Abstract:
An image capture device and a dustproofing method thereof. The image capture device comprises a switch module, optical-component adaptor module, optical-component adaptor detecting module, mask module, power detecting module and controlling module. The switch module switches the image capture device on or off and produces an on signal or off signal correspondingly. The optical-component adaptor detecting module detects whether a removable optical-component is connected with the optical-component adaptor module and produces a detecting signal. The power detecting module measures the residual power in the image capture device and produces a residual power signal. The controlling module, according to the on signal, off signal, detecting signal and the residual power signal controls the mask module to shield or un-shield the photosensor. Therefore, when the image capture device is powered off or during replacement of removable optical-components, the mask module shields the photosensor to render it dustproof.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application No. 101114678, filed on Apr. 25, 2012, in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to an image capture device and a dustproof method thereof, and more particularly to the image capture device and a dustproof method of the image capture device that use a mask module to shield a photosensor to achieve the dustproof effect. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Conventional interchangeable-lens digital cameras (such as digital single lens reflex cameras) generally have a high image quality or allow users to change the lens with an appropriate focal length range to meet different requirements for portrait or scenery photography. With the severe price competition among manufacturers, the interchangeable-lens digital cameras become a necessary 3C product for almost everyone. Although the interchangeable-lens digital camera provides a function of changing the lens, it also brings troubles to users. For example, most interchangeable lens digital cameras have an adapter module with a hole for movably installing or removing the lens, and an opening, and the opening is exposed after the adapter module is removed, so that dust or foreign substances may enter into the interchangeable lens digital camera and adhere or attach on a photosensor during the process of changing the camera lens. As a result, the quality of images captured by the interchangeable-lens digital camera will be affected. 
         [0006]    Among the prior arts, some manufacturers install a lens or a filter onto the photosensor to cover the photosensor and isolate dust or foreign substances from falling or attaching onto the photosensor, and further install a vibrating component and its corresponding circuit to perform a vibration dust removal operation. However, products of this sort are definitely a hindrance to the development of the increasingly smaller design of the products. 
         [0007]    In view of the aforementioned problems, the inventor of the present invention designed and developed an image capture device and a dustproof method to overcome the problems of the prior art and to improve industrial applications. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Therefore, it is a primary objective of the invention to provide an image capture device and a dustproof method thereof to overcome the problem of the prior art that incurs a high cost and a technical difficulty to miniaturize the image capture device. 
         [0009]    To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention provides an image capture device, comprising: a switch module, an optical-component adaptor module, an adaptor detecting module, a mask module, a power detecting module and a controlling module. The switch module controls the image capture device to be turned on or off to generate an ON signal or an OFF signal correspondingly. The optical-component adaptor module couples a removable optical component to the image capture device. The adaptor detecting module detects whether the removable optical component is coupled to the optical-component adaptor module and generates a detecting signal. The mask module movably shields a photosensor of the image capture device. The power detecting module detects a residual power value of a power storage module of the image capture device and generates a residual power signal. The controlling module is electrically coupled to the switch module, and the adaptor detecting module and the power detecting module control the mask module to unshield or shield the photosensor according to the ON signal, the OFF signal, the detecting signal or the residual power signal. 
         [0010]    Wherein, the controlling module controls the mask module to unshield the photosensor when the controlling module receives the ON signal; and the controlling module controls the mask module to shield the photosensor according when the controlling module receives the OFF signal. 
         [0011]    Wherein, when the controlling module receives the detecting signal the controlling module determines whether or not the removable optical component is coupled to the image capture device according to the detecting signal; if the controlling module does not receive the detecting signal, then the controlling module controls the mask module to shield the photosensor; and if the controlling module receives the detecting signal, then the controlling module controls the mask module to unshield the photosensor. 
         [0012]    Wherein, the controlling module determines whether the residual power signal is smaller than a threshold value when the controlling module receives a residual power signal; if yes, then the controlling module controls the mask module to shield the photosensor. 
         [0013]    Wherein, the mask module is a leaf assembly. 
         [0014]    Wherein, the optical-component adaptor module comprises a contact, and the removable optical component can be connected to the optical-component adaptor module to trigger the contact to generate a control signal, such that the controlling module controls the mask module to unshield the photosensor. 
         [0015]    Wherein, when an external force presses on the contact, the contact generates the control signal. 
