Camera aperture controller and drive device and electronic equipment

Abstract

A controller and driving device for a camera aperture, and an electronic device, are provided. The controller includes: a signal processing circuit configured to generate a detection position value corresponding to the current position of the aperture based on a first detection signal and a second detection signal received from a first position sensor and a second position sensor, respectively, the first position sensor and the second position sensor being configured to detect the aperture position; a control circuit configured to set an interval between the first aperture position and the second aperture position as a plurality of control intervals, and, upon receiving a command to change the aperture position, to perform a corresponding control operation on each of the plurality of control intervals based on the detection position value to control the movement operation of the aperture; and a driving circuit configured to generate a driving current and provide the generated driving current to a coil, the coil being configured to drive the aperture under the control of the controller.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0086315, filed on July 13, 2020, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The following description relates to a control circuit and a camera aperture driving device. Background Technology

[0004] Typically, cameras implemented in mobile devices and similar devices can use aperture to adjust lighting. By using the aperture, the amount of light incident on the camera can be adjusted.

[0005] Since the aperture of a field camera implemented in a motor vehicle should stably maintain its current aperture position under the external forces generated during the vehicle's normal operation and under the strong impact of the vehicle, strong magnets can be set in each of the wide aperture position and the narrow aperture position of the camera aperture assembly of the mobile device to maintain the position of the aperture.

[0006] However, in aperture components using such strong magnets, there is a problem that when the aperture is changed from a wide aperture position to a narrow aperture position, or when the aperture is changed from a narrow aperture position to a wide aperture position, the aperture components may physically collide with each other due to the attraction between the yoke and the magnet.

[0007] Therefore, there may be issues with the reliability of the aperture lifespan and the aperture may vibrate for a long time after a collision when changing the aperture diameter, which may lead to a deterioration of image signal quality. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This summary is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, some concepts that will be further described in the following detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0009] In general, a camera aperture controller includes: a signal processing circuit configured to generate a detection position value corresponding to the current position of the aperture based on a first detection signal and a second detection signal received from a first position sensor and a second position sensor, respectively, the first and second position sensors being configured to detect the aperture position; a control circuit configured to set an interval between the first and second aperture positions as a plurality of control intervals, and upon receiving a command to change the aperture position, to perform a corresponding control operation on each of the plurality of control intervals based on the detection position value to control the movement operation of the aperture; and a drive circuit configured to generate a drive current and provide the generated drive current to a coil configured to drive the aperture under the control of the controller.

[0010] The controller may include: a soft landing controller configured to detect a corresponding control interval among the plurality of control intervals corresponding to the current position of the aperture based on the detected position value, and execute a corresponding control operation corresponding to the detected control interval; a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller configured to operate in a first control interval and a second control interval among the plurality of control intervals based on a first control operation of the soft landing controller, and execute a closed-loop PID control operation such that the detected position value follows a target value, and control the generation of a positive drive current or a reverse drive current in the corresponding control interval; an open-loop controller configured to operate in a third control interval among the plurality of control intervals based on a second control operation of the soft landing controller, and execute open-loop control, and control the generation of a positive drive current; and a selector configured to select a control code from the control codes input by each of the PID controller and the open-loop controller based on the selection control of the soft landing controller, and output the selected control code to the drive circuit.

[0011] When the detected position value is lower than the first threshold, the soft landing controller can be configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the first control interval, and can be configured to control the generation of the positive drive current through the PID controller so that the detected position value follows the maximum target value.

[0012] When the detected position value is higher than a first threshold and there is no history of the detected position value exceeding a second threshold, the soft landing controller can be configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the second control interval, and can be configured to control the generation of reverse drive current through the PID controller so that the detected position value follows the minimum target value.

[0013] When the detected position value is higher than the second threshold, or when the detected position value is lower than the second threshold and there is a history of the detected position value exceeding the second threshold, the soft landing controller can be configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the third control interval, and control the generation of the positive drive current by the open-loop controller that performs the open-loop control.

[0014] The PID controller can be configured to operate in the first control range and control the generation of a positive first drive current relative to the positive direction of movement of the blade, so as to generate a moving magnetic force for the blade of the aperture that is greater than the static magnetic force at the initial position.

[0015] The PID controller can be configured to operate in the second control range and control the generation of a second drive current that is opposite to the forward movement direction of the blade, so as to reduce the movement speed of the blade of the aperture toward the arrival position.

[0016] The open-loop controller can be configured to operate in the third control zone and control the generation of a positive third drive current relative to the positive direction of movement of the blade, so that the blade of the aperture is in place at the arrival position.

[0017] When operating in the third control zone, when the blades of the aperture are not moving in the reverse movement direction, the open-loop controller can be configured to control the generation of a positive third drive current, wherein the third drive current is lower than the reference current in the positive movement direction of the blades, and when operating in the third control zone, when the blades of the aperture are moving in the reverse movement direction, the open-loop controller can be configured to control the generation of the positive third drive current, wherein the third drive current is higher than the reference current in the positive movement direction of the blades.

[0018] The signal processing circuit is configured to use the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal to obtain the detection position value according to the following equation:

[0019] SP = (SH1 + SH2) / (SH1 - SH2),

[0020] Wherein SH1 is the first sensing signal, SH2 is the second sensing signal, and SP is the detection position value.

[0021] The drive circuit may include a current setting register, which is independently set for each variation from wide aperture to narrow aperture and from narrow aperture to wide aperture, so as to generate a different drive current for each of the plurality of control intervals under the control of the control circuit.

[0022] The control operation of the first control interval among the plurality of control intervals can be independent of the control operation of the second control interval among the plurality of control intervals.

