HK1237162B - Control method, control device and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Control method, control device and electronic device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to imaging technology, and in particular to a control method, a control device and an electronic device.

Background Art

When the camera receives an image capture command while focusing, it typically waits for a period of time before capturing the image. This waiting time is set at the factory. If the waiting time is too short, the camera may capture the image before focusing is complete, resulting in poor image quality. If the waiting time is too long, the camera will remain in a waiting state until focusing is complete, affecting its efficiency.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, embodiments of the present invention provide a control method, a control device, and an electronic device.

A control method for controlling an electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes an imaging device, the control method comprising the following steps:

determining whether the imaging device is in focus upon receiving an imaging command;

When the imaging device is not in focus, determining a threshold value of the imaging waiting time according to the current frame rate of the imaging device and a preset number of focus frames;

controlling the imaging device to focus when the imaging waiting time is less than the threshold; and

The imaging device is controlled to perform imaging when the imaging waiting time is greater than or equal to the threshold.

A control device is provided for controlling an electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes an imaging device. The control device includes a first judgment module, a determination module, a first control module, and a second control module.

The first determination module is configured to determine whether the imaging device is in focus upon receiving an imaging command.

The determining module is used to determine a threshold value of the imaging waiting time according to a current frame rate of the imaging device and a preset number of focus frames when the imaging device is not in focus.

The first control module is used to control the imaging device to focus when the imaging waiting time is less than the threshold.

The second control module is used to control the imaging device to perform imaging when the imaging waiting time is greater than or equal to the threshold.

An electronic device includes an imaging device and the control device, wherein the control device is electrically connected to the imaging device.

The control method, control device and electronic device of the present invention determine the waiting time required for the imaging device to perform imaging when it is not in focus based on the current frame rate of the imaging device and the preset focus frame number, thereby obtaining a high-quality image after a reasonable waiting time, thereby improving the working efficiency of the imaging device.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description which follows, or may be learned by practice of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG1 is a schematic flow chart of a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of functional modules of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a control method according to certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of functional modules of a control device according to certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of a control method according to certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of functional modules of a determination module according to certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of a control method according to certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of an imaging device according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG10 is a functional module diagram of a first control module according to certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG11 is a flow chart of a control method according to certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG12 is a schematic diagram of functional modules of a control device according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

Description of main component symbols:

Electronic device 100, control device 10, first judgment module 11, determination module 12, first calculation unit 122, acquisition unit 124, second calculation unit 126, first control module 13, first control unit 131, first processing unit 133, second control unit 135, second processing unit 137, determination unit 139, second control module 14, third control module 15, second judgment module 16, fourth control module 17, imaging device 20, focusing lens 22, motor 24.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Implementations of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be used to control an electronic device, including an imaging device. The control method includes the following steps:

S11: upon receiving an imaging command, determining whether the imaging device is in focus;

S12: When the imaging device is not in focus, determining a threshold value of the imaging waiting time according to the current frame rate of the imaging device and a preset number of focus frames;

S13: controlling the imaging device to focus when the imaging waiting time is less than a threshold; and

S14: When the imaging waiting time is greater than or equal to the threshold, the imaging device is controlled to perform imaging.

2 and 3 , the control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be used to control an electronic device 100 . The electronic device 100 can further include an imaging device 20 .

The control device 10 includes a first judgment module 11, a determination module 12, a first control module 13, and a second control module 14. The first judgment module 11 is configured to determine whether the imaging device 20 is in focus upon receiving an imaging command. If the imaging device 20 is not in focus, the determination module 12 is configured to determine a threshold for the imaging wait time based on the current frame rate of the imaging device 20 and a preset number of focus frames. The first control module 13 is configured to control the imaging device 20 to focus when the imaging wait time is less than the threshold. The second control module 14 is configured to control the imaging device 20 to perform imaging when the imaging wait time is greater than or equal to the threshold.

That is to say, the control method of the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by the control device 10 of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein step S11 can be implemented by the first judgment module 11, step S12 can be implemented by the determination module 12, step S13 can be implemented by the first control module 13, and step S14 can be implemented by the second control module 14.

In some embodiments, the control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be applied to the electronic device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, or the electronic device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The control method, control device 10 and electronic device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention determine the waiting time required for the imaging device 20 to perform imaging when it is not in focus based on the current frame rate of the imaging device 20 and the preset focus frame number, thereby obtaining a higher quality image after a reasonable waiting time and improving the user experience.

