External camera module and electronic equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses an external camera module and electronic device, including a camera, a first image processing module, a second image processing module, a storage module, a power conversion circuit module and a plug port for connecting to the electronic device, the storage module is configured with a first firmware data unit and a second firmware data unit, respectively processing the data of the first image processing module and the second image processing module, the power conversion circuit module can identify the forward and reverse plugging status of the plug port, and the two image processing modules can be powered on and work respectively when they are forward connected and reverse connected. It solves the technical problems that the existing external camera electronic device relies on the external camera whole machine hardware + software + driver to realize different mirror settings in the forward and reverse plugging conditions, the video stream needs to be processed by the local system end of the electronic device, which will lead to a long connection time and the probability of the device being occupied, and the software or driver is affected by the user uninstalling or reinstalling the system, which will cause the mirror setting to fail, affecting the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to an external camera module and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0002] The cameras of traditional electronic devices with video functions are built-in, and this setting method will affect the screen-to-body ratio of the electronic devices. In order to meet the demand for a high screen-to-body ratio, electronic devices with built-in cameras are changed to use external cameras. Existing electronic devices with external cameras mainly rely on the external camera hardware + software + driver to achieve different mirror settings in the forward and reverse insertion conditions. The video stream needs to be processed by the local system of the electronic device, which will result in a long connection time and the probability of the device being occupied. The software or driver will be affected by the user uninstalling or reinstalling the system, which will cause the mirror setting to fail, affecting the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention provides an external camera module and an electronic device, which are used to solve the technical problems that the existing external camera electronic device relies on the external camera whole machine hardware + software + driver to realize different mirror settings in forward and reverse insertion conditions, the video stream needs to be processed by the local system end of the electronic device, which will lead to a long connection time and the probability of the device being occupied, and the software or driver is affected by the user uninstalling or reinstalling the system, which will cause the mirror setting to fail, thereby affecting the user experience.

[0004] In view of this, the first aspect of the present invention provides an external camera module and an electronic device, including a camera, a first image processing module, a second image processing module, a storage module, a power supply conversion circuit module and a plug port for connecting to an electronic device, wherein the plug port supports positive connection and reverse connection with the electronic device;

[0005] The cameras are connected to the first image processing module and the second image processing module respectively;

[0006] The storage module is configured with a first firmware data unit and a second firmware data unit, the first firmware data unit is connected to the first image processing module, and the second firmware data unit is connected to the second image processing module;

[0007] The power supply conversion circuit module is respectively connected to the first image processing module, the second image processing module and the camera;

[0008] The power supply conversion circuit module is connected to the plug port, and is used to identify the connection status of the plug port, and to supply power to the first image processing module or the second image processing module according to the connection status. When the connection status is positive connection, the power supply conversion circuit module supplies power to the first image processing module, and when the connection status is reverse connection, the power supply conversion circuit module supplies power to the second image processing module.

[0009] Optionally, the storage module is a Flash memory.

[0010] Optionally, the storage module is a Flash chip that has the first firmware data unit and the second firmware data unit built in.

[0011] Optionally, the storage module includes a first Flash chip and a second Flash chip, the first firmware data unit is configured in the first Flash chip, and the second firmware data unit is configured in the second Flash chip.

[0012] Optionally, the first image processing module and the second image processing module are ISP chips.

[0013] Optionally, it further includes a first power supply voltage division module, a second power supply voltage division module and a third power supply voltage division module;

[0014] The input ends of the first power supply voltage divider module, the second power supply voltage divider module and the third power supply voltage divider module are connected to the power supply conversion circuit module, the output end of the first power supply voltage divider module is connected to the first image processing module, the output end of the second power supply voltage divider module is connected to the second image processing module, and the output end of the third power supply voltage divider module is connected to the camera.

[0015] Optionally, a signal switch is also included;

[0016] The first data signal input pin of the signal switch is connected to the first image processing module, the second data signal input pin is connected to the second image processing module, the first data signal output pin and the second data signal output pin are suspended, and the sel pin is connected to the input end of the first power supply voltage divider module.

[0017] Optionally, the camera is a MIPI camera.

[0018] Optionally, the first power supply voltage divider module and the second power supply voltage divider module are LDO linear step-down circuits.

[0019] A second aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device, which is used in conjunction with any one of the external camera modules provided in the first aspect of the present invention;

[0020] The ACPI_PLD in the BIOS program of the electronic device stores a mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the first firmware data unit and the second firmware data unit and the mirror setting, wherein the mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the first firmware data unit and the mirror setting is a mirror mode, and the mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the second firmware data unit and the mirror setting is a non-mirror mode.

