CN119846799A - Lens device and lens focusing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lens device including a circuit board, an actuator, a lens, a memory and a processor. The circuit board has a temperature sensor and a photosensitive element, and the temperature sensor senses and obtains the ambient temperature. The lens is arranged on the actuator and corresponds to the photosensitive element. The memory stores the compensation temperature and the compensation distance value. The processor is connected to the actuator, the temperature sensor and the memory. When the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature, the processor sequentially outputs a compensation control signal and an autofocus signal, the compensation control signal controls the actuator to drive the lens to continuously move the compensation distance value relative to the photosensitive element, so that the lens moves from the initial position to the compensation position, and the autofocus signal controls the actuator to drive the lens to move a plurality of focus steps from the compensation position to a focus position, and the compensation position is located between the initial position and the focus position.

Description

Lens device and lens focusing method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an optical device, and more particularly, to a lens device and a focusing method thereof.

Background

With the development of technology, lens devices are increasingly commonly used in applications such as personal electronics, automotive, medical fields, etc. for capturing external images. For example, most computer devices (such as notebook or tablet computers) have lens devices to support functions such as photography, network video or face recognition.

However, during the use process of the lens device, each electronic component in the lens device generates heat during operation, which causes the lens device to continuously increase in temperature to cause the position of the lens to shift, so that the focal length of the lens is changed to affect the definition of the display screen.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing, in one embodiment, a lens device is provided and includes a circuit board, an actuator, a lens, a memory, and a processor. The circuit board is provided with a temperature sensor and a photosensitive element, and the temperature sensor senses and obtains the ambient temperature. The actuator is arranged on the circuit board. The lens is arranged on the actuator and corresponds to the photosensitive element, and the lens is positioned at an initial position. The memory stores a compensation temperature and a compensation distance value corresponding to the compensation temperature. The processor is connected to the actuator, the temperature sensor and the memory. When the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature, the processor sequentially outputs a compensation control signal and an automatic focusing signal, wherein the compensation control signal controls the actuator to drive the lens to move the compensation distance value relative to the photosensitive element uninterruptedly, so that the lens moves from the initial position to the compensation position, the automatic focusing signal controls the actuator to drive the lens to move a plurality of focusing steps from the compensation position to a focusing position, and the compensation position is positioned between the initial position and the focusing position.

In another embodiment, a lens focusing method includes sensing an ambient temperature with a temperature sensor, determining whether the ambient temperature is equal to a compensation temperature with the compensation temperature corresponding to a compensation distance value by a processor, outputting a compensation control signal when the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature, the compensation control signal controlling an actuator to drive a lens to move the compensation distance value uninterruptedly relative to a photosensitive element to move the lens from an initial position to a compensation position, and outputting an autofocus signal controlling the actuator to drive the lens to move a plurality of focusing steps from the compensation position to a focusing position between the initial position and the focusing position.

In summary, according to the lens device and the lens focusing method of the embodiments of the invention, when the ambient temperature is changed to a compensation temperature, the processor outputs the compensation control signal to control the actuator to drive the lens to move a compensation distance value continuously, and then the processor outputs the auto-focusing signal to control the actuator to drive the lens to move a plurality of focusing steps to perform auto-focusing, so that the lens device can automatically adjust the position to perform focusing and greatly shorten the focusing time when the temperature is changed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a lens device of the present application.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a lens device of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a lens device of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a hardware block diagram of a lens apparatus according to an embodiment of the application.

Fig. 5 is a focusing graph of a known lens.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating steps of an embodiment of a lens focusing method according to the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic compensation diagram of an embodiment of a lens apparatus according to the present application.

Fig. 8 is a focusing diagram of an embodiment of a lens device of the present application.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating steps of another embodiment of a lens focusing method according to the present application.

