a device for shooting stereo images by automatically correcting a parallax error. The method comprises the following steps of: acquiring scenery distance information; calculating parallax error correcting data; automatically adjusting space or an angle of a camera lens; completing automatic focus and shooting; and synthesizing the stereo images. The method and the device make shooting equipment shoot high-quality stereo images in various situations by automatically correcting the parallax error during shooting, and avoid the defects that unreasonable parallax errors exist in the shot stereo images because of over short scenery distance or overlarge lens focus of the conventional stereo image shooting technology so as to generate feelings of dizziness and eye discomfort. The invention particularly provides the following three kinds of schemes for correcting the parallax error: automatically adjusting space, automatically adjusting angle by using single lenses, and automatically adjusting the angle by using double lenses. The device for implementing the scheme can be arranged in stereo shooting mobile phones, stereo cameras and stereo video cameras to shoot the stereo images by automatically correcting the parallax error.

The invention discloses an automatic focusing microscope based on an eccentric beam method and a focusing method thereof. The hardware comprises an eccentric beam defocus amount detection module, a microscopic imaging module, a piezo lens drive, an XY stage and a computer processing system. The defocus amount detection module transmits a semicircular laser beam to irradiate the surface of a sample and acquire a semicircular spot image formed by sample reflection. The computer processing system uses self-adaptive median filtering, Canny edge detection based on OSTU, the least square fitting and other algorithms to process the grayscaled spot image to acquire spot radius. According to a radius-defocus amount linear relationship model, the sample defocus amount in a field of vision can be calculated. The piezo lens drive drives a lens to compensate the defocus amount. After focusing, the microscopic imaging module acquires a clear sample image. The automatic focusing microscope based on the eccentric beam method and the focusing method thereof, which are provided by the invention, have the advantages of fast focusing speed, high focusing accuracy and large linear range, and can meet the requirement of fast and precise focusing of the microscope under a high power lens.

A digital imaging device performs automatic focus and exposure adjustments based on high-resolution frames when a scene change has been detected based on the analysis of low-resolution frames. The digital imaging device reduces battery power consumption while simultaneously shortening shutter lag.

The present invention relates to an image stabilizing apparatus for a camera module capable of effectively stabilizing an image of the camera module, implementing miniaturization and slimness, and reducing a manufacture cost of the camera module by supplying a two-axial correction structure to perform correction in an X axial direction or an Y axial direction of an automatic focusing unit through a ball holder having upper balls and lower balls.To achieve the object, the present invention provides an image stabilizing apparatus for a camera module including; an automatic focusing unit with slide grooves having lengths in an X axial direction or in an Y axial direction perpendicular to an optical axis on a bottom surface; a driving unit for moving the automatic focusing unit in the X axial direction or the Y axial direction; a ball holder installed on the bottom surface of the automatic focusing unit and provided with upper balls slidably coupled to the slide grooves on a top surface and lower balls on a bottom surface; and a lower guide which is installed on the bottom surface of the ball holder and includes slide grooves on a top surface, wherein the slide grooves are slidably coupled with the lower balls of the ball holder and have lengths in the Y axial direction or the X axial direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the slide grooves of the automatic focusing unit.

The invention provides an automatic focusing method of a camera. The automatic focusing method is characterized in that respective treatment is provided for selection of focusing windows correspondingly to normal illumination and low illumination, and on the basis without increasing excessive calculation, the inclusion of information at the upper half part, the left side and the right side of a picture in the focusing process is considered. A focus-adjusting search control strategy adopts an improved hill-climbing algorithm and comprises the steps of: firstly carrying out rough adjustment, then finding an extreme point by function fitting, driving a motor to reach near the extreme point, and then adopting a small-step method to carry out fine adjustment near the extreme point by the hill-climbing algorithm so as to enable the focusing to be more accurate. For the evaluation of the image definition, a Brenner function is adopted as an evaluation function of automatic focusing and is suitable for quickly finding the clearest point of the image in a manner of matching with the focusing process.

The invention belongs to the technical field of vision measurement, in particular to an automatic focusing method. In the method, an idea, which comprises that an image definition evaluation function is designed on the basis of improved discrete cosine transformation (DCT) to represent detail information of the image and highlight high frequency energy, and the relative definition is brought in by consideration of a close relation between the definition of the image and the brightness and the gray scale of the image, is provided. Meanwhile, in the method, a scale-variable window selecting scheme is provided on the basis of analyzing the influence from the selection of a focusing window on a focusing result. Experimental results show that the effect of the improved image definition judgment is improved greatly; in the actual application of the method, a partial extreme value of the image definition judgment is hard to avoid, so, by combining return information of a lens, an improved climbing method search strategy of total-range rough adjustment large step length focusing and partial refine adjustment small step length focusing is provided; and in the method, a scheme of starting automatic focusing when a shooting scene is changed or the lens is zoomed is provided.

