POSITION DETECTING METHOD AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE IMPLEMENTING THE METHOD

• US 20120182410A1
• Filed: 05/30/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futaihua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Futaihua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: YOU, QIANG, HUANG, REN-WEN, YIN, JI-XIANG, CHUANG, TSUNG-JEN, WONG, SHIH-FANG, WANG, YIN-ZHAN
• Granted Patent: US 8,830,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 29/021 Means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/005 by thermal methods, e.g. after generation of heat by chemical reactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

The disclosure provides an electronic device and a detecting position method adapted for the electronic device. The device stores an infrared sensing mode and a capture mode. The method includes steps of: entering the infrared sensing mode in response to an input signal and capturing infrared signals from an external environment, amplifying the infrared signals and converting the infrared signals into digital signals, evaluating whether part of the infrared signals falls into a predetermined waveband, if yes, focusing on an infrared thermal source whose infrared signals fall into the predetermined waveband, switching from the infrared sensing mode to the capture mode, taking a photo of the infrared thermal source, and processing the photo to identify a position of the infrared thermal source in the photo and displaying the position of the infrared thermal source in the photo.

Claims

1. An electronic device for detecting a position of an object, comprising:

a storage unit for storing an infrared sensing mode and a capture mode;

an input unit for generating input signals in response to a user input;

a display unit for displaying information;

an infrared capturing unit for capturing infrared signals around the electronic device from an external environment and taking a photo; and

a control unit for entering the infrared sensing mode in response to an input signal from the input unit and controlling the infrared capturing unit to capture infrared signals from the external environment, amplifying the infrared signals and converting the infrared signals into digital signals, evaluating whether part of the infrared signals falls into a predetermined waveband, focusing on an infrared thermal source whose infrared signals fall into the predetermined waveband, switching the infrared capturing unit from the infrared sensing mode to the capture mode and taking a photo of the infrared thermal source , processing the photo to identify a position of the infrared thermal source in the photo, and controlling the display unit to display the position of the infrared thermal source in the photo.

2. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the infrared capturing unit is an infrared camera.

3. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined waveband is with wavelengths of about 9 to 10 um radiated by a human body.

4. A method for detecting a position of an object by an electronic device, wherein the electronic device stores an infrared sensing mode and a capture mode, the method comprising:

entering the infrared sensing mode in response to an input signal and capturing infrared signals from an external environment;

amplifying the captured infrared signals and converting the infrared signals into digital signals;

evaluating whether part of the infrared signals falls into a predetermined waveband;

upon a condition that part of the infrared signals falls into the predetermined waveband, focusing on an infrared thermal source whose infrared signals fall into the predetermined waveband;

switching from the infrared sensing mode to the capture mode and taking a photo of the infrared thermal source; and

processing the photo to identify a position of the infrared thermal source in the photo and displaying the position of the infrared thermal source in the photo.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the predetermined waveband is within wavelengths of about 9 to 10 um radiated by a human body.