Portable communication device with camera mounting mechanism

• US 10,054,845 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2017
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Garcia, Jorge L., Eeo, Boon Aik, Ooi, Ban Hin
• Primary Examiner(s): Reisner, Noam
• Application Number:
  US15/841,450
• Time in Patent Office: 250 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 11/041 Lens caps as separate accessory accessories in general G03B17/56
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/12 with means for supporting objectives, supplementary lenses, filters, masks, or turrets
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/55 with provision for heating or cooling, e.g. in aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 31/00 Associated working of cameras or projectors with sound-recording or sound-reproducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof

Abstract

A camera mounting mechanism for a portable communication device provides a unitary cylindrical camera housing having an opening for receiving a hemispherical camera lens of an optical sub-assembly. A heat sink wall is fitted into a base opening of the housing. Another heat sink dissipates heat from a microprocessor. A replaceable lens cap assembles to the exterior surface of the unitary cylindrical camera housing to retain and seal the camera module. The mounting of the threaded lens cap to the outside of the camera housing negates leak paths.

Claims

1. A camera module for a portable communication device, comprising:

a unitary cylindrical camera housing having an inner surface, an exterior surface, a lens opening, and a heat sink opening;

a wide angle optical sub-assembly having a hemispherical camera lens, a sensor, and a flex;

a radial O-ring retained within a lens stop feature located about a base perimeter of the hemispherical camera lens;

wherein the wide angle optical sub-assembly is insertably coupled into the lens opening of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, the radial O-ring providing compressible coupling, retention and a seal between the hemispherical camera lens and the inner surface of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, the hemispherical camera lens protruding externally from the unitary cylindrical camera housing for a 360 degree field of view; and

a replaceable lens cap having a partial thread feature and a cap stop feature, the partial thread feature coupled to the exterior surface of the unitary cylindrical camera housing around the lens opening of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, and the cap stop feature coupled to the lens stop feature of the radial O-ring of the hemispherical camera lens, thereby securing and sealing the protruding hemispherical camera lens to the unitary cylindrical camera housing.

2. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the replaceable lens caps is removable and replaceable by a user while the portable communication device is being worn.

3. The camera module of claim 1, further comprising:

a first thermal pad coupled to the flex.

4. The camera module of claim 3, further comprising:

a heat sink coupled through the heat sink opening of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, the first thermal pad of the flex compressibly coupling to the heat sink.

5. The camera module of claim 4, further comprising:

a printed circuit board (pcb) having a microprocessor coupled thereto; and

a second thermal pad coupled to the microprocessor.

6. The camera module of claim 5, wherein the second thermal pad compressibly couples to the heat sink to dissipate heat from the microprocessor.

7. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device is a shoulder mountable portable communication device.

8. The camera module of claim 7, wherein the shoulder mountable portable communication device comprises a public safety communication device.

9. The camera module of claim 7, wherein the shoulder mountable portable communication device further comprises a remote speaker microphone (RSM).

10. The camera module of claim 9, wherein the shoulder mountable portable communication device further comprises a battery for powering the camera module and the RSM.

11. A camera module, comprising:

a unitary cylindrical camera housing having an inner surface, an exterior surface,

a first lens opening, a second lens opening, the first and second lens openings being at opposing ends of the unitary cylindrical camera housing;

a first wide angle optical sub-assembly having a first hemispherical camera lens, a first sensor, and a first flex;

a second wide angle optical sub-assembly having a second hemispherical camera lens, a second sensor, and a second flex;

a first radial O-ring coupled about a base perimeter of the first hemispherical camera lens;

a second radial O-ring coupled about a base perimeter of the second hemispherical camera lens;

wherein the first wide angle optical sub-assembly is insertably coupled into the first lens opening of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, and the second wide angle optical sub-assembly is insertably coupled into the second lens opening of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, the first radial O-ring providing compressible coupling, retention and a first seal between the first hemispherical camera lens and the inner surface of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, and the second radial O-ring providing compressible coupling, retention and a second seal between the second hemispherical camera lens and the inner surface of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, the first and second hemispherical camera lenses protruding externally from the unitary cylindrical camera housing to provide a full spherical field of view;

a first replaceable lens cap threadably coupled to the exterior surface of the unitary cylindrical camera housing around the first lens opening thereby securing and sealing the first protruding hemispherical camera lens to the unitary cylindrical camera housing; and

a second replaceable lens cap threadably coupled to the exterior surface of the unitary cylindrical camera housing around the second lens opening thereby securing and sealing the second protruding hemispherical camera lens to the unitary cylindrical camera housing.

12. The camera module of claim 11, further comprising:

a heat sink opening located along a base portion of the unitary cylindrical camera housing between first and second ends; and

a heat sink coupled through the heat sink opening, the heat sink having a first heat sink portion forming a wall between the first and second sensors.

13. The camera module of claim 12, further comprising:

a first thermal pad coupled to first flex;

a second thermal pad coupled to the second flex; and

the first and second thermal pads being compressibly coupled to opposite sides of the wall formed by the first heat sink portion.

14. The camera module of claim 13, further comprising:

a printed circuit board (pcb);

a microprocessor coupled to the pcb; and

a third thermal pad coupled to the microprocessor.

15. The camera module of claim 14, further comprising:

a second heat sink portion coupled through the heat sink opening of the unitary cylindrical camera housing, the third thermal pad compressibly coupling to the second heat sink portion to dissipate heat from the microprocessor.

16. The camera module of claim 11, wherein the camera module operates as part of a portable communication device.

17. The camera module of claim 11, wherein the camera module operates as part of a shoulder mountable portable communication device.

18. The camera module of claim 11, wherein the camera module operates as part of a shoulder mountable portable communication device that further comprises a remote speaker microphone (RSM).

19. The camera module of claim 18, wherein the shoulder mountable portable communication device further comprises a battery for powering the camera module and the RSM.

20. The camera module of claim 11, wherein the camera module operates as part of a shoulder mountable portable public safety communication device.

21. The camera module of claim 11, wherein the first replaceable lens cap and the second replaceable lens cap comprise partial thread features and stop fit features.

22. A camera module, comprising:

a unitary cylindrical housing having an opening within which a single hemispherical camera lens is mounted and retained by an O-ring, the single hemispherical camera lens providing a 360 degree field of view; and

a replaceable lens cap comprising partially threaded features assembled to the unitary cylindrical housing to further retain the single hemispherical camera lens and seal the camera module.

23. The camera module of claim 22, wherein the replaceable lens cap further comprises a cap stop feature for abutting with a corresponding lens stop feature surrounding the O-ring of the single hemispherical camera lens.