TWI717200B - Camera and light adjustment module - Google Patents

Abstract

A light adjustment module for a camera includes a light source unit and a light adjustment unit. The light source unit includes a plurality of light emitting elements disposed around a lens of the camera, and the light direction of each of the light emitting elements is parallel to the image capturing direction of the lens. The light adjustment unit is disposed on the light source unit and includes a plurality of secondary optical elements, and these secondary optical elements respectively correspond to the light emitting elements. Each secondary optical element includes a light transmitting cover, and each light emitting element is accommodated inside each light transmitting cover. The inner wall of each light transmitting cover includes a first light guiding inclined surface and a second light guiding inclined surface. A first slope of the first light guiding inclined surface is different from a second slope of the second light guiding inclined surface, and the light emitted by each of light emitting elements is deflected via the first light guiding inclined surface and the second light guiding inclined surface, respectively.

Description

Camera and dimming module

The invention relates to an electronic device, in particular to a camera and a dimming module.

Many cameras are equipped with light sources as auxiliary lighting, so that when the camera captures images, it can obtain clearer images by light source lighting, and it can also have sufficient brightness for shooting at night or in low-light environments.

In order to enable the light source to illuminate a specific area or angle, the light source of the camera generally adopts a plug-in light-emitting element with pins (such as DIP LED). During the manufacturing process of the camera, the pins of the plug-in light-emitting element are inserted into the On the circuit board, after turning through the bent pins and welding and fixing, the plug-in light-emitting element can be directed to a specific angle to illuminate a specific area.

However, the above-mentioned method is not only complicated and time-consuming (for example, each light-emitting element needs to be bent), but the method of bending the pins is also prone to errors and cannot achieve the expected lighting effect. In addition, the light irradiated by the plug-in light emitting element to a specific area may also be uneven. For example, the farther away the light from the plug-in light emitting element is, the more divergent the light, resulting in poor lighting effects and affecting image quality.

In view of the above, in one embodiment, a camera dimming module is provided, which is suitable for a camera, and the dimming module includes a light source unit and a dimming unit. The light source unit includes multiple The light emitting element, a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged around the imaging lens of the camera, and the light emitting direction of each light emitting element is parallel to the imaging direction of the imaging lens. The dimming unit is arranged on the light source unit and includes a plurality of secondary optical parts, and the plurality of secondary optical parts correspond to a plurality of light-emitting parts. Each secondary optical element includes a light-transmitting cover, and each light-emitting element is housed inside each light-transmitting cover. The inner wall of each light-transmitting cover includes a first light guide slope and a second light guide slope. The absolute value of the first slope is different from the absolute value of the second slope of the second light guide slope, and the light emitted by each light-emitting element is deflected through the first light guide slope and the second light guide slope respectively.

In one embodiment, a camera is provided, which includes a camera body and the above-mentioned dimming module. The camera body has a camera lens. The dimming module is arranged in the camera body.

Thereby, according to the dimming module of the camera according to the embodiment of the present invention, each secondary optical element that passes through the dimming unit corresponds to each light-emitting element, and the light emitted by each light-emitting element can pass through the second optical element of the corresponding secondary optical element. A light guide slope and a second light guide slope are deflected, so that the dimming unit can guide the light of each light-emitting element to reach the required illumination angle and intensity distribution, so as to optimize the uniformity of illumination and improve the quality of image capture. In addition, each light-emitting element does not require additional processing (for example, bending of the lead), which greatly reduces labor and time costs.

1: camera

2: Dimming module

6: area

10: Light source unit

11: First surface

12: second surface

13: Lens setting area

14: substrate

15: luminous parts

20: Dimming unit

21: Secondary optics

22: first end

23: second end

24, 24A, 24B: translucent cover

241, 241A, 241B: first light guide slope

242, 242A, 242B: second light guide slope

243: Connection Department

244: inside

245: Outside

246: side

25: Optical microstructure

27: Transparent cover

3: Camera body

30: chassis

31: Camera port

32: camera lens

N: Normal axis

O: Optical axis

L1~L4: light

[Figure 1] is a perspective view of an embodiment of the camera of the present invention.

[Figure 2] is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention.

[Figure 3] is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention.

[Figure 4] is a side view of the first embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention.

[Figure 5] is a partial cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention.

[Figure 6] is a partial enlarged view of Figure 5.

[Fig. 7] is a schematic diagram of the partial enlargement and light guide of Fig. 5.

[Fig. 8] is a schematic diagram of light guide of the second embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention.

[Figure 9] is a side view of the third embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention.

[Fig. 10] is a partial cross-sectional view of Fig. 9.

