Portable device

• US 20050047773A1
• Filed: 07/23/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Satake, Kanji, Tomatsu, Ken, Kataoka, Eiji, Mizuno, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/898,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20050047773A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/301
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects

Abstract

A portable device includes a camera unit having an imaging device, a housing for supporting the camera unit so as to be rotatable and stoppable at a photographing in the photographing position, and a control device for activating the imaging device when the detection device detects that the camera unit is rotated to the photographing position.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

a camera unit having an imaging device;

a housing for supporting the camera unit so as to be rotatable and stoppable at a photographing position and at a storage position;

a detection device for detecting that the camera unit is in the photographing position; and

a control device for activating the imaging device when the detection device detects that the camera unit is rotated to the photographing position.

2. A portable device according to claim 1,

wherein there are at least two photographing positions,

a position at which the camera unit is rotated from the storage position in one direction;

and

a position at which the camera unit is rotated in another direction.

3. A portable device according to claim 2, wherein the control device detects which among the plurality of photographing positions the camera unit is in, based upon the result of the detection device, and controls so as to change the orientation in which the image is outputted from the imaging device corresponding to the photographing position which is detected.

4. A portable device according to claim 1, further comprising a camera operating part for operating the control device so as to activate the imaging device,

wherein the control device activates the imaging device only when it is detected that the camera unit is in the photographing position, when the camera operating part is operated.

5. A portable device according to claim 1,

wherein the detection device is a switch which is depressed by the rotation of the camera unit, and

the switch is depressed only when the camera unit is in the photographing position.

6. A portable device according to claim 1,

wherein the housing comprises an operating which exposes a portion of the camera unit, and

an indicator member is provided on an outer surface of the camera unit exposed in the opening, when the camera unit is in the storage position.

7. A portable device according to claim 6,

wherein there are at least two photographing positions, a position at which the camera unit is rotated from the storage position in one direction, and a position at which the camera unit is rotated in another direction, and

the opening is provided at each of the photographing positions.

8. A portable device according to claim 6,

wherein the camera unit comprises two casings which are separable in a shaft direction, and

the indicator member is affixed so as to stride a seam between the two casings.

9. A portable device according to claim 8,

wherein a flat surface is provided which strides the seam between the two casings, and

the indicator member is a label which is adhered upon the flat surface.

10. A portable device according to claim 8,

wherein the indicator member is made from a transparent material, and

printing is performed upon the surface of the indicator member which comes to be on the inside when the indicator member is fitted to the camera unit, or upon the surface which comes to be on the outside, in a position which overlaps the seam.

11. A portable device comprising:

a camera unit having an imaging device;

a housing which supports the camera unit so as to be rotatable, and so that it can be stopped at a photographing position and at a storage position;

an opening which is provided to the housing, and which exposes the image device when the camera unit is stopped in the photographing position;

a detection device which detects that the camera unit is in the photographing position; and

an indicator member which is exposed in the opening at an outer surface of the camera unit, when the detection device does not detect that the camera unit is in the photographing position.

12. A method of controlling a portable device, the portable device comprising:

a camera unit having an imaging device; and

a housing which supports the camera unit so as to be rotatable, and so that it can be stopped at a photographing position and at a storage position, and

the method comprising;

a detection step of detecting, at least, that the camera unit is in the photographing position; and

a starting step of starting the imaging device, when it is detected in the detection step that the camera unit is in the photographing position.

13. A method of controlling a portable device according to claim 12,

wherein the photographing position is at least two locations;

a position in which the camera wait is rotated from the storage position in one direction, and

a position in which it is rotated in another direction.

14. A method of controlling a portable device according to claim 13, wherein the starting step detects which among the plurality of photographing positions the camera unit is in, based upon the result of the detection device, and controls so as in change the orientation in which the image is outputted from the imaging device corresponding to the photographing position which is detected.

15. A method of controlling a portable device according to claim 12, further comprising a camera operation step which can command the starting step to put the imaging device into its starting state, and

wherein the starting step, when the camera operation step is operated, controls the imaging device so as not to start the imaging device, if it is not detected that the camera unit is in the photographing position.