Image acquisition module

Abstract

An image acquisition module comprises an outer part, an image acquisition unit, a color conversion assembly and a control unit. The appearance piece is provided with an opening. The image capturing unit is arranged on the inner side of the outer part and corresponds to the opening. The color conversion assembly covers the opening. The control unit is coupled to the color conversion assembly and is suitable for controlling the color conversion assembly to convert into a first color and a second color. When the color conversion assembly is in the first color, the control unit controls the image acquisition unit to be turned on. When the color changing assembly is in the second color, the control unit controls the image capturing unit to be turned off.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an image capturing module, and in particular to an image capturing module suitable for an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, consumer electronic devices such as laptops, mobile phones or tablets are often equipped with cameras to facilitate users to capture images through the camera for image applications (such as video conferencing). However, users often cannot tell from the appearance of the electronic device whether the camera is working, resulting in the possibility that the user's image is accidentally captured by the camera and leaked, compromising personal privacy. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention provides an image capturing module, which can help users effectively grasp the use status of an image capturing unit.

[0004] An image capture module of the present invention includes an appearance member, an image capture unit, a color conversion component and a control unit. The appearance member has an opening. The image capture unit is disposed on the inner side of the appearance member and corresponds to the opening. The color conversion component covers the opening. The control unit is coupled to the color conversion component and is suitable for controlling the color conversion component to change between a first color and a second color. When the color conversion component is the first color, the control unit controls the image capture unit to turn on. When the color conversion component is the second color, the control unit controls the image capture unit to turn off.

[0005] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first color is a transparent color, and the second color is a non-transparent color.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second color is the same as the color of the appearance component.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second color is different from the color of the appearance component.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the color change component includes a light guide plate and at least one light source, wherein the at least one light source faces the light guide plate and is suitable for changing the color of the light guide plate.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one light source includes a plurality of light sources, and the light sources symmetrically surround the image capturing unit.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the color conversion component includes an electronic paper component.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the image capture module further includes a substrate, wherein the image capture unit and the color conversion component are disposed on the substrate.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the color conversion component includes a light guide plate, which is in the shape of a plate and corresponds to the opening.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the color conversion component includes a light guide plate. The light guide plate includes a main body, an extension part and a connection part. The main body corresponds to the opening and is parallel to the appearance part. The extension part extends between the main body and the connection part. The connection part is connected to the substrate.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the color conversion assembly further includes at least one light source. The connecting portion is stepped to form a receiving space, and the at least one light source is disposed in the receiving space.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the image capture module further includes a bracket, wherein the color conversion component is disposed on the substrate via the bracket.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned image capture module further includes a substrate, wherein the image capture unit is disposed on the substrate, and the color conversion component is disposed on the appearance component.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the color conversion component includes a light guide plate. The light guide plate includes a main body, an extension portion and a connection portion. The main body corresponds to the opening and is parallel to the appearance member. The extension portion extends between the main body and the connection portion. The connection portion is connected to the appearance member.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting portion is stepped and extends to a position corresponding to the positioning hole of the appearance member.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the appearance component is a part of a housing of an electronic device.

[0020] Based on the above, in the image capture module of the present invention, the image capture unit is disposed on the inner side of the exterior member and corresponds to the opening of the exterior member, and the color change component covers the opening. When the user needs to use the image capture unit to capture an image, the control unit controls the image capture unit to turn on and controls the color change component to change to the first color. When the user does not need to use the image capture unit, the control unit controls the image capture unit to turn off and controls the color change component to the second color. In this way, the user can judge the use status of the image capture unit by the color change of the color change component, which is quite intuitive and convenient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1A FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of an image capture module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image capture module of FIG. 1 .

[0023] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image capture module along the AA section line according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 7 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Figure 1A FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of an image capture module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1B 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image capture module along the AA section line. In order to clearly show the color conversion component, Figure 1A The appearance of the parts is hidden. Please refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B In this embodiment, the image capture module 10 is configured in an electronic device such as a notebook computer, a tablet computer or a mobile phone, but the type of the electronic device is not limited thereto.

