An image pickup apparatus includes a first focus detection circuit configured to calculate an evaluation value indicative of a contrast based on an image pickup signal output by an image pickup device, a second focus detection circuit configured to perform focus detection based on phase difference detection to output a defocus amount of an image-acquiring optical system including a focus lens, and a control circuit configured to control a focusing operation of detecting a position of the focus lens where the evaluation value is indicative of an extreme value based on an output from the first focus detection circuit. Based on the defocus amount output by the second focus detection circuit, the control circuit controls initial position driving of the focus lens executed before the focusing operation is performed.

The present invention provides an imaging device and a focusing control method capable of performing reliability determination of a phase difference AF at high speed. A phase difference AF processing unit (19) performs a correlation operation with respect to detection signal groups in first pairs P1, and performs a correlation operation with respect to detection signal groups in second pairs P2. A system control unit (11) compares a difference between a first correlation amount M1 which is a minimum correlation amount between the detection signal groups in the first pairs P1, among obtained results of the correlation operation with respect to the first pairs P1 and a second correlation amount M2 which is a minimum correlation amount between the detection signal groups in the second pairs P2, among obtained results of the correlation operation with respect to the second pairs P2 with a threshold value TH, to thereby determine a reliability of a focusing control based on the phase difference AF method.

A lens module for autofocus of a camera in passive mode includes a lens barrel containing a first lens, a second lens, a pressure sensor, an image sensor, and a processor. In the passive autofocus mode, the first lens is located at a first end of the lens barrel and moves within the lens barrel when a distance to a target object changes. The pressure sensor between the first and the second lenses senses both pulling and pushing pressures which the first lens applies. The image sensor is adjacent to an end of the lens barrel and is behind the first and second lenses. The processor can apply formulas to calculate a distance between the target object and the lens module.

Disclosed are an electronic device and a method of controlling the same. An electronic device includes: a camera; a sensor module; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to determine at least one of a movement of the electronic device and a movement of an object in images acquired by the camera, determine, based on the movement of the electronic device or the movement of the object, an output period for light outputted by the sensor module, and determine depth information of the images based on reflected light corresponding to the outputted light received by the camera.

The present invention provides an imaging device and a focusing control method capable of reliably preventing the accuracy of a focusing control from being lowered even in a case where a signal level of a phase difference detection pixel is low. A system control unit (11) calculates, using detections signals of phase difference detection pixels (52A, 52B) obtained by each of two instances of imaging which are consecutively performed by an imaging element (5), first defocus amounts for each instance of imaging, adds up detection signals corresponding to the detection signals of the phase difference detection pixels (52), among captured image signals obtained by each of two instances of imaging, calculates a second defocus amount using signals after addition, and compares the plural of first defocus amounts and the second defocus amount to determine whether to perform a focusing control based on the second defocus amount.

In an automatic focus adjustment apparatus, a setting unit sets, on an image sensor, a first range in which defocus information is detected using a phase difference detection and a second range in which a focus state is detected using a contrast detection. The second range is set so as to include the first range. In a case where the second range is detected by the contrast detection as being in an in-focus state, a control unit changes a control mode into a predetermined control mode in which the driving of the focus lens is limited according to the defocus information in the first range detected by the phase difference detection.

An phase detect (PD) module including a phase detect (PD) lens, PD image sensor, and a PD controller is disclosed. The PD module may be configured to provide a control signal to an electromechanical device, such as a voice coil motor (VCM), of an image capture module to move a lens assembly to focus an image of an object to be imaged onto a primary image sensor. The PD module may direct the capture of a PD image by the PD image sensor and perform a phase detect (PD) technique on the captured AF image to identify a focus point of the lens assembly. This determined focus point may be used to displace the lens assembly relative to the primary image sensor to achieve focus of the object onto the primary image sensor.

A focusing method and a focusing system based on a distance sensor of mobile terminal is provided. The method may include: acquiring an initial distance between a camera and an object to be shot by using the distance sensor; judging whether the distance between the camera and the object changed; in response to judging that the distance changed, acquiring a micro-adjustment range of a motor according to the distance; controlling the motor to move based on the micro-adjustment ranges; collecting images from the camera in a real-time manner; acquiring focus values of the collected images; and moving the motor to a position corresponding to a largest focus value of the focus values to focus the camera.

An optical element driving mechanism is provided. The optical element driving mechanism includes a movable portion, a fixed portion, a driving assembly, and a support assembly. The movable portion is used for connecting to an optical element. The movable portion may move relative to the fixed portion. The driving assembly is used for driving the movable portion to move relative to the fixed portion. The movable portion is movable relative to the fixed portion through the support assembly.

An apparatus executes the instructions to create a combined image by performing combining processing using a plurality of images of an object captured at different focus positions in an optical axis direction, and acquire contrast values of the plurality of images. A depth of field of the combined image is deeper than a depth of field of each of the plurality of images. The at least one processor further executes instructions to calculate a combining ratio used in the combining processing using the contrast values of the plurality of images. An image in which the object is not in focus among the plurality of images is determined using the contrast values of the plurality of images, and the determined image is not used in the combining processing.