Image device comprising fill-light projector, and autofocus method using imaging device
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorTakayuki Sasaoka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a photographing apparatus having both a phase difference auto-focusing function and a contrast auto-focusing function. Provided is an auxiliary light projector capable of projecting auxiliary light of a pattern suitable for the photographing apparatus. An auxiliary light projector and a photographing apparatus including the auxiliary light projector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may reduce an auto-focusing time with respect to an object and improve reliability of an auto-focusing function.
Claims19
A photographing apparatus having an auto-focusing function, the photographing apparatus comprising:
- a light emitter, which is mounted on the photographing apparatus and configured to project auxiliary light for assisting with auto-focusing of the photographing apparatus to an object;
- and
- an auxiliary light pattern comprising a plurality of bright pattern lines for transmitting the auxiliary light therethrough to project the auxiliary light to the object and a plurality of dark pattern lines for blocking the auxiliary light to prevent the auxiliary light from reaching the object,
- wherein the plurality of bright pattern lines and the plurality of dark pattern lines are arranged alternately and repeatedly, and
- a dark pattern line having a largest width from among the plurality of dark pattern lines and a bright pattern line having a largest width from among the plurality of bright pattern lines are arranged at a center portion of the auxiliary light pattern, and
- wherein the width of the dark pattern line having the largest width is greater than the width of the bright pattern line having the largest width.
A photographing apparatus having auto-focusing function, the photographing apparatus comprising:
- an auto focus (AF) processor, configured to adjust a focus regarding an object to be photographed by the photographing apparatus;
- and
- an auxiliary light projector, configured to project auxiliary light for assisting with a focus adjustment performed by the AF processor,
- wherein the auxiliary light projector comprises an auxiliary light pattern including a plurality of bright pattern lines for transmitting the auxiliary light therethrough to project the auxiliary light to the object and a plurality of dark pattern lines for blocking the auxiliary light to prevent the auxiliary light from reaching the object,
- wherein the plurality of bright pattern lines and the plurality of dark pattern lines are arranged alternately and repeatedly, and
- wherein a dark pattern line having a largest width from among the plurality of dark pattern lines and a bright pattern line having a largest width from among the plurality of bright pattern lines are arranged at a center portion of the auxiliary light pattern.
A method of performing auto-focus by using an auxiliary light projector mounted on a photographing apparatus, the method comprising:
- projecting auxiliary light to an auxiliary light pattern included in the auxiliary light projector;
- adjusting a focus in a first focus adjusting mode based on a brightness difference of a contrast pattern in a first region, which is a center region of the auxiliary light pattern;
- determining whether a reliability evaluation value regarding a focus adjustment based on the first focus adjusting mode exceeds a pre-set reference value;
- and,
- when the reliability evaluation value does not exceed the pre-set reference value, adjusting a focus in a second focus adjusting mode based on a brightness difference of a contrast pattern in a second region of the auxiliary light pattern,
- wherein the auxiliary light pattern comprises a plurality of bright pattern lines, which have widths different from one another and the auxiliary light is transmitted therethrough to project the auxiliary light to an object, and a plurality of dark pattern lines, which have widths different from one another and block the auxiliary light to prevent the auxiliary light from reaching the object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.