[0030] The image capture module 10 includes an exterior component 100 ( Figure 1B ), image capture unit 110, color conversion component 120 and control unit 130. The appearance member 100 is a part of the housing of the electronic device and has an opening 102 ( Figure 1B The image capture unit 110 is, for example, a fixed-focus camera or an auto-focus camera, and is disposed inside the exterior member 100 and corresponds to the opening 102. The color conversion component 120 covers the opening 102. The control unit 130 is coupled to the color conversion component 120 and is adapted to control the color conversion component 120 to convert between the first color and the second color.

[0031] When the user needs to use the image capture unit 110 (for example, for video conferencing) to capture an image, the control unit 130 controls the color change component 120 to change to the first color and turns on the image capture unit 110. When the user does not need to use the image capture unit 110, the control unit 130 controls the color change component 120 to change to the second color and turns off the image capture unit 110. Through the change in color of the color change component 120, the user can clearly know the use status of the image capture unit 110. The following is a further description of this design.

[0032] like Figure 1B As shown, the image capture module 10 of the present embodiment further includes a substrate 140, such as a circuit board. The substrate 140 is located on the inner side of the appearance component 100, and the image capture unit 110 and the color conversion component 120 are disposed on the substrate 140. The color conversion component 120 includes a light guide plate 122 and at least a light source 124. The light guide plate 122 is disposed on the substrate 140 and the light guide plate 122 is disposed corresponding to the opening 102. Preferably, the surface of the light guide plate 122 is flush with the appearance component 100. The light guide plate 122 is fixed to the substrate 140, for example, by gluing or adhesive, but the method of fixing the light guide plate 122 to the substrate 140 is not limited thereto. The material of the light guide plate 122 is light-transmissive, such as glass, a light-transmissive sheet or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). In addition, the light guide plate 122 includes a main body 1221, an extension portion 1222 and a connection portion 1223. The main body 1221 corresponds to the opening 102 and is parallel to the appearance member 100. The connection portion 1222 extends between the main body 1221 and the connection portion 1223. The connection portion 1223 is connected to the substrate 140. The connection portion 1223 is stepped and a receiving space is formed inside thereof to receive the light source 124. The shape of the light guide plate 122 can be determined according to the appearance design requirements, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0033] The light source 124 is, for example, a light-emitting diode (LED), which is disposed on the substrate 140 and includes at least one red LED, at least one blue LED, and at least one green LED, and can emit mixed light of the same or similar color as the appearance member 100. In other embodiments, the light source 124 may also include two red LEDs, two blue LEDs, and two green LEDs, but the type and quantity of the light source 124 are not limited thereto and are determined according to actual design requirements.

[0034] The light source 124 of the present embodiment symmetrically surrounds the image capture unit 110 and faces the light guide plate 122 to change the color of the light guide plate 122. Specifically, if the color of the exterior component is non-black, when the user needs to use the image capture unit 110 to capture an image, the control unit 130 ( Figure 1A) controls the light guide plate 122 of the color change component 120 to change to a first color, wherein the first color is a transparent color. At this time, the control unit 130 controls the image capture unit 110 to turn on, and the image capture unit 110 can smoothly capture images without being affected by the light guide plate 122, and the user can know that the image capture unit 110 is turned on when the color change component 120 changes to a transparent color.

[0035] When the user does not need to use the image capture unit 110, the control unit 130 controls the image capture unit 110 to be turned off and controls the light source 124 to be powered on. The light source 124 emits light of the same color as the exterior component 100 to the light guide plate 122 of the color conversion component 120, so that the light guide plate 122 is converted to a second color, wherein the second color is a non-transparent color. The user can know that the use status of the image capture unit 110 has changed to the closed state from the color conversion component 120 changing to a non-transparent color.

[0036] That is, the color change of the color changing component 120 can help the user to clearly know the use status of the image capturing unit 110, so as to avoid the user mistakenly thinking that the image capturing unit 110 is closed when it is turned on, thereby causing personal images to be captured and leaked, thereby damaging personal privacy. At the same time, since the color changing component 120 and the appearance part 100 present the same color, the overall color is consistent and can provide good visual aesthetics.

