KR101359926B1 - Portable Magnifying Apparatus which have Auto Focusing - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable image magnification device that is easy to carry, and more particularly, can be automatically adjusted according to a distance from a subject, and a portable image magnification having an auto focus function capable of adjusting illumination according to whether or not there is a macro. Relates to a device.
An active auto focus portable image magnification apparatus of the present invention provides a clearer picture quality than the conventional fixed focus portable reading magnifier and the single auto focus portable reading magnifier, and has the advantage of having a faster response speed compared to the fixed focus method. Also, even if the user does not need to operate the user interface (UI), it provides stable focus all the time and determines the presence of macro mode according to the distance and automatically controls the LED (LED) light, making it more convenient for the user. to provide. Lighting control is automatic, and the use of liquid lenses for autofocus has the effect of increasing product life by minimizing power consumption.
In addition, since the fixed focus mode can be arbitrarily selected, writing can be performed, thereby enabling both reading and writing.

Description

Portable Magnifying Apparatus which have Auto Focusing

The present invention relates to a portable image magnification device that is easy to carry, and more particularly, can be automatically adjusted according to a distance from a subject, and a portable image magnification having an auto focus function capable of adjusting illumination according to whether or not there is a macro. Relates to a device.

Normally, the visually impaired refers to a condition in which eyesight is lost due to various eye diseases and even wide angles cannot be distinguished from each other. People with severe amblyopia may also be included in the visually impaired, and low vision people, who make up the highest proportion of the visually impaired, cause weakness of the lens, iris, retina, and optic nerve system. The state cannot be identified.

The image magnifying device is a device for magnifying and displaying images of difficult subjects such as books, vials, check or money in order to complement the eyesight of such low vision or aged people.

In particular, recently, a portable image magnification device having a small size and light weight, which is easy to carry and easy to operate is preferred, and such a portable image magnification device is largely classified into a fixed focus method and an auto focus method.

Since the fixed focus method recognizes a subject only at a limited distance within a depth range of a lens, a remote subject cannot be recognized. In order to compensate for this, a portable image magnification device using an auto focus method has been known, but it is a form of adjusting the focus by analyzing the contrast of an image obtained through an image sensor, and when a user looks at a subject while holding a product, Defocus occurs. In addition, to see a far-away subject, a single auto focusing method (Semi Auto Focus), which requires manual focusing, is applied. There is a lot of inconvenience when doing this.

In addition, since it does not recognize the presence of the macro mode, the lighting required only for macro photography is always on, which shortens the use time for the product.

Therefore, in order to compensate for the above problems, the development of a portable image magnification device having an autofocus function in which focus and lighting are automatically adjusted is required.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stable image quality to the user by applying an active autofocus function through a distance recognition sensor for autofocus, and to actively control the lighting It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable image magnification device that is easy to operate because it increases the use time of a product and does not require an interface for operating the above functions.

The present invention also provides a portable image magnification apparatus capable of adjusting color and magnification of an acquired image, freezing a screen, and outputting a binarized image capable of removing noise and fine tremor from the acquired image.

A portable image magnifying apparatus of the present invention comprises: a body; A lens unit installed on one surface of the body and configured to adjust focus to photograph a near or far object; A COMS sensor unit provided inside the body and converting an image acquired through the lens unit into image data; A distance sensor unit installed at one surface of the body and around the lens unit to measure a distance between the subject and the lens unit; An output unit installed on the other surface of the body and receiving and outputting the image data; And a calculation module for controlling focus adjustment of the lens unit through the distance measured by the distance sensor unit. And a control unit.

In this case, the lens unit is composed of an autofocus lens and an autofocus driving driver for driving the autofocus lens under control of the calculation module, wherein the autofocus lens is a liquid lens.

The distance sensor unit may include a light emitting unit for irradiating infrared rays to a subject and a light receiving unit for receiving infrared rays reflected from the subject, and the calculation module measures the distance of the subject through the intensity of the infrared rays received from the light receiving unit. It features.

