KR20150074727A - Electronic device and method for controlling of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A control method of an electronic device and an electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention sets a reference time for receiving reflected light and extracts a specific attribute value of a region of interest using reflected light received in a region of interest of the image sensor during a set reference exposure time , And determines whether the extracted specific attribute value is included in a predetermined range, and controls the image sensor to adjust the reference exposure time when the extracted specific attribute value is out of the predetermined range.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a control method of an electronic device and an electronic device,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera module, an electronic device, and a control method of an electronic device using a time-of-flight (TOF) method.

An image generated using a TOF (Time Of Flight) type camera is generated by calculating a phase difference between an irradiation light (for example, an infrared ray signal) and reflected light reflected from a subject for each frame during an integration time do.

However, when the camera or the object moves for a time shorter than the exposure time and the phase of the reflected light changes, or when strong reflected light is received, an inaccurate depth value is calculated, which causes a blur in the image have.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera module for automatically controlling exposure of a TOF-type camera, an electronic device, and a control method of the electronic device.

In order to achieve the above object, a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an image sensor for receiving reflected light and a reference time integration time for receiving reflected light, Extracts a specific attribute value of the region of interest using the reflected light received in the region, determines whether the extracted specific attribute value is included in a predetermined range, and if the extracted specific attribute value is out of a predetermined range, And a control unit for controlling the image sensor to adjust the image sensor.

The control unit may set the predetermined range to be not less than a specific attribute value corresponding to the minimum exposure time of the reflected light capable of calculating a valid depth value, and less than a specific attribute value corresponding to the maximum exposure time of reflected light capable of calculating a valid depth value Can be set.

The control unit may increase the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value is less than the specific attribute value corresponding to the minimum exposure time.

The control unit may reduce the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value exceeds a specific attribute value corresponding to the maximum exposure time.

Here, the specific attribute value of the ROI may include at least one of an average of the magnitude of the received signal of the ROI, a standard deviation of the time axis with respect to the ROI depth value, and a standard deviation of the spatial axis with respect to the depth value of the ROI have.

If the control unit extracts two or more of the standard deviation of the spatial axis for the depth value of the ROI and the standard deviation of the time axis for the depth value of the ROI, , Weights of two or more specific attribute values may be combined and combined to generate a final attribute value, and it may be determined whether the final attribute value is out of a predetermined range.

The control unit can weight two or more specific attribute values in consideration of accuracy and real-time property.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus including an image sensor that receives reflected light during a predetermined reference exposure time, And a sub-controller for calculating a depth value, and a camera module for setting a region of interest of the image sensor using the signal magnitude or depth value of the reflected light received from the region of interest of the image sensor calculated by the sub- And a controller for controlling the image sensor to extract a specific attribute value, determine whether the extracted specific attribute value is included in a predetermined range, and adjust the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value is out of a predetermined range .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an electronic device, including: setting a reference time (integration time); receiving reflected light during a reference exposure time in an image sensor; Extracting a specific attribute value using the reflected light received during the reference exposure time in the ROI, determining whether the extracted specific attribute value is included in a predetermined range, And controlling the image sensor to adjust the reference exposure time when the extracted specific attribute value is out of a predetermined range.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by automatically adjusting the exposure time of the TOF camera using the magnitude of the reflected wave signal or the depth value generated by the reflected wave signal, blur of the image can be removed and accuracy of distance data calculation can be improved have.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of a camera module related to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 to 4 are flowcharts of a method of controlling an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 to 10 are views for explaining a control method of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and similarities. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. In addition, numerals (e.g., first, second, etc.) used in the description of the present invention are merely an identifier for distinguishing one component from another.

Hereinafter, electronic devices related to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and "part" for components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The electronic devices described herein may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), and navigation.

However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to fixed terminals such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like, except when it is applicable only to an electronic device.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The electronic device 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory unit 160, An interface unit 170, a control unit 180, a power supply unit 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and an electronic device having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the electronic device 100 and the wireless communication system or between the electronic device 100 and the network in which the electronic device 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information generated in advance and transmitting the broadcast signals and / or broadcast- related information to electronic devices. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of a DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of a DVBH (Digital Video BroadcastHandheld).