[0023] In a general sense, a camera aperture driving device includes: a first position sensor configured to detect a first sensing signal based on a first aperture position when the aperture moves between a first aperture position and a second aperture position; a second position sensor configured to detect a second sensing signal based on a second aperture position when the aperture moves between the first aperture position and the second aperture position; a signal processing circuit configured to generate a detection position value corresponding to the current position of the aperture based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal; a control circuit configured to set the interval between the first aperture position and the second aperture position as a plurality of control intervals, and upon receiving a command to change the aperture position, to perform a corresponding control operation on each of the plurality of control intervals based on the detection position value to control the movement operation of the aperture; and a driving circuit configured to generate a driving current and provide the generated driving current to a coil configured to drive the aperture under the control of the controller.

[0024] The control circuit may include: a soft landing controller configured to detect a corresponding control interval among the plurality of control intervals corresponding to the current position of the aperture based on the detected position value, and execute a corresponding control operation corresponding to the detected corresponding control interval; a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller configured to operate in a first control interval and a second control interval among the plurality of control intervals based on a first control operation of the soft landing controller, and execute a closed-loop PID control operation such that the detected position value follows a target value, and control the generation of a positive drive current or a reverse drive current in the corresponding control interval; an open-loop controller configured to operate in a third control interval among the plurality of control intervals based on a second control operation of the soft landing controller, and execute open-loop control, and control the generation of a positive drive current; and a selector configured to select a control code from the control codes input by each of the PID controller and the open-loop controller based on the selection control of the soft landing controller, and output the selected control code to the drive circuit.

[0025] When the detected position value is lower than the first threshold, the soft landing controller can be configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the first control interval, and can be configured to control the generation of the positive drive current through the PID controller so that the detected position value follows the maximum target value.

[0026] When the detected position value is higher than a first threshold and there is no history of the detected position value exceeding a second threshold, the soft landing controller can be configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the second control interval, and can be configured to control the generation of reverse drive current through the PID controller so that the detected position value follows the minimum target value.

[0027] When the detected position value is higher than the second threshold, or when the detected position value is lower than the second threshold and there is a history of the detected position value exceeding the second threshold, the soft landing controller can be configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the third control interval, and control the generation of the positive drive current by the open-loop controller that performs the open-loop control.

[0028] The PID controller can be configured to operate within the first control range and control the generation of a positive first drive current relative to the positive direction of movement of the blade, so as to generate a moving magnetic force for the blade of the aperture that is greater than the static magnetic force at the initial position.

[0029] The PID controller can be configured to operate in the second control range and control the generation of a second drive current that is opposite to the forward movement direction of the blade, so as to reduce the movement speed of the blade of the aperture toward the arrival position.

[0030] The open-loop controller can be configured to operate within the third control zone and control the generation of a positive third drive current relative to the positive direction of movement of the blade, so that the blade of the aperture is in place at the arrival position.

[0031] When operating in the third control zone, when the blades of the aperture are not moving in the reverse direction, the open-loop controller can be configured to control the generation of a positive third drive current, wherein the third drive current for the blades of the aperture is lower than a reference current in the positive direction of movement of the blades, and when operating in the third control zone, when the blades of the aperture are moving in the reverse direction, the open-loop controller can be configured to control the generation of the positive third drive current, wherein the third drive current for the blades of the aperture is higher than a reference current in the positive direction of movement of the blades.

[0032] The signal processing circuit is configured to use the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal to obtain the detection position value according to the following equation:

[0033] SP = (SH1 + SH2) / (SH1 - SH2),

[0034] SH1 is the first sensing signal, SH2 is the second sensing signal, and SP is the detected position value.

[0035] The drive circuit may include a current setting register, which is independently set for each variation from wide aperture to narrow aperture and from narrow aperture to wide aperture, so as to generate a different drive current for each of the plurality of control intervals under the control of the control circuit.

[0036] The control operation of the first control interval among the plurality of control intervals can be independent of the control operation of the second control interval among the plurality of control intervals.

[0037] The first aperture position can be a wide aperture position, and the second aperture position can be a narrow aperture position.

[0038] In a general aspect, an electronic device includes: a camera module comprising a camera aperture control system; wherein the camera aperture control system includes: a position sensor configured to detect a first aperture position and generate a first sensing signal, and detect a second aperture position and generate a second sensing signal; a signal processing circuit configured to detect a current aperture position based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal; a control circuit configured to establish a plurality of control intervals between the first aperture position and the second aperture position; and a drive circuit configured to move the first aperture position and the second aperture position to one of the plurality of control intervals based on a control signal from the control circuit.

[0039] The first aperture position can be a wide aperture position, and the second aperture position can be a narrow aperture position.

[0040] The direction of movement of the aperture can be changed based on the direction of the driving current generated by the driving circuit.

[0041] The plurality of intervals may include a first control interval, a second control interval, and a third control interval, wherein the first control interval is determined based on a first threshold, and the second and third control intervals are determined based on a second threshold.

[0042] Other features and aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 An example controller for a camera aperture is shown according to one or more embodiments.

[0044] Figure 2An example driving device for camera aperture is shown according to one or more embodiments.

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the wide aperture position and the narrow aperture position of the aperture.

[0046] Figure 4A An example of drive current is shown. Figure 4B The top view shows the arrangement of the magnet, yoke, moving member, and protruding post. Figure 4B The bottom view shows the arrangement of the coil, the first Hall sensor, and the second Hall sensor.

[0047] Figure 5 An exemplary first Hall sensor and second Hall sensor, first magnetic yoke and second magnetic yoke, drive coil, magnet, blade and protrusion post are shown.

[0048] Figure 6 An exemplary signal processing circuit is shown.

[0049] Figure 7 An exemplary control circuit is shown.

[0050] Figure 8 Examples of multiple control intervals are shown.

[0051] Figure 9 An example of determining a control interval is shown.