Symbol description:

1, a lens device;

10, a circuit board;

a processor;

A temperature sensor;

13, a memory;

14, a photosensitive element;

an actuator;

21, shaft hole;

30 lens

40, A hollow base;

41 an inner space;

42, opening;

50,51, focusing curve;

A is an optical axis;

P is an initial position;

Compensating position;

F, F1 is a focusing position;

S01-S07.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a lens device according to the present application, fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a lens device according to the present application, fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a lens device according to the present application, and fig. 4 is a hardware block diagram of an embodiment of a lens device according to the present application. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the lens device 1 of the present embodiment includes a circuit board 10, an actuator 20, a lens 30, a memory 13, and a processor 11. In some embodiments, the lens apparatus 1 can be applied to various electronic products to obtain images of the surroundings of the electronic products. For example, the lens device 1 can be applied to mobile devices (such as smart phones, tablet computers or notebook computers), automotive products (such as car recorders, back-up developing systems or panoramic image systems), or electronic products such as cameras.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the circuit board 10 has a temperature sensor 12 and a photosensitive element 14 thereon. In some embodiments, the photosensitive element 14 may be a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor, CMOS), or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor active pixel sensor (CMOS Active pixel sensor). In some embodiments, the temperature sensor 12 may be a thermistor or thermocouple, and the temperature sensor 12 is configured to sense an ambient temperature.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the actuator 20 is disposed on the circuit board 10, the lens 30 is disposed on the actuator 20 and located at an initial position, and the position of the lens 30 corresponds to the position of the photosensitive element 14, so that external light can be intensively irradiated to the photosensitive element 14 after being incident from the lens 30, and the photosensitive element 14 can sense and acquire external images.

In some embodiments, the Actuator 20 may be a Voice Coil Motor (Voice Coil Motor), a stepper Motor (Stepping Motor), or a piezoelectric Actuator (Piezo Actuator), and the Actuator 20 is used to drive the lens 30 to move relative to the photosensitive element 14, so as to adjust the relative positions of the lens 30 and the photosensitive element 14.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the memory 13 stores at least one compensation temperature and a compensation distance value corresponding to the compensation temperature. For example, the memory 13 may store a plurality of compensation temperatures above normal temperature, such as a plurality of compensation temperatures including 30 degrees, 35 degrees, 40 degrees, 45 degrees, 50 degrees, and the like. Furthermore, the memory 13 stores, for each compensation temperature, a corresponding compensation distance value, for example, a compensation distance value of 9.35 micrometers (um) for 30 degrees, a compensation distance value of 18.24 micrometers for 35 degrees, a compensation distance value of 26.48 micrometers for 40 degrees, that is, the higher the compensation temperature, the larger the corresponding compensation distance value thereof, and so on.

In some embodiments, the Memory 13 may be a fixed or removable random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), read-Only Memory (ROM), flash Memory (Flash Memory), hard disk, or other similar device, or a combination of these devices.

As shown in fig. 2 to 4, the processor 11 is connected to the actuator 20, the temperature sensor 12 and the memory 13, so that the processor 11 can obtain the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 12 and the compensation temperature and compensation distance value stored in the memory 13, and the processor 11 can output a signal to control the actuator 20 to drive the lens 30 to move relative to the photosensitive element 14.

In some embodiments, the Processor 11 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU) composed of a single core or multiple cores, or other programmable general purpose or special purpose Microprocessor (Microprocessor), digital signal Processor (Digita 1 sign 1 Processor, DSP), programmable controller, application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), programmable Logic Device (Programmab e Logic Device, PLD), or other similar Device.

In some embodiments, the processor 11 may be connected to the actuator 20, the temperature sensor 12, and the memory 13 by wired or wireless means. In addition, the processor 11 may also be directly or indirectly connected to the actuator 20, the temperature sensor 12 and the memory 13.

Fig. 5 is a focusing chart of a conventional lens, and fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating steps of an embodiment of a lens focusing method according to the present application. Firstly, referring to fig. 5, in the Auto Focus (Auto Focus) mode of the conventional lens, the lens is controlled to move a plurality of steps to a plurality of different positions, and the lens stays for a period of time when moving to the different positions, and a Focus value (Focus value) corresponding to each position is calculated by an algorithm, so as to obtain the definition of the image captured by the current lens at each position, wherein the position with the highest definition of the image is the Focus position.