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals using various broadcasting systems. In particular, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a digital multimedia broadcasting broadcasting (DMBT), a digital multimedia broadcasting satellite (DMBS), a media forward link only (MediaFLO), a digital video broadcasting ), And ISDBT (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems that provide broadcast signals as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory unit 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless Internet access, and the wireless Internet module 113 can be embedded in the electronic device 100 or externally. WLAN (WiFi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as the short distance communication technology.

The position information module 115 is a module for confirming or obtaining the position of the electronic device. A typical example of the location information module is a GPS (Global Position System) module. According to the current technology, the GPS module 115 calculates information on a distance (distance) from three or more satellites to one point (entity), information on the time when the distance information is measured, , Three-dimensional position information according to latitude, longitude, and altitude of one point (individual) in one hour can be calculated. Further, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting the error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is also used. The GPS module 115 continues to calculate the current position in real time and uses it to calculate speed information.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display module 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory unit 160 or may be transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ Two or more cameras 121 may be provided according to the configuration of the electronic device.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control operation of the electronic device. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the electronic device 100, such as the open / close state of the electronic device 100, the position of the electronic device 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the electronic device, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the electronic device 100. For example, when the electronic device 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, it may be responsible for a sensing function related to whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include an orientation sensor 141 and / or a proximity sensor.

The output unit 150 is for generating output related to visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display module 151, an acoustic output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154 .

The display module 151 displays and outputs information processed in the electronic device 100. For example, when the electronic device is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with the call is displayed. When the electronic device 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display module 151 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, a flexible display, a 3D display And may include at least one.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This may be referred to as a transparent display. A typical example of the transparent display is a transparent LCD or the like. The rear structure of the display module 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the electronic device body through the area occupied by the display module 151 of the electronic device body.

There may be two or more display modules 151 according to the embodiment of the electronic device 100. [ For example, in the electronic device 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another or may be disposed integrally with each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

In a case where the display module 151 and the sensor for sensing the touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') have a mutual layer structure (hereinafter referred to as 'touch screen' It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display module 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display module 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display module 151 is touched or the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor may be disposed in an inner area of an electronic device to be wrapped by the touch screen or in the vicinity of the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor.

And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch & The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory unit 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 outputs sound signals associated with functions (e.g., call signal reception tones, message reception tones, etc.) performed in the electronic device 100. The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the electronic device 100. Examples of events that occur in electronic devices include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or audio signal may also be output through the display module 151 or the audio output module 152.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may be configured to perform various functions such as an effect of stimulation by a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to a contact skin surface, an effect of stimulation by air spraying force or suction force through a jet opening or a suction opening, A variety of tactile effects such as an effect of stimulation through contact of an electrode, an effect of stimulation by an electrostatic force, and an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using a heat absorbing or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to feel the tactile effect through the muscles of the user's finger or arm. At least two haptic modules 154 may be provided according to the configuration of the electronic device 100.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory unit 160 may store data related to vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory unit 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory) At least one of a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read- Lt; / RTI > type of storage medium. The electronic device 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory unit 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the electronic device 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or receives power from the external device to transfer the data to the respective components in the electronic device 100 or to transmit data in the electronic device 100 to an external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the usage right of the electronic device 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Thus, the identification device can be connected to the electronic device 100 through the port.

When the electronic device 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which electric power from the cradle is supplied to the electronic device 100 or various command signals input from the cradle by the user It can be a passage to the device. Various command signals input from the cradle or the power source may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the electronic device is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The control unit 180 typically controls the overall operation of the electronic device. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing functions. In some cases such embodiments may be implemented using a controller 180 < / RTI >

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that perform at least one function or operation. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. Also, the software codes may be stored in the memory unit 160 and executed by the control unit 180. [

2 is a block diagram of a camera module related to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the camera (or the camera module 121, hereinafter referred to as a 'camera module') may include an image sensor 121a and a sub-controller 121b . The image sensor 121a includes a plurality of cells, and each cell may include a receptor for receiving reflected light. Each receptor may have an in-phase receptor, an out-phase receptor pair, or a 4-phase receptor.

The sub control unit 121b can calculate the signal size or the depth value of the reflected light by using the reflected light received by the image sensor 121a.