         [0016]    Wherein, the image capture device comprises a first power mode and a second power mode. The first power mode is a power storage module for supplying power to image capture device for the normal operation of the image capture device; and the second power mode is a power storage module for supplying power to the image capture device only when the image capture device is turned off, so that the contact generates the control signal, and the controlling module controls the mask module to unshield the photosensor. 
         [0017]    To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention further provides a dustproof method applied in an image capture device, and the dustproof method comprises the following steps: 
         [0018]    Providing a mask module to movably shield a photosensor. 
         [0019]    Using a switch module to switch the image capture device on or off, and generate an ON signal or an OFF signal correspondingly. 
         [0020]    Providing an optical-component adaptor module to couple a removable optical component to the image capture device. 
         [0021]    Providing an adaptor detecting module to detect whether the removable optical component is coupled to optical-component adaptor module, and generate a detecting signal. 
         [0022]    Using a residual power detecting module to detect a residual power value of a power storage module of the image capture device, and generate a residual power signal. 
         [0023]    Using a controlling module to control the mask module to shield or unshield the photosensor according to the ON signal, the OFF signal, the detecting signal or the residual power signal. 
         [0024]    Wherein, the controlling module controls the mask module to unshield the photosensor when the controlling module receives the ON signal; and the controlling module controls the mask module to shield the photosensor when the controlling module receives the OFF signal. 
         [0025]    Wherein, the dustproof method further comprises the following step. The controlling module determines whether the removable optical component is coupled to the image capture device according to the detecting signal; if the controlling module does not receive the detecting signal, then the controlling module controls the mask module to shield the photosensor; if the controlling module receives the detecting signal, then the controlling module controls the mask module to unshield the photosensor. 
         [0026]    Wherein, the dustproof method further comprises the following step. The controlling module determines whether the residual power signal is smaller than a threshold value when the controlling module receives a residual power signal; if yes, then the controlling module controls the mask module to shield the photosensor. 
         [0027]    Wherein, the mask module is a leaf assembly. 
         [0028]    Wherein, the optical-component adaptor module comprises a contact, and the dustproof method further comprises the following step. Connecting the removable optical component to the optical-component adaptor module to trigger the contact to generate a control signal. The controlling module controls the mask module to unshield the photosensor. 
         [0029]    Wherein, the dustproof method further comprises the following step. Using an external force to press on the contact, such that the contact generates a control signal. 
         [0030]    Wherein, the image capture device comprises a first power mode and a second power mode. The first power mode is a power storage module for supplying power to image capture device for the normal operation of the image capture device; and the second power mode is a power storage module for supplying power to the image capture device only when the image capture device is turned off, so that the contact generates the control signal, and the controlling module controls the mask module to unshield the photosensor. 
         [0031]    In summation, the image capture device and the dustproof method in accordance with the present invention have one or more of the following advantages: 
         [0032]    (1) The image capture device and the dustproof method in accordance with the present invention can use a switch module or a power detecting module to shield the photosensor when the mask module of the image capture device is turned off or the electric power is low, so as to reduce the possibility for dust or foreign substances from entering into the image capture device. 
         [0033]    (2) The image capture device and the dustproof method in accordance with the present invention can use an optical-component adaptor module or a contact to shield the photosensor when the mask module is not connected to the optical component, so as to reduce the possibility for dust or foreign substances from entering into the image capture device. 
         [0034]    (3) The image capture device and the dustproof method in accordance with the present invention can use the mask module to shield the photosensor, so as to reduce the number of components and related circuits installed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0035]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an image capture device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a mask module of an image capture device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0037]      FIG. 3  is a first flow chart of an image capture device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0038]      FIG. 4  is a second flow chart of an image capture device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an image capture device in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0040]      FIG. 6  is a first schematic view of an image capture device in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0041]      FIG. 7  is a second schematic view of an image capture device in accordance with the other preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0042]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart of a dustproof method in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0043]    The technical contents and characteristics of the present invention will be apparent with the detailed description of a preferred embodiment accompanied with related drawings as follows. For simplicity, same numerals are used in the following preferred embodiment to represent respective same elements. 
         [0044]    The image pickup device of the present invention can be an interchangeable-lens camera or a digital single lens reflex camera. To facilitate the description of the technical characteristics of the present invention, the interchangeable-lens camera is used as an example in the following preferred embodiments, but the invention is not limited to the interchangeable-lens camera only. 
