TW202122968A - Device control method and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

A device control method for controlling an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an image capture device, audio input device and an indicator. The method includes: detecting an active status of the image capture device; detecting an active status of the audio input device; controlling the indicator to illuminate with a first color in response to that the image capture device is activated and the audio input device is not activated; and controlling the indicator to illuminate with a second color in response to that the image capture device is not activated and the audio input device is activated. In addition, an electronic device is also provided.

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.

Most laptops or tablets are equipped with cameras. When the user starts the camera, an indicator light may be lit to remind the user that the camera is currently capturing images. In addition, some notebook computers or tablet computers may also have a built-in microphone for recording or voice input functions. However, users often cannot easily know whether the built-in microphone of the current laptop or tablet computer is activated, resulting in frequent eavesdropping incidents.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a device control method and an electronic device, which can remind the user of the current activation status of the image capture device and the audio input device through different lights.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a device control method for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device having an image capture device, an audio input device, and an indicator light, and the device control method includes: detecting the image capture device Detecting the activation status of the audio input device; in response to the image capturing device being activated and the audio input device not being activated, controlling the indicator light to emit a first color light; and responding to all The image capturing device is not activated and the audio input device is activated to control the indicator light to emit a second color light.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device, which includes an indicator light, an image capture device, an audio input device, and a control circuit. The control circuit is coupled to the indicator light, the image capture device and the audio input device. The control circuit is used for detecting the activation state of the image capturing device. The control circuit is further used to detect the activation state of the audio input device. The control circuit is further used for controlling the indicator light to emit a first color light in response to the image capturing device being activated and the audio input device not being activated. The control circuit is further used for controlling the indicator light to emit a second color light in response to the image capturing device not being activated and the audio input device being activated.

Based on the above, after the electronic device is activated, the activation status of the image capture device and the audio input device on the electronic device can be detected respectively. In response to whether the image capture device and the audio input device are activated, the indicator light on the electronic device can emit light of different colors. In this way, the user can know the current activation status of the image capture device and the audio input device according to the color of the indicator light, thereby reducing the occurrence of stolen images and/or audio recordings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 includes an image capture device 11, an audio input device 12, an indicator light 13 and a control circuit 14. The image capturing device 11 is used for capturing external images. For example, the image capturing device 11 may include at least one lens and at least one photosensitive element. The image capturing device 11 can be used to capture external images through the lens and the photosensitive element. For example, the image capturing device 11 may include at least one camera built in the electronic device 10. The audio input device 12 is used for receiving audio signals. For example, the audio input device 12 may include at least one microphone built in the electronic device 10.

The indicator light 13 can be used to emit light. It should be noted that the indicator light 13 can emit light of more than two colors. In an embodiment, the indicator light 13 may include at least two light-emitting elements of different colors. For example, one light emitting element may include at least one epitaxial crystal. In an embodiment, it is assumed that the indicator light 13 includes two light-emitting elements, one of which includes a blue epitaxial crystal, and the other light-emitting element includes a green epitaxial crystal. When a light-emitting element including blue epitaxy is energized, the light-emitting element can emit blue light. When a light-emitting element including green epitaxy is energized, the light-emitting element can emit green light. When multiple light-emitting elements (e.g., epitaxy of different colors) inside the indicator light 13 are energized at the same time, the light emitted by the indicator light 13 can be mixed into different colors. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the number of light-emitting elements (such as epitaxy) included in the indicator light 13, the color of each light-emitting element, and all the colors that the indicator light 13 can emit. For example, in one embodiment, if a single light-emitting element can emit light of different colors (for example, different driving voltages are given to change the light-emitting color of the light-emitting element), the indicator light 13 may also include only a single light-emitting element.

