Electronic Viewer For Peephole

• US 20140139666A1
• Filed: 11/18/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brinno Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Brinno Incorporated
• Inventors: WEI, Tien-Ho
• Application Number:
  US14/082,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20140139666A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/53 of electronic viewfinders, e.g. rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

An electronic viewer for peephole contains an image capture unit for shooting images; a main circuit board including an application specific integrated circuit electrically connected with the image capture unit so as to control the image capture unit to shoot the images; a flat panel display unit electrically connected with the main circuit board so as to display the images shot by the image capture unit; an ambient light sensor electrically coupled with the main circuit board so as to sense a change of an ambient light source. Thereby, when the ambient light source changes, an electronic viewer is driven to operate the application specific integrated circuit, and the application specific integrated circuit controls the image capture unit to shoot the images so that the flat panel display unit displays the images.

Claims

1. An electronic viewer for peephole comprising:

an image capture unit for shooting images;

a main circuit board including an application specific integrated circuit electrically connected with the image capture unit so as to control the image capture unit to shoot the images;

a flat panel display unit electrically connected with the main circuit board so as to display the images shot by the image capture unit;

an ambient light sensor electrically coupled with the main circuit board so as to sense a change of an ambient light source, hence when the ambient light source changes, an electronic viewer is driven to operate the application specific integrated circuit, and the application specific integrated circuit controls the image capture unit to shoot the images so that the flat panel display unit displays the images.

2. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the images are still images or dynamic images.

3. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the images are stored in a memory unit.

4. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the memory unit is any one of a secure digital memory card (SD memory card), a multimedia card (MMC), an extreme digital-picture card, and a compact flash card (CF card).

5. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic viewer enters a sleep mode automatically after a period of set time so as to power off the flat panel display unit.

6. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 1, wherein a backlight brightness of the flat panel display unit is adjusted based on the change of the ambient light source so as to maintain brightness and save power consumption.

7. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the images displayed on the flat panel display unit are transmitted to a remote electronic device in a wireless transmission manner.

8. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the images displayed on the flat panel display unit are transmitted to a remote electronic device in a cable transmission manner.

9. An electronic viewer for peephole comprising:

a main circuit board including an application specific integrated circuit;

a flat panel display unit electrically connected with and disposed on the main circuit board;

an image capture unit coupled with and fixed on the main circuit board;

a sub-circuit board electrically connected with and disposed on the main circuit board;

an ambient light sensor electrically coupled with and mounted on the main circuit board so as to sense a change of an ambient light source, hence when the ambient light source changes, an electronic viewer is driven to operate the application specific integrated circuit, and the application specific integrated circuit controls the image capture unit to shoot the images so that the flat panel display unit displays the images;

a housing including;

a front cover;

a rear cover; and

a lid, wherein between the front cover and the rear cover is defined a chamber for receiving the main circuit board, the flat panel display unit, the image capture unit, and the ambient light sensor;

an electronic viewer holder;

a peephole holder;

a lens holder used for fixing lens thereon, wherein the lens holder has a cylindrical unit retained on an outer side of a door, wherein the electronic viewer holder has an aperture, the cylindrical unit is formed in a hollow tube shape, and the door has a bore, so the lens focuses lights outside the door to the image capture unit and the ambient light sensor.

10. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 9, wherein the images are still images or dynamic images.

11. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 9, wherein the electronic viewer enters a sleep mode automatically after a period of set time so as to power off the flat panel display unit.

12. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 9, wherein a backlight brightness of the flat panel display unit is adjusted based on the change of the ambient light source so as to maintain brightness and save power consumption.

13. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 9, wherein the images displayed on the flat panel display unit are transmitted to a remote electronic device in a wireless transmission manner.

14. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 9, wherein the images displayed on the flat panel display unit are transmitted to a remote electronic device in a cable transmission manner.

15. An electronic viewer for peephole comprising:

a main circuit board including an application specific integrated circuit;

a flat panel display unit electrically connected with and disposed on the main circuit board;

a housing including;

a front cover;

a rear cover; and

a lid, wherein between the front cover and the rear cover is defined a chamber for receiving the main circuit board and the flat panel display unit;

an electronic viewer holder;

a peephole holder;

a camera holder including;

a cable;

a camera circuit board electronically connected with the main circuit board via the cable;

an image capture unit electrically coupled with and fixed on the main circuit board;

a sub-circuit board fixed on the camera circuit board and electrically connected with the main circuit board through the cable;

an ambient light sensor secured on the sub-circuit board and electrically coupled with the camera circuit board, such that the ambient light sensor senses a change of ambient light source, and the electronic viewer is driven so that the application specific integrated circuit controls the image capture unit to shoot images, and the images are displayed on the flat panel display unit;

wherein the camera holder has a cylindrical unit retained on an outer side of a door, and the electronic viewer holder has an aperture, the cylindrical unit is formed in a hollow tube shape, and the door has a bore, hence the cable is inserted into the front cover and the rear cover, such that the image capture unit shoots the images, and the ambient light sensor senses a change signal of the lights and transmits the change signals to the main circuit board through the cable, the main circuit board also transmits a control signal to the image capture unit and the ambient light sensor via the cable.

16. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 15, wherein the images are one of still images or dynamic images.

17. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 15, wherein the electronic viewer enters a sleep mode automatically after a period of set time so as to power off the flat panel display unit.

18. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 15, wherein a backlight brightness of the flat panel display unit is adjusted based on the change of the ambient light source so as to maintain brightness and save power consumption.

19. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 15, wherein the images displayed on the flat panel display unit are transmitted to a remote electronic device in a wireless transmission manner.

20. The electronic viewer as claimed in claim 15, wherein the images displayed on the flat panel display unit are transmitted to a remote electronic device in a cable transmission manner.