[Figure 11] is a partial cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention.

Various embodiments are presented below for detailed description. However, the embodiments are only used as examples for description and do not limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, some elements are omitted from the drawings in the embodiments to clearly show the technical features of the present invention. The same reference numerals will be used to indicate the same or similar elements in all drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the camera of the present invention. 2 to 4 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view and a side view of the first embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 1 of this embodiment includes a dimming module 2 and a camera body 3. In some embodiments, the camera 1 can be an IP Camera (Network Camera), Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), or an analog surveillance camera. The camera 1 can be installed in various places (such as nurseries, offices, shops, highways, etc.) for security monitoring or recording personnel activities.

1 to 4, the camera body 3 includes a casing 30 and a camera lens 32. The casing 30 is a hollow casing and has a camera port 31. The camera lens 32 is located in the casing 30 and faces the camera.口31. External light can enter the inside of the casing 30 through the camera port 31, so that the camera lens 32 can capture external images. The dimming module 2 is installed on the casing 30 and includes a light source unit 10 and a dimming Light unit 20. The light source unit 10 includes a substrate 14 and a plurality of light-emitting elements 15 arranged around the imaging lens 32. The substrate 14 includes a first surface 11 and a second surface 12 opposite to each other. In this embodiment, the substrate 14 is a circuit board, each light-emitting element 15 is a light-emitting diode (LED), and each light-emitting element 15 is a surface mount technology (Surface-mount technology, SMT). ) Is fixed on the first surface 11; the normal direction of the first surface 11 of the substrate 14 is parallel to the imaging direction of the imaging lens 32 (for example, the Y-axis direction shown in FIG. 3), so that each light-emitting element 15 The light emitting direction is parallel to the imaging direction of the imaging lens 32. Those with ordinary knowledge in the art can understand that the light-emitting direction of the light-emitting element 15 is also the direction of the maximum light intensity of the light-emitting element 15. In this embodiment, the number of the plurality of light-emitting elements 15 is four, but this is not limited, and the number of the light-emitting elements 15 can also be configured differently according to implementation requirements.

As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 14 has a lens setting area 13 for mounting the camera lens 32. In this embodiment, the lens setting area 13 is a central opening for the camera lens 32 to pass through to prevent the camera lens 32 from being blocked to capture external images, but this is not limited. In some embodiments, the lens setting area 13 of the substrate 14 may also be a physical area for the camera lens 32 to be directly assembled and face the camera port 31.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the imaging lens 32 has a normal center axis N (the axis of the normal center axis N in this embodiment is parallel to the Y axis direction in FIGS. 1 to 3), and the imaging lens 32 The imaging direction is the axial direction of the normal center axis N. The multiple light-emitting elements 15 are respectively arranged at equal intervals around the normal central axis N, that is, the shortest distances from each light-emitting element 15 to the normal central axis N are the same, but this embodiment is not limited. In some embodiments, the positions of the multiple light-emitting elements 15 may have different configurations according to actual requirements. For example, multiple light-emitting elements 15 are arranged on the same side of the lens setting area 13, or the multiple light-emitting elements 15 are arranged on the normal center axis N Equivalent angle (e.g. 30°, 45° or 60°) configuration for the center, Or a plurality of light emitting elements 15 may also be arranged in an irregular manner.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the dimming unit 20 is disposed on the light source unit 10 and includes a plurality of secondary optical elements 21, the plurality of secondary optical elements 21 correspond to the plurality of light emitting elements 15, and the light emitted by each light emitting element 15 After being deflected by the corresponding secondary optical element 21, the light emitted by each light-emitting element 15 can only illuminate a specific area of the imaging range of the camera 1, for example, only illuminate one quadrant of the imaging range of the camera 1. . In some embodiments, the dimming unit 20 and the light source unit 10 are arranged side by side in the imaging direction of the imaging lens 32, and the dimming unit 20 is located in front of the light source unit 10. The dimming unit 20 also includes a transparent cover 27, which is arranged on one side of the first surface 11 of the substrate 14, and a plurality of secondary optical elements 21 extend from the surface of the transparent cover 27 and respectively correspond to the light-emitting elements 15 to form The plurality of secondary optics 21 are respectively arranged equidistantly around the normal center axis N. In this embodiment, the transparent cover 27 and the secondary optical parts 21 are integrally formed (for example, the transparent cover 27 and the secondary optical parts 21 are integrally molded), and the transparent cover 27 covers the plurality of light-emitting parts 15. The plurality of secondary optical elements 21 are located between the substrate 14 and the transparent cover 27 and correspond to the plurality of light emitting elements 15 respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in this embodiment, each secondary optical element 21 includes a light-transmitting cover 24, and each light-transmitting cover 24 has a first end 22 and a second end 23 that are axially opposed to each other. The axial direction of each translucent cover 24 is the same as the imaging direction of the imaging lens 32 (that is, the direction of the aforementioned normal center axis N), and the first end 22 of each secondary optical element 21 is adjacent to the first surface 11 and is respectively covered For each light-emitting element 15, each light-emitting element 15 is accommodated in each light-transmitting cover 24, and the second end 23 of each light-transmitting cover 24 is away from the first surface 11 and connected to the surface of the transparent cover 27.