The control circuit 14 is coupled to the image capture device 11, the audio input device 12 and the indicator light 13. In one embodiment, the control circuit 14 can be used to control the image capture device 11, the audio input device 12 and/or the indicator light 13. In an embodiment, the control circuit 14 can be used to control the whole or part of the operation of the electronic device 10. For example, the control circuit 14 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 one embodiment, the control circuit 14 can detect the respective activation states of the image capture device 11 and the audio input device 12 respectively. The activation state of the image capturing device 11 can reflect whether the image capturing device 11 is activated. When the image capturing device 11 is activated, the image capturing device 11 can be used to capture external images. In addition, the activation state of the audio input device 12 can reflect whether the audio input device 12 is activated. When the audio input device 12 is activated, the audio input device 12 can be used to receive external sound. The control circuit 14 can control at least one light-emitting element in the indicator light 13 to emit light or not to emit light according to the respective activation states of the image capturing device 11 and the audio input device 12.

In one embodiment, in response to the image capturing device 11 being activated and the audio input device 12 not being activated (for example, the audio input device 12 is in a standby or hibernation state), the control circuit 14 can control the indicator light 13 to emit a certain color ( Also called first color light (also called first color light). Or, in response to the image capturing device 11 not being activated (for example, the image capturing device 11 is in a standby or dormant state) and the audio input device 12 is activated, the control circuit 14 may control the indicator light 13 to emit a color with another color (also referred to as Second color) light (also called second color light). The first color is different from the second color. For example, the first color may be blue, and the second color may be green. In addition, the first color and the second color can also be other colors, which are not limited by the present invention.

In one embodiment, in response to both the image capturing device 11 and the audio input device 12 being activated, the control circuit 14 can control the indicator light 13 to emit light of another color (also called a third color) (also called a third color). Three-color light). The third color is different from the first color and the second color. In one embodiment, in response to both the image capturing device 11 and the audio input device 12 being activated, the control circuit 14 can control the indicator light 13 to simultaneously emit the first color light and the second color light, so the third color can be the first color. The mixed color of the color and the second color. For example, the third color may be a mixed color of blue and green (for example, blue-green). In addition, the third color can also be other colors, and the present invention is not limited.

In other words, when the electronic device 10 is operating, if neither the image capturing device 11 nor the audio input device 12 is activated, the indicator light 13 may not emit light. However, once at least one of the image capture device 11 and the audio input device 12 is activated to capture images and/or receive sound, the control circuit 14 can control the indicator light 13 to emit lights of different colors to remind the user of the current The activation status of the image capture device 11 and the audio input device 12. If the image capture device 11 and/or the audio input device 12 are not activated under the control of the user, it means that the electronic device 10 may have been controlled by a hacker for sneak shooting or recording. Find.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 2, in an embodiment, the control circuit 14 may include a driving circuit 21 (also referred to as an indicator light driving circuit) for controlling the indicator light 13. The indicator driving circuit 21 may include one or more driving chips. The indicator driving circuit 21 can detect whether the audio input device 12 is activated via the power pin 201 of the audio input device 12. For example, the indicator driving circuit 21 can detect whether the power signal on the power pin 201 is ON or OFF. When the power signal on the power pin 201 is ON, the indicator driving circuit 21 can determine that the audio input device 12 has been activated. When the power signal on the power pin 201 is OFF, the indicator driving circuit 21 can determine that the audio input device 12 is not activated. In response to the audio input device 12 being activated, the indicator driving circuit 21 can send a control signal to the indicator 13 to control the indicator 13 to emit light, for example, to emit light of the second color or the third color.