[0052] Figure 10A This is a graph showing the detection locations for each interval in an example where the first threshold is optimal.

[0053] Figure 10B This is a graph showing the detection location of each interval when the first threshold is low, while Figure 10C It is a graph showing the detection location of each interval when the first threshold is high.

[0054] Throughout the accompanying drawings and detailed description, unless otherwise described or provided, the same reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The drawings may not be drawn to scale, and for clarity, illustration, and convenience, the relative dimensions, scale, and descriptions of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated. Detailed Implementation

[0055] The following detailed description is provided to aid the reader in fully understanding the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein will become apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application. For example, the sequence of operations described herein is merely illustrative, and not limited to those set forth herein, except for operations that must occur in a specific order, but can be varied as will become apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of features known upon understanding the disclosure of this application may be omitted; note that the omission of features and their descriptions is not intended to acknowledge that they are common knowledge.

[0056] The features described herein may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein are provided only to illustrate some of the many possible ways in which the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein will become apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application.

[0057] Throughout this specification, when an element such as a layer, region, or wafer (substrate) is referred to as being "on," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element, it may be directly "on," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element, or there may be other elements in between. When an element is referred to as being "directly" "on," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element, there may be no elements or layers in between. Throughout the text, the same numbers refer to the same element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0058] It should be understood that although terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used herein to describe various components, parts, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, parts, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms. Rather, these terms are used only to distinguish one component, part, region, layer, or portion from another. Therefore, the first component, part, region, layer, or portion mentioned in the examples described herein may also be referred to as the second component, part, region, layer, or portion without departing from the teachings of the examples.

[0059] For ease of description, this document may use spatial relative terms such as “above,” “upper side,” “below,” and “lower side” to describe the relationship of one element to another (or more) elements, as illustrated in the figures. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, the relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the equipment used or operated. For example, if the equipment in the figures is flipped, an element described as “above” or “upper side” of other elements would be oriented as “below” or “lower side” of other elements or features. Thus, depending on the specific orientation of the figures, the term “above” can encompass both upper and lower orientations. The orientation of the equipment may be determined in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptive terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0060] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and the invention is not limited thereto. As used herein, “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, “an element” has the same meaning as “at least one element” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, elements, and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, elements, and / or groups.

[0061] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains, upon understanding the disclosure of this application. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries shall be interpreted as having the same meaning as their meaning in the context of the relevant technology and the disclosure of this application, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0062] Hereinafter, examples will be described with reference to schematic diagrams illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure. In the figures, modifications to the illustrated shapes may be estimated, for example, due to manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should not be construed as limited to specific shapes in the areas shown herein, for example, to include shape variations during manufacturing. The following embodiments may also be constituted by one or a combination thereof.

[0063] The contents of this disclosure described below can have a variety of configurations, and only the required configurations are presented herein, but are not limited thereto.

[0064] Figure 1 An example of a camera aperture control circuit according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0065] Reference Figure 1 The camera aperture controller 80 according to one or more embodiments may include a signal processing circuit 100, a control circuit 200, and a drive circuit 300.

[0066] The signal processing circuit 100 can generate a signal corresponding to aperture 60 based on the first sensing signal SH1 and the second sensing signal SH2 output from the corresponding first position sensor HS1 and second position sensor HS2. Figure 2 The current position value SP of the detection position, where the first position sensor HS1 and the second position sensor HS2 detect the aperture 60 ( Figure 2 The aperture position of the sensor. Although a first position sensor and a second position sensor are disclosed, this is only an example, and one or more position sensors can be implemented.

[0067] In the example, the control circuit 200 can set the entire range between the first aperture position ST1 (e.g., wide aperture position) and the second aperture position ST2 (e.g., narrow aperture position) as a plurality of control intervals, and if there is a command to change the aperture of the aperture 60, it can output a lower control signal SC, set independently for each of the plurality of control intervals for the corresponding control operation, to the drive circuit 300 based on the detected position value SP to change the aperture of the aperture 60.

[0068] The drive circuit 300 can generate a drive current Id according to the control of the control circuit 200, and the drive current Id is sent to the coil 50 of the drive aperture 60.

[0069] Figure 2 An example of a camera aperture driving device according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0070] Reference Figure 2 The camera aperture driving device according to the example may include a first position sensor HS1, a second position sensor HS2, and a controller 80, which may include a signal processing circuit 100, a control circuit 200, and a driving circuit 300.

[0071] The first position sensor HS1 can detect the first sensing signal SH1 based on the first position detection of the aperture 60 moving between the first aperture position ST1 (e.g., wide aperture position) and the second aperture position ST2 (e.g., narrow aperture position).

[0072] The second position sensor HS2 can detect the second sensing signal SH2 based on the second position detection of the aperture 60. In the example, as a non-limiting example, each of the first position sensor HS1 and the second position sensor HS2 can be a Hall sensor (or Hall effect sensor).

[0073] The signal processing circuit 100 can generate a signal based on the first sensing signal SH1 and the second sensing signal SH2, and the aperture 60 ( Figure 2 The detection position value SP corresponding to the current position of ).

[0074] The control circuit 200 can set the entire range between the first aperture position ST1 (e.g., wide aperture position) and the second aperture position ST2 (e.g., narrow aperture position) as a plurality of control ranges, and when there is a command to change the aperture 60, it can output a control signal SC to the drive circuit 300 based on the detected position value SP, which is used to perform corresponding controls to change the aperture 60 independently of each other.

