TW202117600A - Device control method and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

A device control method and an electronic device are provided. The device control method is configured to control the electronic device. The electronic device includes a frosted glass cover and an image capturing device. The device control method includes: in a default status, shading lens of the image capturing device by the frosted glass cover; detecting a lightness variation through the frosted glass cover by the lens; and triggering the electronic device to perform a default operation according to the lightness variation.

Description

Device control method and electronic device

The present invention relates to a device control technology, and particularly relates to a device control method and an electronic device.

Facial recognition technology has been widely used to authenticate users of electronic devices such as smart phones or notebook computers. However, in order to support the real-time facial recognition function, the image recognition module on the electronic device needs to be kept in the activated state at any time, which causes the power consumption of the electronic device to increase. Although some electronic devices can additionally use proximity sensors (proximity sensors) to detect the user’s approach or to activate the image recognition module by detecting the user’s touch on the screen and other input operations, in addition to the fact that proximity sensors are more expensive, use Manually activated image recognition modules are also relatively passive in use.

The present invention provides a device control method and an electronic device, which can provide better device performance and/or improve user experience by using a cheaper frosted glass top cover with image recognition technology supported by the electronic device itself.

The embodiment of the present invention provides a device control method, which is used to control an electronic device. The electronic device has a ground glass top cover and an image capturing device. The device control method includes: in a preset state, the lens of the image capturing device is covered by the frosted glass cover; the brightness change is detected by the lens through the frosted glass cover; The electronic device performs a preset operation.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device, which includes a ground glass top cover, an image capture device, and a processor. The processor is coupled to the image capturing device. In a preset state, the ground glass top cover is used to shield the lens. The lens is used for detecting brightness changes through the ground glass top cover. The processor is used for controlling the electronic device to perform a preset operation according to the brightness change.

Based on the above, in the default state, the frosted glass cover on the electronic device can shield the lens of the image capturing device. The lens can detect the brightness change through the ground glass top cover. Then, the electronic device can be triggered to perform a preset operation according to the brightness change. In this way, better device performance and/or user experience can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 includes a ground glass top cover 11, an image capturing device 12 and a processor 13. The frosted glass upper cover 11 includes a transparent glass upper cover. For example, the light-permeable material of the ground glass cover 11 may include ground glass, matte glass and/or sandblasted glass. When the light irradiates the ground glass cover 11, the light passing through the ground glass cover 11 can be scattered and diffused. Compared with general transparent glass, if the lens is arranged behind the ground glass cover 11, the external image captured by the lens through the ground glass cover 11 is often blurred.

The image capturing device 12 is used to capture external images. For example, the image capturing device 12 may include at least one lens and at least one photosensitive element. The image capturing device 12 can be used to capture external images through the lens and the photosensitive element. For example, the image capturing device 12 may include at least one camera built in the electronic device 10.

The processor 13 is coupled to the image capturing device 12. In one embodiment, the processor 13 can be used to control the image capturing device 12. In an embodiment, if the frosted glass top cover 11 is movable, the processor 13 can also be coupled to the frosted glass top cover 11 and control the frosted glass top cover 11 to move. In an embodiment, the processor 13 may also be used to control the whole or part of the operation of the electronic device 10. For example, the processor 13 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSP), Programmable controller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Programmable Logic Device (PLD) or other similar devices or a combination of these devices.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 10 further includes various electronic components such as a storage circuit, an input/output interface, and/or a power supply circuit, which is not limited by the present invention. For example, the input/output interface may include a screen, a touch screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a speaker, a microphone, a wired communication interface card, and/or a wireless communication interface card, etc., which is not limited by the present invention.

In one embodiment, in a preset state, the ground glass top cover 11 can shield the lens of the image capturing device 12. The lens of the image capturing device 12 can detect the brightness change through the ground glass top cover 11. The brightness change refers to, for example, the brightness change of the image captured by the ground glass top cover 11. Then, the processor 13 can trigger the electronic device 10 to perform a preset operation according to the brightness change.

