US 9,549,125 B1Granted

Focus specification and focus stabilization

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsDushyant Goyal, Pragyana K. Mishra

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Abstract

An imaging device may be configured to monitor a field of view for various objects or events occurring therein. The imaging device may capture a plurality of images at various focal lengths, identify a region of interest including one or more semantic objects therein, and determine measures of the levels of blur or sharpness within the regions of interest of the images. Based on their respective focal lengths and measures of their respective levels of blur or sharpness, a focal length for capturing subsequent images with sufficient clarity may be predicted. The imaging device may be adjusted to capture images at the predicted focal length, and such images may be captured. Feedback for further adjustments to the imaging device may be identified by determining measures of the levels of blur or sharpness within the subsequently captured images.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An imaging device comprising:

a lens;
an imaging sensor having a photosensitive surface with a first plurality of pixel sensors;
at least one memory device;
and
at least one computer processor,
wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to at least:
capture a first image, wherein the first image is captured with the lens at a first focal length from the imaging sensor, and wherein the first image is captured at a first level of resolution;
recognize at least one object within the first image;
automatically define a region of interest within the first image based at least in part on the at least one object within the first image;
and
determine a first blur metric associated with the region of interest within the first image;
adjust the lens to a second focal length from the imaging sensor;
capture at least a second image, wherein the second image is captured with the lens at the second focal length from the imaging sensor, and wherein the second image is captured at a second level of resolution;
recognize the at least one object within the second image;
automatically identify the region of interest within the second image based at least in part on the at least one object within the second image;
determine a second blur metric associated with the region of interest within the second image;
determine a third focal length for capturing a third image based at least in part on at least one of the first focal length, the first blur metric, the second focal length or the second blur metric;
adjust the lens to the third focal length from the imaging sensor;
and
capture the third image, wherein the third image is captured with the lens at the third focal length from the imaging sensor, wherein the third image is captured at a third level of resolution, and wherein the third level of resolution exceeds at least one of the first level of resolution or the second level of resolution.

17 more elements

A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a first digital image captured using a first imaging device, wherein the first digital image is captured with a lens of the first imaging device at a first focal length with respect to an image sensor of the first imaging device;
identifying a first region of interest in at least a first portion of the first digital image comprising at least one semantic object, wherein the first region of interest is defined based at least in part on the at least one semantic object;
determining a first blur metric for at least the first portion of the first digital image;
predicting a second focal length for capturing a second digital image based at least in part on at least one of the first focal length or the first blur metric, wherein the second focal length is predicted to maintain the at least one semantic object in focus within the second digital image;
adjusting the lens to the second focal length with respect to the image sensor;
capturing the second digital image using the first imaging device;
and
storing the second digital image in at least one data store.

5 more elements

A mobile computing device comprising:

an imaging sensor having a photosensitive surface with a plurality of pixel sensors;
a lens;
at least one memory device;
at least one touchscreen display;
at least one computer processor,
wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to at least:
capture a burst of image frames, wherein each of the image frames of the burst is captured with the lens at a different focal length with respect to the imaging sensor;
cause a display of a first one of the image frames of the burst on the touchscreen display;
receive a selection of a portion of the touchscreen display;
identify a portion of the first image frame corresponding to the selected portion of the touchscreen display;
identify a plurality of semantically related pixels within the portion of the first image frame;
define a first region of interest within the first image frame based at least in part on the plurality of semantically related pixels;
determine a first value of a perceptual score for the first region of interest within the portion of the first image frame, wherein the perceptual score is indicative of a level of sharpness of the first region of interest within the first image frame;
identify a first focal length at which the first image frame was captured;
predict a second focal length for capturing an image frame with the first region of interest at a value of the perceptual score greater than the first value, wherein the second focal length is predicted based at least in part on the first focal length and the first value;
position the lens at the second focal length with respect to the imaging sensor;
and
capture a second image frame with the lens at the second focal length with respect to the imaging sensor.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/842,754Filed 1 Sep 2015
Granted: 17 Jan 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

H04N 21/4728
End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content…: for…
G02B 7/36
Systems for automatic generation of focusing signals: using image sharpness techniques , e.g. image processing techniques for generating autofocus…
G06V 10/25
Image preprocessing: determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI]
H04N 7/183
Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast: for receiving images from a single remote source