[0075] The driving circuit 300, under the control of the control circuit 200, can generate a driving current Id to be supplied to the coil 50 of the driving aperture 60. In the example, when the driving current Id refers to the driving current in a first direction, referred to as the first driving current Id1, the driving current in the opposite direction may be referred to as the second driving current Id2. In a non-limiting example, the first driving current Id1 can be provided to change the aperture position from the second aperture position to the first aperture position, and the second driving current Id2 can be provided to change the aperture position from the first aperture position to the second aperture position, or vice versa.

[0076] The direction of movement of aperture 60 can be changed according to the direction of the drive current Id flowing through coil 50. In one example, when the drive current is in a first direction (e.g., Id1), aperture 60 can move from wide aperture position ST1 to narrow aperture position ST2, and optionally, for a drive current in a second direction opposite to the first direction (e.g., Id2), aperture 60 can move from narrow aperture position ST2 to wide aperture position ST1.

[0077] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the wide aperture position and the narrow aperture position of the aperture according to one or more embodiments.

[0078] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 When the driving current flows through the coil 50 ( Figure 2 When the magnet is 64 ( Figure 4B ), movable component 61 ( Figure 4B ) and protruding column 62 ( Figure 4B Multiple blades 63 that can move and operate synchronously with each other can move, so that the aperture 60 can move from a first aperture position (e.g., a wide aperture position) to a second aperture position (e.g., a narrow aperture position) or from a second aperture position (e.g., a narrow aperture position) to a first aperture position (e.g., a wide aperture position).

[0079] exist Figure 3 In this diagram, FT is a fixed axis of rotation, which serves as the central axis for the positional movement of the blade 63. The hole 63-1 in the blade 63 can accommodate the protruding post 62, and the function of changing the aperture position of the blade 63 can be performed according to the positional movement of the protruding post 62 provided on the moving member 61, where the moving member 61 moves according to the positional movement of the magnet. This will be illustrated in Figure 4 and... Figure 5 A more detailed description is provided below.

[0080] Figure 4A A view of the drive current is shown. Figure 4B The top view is an example of the arrangement of the magnet, yoke, moving member, and protruding column. Figure 4B The bottom view shows an example of the arrangement of the coil, the first Hall sensor, and the second Hall sensor.

[0081] Reference Figure 4A The driving current can flow to coil 50 in both directions, and if Id1 is the first driving current, then Id2 can be the second driving current. In the example, aperture 60 can move from wide aperture position ST1 to narrow aperture position ST2 by the first driving current Id1, or aperture 60 can move from narrow aperture position ST2 to wide aperture position ST1 by the second driving current Id2.

[0082] Reference Figure 4B In the top view, the magnet 64 can be moved to the first aperture position ST1 by the first drive current Id1. In this example, the magnet 64 can move together with the moving member 61 fixed to the magnet 64, and the protrusion 62 provided on the moving member 61 can move. When the protrusion 62 moves, the blade 63 having the hole 63-1 into which the protrusion 62 is inserted can move to the first aperture position ST1.

[0083] Conversely, the magnet 64 can be moved to the second aperture position ST2 by the second drive current Id2, and in this example, the magnet 64 can move together with the moving member 61 fixed to the magnet 64, and the protrusion 62 provided on the moving member 61 can move. When the protrusion 62 moves, the blade 63 having the hole 63-1 in which the protrusion 62 is inserted can move to the second aperture position ST2.

[0084] In the example, the first aperture position ST1 can be a wide aperture position, and the second aperture position ST2 can be a narrow aperture position, or vice versa.

[0085] Additionally, refer to Figure 4BIn the lower view, the coil 50 can be mounted on the substrate 70 (such as the substrate 70 of the first Hall sensor HS1 and the second Hall sensor HS2), and in the example, the coil 50 can be disposed between the first Hall sensor HS1 and the second Hall sensor HS2.

[0086] Figure 5 This is an example view of the arrangement of a first Hall sensor and a second Hall sensor, a first magnetic yoke and a second magnetic yoke, a drive coil, a magnet, blades and protruding posts according to one or more embodiments.

[0087] Figure 4B The structure shown can be as follows Figure 5 As shown. (Refer to...) Figure 5 The drive coil 50 can be mounted on the substrate 70, the first magnetic yoke 65-1 and the second magnetic yoke 65-2 can be disposed on both sides of the drive coil 50, and the first Hall sensor HS1 and the second Hall sensor HS2 can be disposed on the two outer sides of the first magnetic yoke 65-1 and the second magnetic yoke 65-2.

[0088] The magnet 64 can be disposed at an aperture 60 spaced at a predetermined distance from the drive coil 50, and the aperture 60 can include a movable member 61 fixed to the magnet 64 and a protruding post 62 disposed in the movable member 61.

[0089] Figure 6 An exemplary signal processing circuit according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0090] Reference Figure 6 An exemplary signal processing circuit 100 may include an amplifier 110, an A / D converter 120, and a signal processor 130.

[0091] Amplifier 110 can amplify the first detection signal SH1 and the second detection signal SH2 and output them to A / D converter 120. In the example, the first sensing signal SH1 and the second sensing signal SH2 output from the corresponding first Hall sensor HS1 and second Hall sensor HS2 may be too small in amplitude, so it may be necessary to amplify the amplitude of the signals for processing in a later stage.

[0092] A / D converter 120 can convert the first detection signal SH1 and the second detection signal SH2, which are input from amplifier 110, into digital signals.

[0093] The signal processor 130 can use the first detection signal SH1 and the second detection signal SH2 in digital form input from the A / D converter 120 to obtain the detection position value SP according to Equation 1 below.

[0094] [Equation 1] SP = (SH1 + SH2) / (SH1 - SH2)

[0095] Figure 7 An exemplary control circuit is shown.

[0096] Reference Figure 7 In the example, control circuit 200 may include soft landing controller 210, proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller 220, open-loop controller 230, and selector 240.

