Using distance/proximity information when applying a point spread function in a portable media device
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorMichael Victor Yeh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An embodiment of the invention is directed to a relatively low cost technique for improving the sharpness or quality of digital images captured by a handheld portable media device. A housing of the device has integrated therein a digital camera image sensor, a camera lens, and a sensor that detects a distance measure, which is a measure of distance between the housing and an object or target in a scene that is before the lens. The device is programmed to select a point spread function, PSF, based on the detected distance measure. The selected PSF is then applied to de-blur the captured image, for becoming the final picture of the scene that is taken by the user. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
Claims21
A portable media device comprising:
- a handheld media device housing having integrated therein
- a digital camera image sensor,
- a camera lens to form on the image sensor an optical image of a scene that is before the lens, the image sensor to capture an image of the scene,
- a distance/proximity sensor to detect a distance measure, being a measure of distance between the housing and an object in the scene,
- a processor coupled to the image sensor and the proximity sensor, and
- memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that when executed by the processor a) select a point spread function, PSF, based on the detected distance measure, and b) apply the selected PSF to de-blur the captured image.
A machine-implemented method for operating a digital camera, comprising:
- detecting a distance measure being a measure of distance between the camera and an object in a scene that is before the camera;
- capturing an image of the scene including the object;
- selecting a point spread function, PSF, depending on the detected distance measure;
- and
- applying the PSF to the captured image.
A portable media device comprising:
- a handheld media device housing having integrated therein
- RF circuitry coupled to an antenna,
- a digital camera image sensor,
- a fixed focus lens system to form on the image sensor an optical image of a scene, the image sensor to capture an image of the scene,
- a distance/proximity sensor to detect a distance measure being a measure of distance between the sensor and an object in the scene,
- a processor coupled to the image sensor, the distance/proximity sensor, and the RF circuitry, and
- memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that when executed by the processor
- a) activate digital camera functionality of the portable media device,
- b) in response to actuation of a shutter button part-of-the-way, read the detected distance measure and select a point spread function, PSF, from amongst a plurality of different PSFs stored in the memory for the fixed focus lens system, based on the detected distance measure,
- c) in response to actuation of the shutter button all-of-the-way, apply the selected PSF to de-blur the captured image, and
- d) manage a wireless telephone call made or received using the RF circuitry.
An article of manufacture comprising:
- a machine readable medium that stores instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause an image of a scene to be captured by a digital camera device, obtain a distance measure, being a measure of distance between the device and an object in the scene, select a point spread function, PSF, based on the obtained distance measure, and apply the selected PSF to de-blur the captured image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.