KR20170088197A

KR20170088197A - Dual oral camera to adjust focus minutely

Info

Publication number: KR20170088197A
Application number: KR1020160008262A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김종남
Original assignee: 주식회사 맥스덴탈
Priority date: 2016-01-22
Filing date: 2016-01-22
Publication date: 2017-08-01
Also published as: KR101804930B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an oral camera, comprising: a casing; A camera unit provided at one side of the casing for photographing a subject; A focus adjusting unit for adjusting a focus of the camera unit during photographing; And a main board provided in the casing for controlling driving of the camera unit and the focus adjusting unit, wherein the focus adjusting unit includes an auto focus adjusting circuit for automatically adjusting a focus of a subject photographed by the camera unit, Wow; An autofocusing button for applying an autofocus signal to the autofocusing circuit; A microfocus adjuster which is provided on a side of the auto focus adjusting button and rotates to adjust the microfocus of an image of a subject automatically adjusted by the auto focusing circuit; And a photographing button for applying a photographing signal to an image of a subject whose focus is adjusted.

Description

{DUAL ORAL CAMERA TO ADJUST FOCUS MINUTELY}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an oral camera, and more particularly, to an oral camera capable of microfocus control so that a subject can be observed at various positions.

Oral camera for dental care is a widely used diagnostic tool for oral cleaning, cavities, scaling, implants, and orthodontics in dental treatment. Conventionally, since the oral cavity camera is provided with a manually adjustable focal distance, the user has to manually adjust the focal distance individually for each image.

Accordingly, an oral camera that implements autofocus has been developed, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-2011-0127635 entitled " Autofocus Oral Camera with Liquid Lens ". However, since the automatic focus adjustment is implemented such that the focal distance is adjusted toward the center of the subject, when the user wishes to photograph the side of the subject or observe the inside of the hole penetrating the tooth, such as a tooth cavity, There is a disadvantage that the image can not be provided.

In addition, the oral cavity camera in the related art shoots a subject by providing illumination at the time of shooting the subject. However, when the distance between the subject and the oral camera lens is short, the illumination is not properly provided as a subject, and the illuminance of the photographed image becomes dark.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an oral camera capable of adjusting a microfocus to a desired position while implementing auto focus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an oral camera capable of providing illumination even when the distance between a subject and a camera lens is close to a sufficient level.

The above objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the present invention by those skilled in the art.

The object of the present invention can be achieved by a mouth camera capable of fine focus adjustment. The oral cavity camera of the present invention comprises: a casing; A camera unit provided at one side of the casing for photographing a subject; A focus adjusting unit for adjusting a focus of the camera unit during photographing; And a main board provided in the casing for controlling driving of the camera unit and the focus adjusting unit, wherein the focus adjusting unit includes an auto focus adjusting circuit for automatically adjusting a focus of a subject photographed by the camera unit, Wow; An autofocusing button for applying an autofocus signal to the autofocusing circuit; A microfocus adjuster which is provided on a side of the auto focus adjusting button and manually adjusts the microfocus of an image of a subject automatically adjusted by the auto focus adjusting circuit; And a photographing button for applying a photographing signal to an image of a subject whose focus is adjusted.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the automatic focus adjustment button is provided on the main board, the micro focus adjustment part is rotatably supported on the main board by a wheel shaft, And can be moved downward to press the automatic focus adjustment button.

According to one embodiment, the other end of the wheel shaft is coupled to an encoder, and the encoder can adjust the rotation amount of the microfocus adjusting wheel at a certain angle.

According to one embodiment, the camera unit includes: a prism; An outer housing for receiving the prism; An inner housing disposed between the prism and the outer housing and having a through hole formed therein; A plurality of side LEDs disposed on a rear surface of the outer housing and disposed along a rim and a plurality of center LEDs arranged corresponding to the light emitting holes, The center LED is supplied with power to cause the side LED to emit light, and when the illumination of the subject entering the imaging module falls below a set reference illuminance, power is supplied to the center LED to cause the center LED and the side LED to emit light together .

The oral camera according to the present invention has not only an auto focus control button for automatically controlling the focus but also a fine focus control wheel for allowing the user to manually manipulate the fine focus. As a result, the side portion of the subject or the portion of the tooth such as the hole where the focus can be adjusted by the auto focus adjustment can be photographed by adjusting the focus with a clear resolution.

In addition, the oral cavity camera according to the present invention is advantageous in that LEDs are disposed not only on the side of the camera but also on the center of the camera, thereby ensuring the reference illuminance even when the distance between the subject and the camera is short.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of using an oral camera according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a front structure of a mouth camera according to the present invention, FIG.
3 is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged configuration of a focus adjusting portion of an oral cavity camera according to the present invention,
FIGS. 4 and 5 are views illustrating an operation process of the camera unit of the oral cavity camera according to the present invention.