[0037] Taking the appearance part 100 as an example, when the user needs to use the image capture unit 110 to capture an image, the color change component 120 turns off the light source 124 to change the light guide plate 122 to a first color, wherein the first color is a transparent color. When the user does not need to capture an image, the light guide plate 122 can be changed to a second color different from the color of the appearance part 100 by the light source 124, wherein the second color is a non-transparent color, which is white in this example. Since the color of the color change component 120 changes from transparent to white, the user can clearly know from the appearance that the use state of the image capture unit 110 has changed to a closed state. At the same time, the appearance part 100 and the color change component 120 are both visually white, so the overall color consistency and beautiful effect can be achieved.

[0038] On the other hand, if the color of the appearance member 100 is black, when the user needs to use the image capture unit 110 to capture an image, the light guide plate 122 of the color change component 120 changes to a first color, wherein the first color is a transparent color. The control unit 130 controls the image capture unit 110 to turn on, and the image capture unit 110 can smoothly capture an image without being affected by the light guide plate 122, and the user can know that the image capture unit 110 is in the turned-on state from the color change component 120 changing to a transparent color. When the user does not need to capture an image, the light guide plate 122 can be changed to a second color different from the color of the appearance member 100 by the light source 124, wherein the second color is a non-transparent color. Since the color of the color change component 120 changes from the first color to the second color, the user can clearly know from the appearance that the use state of the image capture unit 110 changes to the turned-off state. In another embodiment, when the image capture unit 110 is turned on and off, the light source 124 is in a non-powered state, so that the color change component 120 remains in a transparent color.

[0039] In addition, the light source 124 is located outside the field of view (FOV) of the image capturing unit 110 to prevent the image capturing unit 110 from being affected by the light source 124 when capturing images.

[0040] In another embodiment, the color conversion component 120 includes an electronic paper (E-ink) component. The electronic paper component can be converted into a first color and a second color and has light transmittance, and can achieve the same or similar function as the above embodiment.

[0041] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The illustrated embodiment and Figure 1B The embodiment shown differs in that Figure 2 The image capture module 10A in the embodiment further includes a bracket 150, and the color conversion component 120A is disposed on the substrate 140 via the bracket 150. Specifically, the bracket 150 is bonded to the substrate 140 by, for example, gluing or adhesive bonding, and the light guide plate 122A of the color conversion component 120A is bonded to the substrate 140 by, for example, gluing or adhesive bonding, so that the color conversion component 120A is well fixed to the substrate 140 via the bracket 150. The light guide plate 122A is flat and corresponds to the opening 102. Preferably, the surface of the light guide plate 122A is flush with the appearance component 100. The distance between the light guide plate 122A and the substrate 140 and the shape of the light guide plate 122 can be determined according to actual design requirements, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0042] Figure 3 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 The illustrated embodiment and Figure 2 The embodiment shown differs in that Figure 3 The bracket 150A of the image capture module 10B is locked to the substrate 140. Specifically, the bracket 150A is fixed to the substrate 140 by at least one locking member 160 such as a screw, so that the bracket 150A is more firmly disposed on the substrate 140. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the light guide plate 122A of the color conversion component 120A is bonded to the substrate 140 by gluing or adhesive, for example, so that the color conversion component 120A is well fixed to the substrate 140 through the bracket 150A. The light guide plate 122A is flat and corresponds to the opening 102. Preferably, the surface of the light guide plate 122A is flush with the appearance component 100. The distance between the light guide plate 122A and the substrate 140 and the shape of the light guide plate 122A can be determined according to actual design requirements.

