Imaging device

Abstract

The invention discloses a camera device. The camera device comprises a circuit board, a movable part and a stepping motor, the circuit board is provided with a photosensitive element which is provided with a photosensitive surface. The movable part is arranged on the circuit board and comprises an infrared filter. The stepping motor is directly or indirectly connected to the movable part, the stepping motor can drive the movable part to move between a first position and a second position relative to the circuit board, when the movable part is located at the first position, the infrared filter covers the photosensitive surface, and when the movable part is located at the second position, the infrared filter does not cover the photosensitive surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to an optical device, and in particular to a camera device. Background Art

[0002] With the development of technology, cameras are increasingly used in living environments. For example, cameras can be installed in homes, offices, or commercial buildings to perform security monitoring or record human activities.

[0003] However, since the camera's photosensitive element can sense a wider wavelength range than the human eye, for example, it can sense infrared light above 700 nanometers. Therefore, in conditions with sufficient visible light (such as during the day), the infrared light in the light will cause the image sensed by the photosensitive element to produce color deviation, resulting in the image being different from what the human eye actually sees. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the foregoing, in one embodiment, a camera device is provided, comprising a circuit board, a movable member, and a stepper motor. The circuit board includes a photosensitive element having a photosensitive surface. The movable member is disposed on the circuit board and includes an infrared filter. The stepper motor is directly or indirectly connected to the movable member and is capable of driving the movable member to move relative to the circuit board between a first position and a second position. When the movable member is in the first position, the infrared filter covers the photosensitive surface. When the movable member is in the second position, the infrared filter does not cover the photosensitive surface.

[0005] In summary, the camera device of the present invention can utilize a stepper motor to drive the movable member relative to the circuit board to switch between covering and uncovering the infrared filter on the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive element, depending on the user's needs. This helps optimize the performance of the camera device and enables it to provide better image quality in various lighting environments. Furthermore, the use of a stepper motor as a driving source significantly reduces noise generated during infrared filter switching, thereby preventing disturbances to users. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 It is a stereoscopic diagram of the first embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0007] Figure 2 It is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0008] Figure 3 It is a plan view of the first embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0009] Figure 4 This is a switching diagram of the first embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0010] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Sectional view along line segment 5-5.

[0011] Figure 6 It is a stereoscopic diagram of the second embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0012] Figure 7 It is a stereoscopic diagram of the third embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0013] Figure 8 It is a stereoscopic diagram of the fourth embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0014] Figure 9 It is a plan view of the fourth embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0015] Figure 10 This is a switching diagram of the fourth embodiment of the camera device of the present application.

[0016] Description of reference numerals:

[0017] 1: Camera device;

[0018] 10: circuit board;

[0019] 101: inner surface;

[0020] 102: assembly hole;

[0021] 11: photosensitive element;

[0022] 12: photosensitive surface;

[0023] 20, 20A, 20B: movable parts;

[0024] 21: infrared filter;

[0025] 22: light-transmitting sheet;

[0026] 23: long guide groove;

[0027] 24: rack;

[0028] 25:Substrate;

[0029] 251: first hollow hole;

[0030] 252: second hollow hole;

[0031] 253: side;

[0032] 254: gap;

[0033] 26: first substrate;

[0034] 261: First rack

[0035] 27: second substrate;

[0036] 271: Second rack

[0037] 28: extension plate;

[0038] 30,30A: stepper motor;

[0039] 31: rotating shaft;

[0040] 32: Arm swing;

[0041] 321: guide column;

[0042] 33: driving gear;

[0043] 40: transmission parts;

[0044] 41: passive gear;

[0045] 42: Arm swing;

[0046] 421: guide column;

[0047] 50: shell;

[0048] 51: light transmission hole;

[0049] 52: Guide piece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] It should be noted that, in the description of each embodiment, the so-called "first" and "second" are used to describe different elements, and these elements are not limited by such predicates. The same reference numerals will be used to represent the same or similar elements in all drawings.

[0051] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the first embodiment of the camera device of this application. Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the camera device of this application. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the camera device 1 includes a circuit board 10, a movable part 20, and a stepper motor 30. In some embodiments, the camera device 1 may be an IP camera, a closed-circuit television (CCTV), or an analog surveillance camera. The camera device 1 can be installed in various locations (such as dormitories, nurseries, offices, and stores) for security monitoring or recording human activities. Alternatively, the camera device 1 can be installed on various products, such as a vehicle or a mobile device (such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop), but this is not limited to the above.