For a better understanding of the present invention, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention may be modified into various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in detail below. The present embodiments are provided to enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand the present invention. Therefore, the shapes and the like of the elements in the drawings can be exaggeratedly expressed to emphasize a clearer description. It should be noted that in the drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals. Detailed descriptions of well-known functions and constructions which may be unnecessarily obscured by the gist of the present invention are omitted.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary view showing a process of photographing a tooth T using the oral camera 100 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the oral camera 100. As shown in the drawing, the oral camera 100 according to the present invention photographs a subject such as a tooth T. At this time, various positions of the subject can be photographed by adjusting the focal point manually after automatically adjusting the focal distance to the subject.

The oral cavity camera 100 according to the present invention includes a casing 110 held by a user, a main substrate 120 provided inside the casing 110, a camera 110 provided at an upper portion of the casing 110, And a photographing button 140 for applying a photographing signal to an image photographed through the camera unit 150. The photographing unit 140 includes a photographing unit 150, a focusing unit 130 for adjusting the focus of the camera unit 150 during photographing, do.

Although not shown in the drawing, the oral camera 100 may further include a power supply unit (not shown) for supplying power, and the main board 120 may include a video camera 120 for transmitting video images shot by the camera unit 150 to external devices And an automatic focusing circuit (not shown) for automatically adjusting a focal distance according to a signal input through the automatic focusing control button 133 of the focus adjusting unit 130. [ A display unit (not shown) for allowing the user to visually confirm the image photographed by the camera unit 150 may be incorporated.

The casing 110 supports the main substrate 120, the focus adjusting unit 130, and the camera unit 150, which are provided in the casing 110, so as to be stably driven, and protects them from external impacts. The casing 110 may be formed in various shapes according to the arrangement of the inside.

The casing 110 exposes the prism section 153a of the camera section 150 to the outside and exposes the microfocus adjusting wheel 131 of the focus adjusting section 130 to the outside, The button 140 is exposed to the outside so that the user can directly operate it by hand.

The main board 120 controls the respective components such that the respective components are operated according to an input signal applied by a user. The main board 120 selectively supplies power from a power supply (not shown) to each of the components. The main substrate 120 controls the focus adjusting unit 130 so that the focus adjusting unit 130 automatically adjusts the focus according to the distance between the camera unit 150 and the subject, The side LEDs 157a or the side LEDs 157a and the center LEDs 157b are caused to emit light in accordance with the image illuminance that is electrically connected to the camera unit 150. [

When the camera unit 150 photographs a subject, the focus adjusting unit 130 adjusts the focal distance so that the subject can be photographed with a clearer resolution. The focus adjusting unit 130 according to the present invention includes an auto focus adjusting button 133 for automatically receiving an auto focus signal by an auto focus adjusting circuit (not shown) for automatically adjusting the focus, And an encoder 135 for adjusting the amount of adjustment of the microfocus adjustment wheel 131. The microfocus adjustment wheel 131 includes a microfocus adjustment wheel 131,

The focus adjusting unit 130 is electrically connected to the camera unit 150 through the main board 120. The focus of the camera unit 150 can be adjusted through the focus adjusting unit 130. As shown in FIG. 3, the fine focus adjustment wheel 131 is rotatably mounted on the main substrate 120. One end of the wheel shaft 131a of the fine focus adjustment wheel 131 is positioned above the auto focus adjustment button 133 and the other end of the wheel shaft 131a is engaged with the encoder 135. [

The wheel shaft 131a is vertically movably provided on the main substrate 120 and the encoder 135. [ When the wheel shaft 131a is pressed downward by the user at the initial position, the automatic focus adjustment button 133 is pressed. At this time, the main board 120 is formed with a wheel insertion hole 125 through which the fine focus adjustment wheel 131 is moved up and down as shown in FIG.

When the automatic focus adjustment button 133 is pressed, an automatic focus adjustment circuit (not shown) adjusts the refractive index of a liquid lens (not shown) provided in the camera unit 150 to adjust the focal distance . The automatic focus adjustment circuit (not shown) applies various voltages from a low voltage to a high voltage within a range allowed by a liquid lens (not shown) when the automatic focus adjustment button 133 is pressed, .

An image of a subject obtained through the camera unit 150 for various refractive indexes and corresponding focal lengths is analyzed in an automatic focus adjustment circuit (not shown) to determine the refractive index for achieving the clearest resolution and the corresponding voltage value . Then, the selected voltage value is applied to a liquid lens (not shown) to obtain an image of the subject in a state fixed with the corresponding refractive index and focal length.