It is understood that if the imaging device 20 receives an imaging command while it is not in focus, to ensure image quality, the imaging device 20 generally waits for the imaging wait time to be greater than or equal to a threshold before imaging begins. Both excessively long and short imaging wait times can negatively impact the user experience. Therefore, a threshold for the imaging wait time can be determined based on the current frame rate of the imaging device 20 and the preset number of focus frames, thereby balancing requirements for imaging wait time and image quality.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 includes a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, a laptop computer, a smart bracelet, smart glasses, or a smart helmet. In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device 100 is a mobile phone.

In some embodiments, the imaging device 20 includes a front camera or a rear camera. In an embodiment of the present invention, the imaging device 20 is a front camera.

Referring to FIG4 , in certain embodiments, the control method includes the following steps:

S15: When the imaging device is in focus, controlling the imaging device to form an image.

5 , in some embodiments, the control device 10 further includes a third control module 15. The third control module 15 is configured to control the imaging device 20 to form an image when the imaging device 20 is in focus.

That is to say, step S15 can be implemented by the third control module 15 .

In this way, if the imaging device 20 has already achieved focus when receiving the imaging command, the imaging device can directly form an image without having to wait for imaging, thereby speeding up the imaging speed and improving the user experience.

Referring to FIG. 6 , in some embodiments, step S12 includes the following steps:

S122: Calculate the current frame rate according to the exposure time;

S124: Obtaining a preset focus frame number; and

S126: Calculating a threshold value according to the current frame rate and the preset focus frame number.

Referring to FIG. 7 , in some embodiments, the determination module 12 includes a first calculation unit 122, an acquisition unit 124, and a second calculation unit 126. The first calculation unit 122 is configured to calculate the current frame rate based on the exposure time. The acquisition unit 124 is configured to obtain a preset number of focus frames. The second calculation unit 126 is configured to calculate a threshold value based on the current frame rate and the preset number of focus frames.

That is, step S122 may be implemented by the first computing unit 122 , step S124 may be implemented by the acquiring unit 124 , and step S126 may be implemented by the second computing unit 126 .

In this way, under different circumstances, such as different ambient brightness, the time required for the imaging device 20 to focus can be determined, thereby determining the threshold of the imaging waiting time.

In some embodiments, the imaging device 20 may be set to an automatic exposure mode.

In this way, the current frame rate of the imaging device 20 will change with the change of ambient brightness. For example, when the ambient brightness is high, the exposure time of the imaging device 20 is short and the current frame rate is high; when the ambient brightness is low, the exposure time of the imaging device 20 increases and the current frame rate is low.

In some embodiments, the focusing method may be contrast focusing. Contrast focusing determines the focal position of the imaging device 20 by comparing the contrast of each frame. Thus, the average number of frames required for contrast focusing can be calculated based on a large amount of experimental data. In one example, the average number of frames required for contrast focusing is 14 or 15 frames. In other words, the preset number of focus frames can be set to 14 or 15 frames.

In some embodiments, the threshold of the imaging wait time may be proportional to the preset number of focus frames and inversely proportional to the current frame rate of the imaging device 20. For example, if the preset number of focus frames is 15 frames and the current frame rate of the imaging device 20 is 15 frames per second, then the focus time is 1 second, that is, the threshold of the imaging wait time is 1 second.

In this way, the threshold of the imaging waiting time can be determined and set according to the preset focus frame number and the current frame rate.

8 and 9 , in some embodiments, the imaging device 20 includes a focus lens 22 and a motor 24 for driving the focus lens 22 to move along the optical axis between a near focus position and a far focus position to achieve focusing. Step S13 includes the following steps:

S131: Control the motor to drive the focus lens to move from the near focus position to the far focus position step by step to find focus;

S133: Processing the cached image corresponding to each first step of the focus lens to determine whether the contrast of the cached image has a first inflection point;

S135: When the first inflection point appears, controlling the driving motor to drive the focus lens to return one step and move toward the telefocus position by a second step distance, where the second step distance is smaller than the first step distance;

S137: Processing the buffered image corresponding to each second step of the focusing lens to determine whether a second inflection point appears in the contrast of the buffered image; and

S139: Determine whether the imaging device is in focus when the second inflection point appears.