In some embodiments, the above-mentioned transparent cover 27 and each light-transmitting cover 24 are made of transparent materials, for example, the transparent material may be polycarbonate (PC), acrylic plastic (PMMA) or glass materials, etc., to make each light-emitting The light emitted by the element 15 can be composed of multiple secondary optical elements 21 and a transparent cover 27 shows through and illuminates from the camera port 31 to achieve the effect of auxiliary lighting.

In some embodiments, the above-mentioned dimming unit 20 can be directly fixed to the substrate 14, for example, each secondary optical element 21 is fixed to the first surface 11 of the substrate 14 through adhesion or embedding. Alternatively, the dimming unit 20 can also be assembled and fixed to the casing 30 of the camera 1, which is not limited.

Please refer to FIGS. 4 to 6, where FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of area 6 of FIG. 5, in this embodiment, FIG. 5 To cut along the line segment AA in FIG. 4, the line segment AA extends along the radial direction perpendicular to the normal center axis N, and the line segment AA cuts two of the transparent covers 24. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inner wall of each light-transmitting cover 24 includes a first light-guiding slope 241 and a second light-guiding slope 242, and the absolute value of the first slope of the first light-guiding slope 241 is different from the second The absolute value of the second slope of the light guide slope 242, that is, the absolute value of the slope of the first light guide slope 241 may be greater or smaller than the absolute value of the slope of the second light guide slope 242.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in this embodiment, each light-transmitting cover 24 includes an inner side 244 and an outer side 245 opposite to each other. The inner side 244 is adjacent to the normal center axis N with respect to the outer side 245. The light guide slope 241 is closer to the inner side 244 than the second light guide slope 242, that is, the first light guide slope 241 of each light transmission cover 24 is closer to the normal center axis N and the second light guide slope 242 Camera lens 32. In addition, in this embodiment, the absolute value of the slope of the first light guide inclined surface 241 is smaller than the absolute value of the slope of the second light guide inclined surface 242, but this is not limited. In some embodiments, the number of light guide slopes on the inner wall of each light transmissive cover 24 may also exceed two. For example, the inner wall of each light transmissive cover 24 may include three light guide slopes, and at least of the three light guide slopes The two have different slopes.

According to the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, the secondary optical components of the dimming unit 20 Each light-transmitting cover 24 of 21 is respectively covered on the outside of each light-emitting element 15, and the first light guiding inclined surface 241 and the second light guiding inclined surface 242 of the inner wall of each secondary optical element 21 have different absolute slope values, so that two The secondary optical element 21 can guide the light emitted by each light-emitting element 15 to reach the required illumination angle and intensity distribution. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, which is a schematic diagram of the partial magnification and light guide of FIG. 5, in this embodiment, since the absolute value of the slope of the first light guide slope 241 of each transparent cover 24 is different from the first light guide slope The absolute value of the slope of the second light guide slope 242. Therefore, after each light-emitting element 15 illuminates the first light guide slope 241 and the second light guide slope 242, different refraction effects will be generated. For example, the slope of the first light guide slope 241 can be When each light-emitting element 15 illuminates the first light guide inclined surface 241, the light (such as the light L1 shown in FIG. 7) can be refracted and transmitted in the direction of the imaging lens 32 and irradiated to a predetermined area and position, so that a plurality of light-emitting elements The light irradiation area of 15 can partially overlap with the imaging direction of the imaging lens 32 to increase the brightness of the imaging lens 32 in the imaging direction. The slope of the second light guide inclined surface 242 can make each light-emitting element 15 illuminate the second light guide inclined surface 242, the light (such as the light L2 shown in FIG. 7) can be refracted and transmitted in a direction away from the imaging lens 32 and irradiated to The predetermined area and location.