Here, the autofocus is focused on the center of the image (screen). 1, even when the user tries to observe the inside of the hole a generated by tooth decay of the tooth T, the occlusal surface (chewing surface) of the tooth T, So that the focal length is adjusted. As a result, the inside of the hole (a) can not be shot clearly and clearly. Further, even when a lateral region other than the central portion of the tooth is to be observed, there is a limit in that the lateral region is imaged unclearly.

The fine focus adjustment wheel 131 is provided to compensate the limitation of the above-described auto focus adjustment circuit (not shown). The micro focus adjustment wheel 131 is operated by the automatic focus adjustment button 133 to operate the automatic focus adjustment circuit (not shown) so that the focus of the subject is automatically set, To adjust the focus slightly. The fine focus adjustment wheel 131 can be rotated by the user in the forward and reverse directions to adjust the focus.

At this time, the encoder 135 is connected to the other end of the wheel shaft 131a to move the rotation angle of the microfocus adjustment wheel 131 by a predetermined step. When the user turns the fine focus adjustment wheel 131, the amount of rotation of the fine focus adjustment wheel 131 is adjusted by the encoder 135 so that the fine focus adjustment wheel 131 is not rotated a large amount at a time, but is rotated by a certain amount. The user rotates the microfocus adjustment wheel 131 by one step adjusted by the encoder 135 and obtains a clear resolution image by adjusting the focus to the position of the area to be viewed by the user.

The photographing button 140 is provided on one side of the focus adjusting unit 130 to operate when the user adjusts the focus to obtain a desired image of the subject. When the user presses the photographing button 140, an image captured through the camera unit 150 is photographed at that moment.

The camera unit 150 photographs an image of a subject. The camera unit 150 includes an FPCB 151 connected to the main substrate 120 and electrically connected to the imaging module 152 as shown in an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 2 A prism 153 that reflects an image of an object not positioned in front of the prism 153 and guides the image to the imaging module 152, an imaging module 152 that photographs an image obtained through the prism 153, And an external housing 155 which receives light emitted from the side LEDs 157a of the LED substrate 157 and disposed between the external housing 155 and the prism 153 to enter the prism 153 And an LED substrate 157 provided on the back surface of the outer housing 155. The LED substrate 157 is provided on the inner surface of the outer housing 155,

The FPCB 151 is connected to the main board 120 and transfers the control signals of the main board 120 and the focusing unit 130 to the image sensing module 152. The image picked up by the image sensing module 152 is transmitted to the main board 120, (Not shown) by a display unit (not shown) or a video transmission unit (not shown).

The prism 153 is disposed inside the inner housing 156 to reflect the image of the subject and guide it to the imaging module 152. The outer housing 155 is made of a transparent material and transmits light generated from the side LEDs 157a of the LED substrate 157 to the outside. The inner housing 156 is disposed between the outer housing 155 and the prism 153 to block light generated from the side LEDs 157a from entering the prism 153. [ At this time, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, a lighting hole 156a is formed in the center area of the inner housing 156 through a certain size. The light generated from the center LED 157b through the light emitting hole 156a can be irradiated to the prism 153. [

The LED substrate 157 is disposed behind the outer housing 155 to irradiate light upon photographing a subject, thereby raising the illuminance of the photographed image. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of side LEDs 157a are arranged along the rim in the edge region of the LED substrate 157, and a center LED 157b is disposed in the center region.

The side LEDs 157a continue to emit light while the power is being applied. Although not shown in the drawing, the casing 110 is provided with a button (not shown) for turning on / off the LED.

Thereby, light is continuously irradiated to the outside through the casing 110 and the outer housing 155. Therefore, the side LEDs 157a emit light so as to maintain illumination above a certain reference level even when shooting.

The center LED 157b is maintained in a state where the power is not supplied because the power is not supplied to the center LED 157b and when the illuminance of the image guided to the imaging module 152 through the prism 153 is lower than the set reference illuminance, The power is supplied to the center LED 157b so as to be emitted along with the side LED 157a.

4, when the first subject M1 is separated from the camera unit 150 by a predetermined distance d1 or more, the side LEDs 157a emit light and the illuminance of the image is maintained. On the other hand, when the second subject M2 is disposed close to the camera unit 150, the light generated by the side LEDs 157a is not sufficiently irradiated between the second subject M2 and the camera unit 150 The image in a dark state is obtained by the imaging module 152. [

The main board 120 analyzes the illuminance of the inputted image and controls the power supply unit (not shown) to supply power to the center LED 157b when the illuminance of the analyzed image is lower than the set reference illuminance, 157b and the side LEDs 157a are caused to emit light together.

When the center LED 157b is lighted, light is irradiated to the center region of the prism 153 through the illumination hole 156a of the inner housing 156 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, even if the second subject M2 is disposed in a short distance, the illuminance can be secured.