In addition, the portable image magnification device, is installed on one surface of the body, LED lighting for illumination of the subject; It further comprises, LED lighting unit is characterized in that turned on only when the macro under the control of the calculation module.

In addition, the portable image magnification apparatus, the UI unit is provided on the side of the body, receiving a user input; The UI unit includes a first button for color adjustment, a second button for zoom control, a third button for switching between auto focus and manual focus mode, a fourth button for freezing the screen, power on / off At least one or more selected from among the fifth button for.

The output unit may include: an image acquisition module configured to load image data transmitted from the CMOS sensor unit into a memory; A threshold calculator configured to extract a maximum pixel luminance value and a minimum pixel luminance value through the luminance signal of the image data, and calculate a threshold value based on the maximum pixel luminance value and the minimum pixel luminance value; A binarizer configured to generate a binarized image of the image data based on the threshold value; A screen output unit which outputs the binarized image; And a control unit.

The output unit may include: a noise filter 220 to remove noise of the image data and to detect fine movement by removing movement of the image data; Is further provided.

The threshold may be an average of a maximum pixel luminance value and a minimum pixel luminance value of the digital image data of the frame.

In addition, the binarization unit sets the color of the pixel as a background color when the luminance value of the pixel is less than the threshold value, and sets the color of the pixel as a text color when the luminance value of the pixel is greater than or equal to the threshold value. It features.

The portable image magnification apparatus of the present invention having the active autofocus according to the above configuration provides clearer picture quality than the conventional fixed focus portable reading magnifier and the single auto focus portable reading magnifier, and is faster than the fixed focus method. It has the advantage of having a response speed, and provides a stable focus at all times even if the user does not have a separate user interface (UI) operation, and determines the presence or absence of macro mode according to the distance to automatically control the LED (LED) light to the user It is easy to operate and offers convenience. Lighting control is automatic, and the use of liquid lenses for autofocus has the effect of increasing product life by minimizing power consumption.

In addition, since the fixed focus mode can be arbitrarily selected, writing can be performed, thereby enabling both reading and writing.

1 is a perspective view of an image enlargement apparatus of the present invention
Figure 2 is a bottom view of the image magnification device of the present invention
3 is a plan view of an image enlargement apparatus of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a side view of the image magnification device of the present invention
5 is a block diagram of an image enlargement apparatus of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 to 5, the image magnification apparatus 100 of the present invention includes a body 100a, a lens unit 110, a CMOS sensor unit 115, a distance sensor unit 120, an output unit 130, LED lighting unit 140, the UI unit (User interface part, 150), the pedestal 160, and comprises a calculation module 170.

The body 100a is formed on an enclosure having a space formed therein. On one surface of the body 100a, an input unit for photographing a subject is formed, such as a lens unit 110, a distance sensor unit 120, an LED lighting unit 140, and a pedestal 160. On the other side of the body (100a) is formed an output unit 130 for displaying a subject to be photographed. The UI unit 150 is formed on the side of the body 100a for the user's convenience of operation. The above components are connected to the inside of the body 100a, and a control circuit such as the COMS sensor unit 115 and the operation module 170 may be embedded. Body 100a is preferably a size that can be carried with one hand.

The lens unit 110 may be installed on the lower surface of the body 100a so as to photograph the direct surface or the distant subject. The lens unit 110 includes an auto focus lens 111 and an auto focus driving driver 112. The lens unit 110 may be a liquid lens in which focus is adjusted for close or long distance photography. Liquid lenses are lighter than conventional autofocus lenses and have the advantage of lower current consumption. The auto focus driving driver 112 is configured inside the body 100a and adjusts the focus of the auto focus lens 111 by the control of the calculation module 170. Auto focus driving driver 112 is applied to the configuration for adjusting the focus of the conventional liquid lens, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. With the above configuration, the image magnification apparatus of the present invention can acquire an image of a near subject and a far subject.

