Camera module and portable device using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9348211-B2
Application number	US-201213423710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2012
Priority date	Mar 19, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention provides a 3D camera module. The 3D camera module comprise a first lens, a second lens, a shutter control device, a first mirror, a second mirror and an image sensor. The first lens receives a first light beam. The second lens receives a second light beam. The shutter control device to control the first lens and the second camera and only one of the first shutter and the second shutter is turned on in one time period. The first mirror reflects the first light beam to the image sensor. The second mirror reflects the second light beam to the image sensor. The image sensor receives the first light beam and the second light beam to capture a first image and a second image and a 3D image is generated according to the first image and the second image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A 3D camera module, comprising:
a first lens to receive a first light beam;
a second lens to receive a second light beam;
a first shutter corresponding to the first lens;
a second shutter corresponding to the second lens;
a shutter control device to control the first lens and the second lens and only one of the first shutter and the second shutter is turned on in one time period;
a first mirror to reflect the first light beam to an image sensor after the first light beam passes through the first shutter, so that a reflected first light beam is directly passed to an image sensor from the first mirror;
a second mirror to reflect the second light beam to the image sensor after the second light beam passes through the second shutter, so that a reflected second light beam is passed to the image sensor by passing through the first mirror; and
the image sensor receiving the first light beam and the second light beam reflected by the first mirror and the second mirror, respectively, to capture a first image and a second image so that a 3D image is generated according to the first image and the second image,
wherein the reflected second light beam from a center of the second mirror is parallel with and spaced apart from the reflected first light beam from a center of the first mirror, and passes through the first mirror before arriving at the image sensor.

2. The module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first lens comprises:
a first aperture to receive the first light beam corresponding to a first image,
wherein the first shutter is controlled by a first control signal to allow the first light beam pass when the first shutter is turn on.

3. The module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second lens comprises:
a second aperture to receive the second light beam corresponding to a second image,
wherein the second shutter is controlled by a second control signal to allow the second light beam pass when the second shutter is turn on.

4. The module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a frame per second value of the image sensor is X and a shutter speed of the first shutter or the second shutter is equal to or smaller than X/2 second.

5. A portable device, comprising:
a 3D camera module, comprising:
a first lens to receive a first light beam;
a second lens to receive a second light beam;
a first shutter corresponding to the first lens;
a second shutter corresponding to the second lens;
a first mirror to reflect the first light beam to an image sensor after the first light beam passes through the first shutter, so that a reflected first light beam is directly passed to an image sensor from the first mirror;
a second mirror to reflect the second light beam to the image sensor after the second light beam passes through the second shutter, so that a reflected second light beam is passed to the image sensor by passing through the first mirror; and
the image sensor to receive the first light beam and the second light beam reflected by the first mirror and the second mirror, respectively, to capture a first image and a second image; and
a processor to control the 3D camera module to ensure the image sensor to receive only one of the first light beam and the second light beam in one time period, and process the first image and the second image to generate a 3D image,
wherein the reflected second light beam from a center of the second mirror is parallel with and spaced apart from the reflected first light beam from a center of the first mirror, and passes through the first mirror before arriving at the image sensor.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the 3D camera module further comprises a shutter control device, controlled by the processor, to block the first light beam or the second light beam in one time period.

7. The device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the first lens comprises:
a first aperture to receive the first light beam corresponding to a first image,
wherein the first shutter is controlled by a first control signal to allow the first light beam pass when the first shutter is turn on.

8. The device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the second lens comprises:
a second aperture to receive the second light beam corresponding to a second image,
wherein the second shutter is controlled by a second control signal to allow the second light beam pass when the second shutter is turn on.

9. The device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein a frame per second value of the image sensor is X and a shutter speed of the first shutter or the second shutter is equal to or smaller than X/2 second.

Assignees

• Tsai Meng-Han
• Lin Chun-Ta
• Htc Corp

Inventors

• Tsai Meng-Han
• Lin Chun-Ta

Classifications

• H04N13/211

  using temporal multiplexing · CPC title

• G03B35/10 Primary

  having single camera with stereoscopic-base-defining system · CPC title

• H04N13/021

  Electricity · mapped topic