The operation of the oral cavity camera 100 according to the present invention having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

When a tooth or a subject is to be photographed through the oral camera 100 of the present invention, power is supplied to the oral camera 100. At this time, it is possible to connect through a power supply line or use a battery or the like. When a power on button disposed on the surface of the casing 110 is applied, power is supplied to the side LEDs 157a of the camera unit 150, and the side LEDs 157a are emitted.

In this state, the user moves the casing 110 to a subject to be photographed and places the camera unit 150 thereon. When the fine focus adjustment wheel 131 is pushed to the lower portion of the casing 110, the wheel shaft 131a presses the auto focus adjustment button 133.

At this time, an image of the subject is guided to the imaging module 152 side through the prism 153 of the camera unit 150. A liquid lens (not shown) is provided in the imaging module 152.

When the automatic focus adjustment button 133 is pressed, an automatic focus adjustment circuit (not shown) adjusts a refractive index and a focal distance by applying a voltage in a wide range to a liquid lens (not shown) Select the voltage corresponding to the distance. Then, the liquid lens (not shown) is fixed with a refractive index and a focal distance corresponding to the selected voltage.

The user confirms the image of the subject displayed by the focal distance adjusted by the automatic focus adjustment circuit (not shown) through a display unit (not shown) or an external device (not shown) provided at one side of the casing 110, The microfocusing wheel 131 is rotated by hand to adjust the microfocus.

When the fine focus adjustment wheel 131 is rotated, the encoder 135 coupled to the other end of the wheel shaft 131a adjusts the rotation amount of the fine focus adjustment wheel 131 by a predetermined amount. When the microfocus distance of the subject is adjusted by the fine focus adjustment wheel 131, the user presses the photographing button 140 to photograph the subject.

On the other hand, when the distance between the subject and the camera unit 150 is too close to obtain the image of the subject and the illuminance of the image guided to the imaging module 152 is lower than the set reference illuminance, Thereby causing the center LED 157b to emit light together with the side LED 157a. As a result, the image of the subject positioned close to the camera unit 150 can be captured and captured.

As described above, the oral cavity camera according to the present invention includes not only an auto-focusing circuit that automatically adjusts the focus, but also a micro-focusing wheel that allows the user to manually manipulate the micro-focus. As a result, the side portion of the subject or the portion of the tooth such as the hole where the focus can be adjusted by the auto focus adjustment can be photographed by adjusting the focus with a clear resolution.

The embodiments of the oral cavity camera of the present invention described above are merely illustrative and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. There will be. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims. It is also to be understood that the invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

100: oral camera 110: casing
120: main board 125: wheel insertion hole
130: Focus adjustment part 131: Fine focus adjustment wheel
131a: Wheel shaft 133: Auto focus control button
135: Encoder 140: Shooting button
150: camera unit 151: FPCB
152: imaging module 153: prism
153a: prism section 155: outer housing
156: inner housing 157: LED substrate
157a: Side LED 157b: Center LED

Claims

A casing;
A camera unit provided at one side of the casing for photographing a subject;
A focus adjusting unit for adjusting a focus of the camera unit during photographing;
And a main board provided in the casing and interlocked with the camera unit and the focus adjusting unit to control driving,
Wherein the focus adjusting unit comprises:
An automatic focusing circuit for automatically adjusting a focus of a subject photographed by the camera unit;
An autofocusing button for applying an autofocus signal to the autofocusing circuit;
A microfocus adjuster which is provided on a side of the auto focus adjusting button and manually adjusts the microfocus of an image of a subject automatically adjusted by the auto focus adjusting circuit;
And a photographing button for applying a photographing signal to an image of a subject whose focus is adjusted.

The method according to claim 1,
The automatic focus adjustment button is provided on the main board,
Wherein the microfocus adjuster is rotatably supported on the main substrate by a wheel shaft,
Wherein one end of the wheel shaft is vertically movably provided at an upper portion of the automatic focus adjustment button and moves downward to press the automatic focus adjustment button.

3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the other end of the wheel shaft is coupled to an encoder, and the encoder adjusts the rotation amount of the microfocus adjusting wheel at a certain angle.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The camera unit includes:
A prism;
An outer housing for receiving the prism;
An inner housing disposed between the prism and the outer housing and having a through hole formed therein;
A plurality of side LEDs disposed on a rear surface of the outer housing and disposed along a rim and a plurality of center LEDs arranged corresponding to the light emitting holes,
Wherein the main board supplies power to cause the side LED to emit light at the time of photographing of the camera unit and supplies power to the center LED when the illuminance of the subject flowing into the imaging module falls below a set reference illuminance, And the side LEDs are caused to emit light together.