Camera auto UV filter mode
AssigneeSony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
InventorHiroyuki Nitanda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A portable communication device having a camera functionality including a camera lens and a UV filter element moveable into or out of a position covering the camera lens. The device includes an apparatus for detecting a light feature associated with an ambient light condition. The UV filter is automatically moved into or out of a position overlying the camera lens based upon the data determined from the light feature associated with the ambient light condition.
Claims6
A portable communication device comprising:
- camera circuitry for carrying out a camera related operation;
- a camera lens operatively coupled to the camera circuitry to focus the camera lens;
- a UV filter element moveable between a first position displaced away from the lens and a second position overlying the lens;
- an apparatus for detecting a light feature associated with an ambient light condition;
- and
- a processing circuit including logic to execute code to:
- obtain light data related to the detected light feature associated with the ambient light;
- and
- generate a command to drive the movement of the UV filter element into the first or second position based on the light data obtained from the apparatus,
- wherein the apparatus for detecting a light feature associated with an ambient light condition is a UV sensor, and the UV sensor detects a UV level associated with the ambient light, and wherein the processing circuit drives the UV filter to the first or second position based on a comparison of the determined UV level relative to a threshold UV level.
A method for automatically positioning a UV filter relative to a camera lens on a portable network communication device having a lens and a camera functionality, the method comprising:
- determining light data associated with an ambient light condition, wherein determining the light data comprises determining a UV level associated with the ambient light condition;
- determining, based on the determined light data, if the UV filter element should be in a position (i) overlying the lens, or (ii) displaced away from the camera lens;
- and
- controlling a mechanism to move the UV filter element into or out of a position overlying the lens, (i) moving the UV filter into a position overlying the lens when the UV level is above a threshold UV level, and/or (ii) moving the UV filter into a position displaced away from the lens when the UV level is below a threshold UV level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.