In the following embodiments, a notebook computer is used as an example of the electronic device 10 in FIG. 1. However, in other embodiments, the electronic device 10 in FIG. 1 can also be an electronic device equipped with a ground glass cover 11 and an image capturing device 12 at the same time, such as a desktop computer, an industrial computer, a tablet computer, or a smart phone. No restrictions.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 2, taking a notebook computer as an example of the electronic device 10. In the default state, the lens 21 is shielded by the frosted glass top cover 11. When the lens 21 is shielded by the ground glass cover 11, the lens 21 can capture external images through the ground glass cover 11.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a lens according to an embodiment of the invention receiving light through a frosted glass top cover. Please refer to FIG. 3, when the lens 21 is shielded by the ground glass cover 11, the light 301 is received by the lens 21 after passing through the ground glass cover 11. Therefore, compared to the image captured when the lens 21 is not covered by the top cover 11 of the ground glass, the captured image is blurred when the lens 21 is covered by the top cover 11 of the ground glass. For example, assuming that there is an object in front of the lens 21 at this time, in the image captured through the ground glass cover 11, the outline of the object is blurred and unclear.

In one embodiment, after the lens 21 captures an external image through the ground glass cover 11, the processor 13 can analyze the external image to obtain the brightness change of the external image. The processor 13 can determine whether the brightness change meets a preset condition. If the brightness change meets the preset condition, the processor 13 can trigger the electronic device 10 to perform a preset operation in response to the brightness change meets the preset condition. However, if the brightness change does not meet the preset condition, the processor 13 may not perform the preset operation.

In one embodiment, the processor 13 may analyze the external image to obtain brightness information of at least one pixel in the external image. For example, each pixel can have a brightness value. If the change range of the brightness value of at least one pixel in the external image is defined by more than a preset range, the processor 13 may determine that the change in brightness meets the preset condition. In addition, if the change range of the brightness value of at least one pixel point defined in advance does not exceed the preset range, the processor 13 may determine that the brightness change does not meet the preset condition.

In one embodiment, whether the brightness change meets a preset condition is used to detect whether a user is approaching and/or preparing to operate the electronic device 10. For example, in the default state of FIGS. 2 and 3, when the user approaches and/or prepares to operate the electronic device 10, the user's face or hand may block at least a part of the light 301 originally received by the lens 21, resulting in The brightness value of at least one pre-defined pixel in the captured external image decreases. If the brightness value of the pixel drops to more than a preset range, the processor 13 can determine that a user is currently approaching and/or preparing to operate the electronic device 10 and automatically perform a preset operation.

In an embodiment, the preset operation includes switching the working mode of the electronic device 10. In an embodiment, switching the working mode of the electronic device 10 includes waking the electronic device 10 from a sleep (for example, S3), hibernation or idle state. In an embodiment, switching the working mode of the electronic device 10 includes unlocking the electronic device 10 from the locked state.

In one embodiment, after the operating mode of the electronic device 10 is switched, the processor 13 may receive verification information through at least one input interface of the electronic device 10. Then, the processor 13 can perform login verification according to the verification information.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an input interface according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 4, in an embodiment, after a predetermined operation is determined to be performed, the input interface 41 may be presented on the display of the electronic device 10. The input interface 41 can prompt the user to input authentication information (such as an account and/or password). The processor 13 can receive the verification information input by the user via the input interface 41 and perform login verification. In the login verification, the processor 13 can compare the verification information with the preset information in the database. If the comparison results are consistent, the processor 13 can determine that the verification information is verified and switch the electronic device 10 to a login state corresponding to the verification information. In addition, if the comparison result is inconsistent, the processor 13 can determine that the verification information has not passed the verification and maintain the electronic device 10 in an unlogged state (for example, a locked state).