In addition, the camera module 121 may include the image sensor 121a and the control unit (180 of FIG. 1), and may perform the functions of the sub-control unit 121b together in the control unit. That is, the camera module 121 may be provided with a separate sub-control unit 121b for performing a specific function of analyzing the reflected light, or may be configured to integrally perform the functions of the sub-control unit in the control unit.

The control unit 180 of FIG. 1 may set a reference time for receiving the reflected light and may extract a specific attribute value of the region of interest using the reflected light received in the region of interest of the image sensor during the set reference exposure time . The region of interest may be defined as an area for receiving reflected light for an object of interest in the image sensor 121a, and a user may select and set a specific region.

At this time, the specific attribute value of the ROI may include at least one of an average of a size of a received signal of the ROI, a standard deviation of a time axis with respect to a depth value of the ROI, and a standard deviation of a spatial axis with respect to a depth value of the ROI .

If two or more of the standard deviations of the spatial axes with respect to the depth values of the ROIs are extracted as the specific property values of the ROIs, More than one specific attribute value can be weighted and combined to generate the final attribute value.

The control unit can weight two or more specific attribute values in consideration of accuracy and priority among real-time properties. Specifically, when accuracy is required, a weight can be added to the standard deviation of the time axis with respect to the depth value of the ROI, and when the real time property is required, the standard deviation of the spatial axis with respect to the depth value of the ROI, Can be given.

The controller may determine whether the extracted specific attribute value is included in a predetermined range, and may control the image sensor to adjust the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value is out of a predetermined range.

Specifically, the control unit (180 in FIG. 1) sets a specific attribute corresponding to the maximum exposure time of reflected light capable of calculating a valid depth value, which is greater than or equal to a specific attribute value corresponding to the minimum exposure time of reflected light capable of calculating a valid depth value A predetermined range can be set in a range of not more than a value. Here, the specific attribute value corresponding to each of the minimum exposure time or the maximum exposure time of the reflected light capable of calculating the effective depth value is a preset value at the time of manufacturing the camera module 121, Can be determined through experiments. The specific attribute value corresponding to each of the minimum exposure time or the maximum exposure time of the reflected light capable of calculating the effective depth value can be set in consideration of the relationship with other components after the camera module 121 is manufactured. The specific attribute value corresponding to each of the minimum exposure time or the maximum exposure time of reflected light capable of calculating a valid depth value can be stored in a memory (160 in FIG. 1) as a table.

If the extracted specific attribute value is less than the specific attribute value corresponding to the minimum exposure time, the control unit increases the reference exposure time. If the extracted specific attribute value exceeds the specific attribute value corresponding to the maximum exposure time, Can be reduced.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIGS. 3 to 4 are flowcharts of a method of controlling an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 to 10 are views for explaining a method of controlling an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the control unit 180 of FIG. 1 sets the reference time integration time (S110) and receives the reflected light (S210). Specifically, the control unit 180 of FIG. 1 may receive the reflected light through the image sensor during the set reference exposure time.

Next, the control unit (180 in FIG. 1) sets an area of interest of the image sensor (S130) and extracts a specific attribute value (x) of the area of interest (S140). The region of interest can be set to the cell region of the image sensor that contains the object of interest and can be set automatically by the object automatic detection method.

Here, as described above, the specific attribute value x of the ROI includes the average of the magnitude of the received signal of the ROI, the standard deviation of the time axis with respect to the depth value of the ROI, and the standard deviation of the spatial axis with respect to the depth value of the ROI , And if two or more are extracted as specific attribute values of the region of interest, weights may be assigned to two or more specific attribute values, and then the combined values may be defined as specific attribute values.

The control unit 180 of FIG. 1 can determine whether the specific attribute value x is included in the predetermined range (S150). If the determination result is within the predetermined range (YES) (S170).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the specific attribute value x is not included in the predetermined range (NO), the control unit 180 of FIG. 1 may control the image sensor to adjust the set reference exposure time ).

Referring to FIG. 4, if the specific attribute value x is not included in the predetermined range as a result of the determination (No in FIG. 1), the control unit 180 determines that the specific attribute value x is a valid depth value It is possible to determine whether the value is less than a specific attribute value corresponding to the minimum exposure time of the reflected light (S155).