For example, as shown in fig. 5, in the case that the ambient temperature does not change, a focusing curve 50 is generated during auto-focusing, in this figure, the X axis represents the Dac values (here, 0 to 27 Dac) corresponding to the lens position, and the Y axis represents the focusing values (here, 0.1 to 0.9), wherein the focusing curve 50 shows a maximum focusing value of 0.8, and the maximum focusing value corresponds to the lens position, i.e., the focusing position F. Assuming that the moving step distance of the lens in the auto-focusing process is 1Dac, 15 steps are required for moving the lens from the initial position P to the focusing position F, and the focusing value must be stopped and calculated every one step.

As shown in fig. 6, the lens focusing method according to the embodiment of the application includes steps S01 to S04, and the following hardware structure is disclosed in comparison with the lens apparatus 1. In step S01, an ambient temperature is sensed by the temperature sensor 12, wherein the ambient temperature may refer to the temperature of the environment in which the temperature sensor 12 is located, for example, referring to fig. 2 and 3, in the present embodiment, a hollow base 40 is disposed on the circuit board 10, the hollow base 40 has an inner space 41, one end of the lens 30 is adjacent to the inner space 41, the temperature sensor 12 and the photosensitive element 14 are both located in the inner space 41, and the ambient temperature is the temperature of the inner space 41. In some embodiments, the temperature sensor 12 may also be disposed outside the hollow base 40 to sense the ambient temperature surrounding the lens 30.

In addition, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, in the present embodiment, the processor 11 and the memory 13 are disposed outside the hollow base 40, but this is not a limitation, and in some embodiments, at least one of the processor 11 and the memory 13 may be disposed in the inner space 41 of the hollow base 40, or the processor 11 and the memory 13 may not be disposed on the circuit board 10.

As shown in fig. 6, step S02 may follow step S01 in that the processor 11 determines whether the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature. Specifically, referring to fig. 1 to 4, in the use process of the lens apparatus 1, each electronic component therein generates heat during operation to cause the temperature sensor 12 to detect the gradual increase of the ambient temperature, the processor 11 can determine whether the ambient temperature reaches a certain compensation temperature stored in the memory 13, if yes, the step S03 is performed, and if no, the processor 11 continues to perform the determination.

As shown in fig. 6, when the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature, the processor 11 outputs a compensation control signal in step S03. The compensation control signal can control the actuator 20 to drive the lens 30 to move the compensation distance value relative to the photosensitive element 14 uninterruptedly, so that the lens 30 moves from the initial position P to the compensation position C.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 5 and 7, when the ambient temperature increases due to the operation of the lens apparatus 1, the focusing curve 50 is shifted to become another focusing curve 51 (as shown in fig. 7), so that the original focusing position F becomes the focusing position F1 and is further away from the initial position P of the lens 30, resulting in a longer focusing time of the lens 30. For example, in the present embodiment, assuming that the moving step of the lens 30 is 1Dac, when the ambient temperature increases, 22 steps are required to move the lens 30 from the initial position P to the focusing position F1, and more than 15 steps are required to move the lens 30 from the initial position P to the focusing position F.

Based on the above, please refer to fig. 3 to 8, in step S03 of the present embodiment, assuming that the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 12 is 25 degrees when the lens 30 is at the initial position P, when the ambient temperature increases to reach the compensation temperature (e.g. 30 degrees) stored in the memory 13 due to the operation of the lens apparatus 1, the processor 11 outputs a compensation control signal, and the compensation control signal can immediately control the actuator 20 to drive the lens 30 to move the compensation distance value (e.g. 9.35 micrometers corresponding to 30 degrees) corresponding to the compensation temperature without interruption, so that the lens 30 moves from the initial position P to the compensation position C, wherein the compensation position C may be the initial position (e.g. fig. 7) of the other focusing curve 51 or other positions between the initial position and the focusing position F1. As shown in fig. 7, the above-mentioned "uninterrupted movement" means that the lens 30 does not stay during the movement from the initial position P to the compensation position C, and thus the focus value of the lens 30 during the movement is not calculated.