Referring to FIG. 10 , in certain embodiments, the first control module 13 includes a first control unit 131, a first processing unit 133, a second control unit 135, a second processing unit 137, and a determination unit 139. The first control unit 131 is configured to control the motor 24 to drive the focus lens 22 to move from a near focus position to a far focus position in steps of a first step to search for focus. The first processing unit 133 is configured to process the cached images corresponding to each first step of the focus lens 22 to determine whether a first inflection point has occurred in the contrast of the cached images. The second control unit 135 is configured to control the drive motor 24 to drive the focus lens 22 to return one step and move toward the far focus position in a second step, the second step being smaller than the first step, when the first inflection point has occurred. The second processing unit 137 is configured to process the cached images corresponding to each second step of the focus lens 22 to determine whether a second inflection point has occurred in the contrast of the cached images. The determination unit 139 is configured to determine whether the imaging device 20 is in focus when the second inflection point has occurred.

That is, step S131 can be implemented by the first control unit 131, step S133 can be implemented by the first processing unit 133, step S135 can be implemented by the second control unit 135, step S137 can be implemented by the second processing unit 137, and step S139 can be implemented by the determination unit 139.

In this way, the imaging device 20 can be controlled to focus, and finally the focus position of the imaging device 20 is obtained.

It can be understood that inflection points refer to multiple contrast maxima corresponding to multiple frames of cached images. As motor 24 drives the movement of focus lens 22, causing imaging device 20 to shift from an unfocused state to a focused state and then back to an unfocused state, the contrast of the cached images increases and then decreases throughout this process, resulting in an inflection point, or maximum point, at which point the imaging device 20 can be considered in focus. The first inflection point refers to the contrast maximum point of the cached image corresponding to the first step movement of focus lens 22, and the second inflection point refers to the contrast maximum point of the cached image corresponding to the second step movement of focus lens 22.

It will be understood that the near focus position and far focus position refer to the starting and ending points of the movement of the focusing lens 22, respectively. During the movement of the focusing lens 22 in the first step, if the contrast of the corresponding cached image shows a first inflection point, it can be determined that the imaging device 20 has initially achieved focus. To improve focusing accuracy, the focusing lens 22 returns one step and then moves in a second step. Because the second step is smaller than the first step, when the second inflection point appears, the imaging device 20's focus position is closer to the precise focus position, and the imaging device 20 can be considered to have achieved precise focus.

Referring to FIG. 11 , in certain embodiments, when the imaging waiting time is less than a threshold, the control method further includes the following steps:

S16: Determine whether the imaging device is in focus; and

S17: When the imaging device is in focus, controlling the imaging device to form an image.

12 , in some embodiments, the control device 10 further includes a second determination module 16 and a fourth control module 17. The second determination module 16 is configured to determine whether the imaging device 20 is in focus. The fourth control module 17 is configured to control the imaging device 20 to perform imaging when the imaging device 20 is in focus.

In this way, when the imaging device 20 is in focus, the control device 10 can control the imaging device 20 to directly image without having to wait for the imaging waiting time to be greater than or equal to the threshold, thereby avoiding unnecessary waiting time and speeding up the imaging speed of the imaging device 20.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically specified.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections, electrical connections, or mutual communication; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; they can refer to internal communication between two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention based on specific circumstances.

Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" means that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Any process or method description in a flowchart or otherwise described herein may be understood to represent a module, segment or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing the steps of a specific logical function or process, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of the present invention includes alternative implementations in which functions may be performed out of the order shown or discussed, including performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in the reverse order depending on the functions involved, which should be understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present invention pertain.

The logic and/or steps represented in the flowcharts or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing the logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (e.g., a computer-based system, a system including a processing module, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For purposes of this specification, a "computer-readable medium" can be any device that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include the following: an electrical connection with one or more wires (electronic devices), a portable computer disk cartridge (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM). Furthermore, the computer-readable medium may even be paper or other suitable medium on which the program is printed, since the program may be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium and then editing, interpreting or processing it in another suitable manner if necessary, and then storing it in a computer memory.

It should be understood that various parts of the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented using software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented using hardware, as in another embodiment, any one of the following technologies known in the art or a combination thereof can be used to implement: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logic function on a data signal, an application-specific integrated circuit having a suitable combination of logic gate circuits, a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the method of the above embodiment can be completed by instructing related hardware through a program, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiment.