[0043] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 The illustrated embodiment and Figure 1B The embodiment shown differs in that Figure 4 The color change component 120B of the image capture module 10C in the embodiment is separated from the substrate 140. In detail, the color change component 120B is bonded to the appearance component 100 by gluing or adhesive, wherein the light guide plate 122B of the color change component 120B is arranged corresponding to the opening 102, and the light source 124B is arranged on opposite sides of the light guide plate 122B. Preferably, the surface of the light guide plate 122B is flush with the appearance component 100. The main body 1221B of the light guide plate 122B corresponds to the opening 102 and is parallel to the appearance component 100, and the extension portion 1222B of the light guide plate 122B extends between the main body 1221B and the connecting portion 1223B, and the connecting portion 1223B is parallel to and connected to the appearance component 100. The distance between the light guide plate 122B and the substrate 140 and the shape of the light guide plate 122B can be determined according to actual design requirements. The light source 124B cooperates with the circuit of the image capture unit 110 to control the current and voltage of the light source 124B through the LED driver on the circuit of the image capture unit 110. The function and operation of the color conversion component 120B are the same or similar to the aforementioned color conversion component 120, and will not be described again.

[0044] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 The illustrated embodiment and Figure 4 The embodiment shown differs in that Figure 5 In the color conversion component 120C of the image capture module 10D in FIG. 1 , the light source 124C is separated from the light guide plate 122C. Specifically, the light source 124C is disposed on the substrate 140 and symmetrically surrounds the image capture unit 110. In addition, similar to Figure 4In the embodiment shown, the light guide plate 122C of the color conversion component 120C of this embodiment is bonded to the appearance component 100 by gluing or adhesive, for example, and the light guide plate 122C is arranged corresponding to the opening 102. Preferably, the surface of the light guide plate 122C is flush with the appearance component 100. The main body 1221C of the light guide plate 122C corresponds to the opening 102 and is parallel to the appearance component 100. The extension portion 1222C of the light guide plate 122C extends between the main body 1221C and the connecting portion 1223C, and the connecting portion 1223C is parallel to and connected to the appearance component 100. Of course, the distance between the light guide plate 122C and the substrate 140 and the shape of the light guide plate 122C can be determined according to actual design requirements. The function and operation of the color conversion component 120C are the same or similar to the aforementioned color conversion component 120, and will not be repeated here.

[0045] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The illustrated embodiment and Figure 4 The embodiment shown differs in that Figure 6 In the image capture module 10E in the embodiment, the color change component 120D is disposed on the appearance component 100 in a snap-fit ​​manner. Specifically, the appearance component 100 includes at least one snap-fit ​​portion 170 such as a snap hook, and the light guide plate 122D of the color change component 120D has at least one positioning hole 172. The snap-fit ​​portion 170 passes through the positioning hole 172 to snap the color change component 120D on the appearance component 100, so that the color change component 120D is firmly disposed on the appearance component 100. In addition, the light guide plate 122D is disposed corresponding to the opening 102, and preferably, the surface of the light guide plate 122D is flush with the appearance component 100A. The main body 1221D of the light guide plate 122D corresponds to the opening 102 and is parallel to the appearance member 100A. The extension portion 1222D of the light guide plate 122D extends between the main body 1221D and the connection portion 1223D. The connection portion 1223D is parallel to and connected to the appearance member 100A. The distance between the light guide plate 122D and the substrate 140 and the shape of the light guide plate 122D can be determined according to actual design requirements.

[0046] Figure 7 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an image capture module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 The illustrated embodiment and Figure 4 The embodiment shown differs in that Figure 6In the image capture module 10F, the color change component 120E is disposed on the appearance member 100B in a locking manner. In detail, the image capture module 10 includes at least one locking component 160A, such as a screw, and the locking component 160A passes through the positioning hole 172A of the light guide plate 122E to lock the color change component 120E on the positioning hole 172B of the appearance member 100B, so that the color change component 120E is firmly disposed on the appearance member 100B. In addition, the light guide plate 122E is disposed corresponding to the opening 102, and preferably, the surface of the light guide plate 122E is flush with the appearance member 100B. The main body 1221E of the light guide plate 122E corresponds to the opening 102 and is parallel to the appearance member 100B, and the extension portion 1222E of the light guide plate 122E extends between the main body 1221E and the connecting portion 1223E, and the connecting portion 1223E is parallel to and connected to the appearance member 100B.