In one embodiment, the detection of the activation state of the image capturing device 11 in FIG. 1 and the operation of controlling the indicator light 13 to emit the first color light (or the third color light) can also be implemented in a manner similar to that in FIG. 2. For example, in one embodiment, the indicator light drive circuit 21 can also detect whether the signal on the power pin of the image capture device 11 is ON or OFF to determine whether the image capture device 11 is activated and control the indicator light 13 accordingly. Glow.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 3, in an embodiment, the control circuit 14 may include a processor 31. The processor 31 may be a CPU or other types of processors. The processor 31 can detect whether the audio input device 12 of FIG. 1 is activated. For example, the processor 31 can know whether the audio input device 12 is activated according to the system information (such as hardware management information) of the electronic device 10 or the currently running program. For example, the hardware management information may reflect whether the audio input device 12 or other types of hardware devices are activated. Alternatively, if the currently running program is a program that requires the audio input device 12 to be activated (for example, a voice call program such as skype or Internet phone), the processor 31 can learn that the audio input device 12 has been activated according to the currently running process. start up. In response to the audio input device 12 being activated, the processor 31 can send a control signal to the indicator light 13 via the control interface 301 to control the indicator light to emit light, for example, to emit light of the second color or the third color. In one embodiment, the control interface 301 may be a GPIO interface or other types of control interfaces (such as a USB interface, etc.).

In one embodiment, the detection of the activation state of the image capturing device 11 in FIG. 1 and the operation of controlling the indicator light 13 to emit the first color light (or the third color light) can also be implemented in a manner similar to that in FIG. 3. For example, in one embodiment, the processor 31 can also learn whether the image capture device 11 is activated according to the system information of the electronic device 10 (such as hardware management information) or the currently running program and control the indicator light 13 to emit light accordingly. .

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 4, in an embodiment, the control circuit 14 may include a processor 41 and a control module 42. The control module 42 may include one or more control chips. The processor 41 is coupled to the control module 42 and can control the image capture device 11, the audio input device 12 and/or the indicator light 13 via the control module 42. In addition, the processor 41 can also obtain the activation status of the image capture device 11 and the audio input device 12 via the control module 42.

In one embodiment, the processor 41 can communicate with the control module 42 via a plurality of signal pins. The processor 41 can learn the activation status of the image capture device 11 and the audio input device 12 according to the signals on the signal pins. In addition, the processor 41 can also instruct the control module 42 to control the indicator light 13 to emit light through the signals on these signal pins. For example, these signal pins can be used to transmit the signal of the image captured by the image capture device 11, the signal of the sound received by the audio input device 12, the power supply status of the image capture device 11, and the power supply status of the audio input device 12. and many more.

In one embodiment, the processor 41 can know whether the audio input device 12 is activated according to the signals on the signal pins. In response to the audio input device 12 being activated, the processor 41 can send a control signal to at least one predefined pin of the control module 42. For example, different types of control signals on the predefined pins can indicate that the indicator light 13 emits different colors of light. Then, the control module 42 can control the indicator light 13 to emit light according to the control signal on the predefined pin, for example, to emit light of the second color or the third color.

In one embodiment, the detection of the activation state of the image capturing device 11 and the operation of controlling the indicator light 13 to emit the first color light (or the third color light) can also be implemented in a manner similar to FIG. 4. For example, in one embodiment, the processor 41 can also learn whether the image capturing device 11 is activated according to the signals on these signal pins and control the indicator light 13 to emit light accordingly.

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 of FIG. 1 may also be an electronic device equipped with an image capture device 11 and an audio input device 12, such as a desktop computer, an industrial computer, a tablet computer, or a smart phone. The invention is not restricted.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 5, the electronic device 50 is a notebook computer. An image capturing device 51 and an indicator light 52 are arranged on the top of the screen (or other positions) of the electronic device 50. In addition, the electronic device 50 also has a built-in audio input device (not shown). In response to the respective activation states of the image capture device 51 and the audio input device, the indicator light 52 can emit light of different colors.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 6, the electronic device 60 is a notebook computer. An image capturing device 61 and an indicator 62 are arranged on the top of the screen (or other positions) of the electronic device 60. In addition, the electronic device 60 also has a built-in audio input device (not shown). In response to the respective activation states of the image capture device 61 and the audio input device, the indicator light 62 can emit light of different colors.

