The present invention relates to a zoom tracking method for digital camera.
Zoom tracking adjusts a camera's focal length continuously, to keep the in-focus state of an image during zoom operation. Zoom tracking is important because we want the subjects always in focus even when we are zooming in or out. In DSC (digital still camera), we want the subjects always in focus in order to shorten the lens moving range while auto focusing. The zoom tracking technique can be implemented using a simple curve traced table-lookup method. We can store several zoom position curves with respect to the in-focus lens position, and move the focus lens position by looking up the position table while moving the zoom lens position.
One zoom tracking method in the prior art is called “Adaptive Zoom Tracking”. This algorithm uses the curve interpolation and estimation techniques. Each curve is divided into the linear and non-linear regions as shown in
Curves between the upper and lower bound are estimated as in Equation (1).
F(k)=F1(k)−R*Dη (1)
where F(k) and F1(k) are the focus position of the estimated and upper bound curves at zoom position k, respectively; R is the curve estimation factor of dƒ/Dƒ, where Dƒ is the difference between focus position of the upper and lower bound curves at the zoom position k, and dƒ is the difference of the focus position between the upper bound and the estimation curve at the same position.
The algorithm initially traces the upper bound curve since the difference between the focus positions of each curve is very small in the linear region; in non-linear region, the curve estimation factor is calculated. Finally, zoom curve interpolation and estimation are performed using the curve estimation method.
However, the adaptive zoom tracking mentioned above only traces the upper bound curve, where the loss of steps will get larger while the curve is closer to the lower bound.
In views of the above-described disadvantages resulted from the prior art, the applicant keeps on carving unflaggingly to develop a wireless mouse according to the present invention through wholehearted experience and research.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a zoom tracking method for digital camera which can reduce size of data while still deliver good image quality.
This invention providing a zoom tracking method for digital camera, the digital camera comprising a focus lens and a zoom lens, comprising: storing a position table comprising data of several zoom position curves respect to positions of said focus lens, and move the focus lens position by looking up said position table while moving said zoom lens position; wherein said curves are divided into a first linear region, a second linear region and a nonlinear region, and said position table comprising a first table for storing data of said first linear region, a second table for storing data of said second linear region and a third table for storing data of said nonlinear region.
In a preferred embodiment, the curves comprising nine zoom positions 1-9 and eight subject positions 1 to 8 and said first linear region comprising the first four zoom positions 1 to 4, said second linear region comprising the middle two zoom positions 5 and 6 and said nonlinear region comprising the last three zoom positions 7 to 9. In said first linear region, the eight subject positions are separated into a lower curve group, a middle curve group and a upper curve group. The lower curve group consisting of the first two subject positions 1 and 2, the middle curve group consisting of the middle four subject positions 3 to 6 and the upper curve group consisting of the last two subject positions 7 and 8.
In a preferred embodiment, the value of the lower curve group is gotten from averaging the values of the first two subject positions 1 and 2, the value of the middle curve group is gotten from averaging the values of the middle four subject positions 3 to 6 and the value of the upper curve group is gotten from averaging the values of the last two subject positions 7 and 8.
In a preferred embodiment, the zoom tracking method for digital camera according to claim 5, wherein the first table comprising data of
(value of said lower curve group+value of said middle curve+value of said upper curve group)*(values of the four zoom positions 1 to 4).
In a preferred embodiment, in said second linear region, the eight subject positions are separated into a bottom curve, a lower curve group, a middle curve group and a upper curve group. The bottom curve consisting of the first subject position 1, said the lower curve group consisting of the subject positions 2 and 3, said middle curve group consisting of the subject positions 4 to 6 and said upper curve group consisting of the subject positions 7 and 8.
In a preferred embodiment, the value of the bottom curve is the value of the subject position 1, the value of said lower curve group is gotten from averaging the values of the subject positions 2 and 3, the value of the middle curve group is gotten from averaging the values of the subject positions 4 to 6 and the value of the upper curve group is gotten from averaging the values of the subject positions 7 and 8.
In a preferred embodiment, the second table comprising data of
(value of said bottom curve+value of said lower curve group+value of said middle curve group+value of said upper curve group)*(values of the two zoom positions 5 and 6).
In a preferred embodiment, in said nonlinear region each value of the eight subject positions 1 to 8 is
value of a lowerbound curve+Dƒ(ds/Ds),
wherein Ds is the difference between the subject positions of an upper and a lower curves; ds is the difference between the subject positions of an estimated and the lower curves at a zoom start point, Dƒ is the difference between the subject positions of the upper bound and the lower curves at current zoom point.
In a preferred embodiment, the third table comprising data of (values of the eight subject positions 1 to 9)*(values of the three zoom positions 7 to 9).
The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
Please refer to
Our goal is to reduce the data while still performing good zoom tracking image quality. We divide the data curve into Linear Region 1, Linear Region 2, and Nonlinear Region, as shown in
In Linear Region 1, we extract the first four zoom positions' focus step from the original data. We will have 4*8=32 data, but we do not store all of them. Instead, we separate eight subject positions into three groups, the lower curve, the middle curve, and the upper curve. The lower curve consists of the first two subject positions, which is 0.4 m and 0.5 m, for nine zoom positions, and the values are gotten from averaging the values of two close subject positions, and both subject positions are set to the same value. The middle curve contains the middle four subject positions, 0.6 m, 0.8 m, 1 m, and 1.5 m. The value is set to the average value. The upper curve contains the last two subject positions, 2.5 m and infinity, and set to the average value. In this way, the original 32 data are reduced to 3 (lower, middle, and upper curve)*4 (zoom positions)=12 data, where 20 data are saved. The three curves are shown in the Linear Region 1 in
Linear Region 2 uses the same concept to divide the data for the middle two zoom positions, which are 2*8=16 data. In this region, data are more dispersed. Therefore, we add one curve, bottom curve, for accuracy. Bottom curve conserves the original data of 0.4 m. Lower curve sets the value by averaging 0.5 m and 0.6 m's focus step. Middle curve contains 0.8 m, 1.0 m, and 1.5 m. Upper curve uses the average value of 2.5 m and infinity. Therefore, only 4 (bottom curve value+lower curve group value+middle curve group value+upper curve group value)*2 (zoom positions)=8 data will be stored in this region, which are 8 data saved. The four curves are shown in the Linear Region 2 in
Once the data of Linear Region I and Linear Region 2 are stored, we can find our zoom tracking focus steps by directly looking up the table. The estimated curve's focus step is obtained by comparing the previous focus step to tables, finding its related focus step index, and getting next zoom position's focus step directly from the table.
In the nonlinear region, all curves are almost separated, so all data of the last three zoom positions are stored. The estimated curve's focus step is set by curve interpolation method in Equation (2).
where Estimated represent the expected focus position we are looking for; LowerBound means the minimum focus position during the experiment; Ds is the difference between the focus positions of the upper and the lower curves; ds is the difference between the focus positions of the estimated and the lower curves at the zoom start point; Dƒ is the difference between the focus positions of the upper bound and the lower curves at current zoom point.
Combining the data of linear region 1, linear region 2 and nonlinear region, the stored data are 12 (first linear region)+8 (second linear region)+8*3 (nonlinear region)=44 data and the original data are 72 data. Therefore, the data is reduced by 44/72=61%, almost ⅓ data are saved.
To summarize, in the lens moving direction from wide-angle to tele-photo, our RZT method is shown to be more accurate than UZT while still shrinking the data size.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.