[0052] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the camera device 1 includes a housing 50, and a circuit board 10 is disposed within the housing 50. For example, the circuit board 10 can be fixed to the housing 50 by locking, adhering, or snapping. The circuit board 10 has a photosensitive element 11. In this embodiment, the circuit board 10 has an inner surface 101, and the inner surface 101 has an assembly hole 102. The photosensitive element 11 is disposed within the assembly hole 102 to reduce the overall thickness of the circuit board 10. For example, the outer periphery of the photosensitive element 11 can be adhered and fixed to the inner periphery of the assembly hole 102 through an adhesive layer, but the present application is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the photosensitive element 11 can be directly stacked and disposed on the inner surface 101 of the circuit board 10.

[0053] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the photosensitive element 11 has a photosensitive surface 12 for sensing external light and generating an image signal. In this embodiment, the housing 50 has a light-transmitting hole 51. The position of the light-transmitting hole 51 corresponds to the position of the photosensitive surface 12. This allows external light from the camera device 1 to enter the housing 50 through the light-transmitting hole 51 and be transmitted to the photosensitive surface 12 of the photosensitive element 11.

[0054] In some embodiments, the photosensitive element 11 may be a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor active pixel sensor (CMOS active pixel sensor).

[0055] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the movable part 20 can be movably disposed inside the housing 50, and the movable part 20 is disposed above the circuit board 10 and between the light-transmitting hole 51 of the housing 50 and the photosensitive element 11, wherein the movable part 20 includes an infrared filter 21. For example, in this embodiment, the movable part 20 includes a substrate 25, the substrate 25 has a first hollow hole 251, and the infrared filter 21 is fixed in the first hollow hole 251.

[0056] Figure 3 This is a plan view of the first embodiment of the camera device of this application. Figure 4 This is a switching diagram of the first embodiment of the camera device of this application. Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the stepper motor 30 is connected to the movable member 20 to drive the movable member 20 to move to a first position (eg, Figure 3 The position shown) and a second position (as Figure 4The stepper motor 30 may be directly or indirectly connected to the movable member 20. For example, the stepper motor 30 may be indirectly connected to the movable member 20 via a transmission member 40. The transmission member 40 may be a gear transmission mechanism, a worm gear mechanism, or a cam mechanism, etc., but this is not limited to the present invention.

[0057] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the stepper motor 30 includes a driving gear 33, and the transmission member 40 includes a driven gear 41 and a swing arm 42. The driving gear 33 is meshed with the driven gear 41. One end of the swing arm 42 is connected to the driven gear 41, and the other end of the swing arm 42 has a guide post 421. The movable member 20 includes an extension plate 28. The base plate 25 has a side edge 253. The extension plate 28 extends integrally from the side edge 253. The extension plate 28 has an elongated guide slot 23. The guide post 421 of the swing arm 42 is slidably pivoted within the elongated guide slot 23. In other words, the guide post 421 can rotate relative to the extension plate 28 and slide along the elongated guide slot 23. The movable member 20 has a moving direction (herein, the X-axis direction), and the long guide slot 23 has an extension direction (herein, the Y-axis direction). Preferably, the extension direction is perpendicular to the moving direction, but this is not limited thereto. The angle between the extension direction of the long guide slot 23 and the moving direction of the movable member 20 may also be between 0 and 180 degrees. Thus, when the stepper motor 30 is activated and the driving gear 33 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, the driving gear 33 drives the driven gear 41 to rotate, causing the swing arm 42 to swing about the center of the driven gear 41 as the axis, and the guide post 421 of the swing arm 42 slides along the extension direction of the long guide slot 23, thereby causing the guide post 421 to drive the movable member 20 to move linearly (herein, along the X-axis direction) to the first position or the second position described above.

[0058] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, when the movable member 20 moves to the first position, the infrared filter 21 of the movable member 20 covers the photosensitive surface 12, so that the external light passes through the infrared filter 21 before being transmitted to the photosensitive surface 12 of the photosensitive element 11. Figure 4 As shown, when the movable member 20 moves from the first position to the second position, the infrared filter 21 no longer covers the photosensitive surface 12 of the photosensitive element 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the extension plate 28 is adjacent to one end of the side edge 253 of the base plate 25, forming a notch 254 between the side edge 253 and the extension plate 28. When the movable member 20 moves to the first position, the stepper motor 30 is located outside the notch 254. During the movement of the movable member 20 from the first position to the second position, the movable member 20 approaches the stepper motor 30, positioning the stepper motor 30 within the notch 254. This allows the stepper motor 30 to be positioned within the movable range of the movable member 20, effectively utilizing the space within the housing 50.