It should be noted that in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the indicator light 62 includes light-emitting elements 621 and 622. The light emitting elements 621 and 622 may be LED elements, for example. The light emitting element 621 can be used to emit light of a first color, and the light emitting element 622 can be used to emit light of a second color. When the light emitting elements 621 and 622 emit light at the same time, the indicator light 62 can emit light of the third color. In addition, in an embodiment, the indicator light 62 may further include more light-emitting elements and the arrangement of the light-emitting elements 621 and 622 may also be changed, which is not limited by the present invention.

It should be noted that, in one embodiment, different colors of light can also be combined with lights of different brightness and/or different flicker frequencies or replaced with lights of different brightness and/or different flicker frequencies to reflect the image capture device Separate activation status from audio input device.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, in step S701, the activation state of the image capturing device is detected. In step S702, the activation state of the audio input device is detected. In step S703, in response to the image capturing device being activated and the audio input device not being activated, the indicator light is controlled to emit the first color light. In step S704, in response to the image capturing device is not activated and the audio input device is activated, the indicator light is controlled to emit a second color light. In step S705, in response to both the image capturing device and the audio input device being activated, the indicator light is controlled to emit a third color light. In addition, if neither the image capture device nor the audio input device is activated, the indicator light may not emit light.

However, each step in FIG. 7 has been described in detail as above, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that each step in FIG. 7 can be implemented as multiple program codes or circuits, and the present invention is not limited. In addition, the method in FIG. 7 can be used in conjunction with the above exemplary embodiments, or can be used alone, and the present invention is not limited.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 8, in an embodiment, the control circuit 14 may include an image processing chip 81 and an indicator light control circuit 82. The image processing chip 81 is coupled to the image capture device 11 and can be used to perform image processing on the image data captured by the image capture device 11. The indicator light control circuit 82 is coupled to the image capturing device 11 and the image processing chip 81. When the image capturing device 11 is activated, the indicator light control circuit 82 can detect the power PW generated by the image capturing device 11. In addition, the indicator light control circuit 82 can receive the power VCC from the image processing chip 81.

In an embodiment, the indicator light control circuit 82 includes an indicator LED, impedance elements R1 to R3, and a switch SW. The impedance elements R1 and R2 can be used to divide the voltage of the power supply PW and control whether the switch SW is turned on or not according to the result of the divided voltage. When the switch SW is turned on, the power supply VCC can drive the indicator LED to emit light via the impedance element R3. In addition, when the switch SW is not turned on, the indicator LED will not emit light.

In an embodiment, the indicator LED in FIG. 8 may include at least a part of the LED elements in the indicator 13 in FIG. 1. When the indicator LED is illuminated, it indicates that the image capturing device 11 is currently in an activated state. Conversely, when the indicator LED does not emit light, it means that the image capturing device 11 is not currently in the activated state. In other words, whether the indicator LED in FIG. 8 is lit or not can reflect the activation state of the image capturing device 11.

It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the actual circuit structure of the indicator light control circuit 82. In another embodiment, the circuit structure of the indicator light control circuit 82 can be adjusted and/or at least part of the electronic components in the indicator light control circuit 82 can be replaced by other electronic components with the same or similar functions, as long as it meets the requirements of the power supply PW. It is sufficient to control the switch SW to drive the indicator LED by the power supply VCC and whether the indicator LED is illuminated or not can reflect the activation state of the image capturing device 11.

In summary, after the electronic device is activated, the activation status of the image capture device and the audio input device on the electronic device can be detected respectively. In response to whether the image capture device and the audio input device are activated, the indicator light on the electronic device can emit light of different colors. In this way, the user can know the current activation status of the image capture device and the audio input device according to the color of the indicator light, thereby reducing the occurrence of stolen images and/or audio recordings.

