Apparatus for automatically adjusting angle of image device for information processing equipment

• US 20020044216A1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cha, Soon Chul
• Granted Patent: US 7,061,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/376
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera

Abstract

An apparatus that adjusts an angle of image device for information processing equipment such as a portable computer, a computer for a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitor, and a Personal Digital Assistance (PDA) in which a display device is rotated from a main body or supporting member adjusts according to rotation of the display device to maintain a desired angle of the image device. The information processing equipment can include a main body with a plurality of key buttons and a display body including a display unit and rotationally coupled to one side of the main body. An image device unit is installed on one side of the display body for holding the image device. A connecting link rotates the image device unit in accordance with the rotation angle of the display body against the main body. Therefore, the angle of image device such as a camera can be automatically controlled according to the movement of the display body.

Claims

1. An apparatus for adjusting an angle of an image device for an information processing equipment comprising:

a main body including a plurality of key buttons and a built-in unit;

a display body having a display unit, rotatably coupled to one side of the main body;

an image device unit coupled to the display body that is capable of mounting an image device; and

rotation means for rotating the image device unit in accordance with a rotation angle between the display body and the main body.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotation means comprises a connecting link that rigidly couples the main body to the image device unit in a rotational relationship to compensate a viewing angle of the image device when the rotation angle is changed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotation means comprises a connecting link that couples one side of the main body to one side of the image device unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein one end of the connecting link is connected to one side of the main body having a first prescribed offset distance from a center of rotation of the display body, and the other end of the connecting link is connected to the image device unit having a second prescribed offset distance from a center of rotation of the image device unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a body protruding portion protrudes upwardly from the main body, and a body connecting portion is installed on a side surface of the body protruding portion so that the connecting link can be coupled thereto.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the body connecting portion is installed on a position that is the first prescribed offset distance from the rotation center of the display body.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the image device unit comprises:

a supporting plate capable of having the image device mounted thereon;

a rotation shaft that rotatably supports the supporting plate inside the display body; and

a link connecting portion protruded from the supporting plate that is coupled to the connecting link.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the rotation shaft, the supporting plate, and the link connecting portion are formed as a single body.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein an image device connector that electrically couples the image device and the built-in unit in the main body is installed on the upper surface of the supporting plate.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the link connecting portion is extended from the rotation shaft with a prescribed angle relative to the supporting plate.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image device unit comprises:

a rotation shaft rotatably supported by the display body;

a supporting plate extended to both sides of the rotation shaft having the image device installed on one upper side;

a plurality of link connecting portions respectively protruded from front and rear sides of the supporting plate extending in a direction parallel to the rotation shaft, wherein each of the link connecting portions are connected to the rotation means.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein an image device supporting portion is on the upper side of the supporting plate and protrudes upwardly so that the image device can be mounted.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein one link connection portion is protruded from a front right side of the supporting plate, and the other connection portion is protruded from a rear left side of the supporting plate centered on the rotation shaft of the supporting plate.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of link connecting portions are disposed in parallel with each other, respective one ends of rotation means are connected to the plurality of link connecting portions, and the other ends of the respective rotation means are rotationally attached on the main body.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the rotation means comprises a rigid wire having one end part rotationally connected to the link connecting portion and the other end part rotationally connected to the main body.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sliding door is included in the display body so as to open/close the image device unit in the display body.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image device unit is located at one of an upper central part of the display body, on a left edge on an upper end of the display body, on a right edge on the upper end of the display body and side portions of the display body.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the main body comprises a body protruding portion upwardly protruded from a top surface into the display body and a body connecting portion is formed on a side surface of the body protrusion portion parallel to the center of rotation of the display body so that the rotation means can be connected thereto.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image device unit is located on one of a left edge and a right edge on an upper end of the display body.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein a hinge engaging portion is upwardly protruded on the main body so that the display body can be rotationally coupled to the main body and a body connecting portion is protruded on a side surface of the hinge engaging portion offset and parallel to the center of the rotation of the display body, wherein the rotation means is connected to the body connecting portion.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image device unit is positioned in one of the side portions of the display body, and wherein a hinge engaging portion is upwardly protruded on the main body so that the display body can be rotationally coupled to the main body and a body connecting portion is protruded on a side surface of the hinge engaging portion offset and parallel to the center of the rotation of the display body, wherein the rotation means is connected to the body connecting portion.

22. An apparatus for automatically adjusting an angle of an image device for an information processing equipment comprising:

a main body including a plurality of key buttons and a built-in unit;

a display body including a display unit and connected to one side of the main body to rotate between an open position and a closed position;

an image device unit installed on one side of the display body and having an image device installed therein; and

rotation means having one side connected to the main body spaced apart from a center of rotation of the display body and the other side connected to the image device unit spaced apart from a center of rotation of the image device unit for rotationally connecting the main body to the image device unit.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein a rotation angle of the image device unit relative to a rotation angle of the display body is changed by controlling one of a distance from the rotation center of the display body to the rotation means and a distance from the rotation center of the image device unit to the rotation means.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the distance between the center of rotation of the display body and the rotation means and the distance between the center of rotation of the image device unit and the rotation means are equal.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the image device unit is rotatably installed within an outer shell of the display body.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a rotation means for connecting one side of the image device unit and one side of the main body.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein one end of the rotation means is connected to one side of the main body a prescribed distance from a rotation center of the display body, and the other end of the rotation means is connected to the image device unit a prescribed distance from a rotation center of the image device unit.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, the image device installed on the image device unit is one of a camera and a projector.

26. An apparatus that adjusts an angle of an image device for an information processing equipment comprising:

a display body including a display unit and rotatably coupled to one side of a main body of the information processing equipment; and

an image device unit rotating in a prescribed relationship together with the display body.