[0047] In addition, the connecting portion 1223E is stepped and extends from the extending portion 1222E to a position corresponding to the positioning hole 172B of the appearance member 100B, so that the locking member 160A can pass through the positioning hole 172A of the connecting portion 1223E and be locked to the positioning hole 172B of the appearance member 100B. Of course, the distance between the light guide plate 122E and the substrate 140 and the shape of the light guide plate 122E can be determined according to actual design requirements.

[0048] In summary, in the image capture module of the present invention, the image capture unit is disposed on the inner side of the appearance part and corresponds to the opening of the appearance part, and the color change component covers the opening. When the user needs to use the image capture unit, the control unit controls the image capture unit to turn on and controls the color change component to change to a first color, which is a transparent color, so that the image capture unit can capture images smoothly. When the user does not need to use the image capture unit, the control unit controls the image capture unit to turn off and controls the color change component to a second color, which is, for example, the same color as the appearance part. In this way, the user can judge the use status of the image capture unit by the color change of the color change component, which is quite intuitive and convenient. In addition, since the color change component and the appearance part present the same color, good visual aesthetics are provided.

[0049] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0050] 10. 10A~10F: Image capture module

[0051] 100, 100A, 100B: Appearance parts

[0052] 102: Opening

[0053] 110: Image capture unit

[0054] 120, 120A~120E: Color conversion components

[0055] 122, 122A~122D: Light guide plate

[0056] 1221, 1221B~1221E: Main body

[0057] 1222, 1222B~1222E: Extension

[0058] 1223, 1223B~1223E: Connection part

[0059] 124, 124B, 124C: light source 130: control unit

[0060] 140: Substrate

[0061] 150, 150A: Bracket

[0062] 160, 160A: Lock accessories

[0063] 170: snap-fit ​​part

[0064] 172, 172A, 172B: Positioning holes

[0065] AA: Section Line

Claims

1. An image capture module, comprising: Appearance parts, having openings; An image capture unit is disposed on the inner side of the exterior member and corresponds to the opening; a color changing component, covering the opening; as well as A control unit is coupled to the color conversion component and is adapted to control the color conversion component to convert into a first color and a second color. When the color conversion component is the first color, the control unit controls the image capture unit to be turned on, and when the color conversion component is the second color, the control unit controls the image capture unit to be turned off. 2 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first color is a transparent color, and the second color is a non-transparent color. 3 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second color is the same as the color of the exterior component. 4 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second color is different from a color of the exterior component. 5 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the color change component comprises a light guide plate and at least one light source, the at least one light source faces the light guide plate and is suitable for changing the color of the light guide plate. 6 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one light source comprises a plurality of light sources, and the light sources symmetrically surround the image capture unit.

7. The image capture module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the color conversion component comprises an electronic paper component. 8 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a substrate, wherein the image capture unit and the color conversion component are disposed on the substrate. 9 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the color conversion component comprises a light guide plate, and the light guide plate is flat and corresponds to the opening.

10. The image capture module as claimed in claim 8, wherein the color conversion component comprises a light guide plate, the light guide plate comprises a main body, an extension portion and a connection portion, the main body corresponds to the opening and is parallel to the appearance member, the extension portion extends between the main body and the connection portion, and the connection portion is connected to the substrate. 11 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the color conversion component further comprises at least one light source, the connecting portion is stepped to form a receiving space, and the at least one light source is disposed in the receiving space. 12 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a bracket, wherein the color conversion component is disposed on the substrate via the bracket. 13 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a substrate, wherein the image capture unit is disposed on the substrate, and the color conversion component is disposed on the appearance component.

14. The image capture module as claimed in claim 13, wherein the color conversion component comprises a light guide plate, the light guide plate comprises a main body, an extension portion and a connection portion, the main body corresponds to the opening and is parallel to the appearance member, the extension portion extends between the main body and the connection portion, and the connection portion is connected to the appearance member. 15 . The image capture module as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the connecting portion is stepped and extends to a position corresponding to the positioning hole of the appearance member.

16. The image capture module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the appearance component is a part of a housing of an electronic device.

Images