If the control unit determines that the specific attribute value x is less than the specific attribute value corresponding to the minimum exposure time (Yes), the control unit increments the set reference exposure time (S162), and if the specific attribute value x corresponds to the minimum exposure time If it is determined that the specific attribute value x is not less than the specific attribute value, that is, if it is determined that the specific attribute value x exceeds the specific attribute value corresponding to the maximum exposure time (No), the set reference exposure time may be decreased (S164) .

Accordingly, the controller can adjust the reference exposure time by comparing the specific attribute values of the ROI measured in the case of the set reference exposure time with the specific property values in the minimum / maximum exposure time.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, a principle of measuring a distance in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail, and with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, Explain how to control the exposure time in electronic devices.

5, the electronic apparatus 100 irradiates infrared rays through the light emitting diode 212 toward a user U, which is a subject positioned in front of the user, and detects reflected light of infrared rays emitted through the image sensor 222 .

The electronic device 100 can calculate the distance of the user U, which is a subject, using the reflected light sensed through the image sensor 222. [ For example, the image sensor 222 senses the reflected light, and the control unit (180 in FIG. 1) of the electronic device 100 can calculate the distance using the amount of light corresponding to the phases of the irradiated infrared and reflected light.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control unit 180 of FIG. 1 may detect the irradiated light and the reflected light during the predetermined intergation time, and may apply the 4-phase control signal.

The control unit 180 of FIG. 1 calculates the light amount of the reflected light according to the 4-phased control signal, and substitutes the light amount of the reflected light according to the 4-phase control signal into the standardized formula to calculate the distance d of the subject Can be calculated.

Referring to FIG. 7, reflected light can be sensed through each pixel of the image sensor. Each pixel of the image sensor is composed of a PN junction semiconductor device, and the reception of the reflected light can be turned on / off according to a control signal input to the gate terminal.

Each pixel of the image sensor receives the reflected light to the first area A from the time of receiving the control signal for turning on the gate terminal to the time of receiving the control signal for turning off the gate terminal, The electrons generated in the first region A can be accumulated in the second region B. [

The controller can determine the minimum exposure time and the maximum exposure time of the reflected light capable of calculating the effective depth value as the time range in which electrons generated in the first area A can be accumulated in the second area B. [

Referring to FIG. 8, the controller (180 in FIG. 1) is a diagram for explaining an embodiment in which an average of signal magnitudes of reflected signals is set as a specific attribute value.

The average of the signal magnitudes of the reflected light of each cell of the image sensor is given by the average of the signals A ₀ , A ₁ , A ₂ and A ₃ of the reflected light corresponding to the 4-phase of the emitted signal, Can be calculated as shown in Equation (1).

Assuming that the average (x) of the signal magnitudes of the reflected light is a random value that is a result of measuring the physical distance d between the image sensor and the subject, the average x of the signal magnitudes of the reflected light is expressed by the following equation (X), which is the same as the probability distribution function (f _x (x)).

Here, x _m = d ± α, and, α is the delay value applied to the image sensor at a particular time, and σ _d = e ^ad, a is a constant of less than zero or more "1", d is zero And a constant of at least 7.5 meters.

Accordingly, when the specific property value x is the average of the reflected light signal magnitudes (x _m ), the average (x _m ) of the reflected light signal magnitudes is larger than the average of the reflected light signal magnitudes corresponding to the minimum exposure time, The reference exposure time can be controlled so as to be kept below the average of the corresponding reflected light signal magnitude.

Referring to FIG. 9, the controller (180 in FIG. 1) is a diagram for explaining an embodiment in which the standard deviation of the time base with respect to the depth value of the ROI is set as a specific property value.

Specifically, the controller (180 in FIG. 1) extracts the distance of the subject by repeating n times the experiment for calculating the depth value after locating the subject at a specific distance, as shown in Equation (3) below.

(A) is a D ^{d _r,} will showing a standard deviation (σ _r ^{d) n} of the graph, (b) in Fig. 9 in FIG. 9 shows the mean (D _r ^d) graphically.

Further, if D _r ^{d , n} is expressed by a probability density function, it can be expressed by the following equation (4).

Therefore, when the specific attribute value (x) is the standard deviation of the time axis relative to the depth value of the ROI, the standard deviation of the time axis is equal to or greater than the standard deviation of the time axis of the reflected light corresponding to the minimum exposure time, The reference exposure time can be controlled so as to be kept below the standard deviation of the time axis of the reflected light.