Please refer to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of light guide of the second embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention. The difference between this embodiment and the embodiment of FIG. 7 is at least that the absolute value of the slope of the first light guide slope 241A of each light-transmitting cover 24A of this embodiment is greater than that of the first light-guiding surface 241A of each light-transmitting cover 24 of the embodiment of FIG. 7 The absolute value of the slope of the light guide slope 241, the absolute value of the slope of the second light guide slope 242A of each light transmission cover 24A is greater than the absolute value of the slope of the second light guide slope 242 of each light transmission cover 24 of the embodiment of FIG. 7 . Thereby, when each light-emitting element 15 emits light to illuminate the first light guide inclined surface 241A, the illuminated area and position of the light (such as light L3 shown in FIG. 8) after being refracted can be closer to the imaging direction of the imaging lens 32, so that multiple The light irradiation area of the luminous element 15 is The overlapping part of the image capturing direction of the lens 32 is increased, and the brightness of the image capturing direction of the imaging lens 32 is increased, so as to avoid the situation of insufficient central brightness after image capturing. In the same way, when each light-emitting element 15 emits light to illuminate the second light guide inclined surface 242A, the illuminated area and position of the light (such as the light L4 shown in FIG. 8) after being refracted can be farther away from the imaging lens 32, so as to achieve the adjustment of each The irradiation area and position of the light emitting element 15.

In summary, the light emitted by each light-emitting element 15 in the embodiment of the present invention is deflected by the first light guide inclined surface 241 and the second light guide inclined surface 242 of each light-transmitting cover 24 to illuminate the predetermined illumination area to increase the brightness. In addition, , The light of each light-emitting element 15 can be guided by the first light guide slope 241 and the second light guide slope 242 to reach the required illumination angle and position, so as to illuminate the predetermined area of the imaging range and make the predetermined illumination area The overall brightness is uniform and greatly improves the quality of image capture. For example, a plurality of light-emitting elements 15 can be respectively irradiated in different quadrants of the predetermined illumination area, and the light of each light-emitting element 15 can be respectively guided through the first light guide inclined surface 241 and the second light guide inclined surface 242 of the corresponding transparent cover 24. In this way, part of the light emitted by the multiple light-emitting elements 15 can overlap at the quadrant junction, so as to avoid the problem of too dark at the quadrant junction and make the brightness of the predetermined illumination area uniform.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention controls light illumination by covering the light-transmitting cover 24 of each secondary optical element 21 of the dimming unit 20 on the outside of each light-emitting element 15 so that each light-emitting element 15 is not required Carry out additional processing (for example, bending of lead turning). As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each light-emitting element 15 of this embodiment adopts Surface Mounted Technology LEDs to quickly mount each light-emitting element 15 on the first surface 11 of the substrate 14 through an automated machine , To achieve a substantial reduction in labor and time costs.

In some embodiments, the present invention can further adjust the position of each light-emitting element 15 in each light-transmitting cover 24, so as to adjust the illumination angle of the light from each light-emitting element 15 out of the imaging port 31 and Intensity distribution. As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, each light-emitting element 15 is eccentrically arranged inside each light-transmitting cover 24. For example, each light-emitting element 15 is close to the second light guide slope 242 of each light-transmitting cover 24 and relatively far away from the first The light guide inclined surface 241 constitutes an eccentric arrangement, and the angle at which each light-emitting element 15 irradiates the first light guide inclined surface 241 and the second light guide inclined surface 242 is changed to produce different refraction effects, thereby changing the irradiation angle of the imaging port 31 and Intensity distribution. In some embodiments, each light-emitting element 15 may also be close to the first light guide inclined surface 241 and relatively far away from the second light guide inclined surface 242.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the first light guide slope 241 and the second light guide slope 242 of the transparent cover 24 have a connecting portion 243, that is, the first light guide slope 241 and the second light guide slope One ends of the two light guide slopes 242 are connected to each other, and the connecting portion 243 is located in the light emitting direction of each light emitting element 15 and deviates from the optical axis O of each light emitting element 15, wherein the optical axis O of each light emitting element 15 is parallel to the aforementioned imaging lens 32 The normal center axis N, therefore, the present invention can also change the offset position of the connecting portion 243 relative to each light-emitting element 15 to change the light-emitting element 15 irradiating the first light guide slope 241 and the second light guide slope 242 The angle produces different refraction effects, thereby changing the illumination angle and intensity distribution illuminating the imaging port 31. In other embodiments, the connecting portion 243 of the first light guide inclined surface 241 and the second light guide inclined surface 242 may also be located on the optical axis O of each light emitting element 15.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first light guide inclined surface 241 or the second light guide inclined surface 242 of each transparent cover 24 can be further inclined in other directions, so that the light emitted by each light emitting element 15 can be refracted. Produce different refraction effects. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, Figure 9 is a side view of the third embodiment of the dimming module of the present invention, Figure 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of Figure 9, in this embodiment, Figure 10 is along the line of Figure 9 The line segment BB is cut, wherein the line segment BB extends along a horizontal direction perpendicular to the normal central axis N and the line segment AA of FIG. 4, and the line segment BB cuts one of the transparent covers 24B. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, each transparent cover 24B includes two opposite sides 246, two The side 246 is connected between the inner side 244 and the outer side 245. In this embodiment, the first light guide inclined surface 241B of each light transmitting cover 24B is further inclined toward one of the side sides 246 (that is, the above-mentioned horizontal direction). Compared with the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6, after being refracted by the first light guide inclined surface 241B, the light emitted by each light emitting element 15 can be transmitted in different directions and irradiated to different regions and positions. In other embodiments, the second light guide inclined surface 242B of each light transmissive cover 24B may also be inclined toward one of the side 246 directions (ie, the above-mentioned horizontal direction), which will not be repeated here.

