Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed herein include techniques for determining autofocus for a camera on a mobile device. In some instances, depth imaging is used to assist in determining a focus position for the camera through an autofocus process. For example, a determination of depth may be used to determine a focus position for the camera. In another example, the determination of depth may be used to assist another autofocus process.

Abstract: Various embodiments include synchronization of camera focus movement control with frame capture. In some embodiments, such synchronization may comprise synchronized focus movement control that is based at least in part on integration timing and/or region of interest (ROI) timing. According to some examples, an actuator of a camera module may be controlled such that a lens group and/or an image sensor of the camera module move towards a focus position during one or more time periods (e.g., a non-integration time period in which the image sensor is not being exposed, a non-ROI time period in which a ROI of the image sensor is not being exposed for image capture, and/or a blanking interval, etc.). Additionally, or alternatively, the actuator may be controlled such that the lens group and the image sensor do not move relative to each other in a focus direction during one or more other time periods (e.g.

Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed herein include techniques for determining autofocus for a camera on a mobile device. In some instances, depth imaging is used to assist in determining a focus position for the camera through an autofocus process. For example, a determination of depth may be used to determine a focus position for the camera. In another example, the determination of depth may be used to assist another autofocus process.

Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed herein include techniques for operating a multiple camera system. In some embodiments, a primary camera may be selected from a plurality of cameras using object distance estimates, distance error information, and minimum object distances for some or all of the plurality of cameras. In other embodiments, a camera may be configured to use defocus information to obtain an object distance estimate to a target object closer than a minimum object distance of the camera. This object distance estimate may be used to assist in focusing another camera of the multi-camera system.

Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed herein include techniques for determining autofocus for a camera on a mobile device. In some instances, depth imaging is used to assist in determining a focus position for the camera through an autofocus process. For example, a determination of depth may be used to determine a focus position for the camera. In another example, the determination of depth may be used to assist another autofocus process.

Abstract: Various embodiments disclosed herein include techniques for determining autofocus for a camera on a mobile device. In some instances, depth imaging is used to assist in determining a focus position for the camera through an autofocus process. For example, a determination of depth may be used to determine a focus position for the camera. In another example, the determination of depth may be used to assist another autofocus process.

Abstract: Determining a focus setting includes determining a plurality of regions of interest in a view of a scene, and, for each of the plurality of regions of interest, obtaining a set of image data for each of multiple focal positions, and then applying focus filters to the set of image data for each of the plurality of focal positions for each of the regions of interest to obtain a set of focus scores, i.e., a focus score for each focus filter applied to the set of image data for each of the focal positions. Further, determining a confidence value associated with each of the sets of focus scores, selecting a subset of the sets of focus scores based on the confidence values associated with each of the sets of focus scores, and determining a focus setting for the scene based on the selected subset of the focus scores.

Abstract: Optical characteristics of an optical component for a high volume manufacture consumer electronics device can be tested using a test chart composed of a superposition of two or more groups of parallel line pairs, wherein all the groups of parallel line pairs are oriented at a different inclination. The groups of line pairs could be oriented so that they are perpendicular to each other. A test system can quickly and objectively assess for example the sharpness of the optical component in different directions across a full image field of view of an imaging system that is capturing a digital image of the chart using the optical component for through-the-lens imaging. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Some embodiments include methods for correcting optical alignment of components in a camera module for a multifunction device. In some embodiments, components of a camera module for use in a multifunction device are assembled on a test station. Some embodiments include a method that includes capturing a single test image, calculating from the spatial frequency response data an optical tilt between the optical axis of a lens and an optical axis of the image sensor of the camera module, and mechanically adjusting an alignment of the lens and the optical axis of the image sensor of the camera module to reduce the optical tilt. In some embodiments, the capturing is performed using the components of the camera module, and the single test image contains visually encoded spatial frequency response data for characterizing the components of the camera module.

Abstract: Some embodiments include methods for correcting optical alignment of components in a camera module for a multifunction device. In some embodiments, components of a camera module for use in a multifunction device are assembled on a test station. Some embodiments include a method that includes capturing a single test image, calculating from the spatial frequency response data an optical tilt between the optical axis of a lens and an optical axis of the image sensor of the camera module, and mechanically adjusting an alignment of the lens and the optical axis of the image sensor of the camera module to reduce the optical tilt. In some embodiments, the capturing is performed using the components of the camera module, and the single test image contains visually encoded spatial frequency response data for characterizing the components of the camera module.

Abstract: Optical characteristics of an optical component for a high volume manufacture consumer electronics device can be tested using a test chart composed of a superposition of two or more groups of parallel line pairs, wherein all the groups of parallel line pairs are oriented at a different inclination. The groups of line pairs could be oriented so that they are perpendicular to each other. A test system can quickly and objectively assess for example the sharpness of the optical component in different directions across a full image field of view of an imaging system that is capturing a digital image of the chart using the optical component for through-the-lens imaging. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A test chart can be used to test sharpness performance of an imaging system's full image field by having a sharpness inspection area formed of a plurality of identical visual elements that abut each other leaving no gaps to thereby form a mosaic. Each visual element includes a plurality of groups of differently oriented contrasting lines. The mosaic may fill an entire image captured by an imager. Thus, a test system can image the chart to objectively assess the performance of the imaging system in terms of image quality (e.g. sharpness, tilt, etc) throughout the entire spatial area of the captured image. The size of the chart and spatial frequency spacing) of the visual element lines can be selected to test an imaging system's full field sharpness at selected spatial frequencies. The full field sharpness results more quickly and accurately determine different aspects of a given imaging system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing automatic white balance utilizing a touch screen. The method includes determining an area on a touch screen for performing automatic white balance, extracting portion of a frame relating to the determined area, determining red, green and blue values of the extracted portion of the frame, and performing automatic white balance based on the determined red, green and blue values.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing auto-convergence on a frame of a stereoscopic image or video based on at least one auto-focus point. The method includes retrieving a location of focus points from the image, estimating the disparity of focus points in the image, determining the disparity of the frame for the stereoscopic image or video, and shifting the frame to automatically adjust the convergence of the fame for the stereoscopic image or video.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically focusing a lens of a digital imaging device, such as a digital still or video camera or camera phone, that reduces the auto focus time while not compromising image sharpness quality and simultaneously reducing device power consumption due to focus actuator movement, all without tuning or adjustment of thresholds or parameters is disclosed. The present invention automatically computes a set of digital band-pass filters matched to the imaging device specifications along with corresponding step-size magnitudes. A filter-switching search for the in-focus focus actuator position is formulated such that filters are switched and step-sizes are reduced as the search gets closer to the in-focus position by utilizing local estimates of the first and second-order differential information of the focus value surface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for focusing an image in an image-capturing device utilizing at least one face in the image. The method includes detecting at least one face in the image, determining the size of the detected at least one face, determining the distance of the at least one face from the image-capturing device, wherein the determination utilizes the size of the detected at least one face, and focusing an image according to the determined distance of the detected at least one face.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically focusing a lens of a digital imaging device, such as a digital still or video camera or camera phone, that reduces the auto focus time while not compromising image sharpness quality and simultaneously reducing device power consumption due to focus actuator movement, all without tuning or adjustment of thresholds or parameters is disclosed. The present invention automatically computes a set of digital band-pass filters matched to the imaging device specifications along with corresponding step-size magnitudes. A filter-switching search for the in-focus focus actuator position is formulated such that filters are switched and step-sizes are reduced as the search gets closer to the in-focus position by utilizing local estimates of the first and second-order differential information of the focus value surface.