Next, as shown in fig. 6, after step S03, step S04 is performed, in which the processor 11 outputs an autofocus signal, the autofocus signal controls the actuator 20 to drive the lens 30 to move a plurality of focusing steps from the compensating position C to the focusing position F1, and the compensating position C is located between the initial position and the focusing position F1. That is, as shown in fig. 8, compared with the conventional auto-focusing process, the initial position of the auto-focusing process of the lens 30 of the present embodiment is changed from the initial position P to the compensating position C (as shown by the focusing curve 51 in fig. 8), so that the lens 30 is assumed to have a focusing step distance of 1Dac in the auto-focusing process, and only 15 steps are required to move the lens 30 from the initial position P to the focusing position F1 in case of increasing the ambient temperature, so that the time for staying and calculating the focusing value is greatly reduced, for example, the total focusing time of the lens 30 (i.e. the time for executing the steps S03 and S04) of the present embodiment is reduced to at least 0.2 seconds, so that the lens device 1 can automatically adjust the position for focusing and greatly reduce the focusing time when the temperature is changed.

Specifically, in step S03, the lens 30 is moved from the initial position P to the compensation position C in an "uninterrupted manner", and in step S04, the lens 30 is moved from the compensation position C to the focus position F1 in a "stepwise manner", so that the average speed of the lens 30 in the process of being moved from the initial position P to the compensation position C is greater than the average speed of being moved from the compensation position C to the focus position F1, and the focus movement time of the lens 30 from the initial position P to the focus position F1 can be greatly shortened.

In addition, referring to fig. 3 and 6, in the present embodiment, one side of the hollow base 40 is fixed on the circuit board 10, the other side of the hollow base 40 has an opening 42, the position of the photosensitive element 14 corresponds to the position of the opening 42, the actuator 20 is disposed on one side of the hollow base 40 having the opening 42, the actuator 20 is annular and has a shaft hole 21, the shaft hole 21 is connected to the opening 42 of the hollow base 40, the lens 30 is assembled in the shaft hole 21 of the actuator 20 to cover the opening 42 of the hollow base 40, wherein the lens 30 has an optical axis a, and in the step S03 and the step S04, the movement of the actuator 20 to drive the lens 30 is along the direction of the optical axis a.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of steps of another embodiment of the lens focusing method of the present application, as shown in fig. 9, in this embodiment, before the step S01, the processor 11 may enter a sleep mode (step S05). For example, the processor 11 may enter a sleep mode or an awake mode, for example, the processor 11 may be set to enter the sleep mode when the lens device 1 is not used for a predetermined time (e.g. 1 minute or 5 minutes), and the processor 11 may switch from the sleep mode to the awake mode when the lens device 1 receives the operation signal. Or when the lens device 1 is applied to a notebook computer, the processor 11 can enter a sleep mode when the notebook computer is closed so as to save energy, and when the notebook computer is opened, the processor 11 is switched from the sleep mode to an awake mode.

As shown in fig. 9, after the processor 11 enters the sleep mode (step S05), the temperature sensor 12 continuously detects and obtains the ambient temperature (step S01), and the processor 11 continuously receives the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 12 (step S06) to obtain the current ambient temperature at any time.

As shown in fig. 9, after step S06, it is then determined whether the processor 11 enters the wake-up mode (step S07), for example, if the lens device 1 does not receive the operation signal, the processor 11 is continuously in the sleep mode, so that the temperature sensor 12 continues to detect and acquire the ambient temperature. When the processor 11 enters the wake-up mode from the sleep mode, the processor 11 executes the steps S02-S04, that is, the processor 11 does not determine whether the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature when entering the sleep mode, so as to reduce the power consumption of the processor 11.