In an embodiment, the ground glass upper cover 11 is movable. Taking FIG. 2 as an example, in a preset state, the frosted glass upper cover 11 can be moved to a position where the lens 21 can be shielded. After leaving the preset state, the frosted glass top cover 11 can be moved to a position where the lens 21 is not shielded to expose the lens 21.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a moving frosted glass top cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 5, after leaving the preset state, the frosted glass upper cover 11 can be moved along the direction 501 to a position where the lens 21 is not shielded, so as to expose the lens 21. After the lens 21 is exposed, the lens 21 can capture external images without going through the ground glass cover 11.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating that the lens according to an embodiment of the present invention does not receive light through the frosted glass cover. Please refer to FIG. 6, after the frosted glass cover 11 is moved along the direction 501, the exposed lens 21 can directly receive the light 601. Compared with the embodiment of FIG. 3, the external image obtained by receiving the light 601 may contain clearer object images and object contours.

In one embodiment, the preset operation includes the operation of moving the frosted glass upper cover 11. For example, in one embodiment, after determining that the brightness change meets a preset condition, the processor 13 may control the ground glass top cover 11 to move along the direction 501 to expose the lens 21. In one embodiment, moving the frosted glass top cover 11 to a position where the lens 21 is exposed can be regarded as leaving the preset state.

In one embodiment, the preset operation further includes, after moving the frosted glass cover 11 to expose the lens 21 (that is, after leaving the preset state), capturing a target image through the lens 21 and performing face recognition based on the target image. Compared with the image captured through the ground glass cover 11 in the default state, since the target image is not captured through the ground glass cover 11, the object in the target image can have a clearer image outline.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a target image drawn according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7, in one embodiment, after leaving the default state, the captured target image 71 may include the user's face image. The sharpness of the facial image is only affected by the performance (such as image resolution) of the image capturing device 12 itself, and not affected by the ground glass cover 11.

In an embodiment, the processor 13 may perform face recognition based on the target image. According to the facial recognition result, the processor 13 can switch the working state of the electronic device 10. For example, if the facial recognition result reflects that the user in the target image is indeed a legal user of the electronic device 10, the processor 13 may switch the electronic device 10 to the login state corresponding to the legal user. Alternatively, if the facial recognition result reflects that the user in the target image is not a legitimate user of the electronic device 10, the processor 13 may maintain the electronic device 10 in an unlogged state (for example, a locked state).

In an embodiment, the processor 13 may further determine whether the frosted glass upper cover 11 is movable. If the ground glass cover 11 is movable, after determining that the brightness change meets the preset condition, the processor 13 can move the ground glass cover 11 to a position where the lens 21 can be exposed, as shown in FIG. 5. After the lens 21 is exposed, the processor 13 can analyze the target image captured by the lens 21 and perform face recognition. However, if the frosted glass top cover 11 is not movable, after determining that the brightness change meets the preset condition, the processor 13 may present the input interface 41 as shown in FIG. 4 to receive the verification information input by the user and perform login verification.

In one embodiment, the frosted glass top cover 11 can be manually locked by the user (for example, by a physical latch for snap-locking) or the processor 13 can lock the frosted glass top cover 11. After the frosted glass top cover 11 is locked in the preset state, the frosted glass top cover 11 cannot be moved. In addition, if the user manually or the processor 13 unlocks the frosted glass cover 11, the processor 13 can move the frosted glass cover 11 according to the measured brightness change to expose the lens of the image capturing device 12.

It should be noted that in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 5, a notebook computer is used as an example of the electronic device 10. However, in other embodiments, regardless of the type of electronic device 10, the setting position of the ground glass cover 11, the setting position of the lens 21, the movement direction of the ground glass cover 11, the movement track of the ground glass cover 11, the appearance of the ground glass cover 11, And/or the number of lenses 21 can be adjusted according to practical requirements, and the present invention is not limited.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, in step S801, in a preset state, the lens of the image capturing device is covered by the ground glass cover. In step S802, the lens detects the brightness change through the ground glass top cover. In step S803, the electronic device is triggered to perform a preset operation according to the brightness change.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, in step S901, in a preset state, the lens of the image capturing device is covered by the ground glass cover. In step S902, the brightness change is detected by the lens through the ground glass top cover. In step S903, it is determined whether the brightness change meets a preset condition. If the brightness change does not meet the preset condition, return to step S901. If the brightness change meets the preset condition, in step S904, it is determined whether the frosted glass top cover is movable.

