# US 11,115,572 B2 · Automatic focusing system, method, and vehicular camera device therefor

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- Number: US 11,115,572 B2
- Document ID: US11115572B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/667,288
- Filed: 2019-10-29
- Published: 2021-02-25
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-08-22
- Assignees: Triple Win Technology(Shenzhen) Co. Ltd.
- Applicants: Triple Win Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd.
- Inventors: Yu-An Cho; Nai-Cyun Ke; Che-Ming Liu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115572B2

## CPC

- H04N 23/54: Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
- H04N 23/55: Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
- H04N 23/57: Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
- H04N 23/60: Control of cameras or camera modules
- H04N 23/611: where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
- H04N 23/67: Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
- H04N 23/71: Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
- C22F 1/006: {Resulting in heat recoverable alloys with a memory effect}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- C22F: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00)

## Abstract

A camera device in or on a vehicle includes a lens module, a driving module having at least one shape memory alloy wire, and a converting module. The camera device is connected to a control device and receives control signals from the control device. The control signal drives the lens module to move for purpose of automatic focusing by applying heat to energize or de-energize the length or shape of the shape memory alloy wire.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An automatic focusing system comprising:
a control device; and
a camera device, comprising:
a lens module configured to be assembled inside a vehicle;
a driving structure, comprising at least one shape memory alloy wire (SMA wire); and
a converting module configured to connect to a control device and to receive a control signal from the control device, wherein the control signal controls the SMA wire to become energized or de-energized thereby changing the focus of the lens module;
wherein the control device drives the lens module to focus according to the formula AF=(a*(X{circumflex over ( )}b))+c, wherein AF represents a focusing distance of the lens module, X represents a moving distance of the lens module, X{circumflex over ( )}b represents the bth power of X, and a, b, and c are parameters of the lens module; and wherein, during focusing, the moving distance X is preset, the parameters of a, b, and c are constants, the focusing distance AF is calculated according to the formula AF=(a*(X{circumflex over ( )}b))+c, the lens module is driven to focus at the focusing distance AF.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The automatic focusing system of claim 1, wherein when the SMA wire of the driving structure is energized, a temperature of the SMA wire is increased, the SMA wire contracts and a length of the SMA wire is shortened, when the SMA wire of the driving structure is de-energized, the temperature of the SMA wire falls, the SMA wire resumes an original length thereby driving the lens module to slide for changing the focus of the lens module.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The automatic focusing system of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to determine whether a captured image is distinct, if the control device determines that the image is not distinct, the control device controls the driving structure to drive the lens module to move and to focus.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The automatic focusing system of claim 3, wherein the control device presets a preset brightness range, if a brightness value of the captured image is outside the preset brightness range, the control device determines that the captured image is not distinct, if the brightness value of the captured image is within the preset brightness range, the control device determines that the captured image is distinct.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The automatic focusing system of claim 3, wherein if the control device determines that the image is distinct, the control device recognizes a human face in the captured image, if the human face is recognized in the captured image, the control device identifies a face image according to the recognized human face.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The automatic focusing system of claim 5, wherein the control device identifies a human face image by marking the human face image with a virtual frame around the human face.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The automatic focusing system of claim 5, wherein the control device further detects a distance between the human face identified in the captured image and the lens module, and the control device also displays the distance.

### Claim 8

A automatic focusing method for an automatic focusing system, the automatic focusing system comprising a camera device having a lens module and a control device, the method comprising:
capturing an image of a preset position by the camera device;
determining whether the captured image is distinct; and
driving the lens module to focus according to a formula AF=(a*(X{circumflex over ( )}b))+c if the captured image is determined not distinct, wherein AF represents a focusing distance of the lens module, X represents a moving distance of the lens module, X{circumflex over ( )}b represents the bth power of X, and a, b, and c are parameters of the lens module; and wherein, during focusing, the moving distance X is preset, the product parameters of a, b, and c are constants.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The automatic focusing method of claim 8, further comprising:
recognizing a human face in the captured image if the captured image is determined to be distinct; and
identifying a face image according to the recognized human face if the human face is recognized in the captured image.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The automatic focusing method of claim 9, wherein the method of identifying a human face image comprises:
marking the face image with a virtual frame around the face.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The automatic focusing method of claim 9, further comprising:
detecting and displaying a distance between the human face identified in the image and the lens module; and
displaying the distance.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The automatic focusing method of claim 8, wherein the method of determining whether the captured image is distinct and of sufficient clarity comprises:
presetting a preset brightness range;
determines the captured image is not distinct if a brightness value of the captured image is outside the preset brightness range; and
determines the captured image is distinct if the brightness value of the captured image is within the preset brightness range.