The automatic focusing technology is used for finding out optimized focus position in the cases of insufficient background brightness, over large distance between the taken body and the background and varying background during focusing. The automatic focusing process includes the following steps: adjusting the focal length of the lens in the focusing range to obtain one frame of digital image in each relative position; separating the digital image into several regions and finding out the evaluation value for each region; weighting each region; finding out relative position evaluation value to the digital image found for each relative position based on the region evaluation value and region weight; recording the relative position with maximum evaluation value and focusing the lens to the position as optimal focusing position.

A digital camera takes interleaved photographs of two different kinds. In one example embodiment, the first kind of photograph is taken using a first set of pixels of the camera's electronic array light sensor and has a short exposure time. The second kind of photograph is taken using a second set of pixels and has a long exposure time. More than one of the short-exposure-time photographs is taken while each long-exposure-time photograph is exposed. The two kinds of photographs are used for different purposes. For example, one kind may be used for performing automatic focusing while the other kind is used for displaying in a live view display. In this way, live view may continue while automatic focusing is performed. In another embodiment, one kind of photograph is used for providing a live view display, and the other is used in selecting exposure settings for a final photograph.

An auto-focusing device and an electronic image pickup apparatus facilitates realizing a high focusing accuracy and a quick focusing operation simultaneously using an inexpensive plastic lens mount. The auto-focusing device according includes a means for correcting the conversion reference, if necessary, for converting the object distance measured by the open-control range finding means to a focusing position of the focusing lens based on the conversion reference and for moving the focusing lens to the converted focusing position. The electronic image pickup apparatus includes the auto-focusing device.

Predetermined voltage is applied to a liquid crystal lens by a liquid crystal lens driver. Image signals are generated based on an optical image passed through the liquid crystal lens during transient response operation caused by application of the predetermined voltage, and plural focus signals are extracted by sampling the image signals of the area from which the focus signals are extracted at predetermined cycles. Levels of the extracted focus signals are compared to determine the maximum value of the focus signal. Thus, with the liquid crystal lens, by making use of the transient response operation of the liquid crystal lens, a focus point can be detected in sufficient speed.

The invention relates to a comprehensive diagnostic apparatus for xerophthalmia. The comprehensive diagnostic apparatus comprises an upper computer, a controller, a Placido disc, a near-infrared light illuminating system, a white light illuminating system, and an imaging system, wherein the white light illuminating system comprises a diffuse reflection plate and a white light LED array, the imaging system comprises an industrial camera, an automatic focusing lens, an optical filter wheel disc, a motor and a gear, the diagnostic apparatus respectively measures the tear meniscus height, the area of a tiny blood vessel of a conjunctiva, the structural and morphological parameters of meibomian glands, the breakup time of a tear film, and the thickness of a lipid layer of the tear film according to the principles of visible light / near-infrared light imaging measurement, structured light imaging measurement and white light interferometry, so as to provide objective diagnostic evidences and preliminary diagnostic result for the diagnosis of the xerophthalmia. The diagnostic apparatus can replace a series of separated diagnosis items during the clinical diagnosis of the xerophthalmia, the diagnosis flow of the xerophthalmia is simplified, the diagnosis time is shortened, and the objectivity and the repeatability of the diagnosis result are improved.

The invention discloses an automatic focusing and locating method. The search direction is judged according to an absolute ambiguity value, and the automatic focusing and locating method relates to a search direction rapid judgment rule depending on only one frame of images under the certain condition through the absolute ambiguity value and a current focusing position value and a search direction judgment rule under the common condition according to several frames of continuous changes of the absolute ambiguity value. A dual-acutance change threshold value is adopted for determining a fine search area to eliminate local peak values and guarantee the capacity of long-scale contrast scene accurate focusing. The fluctuation time number is counted to distinguish the local peak values and overall peak values, and interference of the local peak values is eliminated. A multi-window focusing mode is adopted, a focusing target area is comprehensively judged according to the acutance and the ambiguity, and the capacity of initiatively selecting the focusing target area to a certain degree is achieved. The automatic focusing and locating method is high in focusing efficiency and accurate in focusing.

An intermediate image of an image from the LCD module 142 is deflected by reflection mirrors M1 and M2 via zoom automatic focus control system (g) and then is formed on diffusion glass 131 via relay lens (b) and reflection mirrors M3 and M4. The LCD image is projected on the retina of eyeballs via eyepiece lens 132 by the light flux diffused at an order of ±20 degrees by diffusion glass 131. One side of the eyepiece lens 132 close to the crystal balls 2 has an aspherical shape of a Conic surface and a Conic coefficient of the Conic surface is −1 and less. Thereby the optical system that has a viewing angle of 60 degrees and over and has a small aberration can be obtained.

An aiming pattern is used with an automatic focusing system for an imaging-based bar code reader. The combination of the thick horizontal line and the thin vertical line yields an aiming pattern that can be effectively used for ranging purposes while at the same time providing sufficient illumination for decoding 1-D barcodes.