The COMS sensor unit 115 may be installed inside the body 100a. The COMS sensor unit 115 serves to convert the physical signal obtained from the lens unit 110 into an electrical signal. Therefore, the image acquired by the COMS sensor unit 115 is converted into image data. For example, the image may be the image data in a format such as SVGA (800 * 600), YUV422, 30f / s, Progressive, etc. via the COMS sensor 115.

The distance sensor unit 120 is provided on one surface of the body 100a. The distance sensor unit 120 may be installed adjacent to the lens unit 110. The distance sensor unit 120 is a component for adjusting the focus of the lens unit 110 through the calculation module 170 by measuring the distance to the subject. In addition, the distance sensor unit 120 recognizes the macro mode to control the operation of the LED lighting unit 140. The distance sensor unit 120 includes a light emitting unit 121 for irradiating infrared rays to a subject and a light receiving unit 122 for detecting infrared rays reflected from the subject. The light emitting unit 121 may be a conventional infrared LED is applied. The intensity of the infrared rays detected by the light receiver 122 is transmitted to the calculation module 170, and the distance of the subject is measured through the calculation module 170 to control the focus of the lens unit 110. In this case, the calculation module 170 configures and stores the autofocus setting values for the subject and each distance as a table. The stored value sets the auto focus for each distance and is the value when the screen is clearest. Therefore, this value is used to adjust sharpness and edge while adjusting the lens unit 110 over the entire focal length. The processing speed is much faster than the manual focus that finds the maximum value of the edge.

In addition, when the macro mode of the subject is recognized through the operation module 170, the LED lighting unit 140 is operated.

LED lighting unit 140 may be provided on one surface of the body (100a). In more detail, it may be installed around the lens unit 110. This is for the lens unit 110 to brighten the subject so that the image of the subject is easily acquired. LED lighting unit 140 may be a light emitting diode device that is commonly used. At this time, the LED lighting unit 140 operates under the control of the calculation module 170 to operate only when the subject is in close-up. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the power consumption and increase the limited use time which is a disadvantage of the portable device.

The UI unit 150 may be provided on the side of the body 100a. The UI unit 150 receives a user's input value through a click of a button and delivers the input value to the operation module 170 or the output unit 130.

The UI unit 150 includes a first button 151, a second button 152, a third button 153, a fourth button 154, and a fifth button 155.

The first button 151 transmits an input value to the output unit 130 by clicking to change the color of the image output through the output unit 130.

The second button 152 is in the form of a wheel button. The second button 152 transmits an input value to the calculation module 170 to adjust the zoom of the image output through the output unit 130. In this case, the second button 152 transmits an input value through the rolling of the button in the form of a wheel button, which has an advantage of more finely adjusting the zoom.

The third button 153 transmits an input value to the calculation module 170 to switch the driving of the lens unit 110 to the auto focus mode or the manual focus mode.

The fourth button 154 transfers an input value to the output unit 130 by clicking to capture an image output through the output unit 130.

The fifth button 155 transfers an input value to the operation module 170 by clicking to turn on / off the power of the image magnification device.

Pedestal 160 is formed on each side of one side of the body (100a). In addition, it may be formed in the longitudinal direction of the body (100a). The pedestal 160 may be configured such that the subject and the lens unit 110 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance when the subject is close to the subject. Pedestal 160 may be formed to extend outward from one surface of the body (100a).

Although the distance sensor 120 is the same model, measurement errors may occur. If a measurement error occurs, the image quality may be degraded due to the measurement error. Therefore, correction of measurement error is necessary. The method for correcting the measurement error is to be corrected based on the pedestal (160). The pedestal 160 has the same height so that the pedestal is placed on the bottom surface and the distance is measured to correct the distance sensor table value calculated in the calculation module 170. By compensating for the measured distance based on the corrected value, a clear image is provided for auto focus.