         [0045]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2  for a block diagram of an image capture device and a schematic view of a mask module of the image capture device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention respectively, the image capture device  1  comprises a switch module  10 , an optical-component adaptor module  11 , an adaptor detecting module  12 , a mask module  13 , a power storage module  14 , a power detecting module  15 , a controlling module  16  and a photosensor  17 . The switch module  10  controls the image capture device  1  to be turned on or off to generate an ON signal  101  or an OFF signal  102  correspondingly. The optical-component adaptor module  11  couples a removable optical component  2  to the image capture device  1 . The adaptor detecting module  12  detects whether the removable optical component  2  (such as a lens) is coupled to the optical-component adaptor module  11  to generate a detecting signal  121 . Wherein, the detection made by the adaptor detecting module  12  may include a continuous detection (pooling) or a passive hardware interrupt to inform the controlling module  16 . 
         [0046]    The mask module  13  movably shields a photosensor  17  of the image capture device  1 , wherein the mask module  13  can be a leaf assembly, the photosensor  17  can be a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or charge coupled device (CCD) sensor, and the power storage module  14  can be a chargeable battery such as a lithium-ion battery and a lead acid battery for storing the power required by the operation of the image capture device  1 , and the quantity of the stored power is indicated by the measurement of a residual power value  141 . The power detecting module  15  detects the residual power value  141  to generate a residual power signal  151 . The controlling module  16  is electrically coupled to each module or component, and the controlling module  16  can be a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit. The controlling module  16  controls the mask module  13  to unshield or shield the photosensor  17  according to the ON signal  101 , the OFF signal  102 , the detecting signal  121  or the residual power signal  151 . 
         [0047]    Specifically, when the image capture device  1  enters into a shutdown status (such as after an inspection, during a sales exhibition, or while being stored by users), the switch module  10  generates and transmits an OFF signal  102  to the controlling module  16 , such that the controlling module  16  will control the mask module  13  to shield the photosensor  17  accordingly. The arrangement can prevent dust or foreign substance from entering into the image capture device  1  when the image capture device  1  is turned off and the removable optical component  2  is removed. When the image capture device  1  is turned on through the switch module  10 , the switch module  10  generates an ON signal  101 , such that the controlling module  16  can control the mask module  13  to unshield the photosensor  17  accordingly to allow the image capture device  1  to take the image capture action. 
         [0048]    With reference to  FIG. 3  for a first flow chart of an image capture device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the image capture device  1  is turned on, the switch module  10  generates and transmits an ON signal  101  to the controlling module  16 , and the controlling module  16  controls the mask module  13  to unshield the photosensor  17  (as described in the step S 31 ) according to the ON signal  101 . Now, the photosensor  17  can receive an optical signal transmitted from the removable optical component  2  and converts the optical signal into an image signal, so that the image capture device  1  can perform an operation of capturing, displaying or storing the images and display (as described in the step S 32 ). When the image capture device  1  performs a general operation, the adaptor detecting module  12  will continue detecting whether the removable optical component  2  is coupled to the optical-component adaptor module  11  (as described in the step S 33 ) to generate a detecting signal  121 . And then, the controlling module  16  also continues determining the connecting condition of the removable optical component  2 ; if the controlling module  16  determines that the removable optical component  2  is still connected, then the image capture device  1  will continue the general operating mode; and if the controlling module  16  determines that the removable optical component  2  is removed, then the controlling module  16  will control the mask module  13  to shield the photosensor  17  immediately (as described in the step S 34 ). The method can prevent dust or foreign substances from entering into the image capture device  1 , when a user turns on the image capture device  1  and removes the removable optical component  2 . It is noteworthy that the mask module  13  can be shielding the photosensor  17 , while the image capture device  1  is still performing general operations such as browsing the images. 
         [0049]    With reference to  FIG. 4  for a second flow chart of an image capture device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the image capture device  1  is performing a general operation (as described in the step S 41 ), the image capture device will continue detecting whether the removable optical component  2  is connected (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) and the power detecting module  15  will also continue detecting the residual power value  141  of the power storage module  14 , and will generate a residual power signal  151  according to the residual power value  141 . Now, the controlling module  16  determines whether the residual power signal  151  is smaller than a threshold value  161  according to the residual power signal  151  (as described in the step S 42 ). If the residual power signal  151  is greater than the threshold value  161 , the image capture device  1  will continue performing the general operation, and the power detecting module  15  will continue detecting and generating the residual power signal  151 , If the controlling module  16  determines that the residual power signal  151  is smaller than the threshold value  161 , the controlling module  16  will control the mask module  13  to shield the photosensor  17  (as described in the step S 43 ). Wherein, the threshold value  161  is generally set in the way that the mask module  13  will shield the photosensor  17  if the electric power is low or exhausted. Therefore, the threshold value  161  is equal to the maximum electric power multiplied by a predetermined ratio (such as a residual power of 20%) or a predetermined voltage (such as 3.7V) depending on the actual application, and the invention is not limited to such arrangements only. 