[0021] Optionally, the electronic device is a laptop computer.

[0022] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the external camera module and electronic device provided by the present invention have the following advantages:

[0023] The external camera module and electronic device provided by the present invention include a camera, a first image processing module, a second image processing module, a storage module, a power supply conversion circuit module and a plug port for connecting to the electronic device. The storage module is configured with a first firmware data unit and a second firmware data unit, which respectively processes data of the first image processing module and the second image processing module. The power supply conversion circuit module can identify the forward and reverse plugging states of the plug port. When the connection is forward or reverse, both image processing modules can be powered on to process video streams respectively. The video stream does not need to be processed by the local system end of the electronic device, thereby avoiding the problems of long connection time and probabilistic occupation of the device. It does not need to rely on software or drivers, and the mirror setting will not be invalidated due to the software or driver being uninstalled or reinstalled by the user. The existing external camera electronic device relies on the external camera whole machine hardware + software + driver to realize different mirror settings in the forward and reverse plugging conditions, the video stream needs to be processed by the local system end of the electronic device, which will result in a long connection time and probabilistic occupation of the device, and the software or driver is affected by uninstalling or reinstalling the system by the user, which will cause the mirror setting to fail, affecting the user experience. Technical problems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an external camera module provided in the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of pins when the plug port provided in the present invention is connected to an electronic device in a forward direction and in a reverse direction;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of an external camera module provided by the present invention when it is connected to an electronic device;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of an external camera module provided by the present invention when it is reversely connected to an electronic device;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an external camera module when the storage module provided in the present invention is composed of two Flash chips;

[0030] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of an external camera module provided in the embodiment when it is connected to an electronic device;

[0031] Figure 7 for Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of an external camera module provided in the embodiment of reverse connection with an electronic device;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the front connection of the external camera module (storage module omitted) including the signal switch provided in the present invention;

[0033] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of reverse connection of an external camera module (storage module omitted) including a signal switch provided in the present invention;

[0034] Fig.10 The figure is a schematic diagram of the connection between the electronic device and the external camera module provided in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] For easier understanding, see Figure 1The present invention provides an embodiment of an external camera module, comprising a camera, a first image processing module, a second image processing module, a storage module, a power conversion circuit module and a plug port for connecting to an electronic device, wherein the plug port supports positive connection and reverse connection with the electronic device. The camera is connected to the first image processing module and the second image processing module respectively. The storage module is configured with a first firmware data unit and a second firmware data unit, wherein the first firmware data unit is connected to the first image processing module, and the second firmware data unit is connected to the second image processing module. The power conversion circuit module is connected to the first image processing module, the second image processing module and the camera respectively. The power conversion circuit module is connected to the plug port, and the power conversion circuit module is used to identify the connection status of the plug port, and to supply power to the first image processing module or the second image processing module according to the connection status. When the connection status is positive connection, the power conversion circuit module supplies power to the first image processing module, and when the connection status is reverse connection, the power conversion circuit module supplies power to the second image processing module.

[0037] It should be noted that if Figure 1 As shown, the external camera module provided in the embodiment of the present invention is composed of a camera, two image processing modules, a storage module, a power conversion module and a connector port for connecting to an electronic device. The camera may be a MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) camera. The first image processing module and the second image processing module may be ISP (Image Signal Processing) chips. The connector port serves as a power supply and communication port of the external camera module, and is connected to the power supply & communication interface of the electronic device to realize the functions of powering the external camera module and communicating between the external camera module and the electronic device. The connector port supports positive and reverse connection with the electronic device, that is, when the connector port is positively connected to the electronic device, the external camera module can be connected and powered, and when the connector port is reversely connected to the electronic device, the external camera module can also be connected and powered. The schematic diagrams of the positive and reverse connection of the connector port to the electronic device are shown in FIG. Figure 2As shown. When the plug port is positively connected to the electronic device, the power supply conversion circuit module identifies that the connection state of the plug port is positive, and supplies power to the first image processing module, and the first image processing module calls the first firmware data (FW, firmware) unit of the storage module to process the video stream. When the plug port is reversely connected to the electronic device, the power supply conversion circuit module identifies that the connection state of the plug port is reversely connected, and supplies power to the second image processing module, and the second image processing module calls the second firmware data (FW) unit of the storage module to process the video stream. The positive and negative connection identification does not need to pass through the electronic device system end, which can avoid the error of the mirror state caused by the positive and negative connection identification error at the electronic device system end. The first firmware data unit and the second firmware data unit each have an independent hardware identifier (HWID) and mirror setting. The mirror setting of the first firmware data (FW) unit is set to non-mirror mode, and the mirror setting of the second firmware data (FW) unit is also set to non-mirror mode.