In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into a single processing module, each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. If the integrated modules are implemented in the form of software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, they may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

The storage medium mentioned above can be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it will be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

1. A control method for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device including an imaging device, characterized in that the imaging device is configured in an automatic exposure mode, the control method comprising the following steps: Upon receiving an imaging command, determine whether the imaging device is in focus; When the imaging device is out of focus, a threshold for the imaging waiting time is determined based on the current frame rate of the imaging device and the preset number of focus frames. When the imaging wait time is less than the threshold, the imaging device is controlled to focus; and The imaging device is controlled to form an image when the imaging waiting time is greater than or equal to the threshold. The focusing method is contrast focusing, and the preset focusing frame number is 14 frames or 15 frames. 2. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that the control method includes the following steps: When the imaging device is in focus, the imaging device is controlled to form an image. 3. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that the step of determining the threshold for the imaging waiting time based on the current frame rate of the imaging device and the preset number of focus frames includes the following steps: The current frame rate is calculated based on the exposure time; Obtain the preset focus frame number; and The threshold is calculated based on the current frame rate and the preset focus frame number. 4. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that the imaging device includes a focusing lens and a motor for driving the focusing lens to move along the optical axis between a near-focal position and a far-focal position to achieve focusing; the step of controlling the imaging device to focus when the imaging waiting time is less than the threshold includes the following steps: The motor is controlled to drive the focusing lens to move gradually from the near-focus position to the far-focus position by a first step distance to find focus; The buffer image corresponding to each first step distance of the focusing lens is processed to determine whether the contrast of the buffer image has a first inflection point; When the first inflection point occurs, the drive motor is controlled to drive the focusing lens to return one step and move towards the telephoto position with a second step distance, the second step distance being smaller than the first step distance; Process the buffer image corresponding to each second step of the focusing lens to determine whether the contrast of the buffer image shows a second inflection point; and The imaging device is determined to be in focus when the second inflection point occurs. 5. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, when the imaging waiting time is less than the threshold, the control method further includes the following step: Determine whether the imaging device is in focus; and When the imaging device is in focus, the imaging device is controlled to form an image. 6. A control device for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device including an imaging device, characterized in that the imaging device is configured in an automatic exposure mode, and the control device includes: The first judgment module is used to determine whether the imaging device is in focus when an imaging command is received; A determining module is used to determine a threshold for the imaging waiting time based on the current frame rate of the imaging device and a preset number of focusing frames when the imaging device is out of focus; A first control module is configured to control the imaging device to focus when the imaging waiting time is less than the threshold; and A second control module is used to control the imaging device to image when the imaging waiting time is greater than or equal to the threshold. The focusing method is contrast focusing, and the preset focusing frame number is 14 frames or 15 frames. 7. The control device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the control device further comprises: The third control module is used to control the imaging device to form an image when the imaging device is in focus. 8. The control device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the determining module comprises: A first calculation unit is configured to calculate the current frame rate based on the exposure time. The acquisition unit is used to acquire the preset focus frame number; and The second calculation unit is used to calculate the threshold based on the current frame rate and the preset number of focus frames. 9. The control device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the imaging device includes a focusing lens and a motor for driving the focusing lens to move along the optical axis between a near-focal position and a far-focal position to achieve focusing; the first control module includes: A first control unit is used to control the motor to drive the focusing lens to move gradually from the near-focus position to the far-focus position by a first step distance to find focus. A first processing unit is configured to process the cached image corresponding to each step distance of the focusing lens to determine whether the contrast of the cached image has a first inflection point. The second control unit is used to control the drive motor to drive the focusing lens back one step and move towards the telephoto position with a second step distance when the first inflection point occurs, the second step distance being smaller than the first step distance; The second processing unit is used to process the buffer image corresponding to each second step of the focusing lens to determine whether the contrast of the buffer image shows a second inflection point; and A determining unit is configured to determine that the imaging device is in focus when the second inflection point occurs. 10. The control device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the control device further comprises: The second judgment module is used to determine whether the imaging device is in focus; and The fourth control module is used to control the imaging device to form an image when the imaging device is in focus. 11. An electronic device, characterized in that it comprises: Imaging devices; and The control device as described in any one of claims 6-10, wherein the control device is electrically connected to the imaging device.