The calculation module 170 may be installed in the form of a circuit inside the body 100a. The operation module 170 is a central processing module that controls the image sensor module, the distance sensor unit, the auto focus driver, the image processing module, and the screen output unit. For example, the infrared signal of the distance adjusting unit 120 is input to measure a distance to the subject, and the auto focus driving driver 112 is driven based on the measured distance to adjust the focus of the auto focus lens 111.

Referring to FIG. 4, the output unit 130 includes an image acquisition module 131, a noise filter unit (not shown), an enlargement filter unit (not shown), a color filter unit (not shown), and a threshold calculation unit 132. , The binarization unit 133 and the screen output unit 134.

The image acquisition module 131 stores image data transmitted through the CMOS sensor unit 115 in a memory, and extracts a histogram for determining a threshold required for the binarized image to determine a threshold value.

The noise filter unit removes Gaussian noise and salt & pepper noise, which are general image noise, on the image data. In addition, the noise filter unit performs the following process in order to remove the fine tremble phenomenon of the image data.

The noise filter section calculates a difference image between a block image of the image data of the (N-1) th frame and a block image of the image data of the Nth frame. And the degree of motion according to a predetermined inter-frame delay time can be measured using the calculated difference image. Accordingly, the noise filter unit binarizes the block image of the image data of the (N-1) -th frame and the image data of the N-th frame, estimates the motion vector by an XNOR operation or the like, .

Therefore, the noise filter unit maintains the image data of the (N-1) -th frame when the degree of motion is less than a predetermined value, and outputs the image data of the N-th frame when the degree of motion is greater than the predetermined value .

As described above, the noise filter unit of the present invention can remove minute tremors caused by image binarization, which will be described later, by maintaining the image data of the (N-1) -th frame when the degree of motion is less than a predetermined value .

That is, the noise filter unit of the present invention is configured such that, when the motion according to a predetermined inter-frame delay time is fine and the degree of motion is smaller than a predetermined reference value, the noise filter unit is regarded as no motion.

The enlargement filter unit enlarges the image data according to the LCD resolution of the screen output unit 134. The enlargement filter unit enlarges the image data through bilinear interpolation.

The color filter unit receives the user input value transmitted from the UI unit 150 to the image data to apply brightness and high contrast.

The threshold calculator 132 extracts a maximum pixel luminance value and a minimum pixel luminance value through the luminance signal of the image data, and calculates a threshold value based on the maximum pixel luminance value and the minimum pixel luminance value. The threshold value may be implemented as an average value of a maximum pixel luminance value and a minimum pixel luminance value for image data of a corresponding frame.

In addition, the threshold calculator 132 may use a value obtained by applying a weight selected by the user to the calculated threshold as a threshold for image binarization. In this case, the brightness of the binarized image may be adjusted through the weight. That is, the brightness of the binarized image may be adjusted through a background color region of the binarized image that varies according to the weight.

The binarization unit 133 generates a binarized image of the image data based on the threshold. That is, the binarization unit 133 implements the color of the pixel as a background color when the luminance value of the pixel is less than or equal to the threshold value. If the luminance value of the pixel is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the color of the pixel is a text color. Can be implemented.

The binarization unit 133 uses the background color and the text color set according to the input value selected by the user through the UI unit 150 as colors for image binarization. For example, the background color and the text color set according to the user's selection input may be black and green, respectively. In this case, the binarization unit 133 may convert the image data into a binarized image in which the background color and the text color are black and green, respectively, based on the threshold value.

The screen output unit 134 outputs the finally determined image data through the binarization unit 133. Therefore, the screen output unit 134 is configured to be exposed to the other surface of the body 100a, the screen output unit 134 may be applied to a conventional LCD panel.