[0038] When using an external camera module, the ACPI_PLD (physical device location) setting in the BIOS program of the electronic device corresponds to the actual position of the camera in the entire electronic device. The mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the first firmware data unit and the second firmware data unit and the mirror setting is stored in the ACPI_PLD in the BIOS program of the electronic device. The mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the first firmware data unit and the mirror setting is a mirror mode, that is, the HWID when connected in the forward direction is set to Front, Front means that the camera faces the user, and the image output is in a mirror mode at this time. The mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the second firmware data unit and the mirror setting is a non-mirror mode, that is, the HWID when connected in the reverse direction is set to Back, Back means that the camera faces the user, and the image output is in a non-mirror mode at this time. In this way, it is possible to preview the mirror when the plug port is connected in the forward direction to the electronic device, and the video recording is not mirrored, and the preview / recording is not mirrored when the plug port is connected in the reverse direction to the electronic device.

[0039] In one embodiment, the external camera module provided in the present invention also includes a first power supply voltage divider module, a second power supply voltage divider module and a third power supply voltage divider module. The input ends of the first power supply voltage divider module, the second power supply voltage divider module and the third power supply voltage divider module are connected to the power supply conversion circuit module, and the output end of the first power supply voltage divider module is connected to the first image processing module to supply power to the first image processing module. The output end of the second power supply voltage divider module is connected to the second image processing module to supply power to the second image processing module. The output end of the third power supply voltage divider module is connected to the camera to supply power to the camera. The first power supply voltage divider module and the second power supply voltage divider module are LDO (Low dropout regulator) linear step-down circuits.

[0040] In one embodiment, Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the storage module of the external camera module provided in the present invention is a Flash memory. The storage module is a Flash chip with a first firmware data unit (FW1) and a second firmware data unit (FW2) built in. When the plug port is positively connected to the electronic device, the power supply conversion circuit module recognizes that the connection state of the plug port is positively connected, and supplies power to the first image processing module, and the first image processing module calls the first firmware data unit (FW1) of the Flash chip to process the video stream. When the plug port is reversely connected to the electronic device, the power supply conversion circuit module recognizes that the connection state of the plug port is reversely connected, and supplies power to the second image processing module, and the second image processing module calls the second firmware data unit (FW2) of the Flash chip to process the video stream.

[0041] In one embodiment, Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the storage module of the external camera module provided in the present invention includes a first Flash chip (Flash1) and a second Flash chip (Flash2), a first firmware data unit (FW1) is configured in the first Flash chip (Flash1), and a second firmware data unit (FW2) is configured in the second Flash chip (Flash2). When the plug port is positively connected to the electronic device, the power supply conversion circuit module recognizes that the connection state of the plug port is positively connected, and supplies power to the first image processing module, and the first image processing module calls the first firmware data unit (FW1) of the first Flash chip (Flash1) to process the video stream. When the plug port is reversely connected to the electronic device, the power supply conversion circuit module recognizes that the connection state of the plug port is reversely connected, and supplies power to the second image processing module, and the second image processing module calls the second firmware data unit (FW2) of the second Flash chip (Flash2) to process the video stream.

[0042] In one embodiment, Figure 8 and Fig. 9As shown, the external camera module provided in the present invention also includes a signal switch. The first data signal input pin IN1 of the signal switch (corresponding to the D+ pin of the electronic device system interface end) is connected to the first image processing module, the second data signal input pin IN2 (corresponding to the D- pin of the electronic device system interface end) is connected to the second image processing module, the first data signal output pin OUT1 and the second data signal output pin OUT2 are suspended, and the sel pin is connected to the input end of the first power supply voltage divider module. The sel pin controls the signal output of the signal switch through the high and low level states. When the plug port is positively connected to the electronic device, the PIN1 of the plug port is powered on, which will cause the first image processing module to enter the power-on working state, while the second image processing module will not be powered on. This is because the sel pin of the signal switch is connected to the PIN1 of the plug port, and the sel pin is in a high level state at this time. In this case, the signal switch outputs the D+ / D- signal of the first image processing module. When the plug port is reversely connected to the electronic device, the PINN of the plug port is powered on, which will cause the second image processing module to enter the working state, while the first image processing module will not work. At this time, the sel pin of the signal switch is still connected to the PIN1 of the plug port, but due to the reverse connection, the sel pin becomes a low level state, so the signal switch will output the D+ / D- signal of the second image processing module. This design controls the working state of the first image processing module and the second image processing module through the power-on state of the PIN1 of the plug port and the high and low levels of the sel pin of the signal switch, and selects to output the corresponding D+ / D- signal. In this way, when connected forward and reverse, the corresponding first image processing module or second image processing module can be put into working state according to different insertion directions, thereby realizing different functions or data transmission.