[0059] In this way, the embodiments of the present application can control whether the infrared filter 21 covers or does not cover the photosensitive surface 12 of the photosensitive element 11, depending on the actual use situation. This allows the camera device 1 to provide better image quality in different lighting environments. For example, the stepper motor 30 can be electrically connected to a processor (not shown). The processor can determine whether the camera device 1 is in an environment with sufficient visible light based on the brightness of the image sensed by the photosensitive element 11. When the camera device 1 is in an environment with sufficient visible light (e.g., during the day), the processor can control the stepper motor 30 to drive the movable member 20 to the first position. This allows the infrared filter 21 to filter out infrared rays from the external light, allowing the image sensed by the photosensitive element 11 to display true colors. When the camera device 1 is in an environment with insufficient visible light (e.g., at night), the processor can control the stepper motor 30 to drive the movable member 20 to the second position. This allows the photosensitive element 11 to be uncovered by the infrared filter 21, allowing the photosensitive element 11 to sense infrared rays and display the image.

[0060] Furthermore, because the stepper motor 30 has a small step angle and thus achieves relatively smooth motion, the camera device 1 of the present embodiment, which uses the stepper motor 30 as a driving source, can significantly reduce the noise generated when switching the infrared filter 21, thereby preventing it from disturbing people in the environment. For example, if the camera device 1 is installed in a bedroom, the noise generated when switching the infrared filter 21 can be prevented from disturbing the user's sleep or startling young children.

[0061] Figure 5 for Figure 3 The cross-sectional view along line segment 5-5. Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, a plurality of guide members 52 may be disposed within the housing 50. For example, the guide members 52 may be guide rails and disposed adjacent to two opposite sides of the housing 50. The guide members 52 extend in the same direction as the direction of movement of the movable member 20 (here, the X-axis direction). The movable member 20 is slidably mounted on both sides of the guide members 52 to ensure linear movement of the movable member 20 along the extending direction of the guide members 52, thereby preventing the movable member 20 from deviating during movement.

[0062] For example Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the movable member 20 further includes a light-transmitting sheet 22, and the substrate 25 of the movable member 20 further includes a second hollow hole 252. The first hollow hole 251 and the second hollow hole 252 are spaced apart from each other, and the light-transmitting sheet 22 is disposed in the second hollow hole 252, so that the light-transmitting sheet 22 and the infrared filter 21 can be disposed on the same plate (i.e., the substrate 25). In addition, when the movable member 20 moves to the second position (as shown in FIG. 2 ), the movable member 20 moves to the second position (as shown in FIG. 2 ). Figure 4As shown), the transparent sheet 22 can cover the photosensitive surface 12 of the photosensitive element 11 to improve the transmittance of external light and reduce reflection and scattering, so that the camera device 1 can effectively improve the brightness and clarity of the image when the visible light is insufficient.

[0063] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the areas of the light-transmitting sheet 22 and the infrared filter 21 are both larger than the area of the photosensitive surface 12 of the photosensitive element 11, ensuring that the infrared filter 21 covers the photosensitive surface 12 when the movable member 20 is in the first position, and that the light-transmitting sheet 22 covers the photosensitive surface 12 when the movable member 20 is in the second position. In some embodiments, the light-transmitting sheet 22 may have an optical coating, such as an anti-reflective coating (AR), to reduce light reflection and increase light transmittance, thereby further enhancing image brightness and clarity.

[0064] In some embodiments, the stepper motor 30 of the camera device 1 is indirectly connected to the movable member 20 via the transmission member 40 . Alternatively, the stepper motor 30 can be directly connected to the movable member 20 without the transmission member 40 . This is described in the following figures.

[0065] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the camera device of this application. Figure 6 As shown, in the second embodiment, the stepper motor 30A includes a rotating shaft 31 and a swing arm 32. One end of the swing arm 32 is connected to the rotating shaft 31, and the other end of the swing arm 32 has a guide post 321. A side of the movable member 20 has an elongated guide slot 23. The guide post 321 of the swing arm 32 of the stepper motor 30A is slidably pivoted directly within the elongated guide slot 23. Thus, when the stepper motor 30A is activated and the rotating shaft 31 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, the swing arm 32 of the stepper motor 30A swings about the center of the rotating shaft 31 and the guide post 321 of the swing arm 32 slides along the extending direction of the elongated guide slot 23, so that the guide post 321 of the stepper motor 30A can directly drive the movable member 20 to move linearly to the first position or the second position.

