US 12,137,287 B2
Autofocus imaging circuitry, autofocus imaging apparatus, and autofocus imaging method for an event camera
Kirk Scheper, Stuttgart (DE); Peter Dürr, Stuttgart (DE); and Oliver Erdler, Stuttgart (DE)
Assigned to Sony Group Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/922,786
Filed by Sony Group Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Mar. 25, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/057767
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 2, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/228463, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 18, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20174764 (EP), filed on May 14, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0171492 A1, Jun. 1, 2023
Int. Cl. H04N 23/67 (2023.01); G02B 7/38 (2021.01); H04N 23/61 (2023.01); H04N 25/47 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/673 (2023.01) [G02B 7/38 (2013.01); H04N 23/61 (2023.01); H04N 25/47 (2023.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Autofocus imaging circuitry, configured to:
obtain, for a first adjusted focus, a first plurality of brightness change events from a brightness change event detection element;
obtain, for a second adjusted focus, a second plurality of brightness change events from the brightness change event detection element; and
determine a focus for autofocusing a scene using a spiking neural network processing the first and the second plurality of brightness change events, wherein the brightness change event detection element is in a hybrid sensor and has a predetermined pattern of the brightness change event detection elements and a plurality of color imaging elements.