[0043] The external camera module and electronic device provided by the present invention include a camera, a first image processing module, a second image processing module, a storage module, a power supply conversion circuit module and a plug port for connecting to the electronic device. The storage module is configured with a first firmware data unit and a second firmware data unit, which respectively processes data of the first image processing module and the second image processing module. The power supply conversion circuit module can identify the forward and reverse plugging states of the plug port. When the connection is forward or reverse, both image processing modules can be powered on to process video streams respectively. The video stream does not need to be processed by the local system end of the electronic device, thereby avoiding the problems of long connection time and probabilistic occupation of the device. It does not need to rely on software or drivers, and the mirror setting will not be invalidated due to the software or driver being uninstalled or reinstalled by the user. The existing external camera electronic device relies on the external camera whole machine hardware + software + driver to realize different mirror settings in the forward and reverse plugging conditions, the video stream needs to be processed by the local system end of the electronic device, which will result in a long connection time and probabilistic occupation of the device, and the software or driver is affected by uninstalling or reinstalling the system by the user, which will cause the mirror setting to fail, affecting the user experience. Technical problems.

[0044] For easier understanding, see Fig.10 The present invention provides an embodiment of an electronic device, which is used in conjunction with the external camera module provided in the present invention. The ACPI_PLD in the BIOS program of the electronic device stores a mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the first firmware data unit and the second firmware data unit and the mirror setting, wherein the mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the first firmware data unit and the mirror setting is a mirror mode, and the mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the second firmware data unit and the mirror setting is a non-mirror mode.

[0045] The electronic device is a laptop computer.

[0046] The electronic device provided in the present invention is composed of an electronic device and an external camera module provided in the present invention. Its principle has been explained in the embodiment of the external camera module provided in the present invention, and it has the same technical effect as the external camera module provided in the present invention.

[0047] As described above, the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features thereof may be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An external camera module, characterized in that: It includes a camera, a first image processing module, a second image processing module, a storage module, a power supply conversion circuit module and a plug port for connecting to an electronic device, wherein the plug port supports forward connection and reverse connection with the electronic device; The cameras are connected to the first image processing module and the second image processing module respectively; The storage module is configured with a first firmware data unit and a second firmware data unit, the first firmware data unit is connected to the first image processing module, and the second firmware data unit is connected to the second image processing module; The power supply conversion circuit module is respectively connected to the first image processing module, the second image processing module and the camera; The power supply conversion circuit module is connected to the plug port, and is used to identify the connection status of the plug port, and to supply power to the first image processing module or the second image processing module according to the connection status. When the connection status is positive connection, the power supply conversion circuit module supplies power to the first image processing module, and when the connection status is reverse connection, the power supply conversion circuit module supplies power to the second image processing module.

2. The external camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage module is a Flash memory.

3. The external camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The storage module is a Flash chip with the first firmware data unit and the second firmware data unit built in.

4. The external camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The storage module includes a first Flash chip and a second Flash chip, the first firmware data unit is configured in the first Flash chip, and the second firmware data unit is configured in the second Flash chip.

5. The external camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first image processing module and the second image processing module are ISP chips.

6. The external camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first power supply voltage division module, a second power supply voltage division module and a third power supply voltage division module; The input ends of the first power supply voltage divider module, the second power supply voltage divider module and the third power supply voltage divider module are connected to the power supply conversion circuit module, the output end of the first power supply voltage divider module is connected to the first image processing module, the output end of the second power supply voltage divider module is connected to the second image processing module, and the output end of the third power supply voltage divider module is connected to the camera.

7. The external camera module according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes a signal switch; The first data signal input pin of the signal switch is connected to the first image processing module, the second data signal input pin of the signal switch is connected to the second image processing module, the first data signal output pin and the second data signal output pin of the signal switch are suspended, and the sel pin of the signal switch is connected to the input end of the first power supply voltage divider module.

8. The external camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera is a MIPI camera.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device is used in conjunction with the external camera module described in any one of claims 1 to 8; The ACPI_PLD in the BIOS program of the electronic device stores a mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the first firmware data unit and the second firmware data unit and the mirror setting, wherein the mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the first firmware data unit and the mirror setting is a mirror mode, and the mapping relationship between the hardware identifier of the second firmware data unit and the mirror setting is a non-mirror mode.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The electronic device is a notebook computer.

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