[0066] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the third embodiment of the camera device of this application. Figure 7 As shown, in the third embodiment, a rack 24 is provided on one side of the movable member 20A. This rack 24 is mounted on an extension plate 28 of the movable member 20A. The drive gear 33 of the stepping motor 30 directly engages with the rack 24 of the movable member 20A. Consequently, when the stepping motor 30 is activated and the drive gear 33 rotates, the drive gear 33 of the stepping motor 30 directly drives the movable member 20A, via the rack 24, to linearly move relative to the circuit board 10 to the first or second position described above.

[0067] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the camera device of the present application. Figure 9 This is a plan view of the fourth embodiment of the camera device of the present application. Figure 10 This is a switching diagram of the fourth embodiment of the camera device of this application. Figures 8 to 10 As shown, in the fourth embodiment, the movable member 20B includes a first substrate 26 and a second substrate 27 stacked on each other. The infrared filter 21 is located on the first substrate 26, and the light-transmitting sheet 22 is located on the second substrate 27. The stepping motor 30 includes a driving gear 33. The first substrate 26 has a first rack 261, and the second substrate 27 has a second rack 271. The first rack 261 and the second rack 271 are respectively engaged with opposite sides of the driving gear 33. Therefore, when the stepping motor 30 is activated and the driving gear 33 rotates, the driving gear 33 of the stepping motor 30 can directly drive the first substrate 26 and the second substrate 27 in opposite directions relative to each other via the first rack 261 and the second rack 271, thereby switching between the infrared filter 21 and the light-transmitting sheet 22 covering the photosensitive surface 12 of the photosensitive element 11.

[0068] Although the technical content of this application has been disclosed as above in the form of preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit this application. Any technical changes and modifications made in this field without departing from the spirit of this application should be included in the scope of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

Claims

1. A camera device, characterized in that: include: A circuit board having a photosensitive element, wherein the photosensitive element has a photosensitive surface; A movable part is provided on the circuit board, wherein the movable part includes an infrared filter; as well as A stepper motor is directly or indirectly connected to the movable part. The stepper motor can selectively drive the movable part to move between a first position and a second position relative to the circuit board. When the movable part is in the first position, the infrared filter covers the photosensitive surface. When the movable part is in the second position, the infrared filter does not cover the photosensitive surface.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein The stepper motor includes a rotating shaft and a swing arm, one end of the swing arm is connected to the rotating shaft, the other end of the swing arm has a guide column, the movable part has a long guide groove, and the guide column of the swing arm can be slidably pivoted in the long guide groove.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein: The movable member has a moving direction, and the long guide groove has an extending direction, which is perpendicular to the moving direction.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein The stepping motor includes a driving gear, the movable member has a rack, and the driving gear is engaged with the rack to drive the movable member to move relative to the circuit board.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein The stepping motor is connected to the movable part via a transmission part.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5, wherein: The stepper motor includes a driving gear, and the transmission part includes a passive gear and a swing arm. The driving gear is engaged with the passive gear, and the end of the swing arm is connected to the passive gear. The other end of the swing arm has a guide column, and the movable part has a long guide groove. The guide column of the swing arm can be slidably pivoted in the long guide groove.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein The movable member includes a light-transmitting sheet. When the movable member is at the second position, the light-transmitting sheet covers the photosensitive surface.

8. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein: The movable part includes a substrate having a first hollow hole and a second hollow hole, the first hollow hole and the second hollow hole are arranged at intervals from each other, the infrared filter is arranged in the first hollow hole, and the light-transmitting sheet is arranged in the second hollow hole.

9. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein: The movable part includes a first substrate and a second substrate. The infrared filter is located on the first substrate, the light-transmitting sheet is located on the second substrate, and the stepping motor is connected to the first substrate and the second substrate to drive the first substrate and the second substrate to move relative to each other.

10. The imaging device according to claim 9, wherein The stepping motor includes a driving gear. The first substrate has a first rack. The second substrate has a second rack. The first rack and the second rack are respectively engaged with two opposite sides of the driving gear.

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