In addition, as shown in fig. 9, in the sleep mode, the processor 11 in this embodiment continuously detects and obtains the ambient temperature through the temperature sensor 12 in advance, but does not begin to sense the ambient temperature until the processor 11 enters the wake-up mode, so when the processor 11 enters the wake-up mode, it can immediately judge whether the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature by comparing the latest ambient temperature, and when the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature, it can immediately output the compensation control signal and the auto-focusing signal in sequence, so that the lens device 1 can quickly complete focusing, and further reduce focusing time.

In summary, according to the lens apparatus 1 and the lens focusing method of the embodiments of the application, when the processor 11 is at the temperature equal to the compensation temperature, the processor 11 outputs the compensation control signal to control the actuator 20 to drive the lens 30 to move the compensation distance value relative to the photosensitive element 14 uninterruptedly, and then the processor 11 outputs the auto-focusing signal to control the actuator 20 to drive the lens 30 to move a plurality of focusing steps for auto-focusing, so that the lens apparatus 1 can automatically adjust the position for focusing and greatly shorten the focusing time when the temperature is changed.

Although the present application has been described with respect to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present application is not limited thereto, and that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the application.

Claims (10)

1. A lens device, comprising: The circuit board has a temperature sensor and a photosensitive element, wherein the temperature sensor senses and obtains the ambient temperature; an actuator, disposed on the circuit board; A lens, disposed on the actuator and corresponding to the photosensitive element, and the lens is located at an initial position; a memory, storing a compensation temperature and a compensation distance value corresponding to the compensation temperature; and a processor connected to the actuator, the temperature sensor and the memory; When the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature, the processor sequentially outputs a compensation control signal and an autofocus signal, wherein the compensation control signal controls the actuator to drive the lens to continuously move the compensation distance value relative to the photosensitive element so that the lens moves from the initial position to the compensation position, and the autofocus signal controls the actuator to drive the lens to move a plurality of focus steps from the compensation position to the focus position, and the compensation position is located between the initial position and the focus position. 2. The lens device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor can selectively enter a sleep mode or a wake-up mode, and when the processor is in the sleep mode, the temperature sensor continuously detects and obtains the ambient temperature; when the processor is in the wake-up mode, the processor determines whether the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature. 3. The lens device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a hollow base is provided on the circuit board, the hollow base has an internal space, the temperature sensor and the photosensitive element are located in the internal space, and the ambient temperature is the temperature of the internal space. 4 . The lens device according to claim 1 , wherein an average speed at which the initial position moves to the compensation position is greater than an average speed at which the compensation position moves to the focus position. 5 . The lens device according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a voice coil motor. 6. A lens focusing method, comprising: (a) obtaining the ambient temperature by using a temperature sensor; (b) determining, by a processor, whether the ambient temperature is equal to a compensation temperature, wherein the compensation temperature corresponds to a compensation distance value; (c) when the ambient temperature is equal to the compensation temperature, the processor outputs a compensation control signal, wherein the compensation control signal controls the actuator to drive the lens to continuously move the compensation distance value relative to the photosensitive element, so that the lens moves from an initial position to a compensation position; and (d) The processor outputs an auto-focus signal, wherein the auto-focus signal controls the actuator to drive the lens to move from the compensation position to a focus position by a plurality of focus steps, and the compensation position is located between the initial position and the focus position. 7. The lens focusing method as described in claim 6 is characterized in that the processor can selectively enter a sleep mode or a wake-up mode, and before the step (a), the processor enters the sleep mode, and before the step (b), the processor continuously receives the ambient temperature, and in the step (b), the processor has entered the wake-up mode from the sleep mode. 8 . The lens focusing method according to claim 6 , wherein the temperature sensor and the photosensitive element are located in an inner space of a hollow base, and the ambient temperature is the temperature of the inner space. 9 . The lens focusing method according to claim 6 , wherein an average speed at which the initial position moves to the compensation position is greater than an average speed at which the compensation position moves to the focusing position. 10 . The lens focusing method according to claim 6 , wherein the actuator is a voice coil motor.