Apparatus, and associated method, for a camera module of electronic device
AssigneeBlackBerry Limited
InventorsYun Seok Choi, Qian Wang, Graham Charles Townsend
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Abstract
A camera module is provided for an electronic device, such as a wireless mobile station or standalone device. The camera module includes a low F-stop lens assembly that is translatable into a desired position. An image of a subject is provided to an EDOF assembly, including a sensor assembly, and an extended-depth-of-field processor. The extended-depth-of-field processor provides for formation of a resultant, recorded image that exhibits improved depth of field characteristics.
Claims19
An electronic device, comprising:
- a camera module including an actuator configured to provide translation of a lens assembly through a range of camera-lens positions into a selected camera lens position;
- a sensor assembly having sensors positioned in groups of pixels, the groups of pixels including a first group of pixels having first focus characteristics and a second group of pixels having second focus characteristics, said sensor assembly configured to detect light;
- an extended depth of field (EDOF) processor configured to record, when said actuator causes positioning of the lens assembly to reach a single selected camera lens position, a first sensed image of a subject using the first group of pixels and a second sensed image of the subject using the second group of pixels, to compare corresponding portions of the first sensed image and second sensed image and to select, for each of the corresponding portions, an image portion of one of the first and second images that exhibits best EDOF characteristics to form a camera image.
A method for facilitating formation of a camera image at an electronic device, said method comprising:
- translating a camera lens assembly of the electronic device into a selected camera lens position of a range of camera lens positions;
- recording, at a single selected lens position, a first sensed image of a subject using a first group of pixels of a sensor assembly of the electronic device and a second sensed image of the subject using a second group of pixels of the sensor assembly, the first group of pixels and the second group of pixels having different focus characteristics from each other;
- comparing corresponding portions of the first sensed image and the second sensed image;
- and
- selecting for each of the corresponding portions, a portion exhibiting best extended depth of field (EDOF) characteristics to form the camera image.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions that when executed by a processor cause performance of a method of operating a camera module of an electronic device, the method comprising:
- translating a camera lens assembly of the electronic device into a selected lens position;
- recording, at the single selected lens position, a first sensed image using a first group of pixels of a sensor assembly of the electronic device and a second sensed image using a second group of pixels of the sensor assembly, the first group of pixels and the second group of pixels having different focus characteristics from each other;
- comparing corresponding portions of the first sensed image and the second sensed image;
- and
- selecting for each of the corresponding portions, a portion exhibiting best extended depth of field (EDOF) characteristics to form a camera image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.