The present invention by the configuration as described above provides a clear and clear binarization image through the output unit 130 to remove the phenomenon caused by the appearance of the macular degeneration, eye shaking, etc. It is possible to improve the concentration and perception of the user's subject or visual medium.

In addition, it is possible to enlarge a book, a newspaper, a photograph, and the like even when moving, and the user can change the color of the binarized image according to his or her own preference, so that it can be used as a tool for learning, rehabilitation, have. In addition to the proximity of the subject, the remote subject can be clearly seen through the auto-focus function without additional operation.

The technical idea should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiment of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, such modifications and changes are within the scope of protection of the present invention as long as it is obvious to those skilled in the art.

100: video magnification device
100a: body
110: lens unit 111: auto focus lens
112: auto focus drive driver 115: CMOS sensor unit
120: distance adjusting unit 121: light emitting unit
122: light receiver
130: output unit 131: image acquisition module
132: threshold calculation unit 133: binarization unit
134: screen output unit
140: LED lighting
150: UI unit
160: pedestal
170: arithmetic module

Claims (10)

Body;
A lens unit installed on one surface of the body and configured to adjust focus to photograph a near or far object;
A CMOS sensor unit provided inside the body and converting an image acquired through the lens unit into image data;
A distance sensor unit installed at one surface of the body and around the lens unit to measure a distance between the subject and the lens unit;
An output unit installed on the other surface of the body and receiving and outputting the image data;
A calculation module for controlling focus adjustment of the lens unit through the distance measured by the distance sensor unit; And
Pedestals formed on both sides of one surface of the body; Including;
And the distance sensor unit compensates for the distance between the near subject and the lens unit based on the height of the pedestal when measuring the distance between the near subject and the lens unit.
The method of claim 1,
The lens unit includes:
And an autofocus driving driver for driving the autofocus lens under the control of the calculation module.
3. The method of claim 2,
And the auto focus lens is a liquid lens.
The method of claim 1,
The distance sensor unit,
The light emitting unit for irradiating the infrared light to the subject, and the light receiving unit for receiving the infrared light reflected from the subject, the calculation module is characterized by measuring the distance of the subject through the intensity of the infrared light received from the light receiving unit. Having a portable video magnification device.
The method of claim 1,
The portable image enlarging device includes:
Is installed on one surface of the body, LED lighting unit for illumination of the subject;
Further comprising:
The LED lighting unit is a portable image magnification device having an autofocus function, characterized in that the light is turned on only when the macro under the control of the calculation module.
The method of claim 1,
The portable image enlarging device includes:
A UI unit provided at a side of the body and receiving a user input;
Including;
The UI unit, a first button for color adjustment, a second button for zoom control, a third button for switching the autofocus and manual focus mode, a fourth button for freezing the screen, a fifth button for power on / off Portable image magnification device having an autofocus function, characterized in that at least one selected from.
The method of claim 1,
The output unit includes:
An image acquisition module for loading image data transmitted from the CMOS sensor unit into a memory;
A threshold calculator configured to extract a maximum pixel luminance value and a minimum pixel luminance value through the luminance signal of the image data, and calculate a threshold value based on the maximum pixel luminance value and the minimum pixel luminance value;
A binarizer configured to generate a binarized image of the image data based on the threshold value;
A screen output unit which outputs the binarized image;
Portable image magnification device having an autofocus function, characterized in that comprises a.
8. The method of claim 7,
The output unit includes:
A noise filter unit 220 for removing noise of the image data and detecting fine movement by detecting movement of the image data; Portable image magnification device having an autofocus function, characterized in that is further provided.
8. The method of claim 7,
The threshold is
And an average value of a maximum pixel luminance value and a minimum pixel luminance value of the digital image data of the frame.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the binarization unit comprises:
When the luminance value of the pixel is less than the threshold value, the color of the pixel is set as the background color, and if the luminance value of the pixel is greater than the threshold value, the color of the pixel is set to the text color. Portable video magnification device having a function.

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