Patent Publication Number: US-2013235216-A1

Title: Image capturing device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the priority benefit of China application serial No. 201210063688.9, filed on Mar. 12, 2012. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of specification. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to an electronic device and, more particularly, to a portable electronic device. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Nowadays, electronic devices, such as a notebook computer, are necessary in daily life. A notebook computer usually includes an image capturing device, such as a video camera, and a desktop computer and a television also have an image capturing function. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a conventional notebook computer  1 . The notebook computer  1  includes a photographic lens  11  fixed at an upper casing  12 . However, since the photographic lens  11  is fixed at the fixed position, when the user uses the photographic lens  11  to take photos or video recording, objects should be disposed in front of the photographic lens  11 , or the user moves the notebook computer  1  to make the photographic lens  11  at a proper position to capture the objects. Thus it is inconvenient for users to use the photographic device. The desktop computer or the television uses an external and wired image capturing device, which is also troublesome. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An image capturing device includes an image capturing module and a base module. The image capturing module includes a sub base unit and an image capturing unit which generates an image signal to the sub base unit. The base module receives the image signal from the sub base unit, and transmits the image signal to an electronic device via wireless transmission. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a conventional notebook computer; and 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing an image capturing device in an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     A portable electronic device is illustrated with relating figures, and the same symbols denote the same components. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing an image capturing device  2  in an embodiment. The image capturing device  2  includes an image capturing module  21  and a base module  22 . The image capturing device  2  may include one or more image capturing modules  21 , and the number of the image capturing modules  21  is not limited. The image capturing module  21  may be a video recording module or a camera module. The image capturing module  21  and the base module  22  are separable. The image capturing module  21  may be provided power by a universal serial bus (USB) connected to the base module  22  (for example, when the image capturing module  21  is placed at the base module  22 ), or by a USB connected to a socket unit which is further connected to a socket (for example, when the image capturing module  21  is separate from the base module  22 ). As mention above, it&#39;s not limited herein. 
     Since the image capturing module  21  and the base module  22  are separable. In the embodiment, the image capturing device  2  not only can be used as a peripheral device of an electronic device  3 , but also can be used separable from the base module  22 . For example, the image capturing module  21  may be used as a remote monitoring lens, which avoids the using limits and improves the convenience. 
     The image capturing module  21  includes a sub base unit  211  and an image capturing unit  212 . The image capturing unit  212  may be a video recording module or a camera module. The image capturing unit  212  generates an image signal S and transmits it to the sub base unit  211 . The image capturing unit  212  transmits the image signal S to the sub base unit  211  via wired or wireless transmission. The sub base unit  211  transmits the image signal S to the base module  22  via wired or wireless transmission. 
     Thus, the image capturing module  21  further broadens using range of the image capturing device  2  by separating the image capturing unit  212  and the sub base unit  211 . 
     The base module  22  receives the image signal S which is transmitted to an electronic device  3  via the wireless transmission. The wireless transmission may be wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network transmission. The electronic device  3  may be a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a display, a portable communication device or a personal digital assistant (PDA) with a wireless transmission function. 
     Moreover, the base module  22  includes an identification unit  221  and a wireless transmission unit  222 . 
     Thus, the image capturing module  21  can transmit an identification signal C to the identification unit  221 . The base module  22  determines whether the image capturing module  21  is included in the image capturing device  2 , so as to avoid receiving wrong signals or an image signal from other image capturing modules. In other word, the identification unit  221  of the base module  22  may achieve the identification process by transmitting the identification signal to the electronic device  3 . 
     The base module  22  transmits the image signal S to the electronic device  3  directly via the wireless transmission unit  222  (such as Wi-Fi) instead of a router or a wireless network bridge, which further improves the convenience of using the image capturing device  2 . 
     The image capturing device also includes a fixing module (not shown). The fixing module may be a locking module, a clamping module or a sliding and fixing module, and the base module is fixed at the electronic device by the fixing module. The image capturing device may not be fixed at the electronic device and it also can be placed on a surface, which is not limited herein. 
     In summary, the image capturing device includes a base module and an image capturing module, and the image capturing module and the base module are separable. The base module transmits an image signal to an electronic device via the wireless transmission. Consequently, the user can use the image capturing module and the base module independently to reduce the using range limitation and improve the convenience of the image capturing module. If multiple image capturing modules are used, the design of wireless transmission can also avoid the wire in a knot. Furthermore, if the base module includes a wireless transmission unit, the base module can directly transmit the image signal to the electronic device instead of a router or a wireless network bridge, which further improves the convenience of the image capturing device. 
     Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, the disclosure is not for limiting the scope. Persons having ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the scope. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments described above.