[0097] The soft landing controller 210 can detect a corresponding control interval among multiple control intervals that corresponds to the current position of the aperture 60 based on the detected position value SP, and can execute the corresponding control corresponding to that control interval. In the example, the multiple control intervals may include a first control interval CP1, a second control interval CP2, and a third control interval CP3. The multiple control intervals are not limited to the example above.

[0098] The PID controller 220 can operate in the first control interval CP1 and the second control interval CP2 of multiple control intervals under the control of the soft landing controller 210, and perform closed-loop PID control so that the detected position value SP follows the target value, and thus can control the generation of the forward drive current and the generation of the reverse drive current in the corresponding control interval.

[0099] The open-loop controller 230 can operate in the third control zone CP3 of multiple control zones under the control of the soft landing controller 210 to perform open-loop control to control the generation of the forward drive current.

[0100] Selector 240 can select a control code from the selection control codes SC1, SC2, SC3 and SC4 input by each of the PID controller 220 and the open-loop controller 230 according to the selection control SS of the soft landing controller 210, and output the selected control code to the drive circuit 300.

[0101] Figure 8 Examples of multiple control intervals are shown.

[0102] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 The control circuit 200 can set the entire region between the first aperture position ST1 (e.g., a wide aperture position) and the second aperture position ST2 (e.g., a narrow aperture position) as multiple control intervals. Figure 8 In the graph shown, the vertical axis can be the detection position value SP, and the horizontal axis can be the position. Here, the detection position value SP can be any value between the maximum value MAX and the minimum value MIN.

[0103] In the example, the multiple control intervals between the first aperture position ST1 (e.g., the wide aperture position) and the second aperture position ST2 (e.g., the narrow aperture position) can be divided into a first control interval CP1, a second control interval CP2, and a third control interval CP3.

[0104] In the example, the first control interval CP1 and the second control interval CP2 can be determined based on the first threshold TH1, and the second control interval CP2 and the third control interval CP3 can be determined based on the second threshold TH2.

[0105] In the example, the first control interval CP1 can be, in terms of position, a range that controls strong movement from a starting position (e.g., a first aperture position) to an ending position (e.g., a second aperture position), and in terms of the detected position value SP, a range that controls rapid movement from a minimum value (MIN) to a maximum value (MAX).

[0106] The second control interval CP2 can control the range of movement between the starting position (e.g., the first aperture position) and the destination position (e.g., the second aperture position) in terms of position, and can control the range of movement speed decaying towards the maximum value between the minimum value MIN and the maximum value MAX in terms of the detected position value SP.

[0107] The third control interval CP3 can be, in terms of position, an interval that controls soft movement to position it at the arrival position (e.g., the second aperture position), and in terms of detecting the position value SP, an interval that controls soft movement toward the maximum value (MAX).

[0108] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for determining the position of a control interval according to one or more embodiments.

[0109] Reference Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 When the detected position value SP is lower than the first threshold TH1, the soft landing controller 210 can determine the detected position value SP as the first control interval CP1. In this example, the soft landing controller 210 can control the generation of the positive drive current through the PID controller 220, so that the detected position value SP follows the maximum target value.

[0110] In the example, the PID controller 220 can operate in the first control interval CP1 and can control the generation of a first drive current in the positive direction of movement relative to the blade 63 (e.g., from the starting position to the arriving position) so as to generate a moving magnetic force for the blade 63 of the aperture 60 that is greater than the static magnetic force of the starting position ST1 or ST2.

[0111] Furthermore, when the detected position value SP is higher than the first threshold TH1 and there is no history of exceeding the second threshold TH2 (e.g., when there is no history of the detected position value SP returning in the opposite direction), the soft landing controller 210 can determine the detected position value SP as the second control interval CP2. In this example, the soft landing controller 210 can control the generation of the reverse drive current through the PID controller 220, so that the detected position value SP follows the minimum target value (min target).

[0112] In the example, the PID controller 220 can operate in the second control interval CP2 and can control the generation of a second drive current that is opposite to the positive direction of movement of the blade 63 (e.g., from the starting position to the arrival position) to reduce the movement speed of the blade 63 of the aperture 60 toward the arrival position ST2 or ST1.

[0113] When the detected position value SP is higher than the first threshold TH1 (e.g., control interval CP3-2, 3-2) and lower than the second threshold TH2, but there is a history of exceeding the second threshold TH2 (e.g., control interval CP3-1, 3-1), the soft landing controller 210 can determine the detected position value SP as the third control interval CP3. In this example, the soft landing controller 210 can control the generation of the forward drive current through the open-loop controller 230, which performs open-loop control.

[0114] In the example, the open-loop controller 230 can operate in the third control interval CP3 and can control the generation of a positive third drive current relative to the positive movement direction of the aperture 60 (e.g., from the starting position to the arrival position) so that the blades 63 of the aperture 60 are in place at the arrival position ST2 or ST1.

[0115] Furthermore, when operating in the third control zone CP3, when the blade 63 of the aperture 60 does not move in the reverse direction (e.g., the opposite direction to the forward direction), the open-loop controller 230 can control the generation of a positive third drive current, which is lower than the reference current in the positive movement direction of the blade 63 (e.g., from the starting position to the reached position).

[0116] Additionally, when the open-loop controller 230 operates in the third control zone CP3 and the blade 63 of the aperture 60 moves in the reverse direction (e.g., the opposite direction to the forward direction), the open-loop controller 230 can control the generation of a positive third drive current, which is higher than the reference current in the positive movement direction of the blade 63 (e.g., from the starting position to the arriving position).

[0117] The drive circuit 300 may include current setting registers that are set independently for each aperture change from wide aperture to narrow aperture (from the first aperture position ST1 to the second aperture position ST2) and from narrow aperture to wide aperture (from the second aperture position ST2 to the first aperture position ST1), so as to generate different drive currents for each of the multiple control intervals under the control of the control circuit 200.