10, 50, 60: electronic device 11, 51, 61: image capture device 12: Audio input device 13, 52, 62: indicator light 14: Control circuit 201: Power pin 21: Indicator light drive circuit 301: Control Interface 31, 41: processor 42: control module 621, 622: light-emitting element S701~S705: steps 81: image processing chip 82: indicator light control circuit R1~R3: impedance element SW: switch LED: indicator PW, VCC: power supply

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

S701~S705: steps

Claims (12)

A device control method is used to control an electronic device. The electronic device has an image capture device, an audio input device and an indicator light. The device control method includes: Detecting an activation state of the image capturing device; Detecting an activation state of the audio input device; In response to the image capturing device being activated and the audio input device not being activated, controlling the indicator light to emit a first color light; and In response to the image capturing device not being activated and the audio input device being activated, the indicator light is controlled to emit a second color light. The device control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application further includes: In response to both the image capturing device and the audio input device being activated, the indicator light is controlled to emit a third color light. For the device control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the operation of detecting the activation state of the audio input device includes: An indicator light driving circuit detects whether the audio input device is activated via a power pin of the audio input device; and In response to the audio input device being activated, the indicator light driving circuit sends a control signal to the indicator light to control the indicator light to emit light. For the device control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the operation of detecting the activation state of the audio input device includes: A processor detects whether the audio input device is activated; and In response to the audio input device being activated, the processor sends a control signal to the indicator light via a control interface to control the indicator light to emit light. For the device control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the operation of detecting the activation state of the audio input device includes: A processor detects whether the audio input device is activated; In response to the audio input device being activated, the processor sends a control signal to a predefined pin of a control module; and The control module controls the indicator light to emit light according to the control signal on the predefined pin. The device control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application further includes: A first power source generated by detecting the activation of the image capturing device; Receiving a second power source from an image processing chip; and A switch is turned on according to the first power source to use the second power source to drive the indicator light to emit light. An electronic device, including: An indicator light; An image capture device; An audio input device; and A control circuit coupled to the indicator light, the image capture device and the audio input device, The control circuit is used to detect an activation state of the image capturing device, The control circuit is further used to detect an activation state of the audio input device, The control circuit is further used for controlling the indicator light to emit a first color light in response to the image capturing device being activated and the audio input device not being activated, and The control circuit is further used for controlling the indicator light to emit a second color light in response to the image capturing device not being activated and the audio input device being activated. For the electronic device described in claim 7, wherein the control circuit is further used for controlling the indicator light to emit a third color light in response to both the image capturing device and the audio input device being activated. For the electronic device described in item 7 of the scope of patent application, wherein the control circuit includes an indicator light drive circuit coupled to a power pin of the audio input device and the indicator light, The indicator driving circuit is used to detect whether the audio input device is activated through the power pin, and The indicator light driving circuit is further used for sending a control signal to the indicator light in response to the audio input device being activated to control the indicator light to emit light. The electronic device described in claim 7, wherein the control circuit includes a processor, which is coupled to the indicator light via a control interface, The processor is used to detect whether the audio input device is activated, and The processor is further used for sending a control signal to the indicator light through the control interface in response to the audio input device being activated, so as to control the indicator light to emit light. As for the electronic device described in claim 7, wherein the control circuit includes a processor and a control module, the processor is coupled to the control module, and the control module is used to control the image capturing device , The audio input device and the indicator light, The processor is used to detect whether the audio input device is activated, The processor is further used for sending a control signal to a predefined pin of a control module in response to the audio input device being activated, and The control module is further used for controlling the indicator light to emit light according to the control signal on the predefined pin. For example, the electronic device described in claim 7, wherein the control circuit includes an image processing chip and an indicator light control circuit, and the indicator light control circuit is coupled to the image capturing device and the image processing chip, The indicator light control circuit is used to detect a first power source generated by the activation of the image capture device, The indicator light control circuit is further used to receive a second power source from the image processing chip, and The indicator light control circuit is further used for turning on a switch according to the first power source to use the second power source to drive the indicator light to emit light.

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