In some embodiments, the surface of at least one of the first light guide inclined surface 241 or the second light guide inclined surface 242 of each transparent cover 24 may be further provided with an optical microstructure 25, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, which is the present invention A partial cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the dimming module. The difference between this embodiment and the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6 is at least that the second light guide slope 242 of each light transmissive cover 24 further has a sawtooth-shaped optical microstructure 25. In order to increase the light guide area of the second light guide slope 242, the overall design of the dimming module 2 can be made thinner without affecting the light guide effect of the second light guide slope 242. Similarly, the first light guide slope 241 An optical microstructure 25 can also be provided, which will not be repeated here.

In some embodiments, the above-mentioned optical microstructure 25 can also be a light guide film, a diffusion film or a light guide dot, which is not limited.

Although the technical content of the present invention has been disclosed in the preferred embodiments as above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone who is familiar with this technique and makes some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be covered by the present invention Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope of the attached patent application.

2: Dimming module

10: Light source unit

11: First surface

12: second surface

13: Lens setting area

14: substrate

15: luminous parts

20: Dimming unit

21: Secondary optics

22: first end

23: second end

24: Translucent cover

27: Transparent cover

32: camera lens

N: Normal axis

Claims (10)

A dimming module of a camera is suitable for a camera. The dimming module of the camera includes: a light source unit, including a plurality of light-emitting parts, the light-emitting parts are arranged around a camera lens of the camera, and each light-emitting The light emitting direction of the component is parallel to the imaging direction of the imaging lens; and a dimming unit is arranged on the light source unit and includes a plurality of secondary optical components, and the secondary optical components correspond to the light emitting components; Each of the secondary optical elements includes a light-transmitting cover, each of the light-emitting elements is accommodated in each of the light-transmitting covers, and the inner wall of each of the light-transmitting covers includes a first light guide slope and a second light guide slope, and The absolute value of a first slope of the first light guide slope is different from the absolute value of a second slope of the second light guide slope, and the light emitted by each light-emitting element passes through the first light guide slope and the first light guide slope. The second light guide is inclined and deflected. The dimming module of a camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera lens includes a normal center axis, each of the light transmission covers includes an inner side and an outer side opposite to each other, and the inner side is adjacent to the normal center relative to the outer side Axis, the first light guide slope of each light-transmitting cover is closer to the inner side than the second light guide slope. The camera dimming module according to claim 2, wherein the absolute value of the first slope of the first light guide slope is smaller than the absolute value of the second slope of the second light guide slope. The dimming module of the camera according to claim 2, wherein each of the transparent covers includes a side, the side is connected between the inner side and the outer side, and the first light guide slope or the second light guide The inclined surface is further inclined toward the side direction. The dimming module of the camera according to claim 1, wherein the first light guide inclined surface and the second light guide inclined surface of each of the light-transmitting covers have a connecting portion, and the connecting portion is located on each of the light emitting elements The light-emitting direction deviates from an optical axis of each light-emitting element. The dimming module of the camera according to claim 1, wherein the surface of at least one of the first light guide inclined surface or the second light guide inclined surface of each transparent cover is further provided with an optical microstructure. The dimming module of a camera according to claim 1, wherein the light source unit includes a substrate, the substrate includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, and the light-emitting elements are fixed on the first surface. The dimming module of the camera according to claim 1, wherein the dimming unit includes a transparent cover, and the secondary optical elements extend from the surface of the transparent cover. The dimming module of the camera according to claim 1, wherein each of the light-emitting elements is eccentrically arranged inside each of the light-transmitting covers. A camera includes: a camera body with a camera lens; and the dimming module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the dimming module is arranged in the camera body.

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