[0118] At the same time, refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 The first control interval CP1, the second control interval CP2, and the third control interval CP3 will be described below.

[0119] First, the first control interval CP1 can be an interval in which the aperture 60 starts to move from a first aperture position (e.g., a wide aperture position) to a second aperture position (e.g., a narrow aperture position) among different aperture positions (e.g., a wide aperture position or a narrow aperture position), and can be an interval in which the control target can be rapidly moved to the opposite side by overcoming the attraction of the magnet at the current position of the aperture 60.

[0120] In the example, within the first control interval CP1, when performing a control operation from a wide aperture position to a narrow aperture position, the target value of the PID control can be set to the maximum position value (max) of the opposite aperture position (e.g., narrow aperture position or wide aperture position). As the positive driving force gradually increases due to the large positive current generated in the first control interval CP1, the attraction of the magnet can be overcome, causing the aperture to move forward to the opposite side. In this example, when the detected position value corresponding to the current position of aperture 60 exceeds the first threshold TH1, the aperture can enter the second control interval CP2.

[0121] Next, the second control interval CP2 can be an interval in which the control objective is to perform a soft landing by slowing down the movement speed of the aperture 60, which is moving rapidly toward the target position. In the second control interval CP2, the target value for the PID control can be set to a value much smaller than the detected position value corresponding to the current position (e.g., a minimum value). In the example, as the aperture 60 moves from a wide aperture position to a narrow aperture position, the error value may gradually increase, thus increasing the reverse current in the drive coil. The resulting reverse force reduces the upward movement speed of the aperture 60, which is moving rapidly due to the combined force of the inertial force in the forward direction and the magnetic attraction generated at the narrow aperture position.

[0122] Through this process, when the force in the opposite direction relative to the positive direction is increased while the speed decreases in the second control zone CP2, the position of aperture 60 changes from the narrow aperture position (i.e., the final target narrow aperture position). Figure 8When the maximum position value in the aperture reaches the second threshold TH2, the aperture 60 enters the third control zone CP3.

[0123] Here, an example might occur where the force generated in the opposite direction is so large that the position of aperture 60 does not reach the second threshold TH2 for entering the third control zone CP3, and then returns to the opposite direction. In this example, even if the position of aperture 60 is detected to have stopped, and then returns to the opposite direction of the forward movement direction, the aperture can still enter the third control zone CP3.

[0124] The third control zone CP3 can be the in-situ zone, whose control objective is to minimize the physical impact on the soft landing to the final target location (e.g., a narrow aperture location or a wide aperture location), while also ensuring stable in-situ placement.

[0125] Depending on the entry situation, the third control interval CP3 is an example of the 3-1 control interval CP3-1 and the 3-2 control interval CP3-2, and can be controlled differently by dividing the two examples.

[0126] First, in the example of control interval CP3-1 (3-1), it can be detected that the force in the reverse direction in the second control interval CP2 is too large, causing it to return to the reverse direction of the forward movement, and then the aperture enters the third control interval CP3. In the example of control interval CP3-2 (3-2), the force in the reverse direction in the second control interval CP2 may not be too large; therefore, the position of aperture 60 moves forward in the positive direction, and then the second threshold TH2 is met to control the aperture to enter the third control interval CP3.

[0127] In the example of the 3-1 control zone (CP3-1), the aperture will return to its original direction, thus generating a large upward force as quickly as possible to control the aperture position toward the target small aperture.

[0128] In the 3-2 control zone CP3-2, as the speed decreases, even without any applied force, or with only a small force applied in the positive direction, the aperture can advance in the positive direction and can exceed the second threshold. Therefore, by combining with the attraction of the magnet, the aperture is positioned at the narrow aperture position as the desired final position.

[0129] Figure 10A It is a graph showing the detection location of each interval when the first threshold is optimal. Figure 10B This is a graph showing the detection location of each interval when the first threshold is low, while Figure 10C This is a graph showing the detection location of each interval when the first threshold is high.

[0130] Reference Figure 10AWhen the first threshold TH1 is optimal, it can be seen that optimal soft landing control has been executed, as can be seen by referring to the detection position of each interval.

[0131] Reference Figure 10B When the first threshold is low, as can be seen by referring to the detection position of each interval, there is reverse movement, thus the optimal soft landing control is not executed.

[0132] Reference Figure 10C When the first threshold is high, as can be seen by referring to the detection position of each interval, the reverse deceleration is insufficient, and therefore a slight impact is generated between the magnet and the yoke in the aperture assembly. The blades attached to the magnet are ejected from the predetermined position due to the repulsive force of the impact, thus failing to perform optimal soft landing control.

[0133] Meanwhile, the camera aperture control circuit 200 according to the example can be implemented in a computing environment in which processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA)), memory (volatile memory (e.g., RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM and flash memory)), input devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, infrared camera, video input device, etc.), output devices (e.g., display, speaker, printer, etc.) and communication connection devices (e.g., modem, network interface card (NIC), integrated network interface, wireless frequency transmitter / receiver, infrared port, USB connection device, etc.) are interconnected (e.g., via peripheral component interconnect (PCI), USB, firmware (IEEE 1394), optical bus structure, network, etc.).

[0134] The computing environment can be implemented as a personal computer, server computer, handheld or laptop device, mobile device (mobile phone, PDA, media player, etc.), multiprocessor system, consumer electronic device, minicomputer, mainframe computer, and distributed computing environment including any of the above systems or devices, but its exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0135] As described above, according to the example, a soft landing is achieved between the wide aperture position and the narrow aperture position by dividing the area between the wide aperture position and the narrow aperture position into multiple control intervals and sequentially executing corresponding controls set independently for each of the multiple control intervals.