         [0050]    With reference to  FIG. 5  for a block diagram of an image capture device in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, this preferred embodiment is similar to the foregoing preferred embodiment, and thus the similar portion will not be repeated. In this preferred embodiment, the optical-component adaptor module  11  comprises a contact  111  which can be a physical press button. If the contact  111  is pressed, a control signal  1111  will be generated and transmitted to the controlling module  16 . Now, the controlling module  16  will control the mask module  13  to unshield the photosensor  17  according to the control signal  1111 . The image capture device  1  further comprises a first power mode  18  and a second power mode  19 . The first power mode  18  can be a power mode for supplying the power of the power storage module  14  to the image capture device  1  for its normal operation. The second power mode operates when the image capture device  1  is switched off and can be a power mode for supplying the power of the power storage module  14  only to allow the contact  111  to generate the control signal  1111  and the controlling module  16  to control the mask module  13  to unshield the photosensor  17  only when the image capture device  1  is turned off. 
         [0051]    With reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7  for the first and second schematic views of an image capture device in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention respectively, after the image capture device  1  is turned off, the controlling module  16  controls the mask module  13  to shield photosensor  17  according to the OFF signal. Now, the user can remove the removable optical component  2  to perform operation such as repair and maintenance, or exchanging the removable optical component  2 . After the user completes the operation, the user can rotate the removable optical component  2  to the image capture device  1 . Although the image capture device  1  is turned off, the second power mode  19  is still operating and will supply an appropriate amount of power required by the contact  111 , the mask module  13  and the controlling module  16  with the power saving effect. Therefore, when the removable optical component  2  is rotated and in place, the contact  111  is triggered, so that the contact  111  will generate a control signal  1111 , and then the controlling module  16  will control the mask module  13  to unshield the photosensor  17 . On the other hand, if the removable optical component  2  is removed, the contact  111  is no longer pressed, so that the control signal  1111  will be interrupted or generated again, so that the mask module  13  will shield the photosensor  17 . 
         [0052]    On the other hand, if the user removes the removable optical component  2 , and wants to perform further dust removal manually, the photosensor  17  is now shielded by the mask module  13  and the user cannot perform the dust removal successfully. Now, the user can press the contact  111  manually, so that the contact  111  is triggered to generate the control signal  1111 , and the controlling module  16  can control the mask module  13  to unshield the photosensor  17 . And then, the user can perform the dust removal operation manually. Wherein, the way of using the contact  111  to drive the mask module  13  to unshield the photosensor  17  can be configured as follows. The photosensor  17  will be unshielded if the contact  111  is pressed once and shielded if the contact  111  is pressed once again; or the photosensor  17  will be unshielded if the contact  111  is pressed and held for a long time and shielded if the contact  111  is released. However, the invention is not limited to such arrangements only, but can be changed according to the actual requirements or applications. 
         [0053]    With reference to  FIG. 8  for a flow chart of a dustproof method of the present invention, the dustproof method is applied in an image capture device, and the dustproof method comprises the following steps: 
         [0054]    S 81 : Providing a mask module to movably shield a photosensor. 
         [0055]    S 82 : Using a switch module to turn the image capture device on or off, and generate an ON signal or an OFF signal correspondingly. 
         [0056]    S 83 : Providing an optical-component adaptor module to couple a removable optical component to the image capture device. 
         [0057]    S 84 : Providing an adaptor detecting module to detect whether the removable optical component is coupled to optical-component adaptor module, and generate a detecting signal. 
         [0058]    S 85 : Using a residual power detecting module to detect a residual power value of a power storage module of the image capture device, and generate a residual power signal. 
         [0059]    S 86 : Using a controlling module to control the mask module to shield or unshield the photosensor according to the ON signal, the OFF signal, the detecting signal or the residual power signal. 
         [0060]    The details and implementation of the dustproof method of the present invention have been described in the section of the image capture device of the present invention, and thus will not be repeated. 
         [0061]    While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.