If the ground glass top cover is movable, in step S905, the ground glass top cover is moved to expose the lens of the image capturing device. In step S906, a target image is captured through the exposed lens and face recognition is performed based on the target image. In addition, if the ground glass top cover cannot be moved, in step S907, the operating mode of the electronic device is switched. In step S908, the verification information is received through the input interface of the electronic device and login verification is performed according to the verification information.

However, each step in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 has been described in detail as above, and will not be repeated here. It is worth noting that each step in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 can be implemented as multiple program codes or circuits, and the present invention is not limited. In addition, the methods of FIGS. 8 and 9 can be used in conjunction with the above exemplary embodiments, or can be used alone, and the present invention is not limited.

In summary, in the default state, the frosted glass cover on the electronic device can shield the lens of the image capturing device. The lens can detect the brightness change through the ground glass top cover. Then, the electronic device can be triggered to perform a preset operation according to the brightness change. In an embodiment, the frosted glass top cover can be moved according to the brightness change to expose the lens. The exposed lens can be used to capture clear images to perform facial recognition. Alternatively, in an embodiment, an input interface can also be provided according to the brightness change to receive the verification information input by the user and perform login verification. In this way, better device performance and/or user experience can be improved.

10: Electronic device 11: Frosted glass upper cover 12: Image capture device 13: processor 21: lens 301, 601: light 41: Input interface 501: direction 71: target image S801~S803, S901~S908: steps

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a lens according to an embodiment of the invention receiving light through a frosted glass top cover. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an input interface according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a moving frosted glass top cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating that the lens according to an embodiment of the present invention does not receive light through the frosted glass cover. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a target image drawn according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

S801~S803: steps

Claims (10)

A device control method for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device has a ground glass top cover and an image capture device, the device control method includes: In a preset state, a lens of the image capturing device is covered by the ground glass cover; Detecting a brightness change by the lens through the frosted glass top cover; and The electronic device is triggered to perform a preset operation according to the brightness change. According to the device control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the step of triggering the electronic device to perform the preset operation according to the brightness change includes: Determine whether the brightness change meets a preset condition; and In response to the brightness change meeting the preset condition, the electronic device is triggered to perform the preset operation. For the device control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the preset operation includes: Move the top cover of the ground glass to expose the lens of the image capturing device. For the device control method described in item 3 of the scope of patent application, the preset operation further includes: After moving the frosted glass top cover, capture a target image through the lens; and Perform a face recognition based on the target image. For the device control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the preset operation includes: Switch a working mode of the electronic device; After switching the working mode of the electronic device, receiving a verification information through an input interface of the electronic device; and Perform a login verification based on the verification information. An electronic device, including: A frosted glass top cover; An image capture device with a lens; and A processor coupled to the image capturing device, In a preset state, the ground glass cover is used to cover the lens, The lens is used to detect a brightness change through the frosted glass top cover, and The processor is used for controlling the electronic device to perform a predetermined operation according to the brightness change. For the electronic device described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, the operation of the processor to control the electronic device to perform the preset operation according to the brightness change includes: Determine whether the brightness change meets a preset condition; and In response to the brightness change meeting the preset condition, the electronic device is controlled to perform the preset operation. For the electronic device described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, the preset operation includes: Move the top cover of the ground glass to expose the lens of the image capturing device. For the electronic device described in item 8 of the scope of patent application, the preset operation further includes: After moving the frosted glass top cover, capture a target image through the lens; and Perform a face recognition based on the target image. For the electronic device described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, the preset operation includes: Switch a working mode of the electronic device; After switching the working mode of the electronic device, receiving a verification information through an input interface of the electronic device; and Perform a login verification based on the verification information.

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