[0136] Furthermore, it can prevent prolonged aperture vibration caused by aperture collisions and ensure the reliability of aperture lifespan. In the example, when the soft landing control method according to the example is applied, it can ensure the effect of extending aperture lifespan and ensuring sufficient lifetime reliability of the electric field. It can solve the problem that, due to the effects of typical aperture changes, additional aperture jitter occurs over a period of time, resulting in image quality degradation.

[0137] Furthermore, if the threshold is optimally set for each sample (or each product), the soft landing control for each sample can be optimized. In the example, manufacturing dispersion of the physical products is unavoidable, and manufacturing costs increase when inspection and calibration are performed using external inspection equipment. However, by setting and applying the optimal parameters for soft landing according to this disclosure, the soft landing control for each sample can be optimized while minimizing the increase in manufacturing costs, thereby achieving the best performance.

[0138] While this disclosure includes specific examples, various changes in form and detail may be apparent from these examples upon understanding the disclosure of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. The examples described herein are to be considered descriptive only and not for limiting purposes. The description of features or aspects in each example is to be applied to similar features or aspects in other examples. Suitable results may also be obtained if the described techniques are performed in a different order, and / or if the components in the described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner, and / or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not defined by the detailed description but by the claims and their equivalents, and all variations within the scope of the claims and their equivalents shall be construed as included in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A camera aperture controller, the controller comprising: A signal processing circuit is configured to generate a detection position value corresponding to the current position of the aperture based on a first sensing signal and a second sensing signal received from a first position sensor and a second position sensor, respectively, wherein the first position sensor and the second position sensor are configured to detect the aperture position of the aperture. A control circuit is configured to set the interval between a first aperture position and a second aperture position as a plurality of control intervals, and upon receiving a command to change the aperture position, to perform a corresponding control operation on each of the plurality of control intervals based on the detected position value to control the movement operation of the aperture. A soft landing controller is configured to detect, based on the detected position value, a corresponding control interval among the plurality of control intervals that corresponds to the current position of the aperture, and to execute a corresponding control operation corresponding to the detected control interval; A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is configured to operate based on a first control operation of the soft landing controller in a first control interval and a second control interval among a plurality of control intervals, and to perform closed-loop PID control operations such that the detected position value follows the target value, and to control the generation of a positive drive current or a reverse drive current in the corresponding control interval. An open-loop controller is configured to operate in a third control interval among the plurality of control intervals based on a second control operation of the soft landing controller, and to perform open-loop control and control the generation of a positive drive current; as well as A driving circuit is configured to generate a driving current and provide the generated driving current to a coil, the coil being configured to drive the aperture under the control of the control circuit.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein, The controller also includes: The selector is configured to select a control code from the control codes input to each of the PID controller and the open-loop controller based on the selection control of the soft landing controller, and output the selected control code to the drive circuit.

3. The controller according to claim 2, wherein, When the detected position value is lower than a first threshold, the soft landing controller is configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the first control interval, and is configured to control the generation of the positive drive current through the PID controller so that the detected position value follows the maximum target value.

4. The controller according to claim 2, wherein, When the detected position value is higher than a first threshold and there is no history of the detected position value exceeding a second threshold, the soft landing controller is configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the second control interval, and is configured to control the generation of reverse drive current through the PID controller so that the detected position value follows the minimum target value.

5. The controller according to claim 2, wherein, When the detected position value is higher than the second threshold, or when the detected position value is lower than the second threshold and there is a history of the detected position value exceeding the second threshold, the soft landing controller is configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the third control interval, and to control the generation of the positive drive current by executing the open-loop controller of the open-loop control.

6. The controller according to claim 3, wherein, The PID controller is configured to operate within the first control range and control the generation of a positive first drive current relative to the positive direction of movement of the blade, so as to generate a moving magnetic force for the blade of the aperture that is greater than the static magnetic force at the initial position.

7. The controller according to claim 4, wherein, The PID controller is configured to operate in the second control range and control the generation of a second drive current that is opposite to the forward movement direction of the blade, so as to reduce the movement speed of the blade of the aperture toward the arrival position.

8. The controller according to claim 5, wherein, The open-loop controller is configured to operate in the third control zone and control the generation of a positive third drive current relative to the positive direction of movement of the blade, so that the blade of the aperture is in place at the arrival position.

9. The controller according to claim 8, wherein, When operating within the third control zone, when the blades of the aperture are not moving in the reverse direction, the open-loop controller is configured to control the generation of a positive third drive current, wherein the third drive current is lower than the reference current in the positive direction of the blades' movement. When operating in the third control zone, when the blades of the aperture move in the reverse direction, the open-loop controller is configured to control the generation of the positive third drive current, wherein the third drive current is higher than the reference current in the positive direction of movement of the blades.

10. The controller of claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit is configured to use the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal to obtain the detected position value according to the following equation: SP =(SH1 + SH2) / (SH1 - SH2), Wherein SH1 is the first sensing signal, SH2 is the second sensing signal, and SP is the detection position value.

11. The controller according to claim 1, wherein, The drive circuit includes a current setting register, which is independently set for each variation from wide aperture to narrow aperture and from narrow aperture to wide aperture, so as to generate a different drive current for each of the plurality of control intervals under the control of the control circuit.

12. The controller according to claim 1, wherein, The control operation of the first control interval among the plurality of control intervals is independent of the control operation of the second control interval among the plurality of control intervals.