Here, y _m = D _r ^d _m = d ± α, α is a delay value applied to the image sensor at a specific time, σ _r ^d = e ^bd , b is a constant of '0' , and d is a constant equal to or greater than 0 and equal to or less than 7.5 meters.

Referring to FIG. 10, the controller (180 in FIG. 1) is a diagram for explaining an embodiment in which the standard deviation of the space axis with respect to the depth value of the ROI is set as a specific property value.

Specifically, when the control unit (180: 1) acquires the distance of the object on the time base can be obtained by the distance x ₁ (t) to x _n (t) for each point of the object, the x _n at a certain time (t) can be expressed by the following equation (5).

Further, assuming that x _n (t) at a specific time is a random function, X (t) can be expressed by the following equation (6).

That is, we can see that the random functions follow the Gaussian distribution (a random function at a particular point in time), F _x (x; t), the cumulative distribution function of cd (t) (1) in Equation (7).

It can also be seen that the standard deviation of the probability density function f _x (x; t) and X (t) is the same as (2) and (3) in the following equation (7).

Accordingly, the control unit (180 in FIG. 1) can adjust the reference exposure time using the standard deviation of the ghost axis with respect to the depth value of the ROI.

Also, the control unit may combine two or more of the standard deviation of the spatial axis of the depth value of the ROI, the standard deviation of the time axis with respect to the depth value of the ROI, And determine whether a specific attribute value is included within a predetermined range to adjust the reference exposure time.

The above-described method of controlling an electronic device according to the present invention can be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium as a program for execution on a computer.

The control method of the electronic device according to the present invention can be executed through software. When executed in software, the constituent means of the present invention are code segments that perform the necessary tasks. The program or code segments may be stored in a processor readable medium or transmitted by a computer data signal coupled with a carrier wave in a transmission medium or a communication network.

A computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable recording device include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, a hard disk and an optical data storage device. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed to networked computer devices so that computer readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the drawings. In addition, the embodiments described in this document are not limited to be applied, but all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications can be made.

100: electronic device 121: camera module
180:

Claims (9)

An image sensor for receiving reflected light; And
Extracting a specific attribute value of the region of interest using the reflected light received in the region of interest of the image sensor during the set reference exposure time, A control unit for controlling the image sensor to determine whether an attribute value is included within a predetermined range and to adjust the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value is out of the predetermined range;
.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit sets the depth value to a predetermined value corresponding to the maximum exposure time of the reflected light capable of calculating a valid depth value, And a predetermined range is set.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the control unit increases the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value is less than a specific attribute value corresponding to the minimum exposure time.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the control unit decreases the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value exceeds a specific attribute value corresponding to the maximum exposure time.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the specific attribute value of the ROI includes at least one of an average of a magnitude of a received signal of the ROI, a standard deviation of a time axis with respect to a depth value of the ROI, and a standard deviation of a spatial axis with respect to a depth value of the ROI The camera module comprising:
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the controller calculates at least two of a mean value of a received signal of the ROI, a standard deviation of a time axis with respect to a depth value of the ROI, and a standard deviation of a spatial axis with respect to a depth value of the ROI, Wherein when a specific attribute value is extracted, weighting is performed on the two or more specific attribute values to generate a final attribute value, and whether the final attribute value is out of the predetermined range is determined.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the controller assigns weights to the two or more specific property values in consideration of accuracy and real-time property.
A camera module including an image sensor that receives reflected light during a predetermined reference exposure time and a sub control unit that calculates a signal size or a depth value of the reflected light using reflected light received by the image sensor; And
Extracts a specific attribute value of the ROI using the signal size or depth value of the reflected light received in the ROI of the image sensor calculated by the sub-controller, A control unit for controlling the image sensor to determine whether an attribute value is included within a predetermined range and to adjust the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value is out of the predetermined range;
.
Setting a reference exposure time of the image sensor;
Receiving reflected light during the set reference exposure time in the image sensor;
Setting an area of interest of the image sensor;
Extracting a specific attribute value using the reflected light received during the reference exposure time in the region of interest;
Determining whether the extracted specific attribute value is included in a predetermined range; And
Controlling the image sensor to adjust the reference exposure time if the extracted specific attribute value is out of the predetermined range;
And controlling the electronic device.

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