13. A camera aperture driving device, the driving device comprising: A first position sensor is configured to detect a first sensing signal based on the first aperture position when the aperture moves between a first aperture position and a second aperture position. A second position sensor is configured to detect a second sensing signal based on the second aperture position when the aperture moves between the first aperture position and the second aperture position. A signal processing circuit is configured to generate a detection position value corresponding to the current position of the aperture based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal; A control circuit is configured to set the interval between the first aperture position and the second aperture position as a plurality of control intervals, and upon receiving a command to change the aperture diameter, to perform a corresponding control operation on each of the plurality of control intervals based on the detected position value to control the movement operation of the aperture. as well as A driving circuit is configured to generate a driving current and provide the generated driving current to a coil, the coil being configured to drive the aperture under the control of the control circuit. The control circuit includes: A soft landing controller is configured to detect, based on the detected position value, a corresponding control interval among the plurality of control intervals that corresponds to the current position of the aperture, and to execute a corresponding control operation corresponding to the detected corresponding control interval; A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is configured to operate based on a first control operation of the soft landing controller in a first control interval and a second control interval among a plurality of control intervals, and to perform closed-loop PID control operations such that the detected position value follows the target value, and controls the generation of a positive drive current or a reverse drive current in the corresponding control interval; and An open-loop controller is configured to operate in a third control interval of the plurality of control intervals based on a second control operation of the soft landing controller, and to perform open-loop control and control the generation of a positive drive current.

14. The drive device according to claim 13, wherein, The control circuit also includes: The selector is configured to select a control code from the control codes input to each of the PID controller and the open-loop controller based on the selection control of the soft landing controller, and output the selected control code to the drive circuit.

15. The drive device according to claim 14, wherein, When the detected position value is lower than a first threshold, the soft landing controller is configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the first control interval, and is configured to control the generation of the positive drive current through the PID controller so that the detected position value follows the maximum target value.

16. The drive device according to claim 14, wherein, When the detected position value is higher than a first threshold and there is no history of the detected position value exceeding a second threshold, the soft landing controller is configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the second control interval, and is configured to control the generation of reverse drive current through the PID controller so that the detected position value follows the minimum target value.

17. The drive device according to claim 14, wherein, When the detected position value is higher than the second threshold, or when the detected position value is lower than the second threshold and there is a history of the detected position value exceeding the second threshold, the soft landing controller is configured to determine that the detected position value corresponds to the third control interval, and to control the generation of the positive drive current by executing the open-loop controller of the open-loop control.

18. The drive device according to claim 15, wherein, The PID controller is configured to operate within the first control range and control the generation of a positive first drive current relative to the positive direction of movement of the blade, so as to generate a moving magnetic force for the blade of the aperture that is greater than the static magnetic force at the initial position.

19. The drive device according to claim 16, wherein, The PID controller is configured to operate in the second control range and control the generation of a second drive current that is opposite to the forward movement direction of the blade, so as to reduce the movement speed of the blade of the aperture toward the arrival position.

20. The drive device according to claim 17, wherein, The open-loop controller is configured to operate within the third control zone and control the generation of a positive third drive current relative to the positive direction of movement of the blade, so that the blade of the aperture is in place at the arrival position.

21. The drive device according to claim 20, wherein, When operating within the third control zone, when the blades of the aperture are not moving in the reverse direction, the open-loop controller is configured to control the generation of a positive third drive current, wherein the third drive current for the blades of the aperture is lower than a reference current in the positive direction of movement of the blades, and When operating in the third control zone, when the blades of the aperture move in the reverse direction, the open-loop controller is configured to control the generation of the positive third drive current, wherein the third drive current for the blades of the aperture is higher than the reference current in the positive direction of movement of the blades.

22. The drive device according to claim 13, wherein, The signal processing circuit is configured to use the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal to obtain the detection position value according to the following equation: SP = (SH1 + SH2) / (SH1 - SH2), SH1 is the first sensing signal, SH2 is the second sensing signal, and SP is the detected position value.

23. The drive device according to claim 13, wherein, The drive circuit includes a current setting register, which is independently set for each variation from wide aperture to narrow aperture and from narrow aperture to wide aperture, so as to generate a different drive current for each of the plurality of control intervals under the control of the control circuit.

24. The drive device according to claim 13, wherein, The control operation of the first control interval among the plurality of control intervals is independent of the control operation of the second control interval among the plurality of control intervals.

25. The drive device according to claim 13, wherein, The first aperture position is the wide aperture position, and the second aperture position is the narrow aperture position.

26. An electronic device comprising: Camera module, which includes a camera aperture control system; The camera aperture control system includes: A position sensor configured to generate a first sensing signal for the position of a first aperture and a second sensing signal for the position of a second aperture. A signal processing circuit is configured to detect the current aperture position based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal; A control circuit is configured to set multiple control intervals between the first aperture position and the second aperture position; A soft landing controller is configured to detect a corresponding control interval among the plurality of control intervals that corresponds to the current aperture position, and to execute a corresponding control operation corresponding to the detected control interval; A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is configured to operate based on a first control operation of the soft landing controller in a first control interval and a second control interval among a plurality of control intervals, and to perform closed-loop PID control operation, and to control the generation of a positive drive current or a reverse drive current in the corresponding control interval. An open-loop controller, configured to operate in a third control interval of the plurality of control intervals based on a second control operation of the soft landing controller, and to perform open-loop control and control the generation of the forward drive current; and A driving circuit is configured to move the first aperture position and the second aperture position to one of the plurality of control intervals based on a control signal from the control circuit.

27. The electronic device according to claim 26, wherein, The first aperture position is a wide aperture position, and the second aperture position is a narrow aperture position.

28. The electronic device according to claim 26, wherein, The direction of movement of the aperture is changed based on the direction of the driving current generated by the driving circuit.

29. The electronic device according to claim 26, wherein, The plurality of control intervals includes a first control interval, a second control interval, and a third control interval, and Specifically, the first control interval is determined based on a first threshold, and the second control interval and the third control interval are determined based on a second threshold.

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