Controllably Rotatable Camera in Handheld Electronic Device
First Claim
1. A handheld electronic device comprising:
- a housing;
a processor enclosed within said housing;
a camera module partially embedded in said housing, wherein said camera module is rotatable about a rotation axis of said camera module;
an image sensor embedded in said camera module to sense an image in a field of view that is centered around a line of sight, wherein said line of sight is perpendicular to said rotation axis;
a display controlled by said processor to display said image;
a motor coupled to said housing and to said camera module, wherein said motor is controllable by said processor to rotate said camera module and hence said line of sight about said rotation axis; and
a memory able to store executable code which, when executed by said processor, controls said motor to rotate said camera module and hence said line of sight about said rotation axis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a handheld electronic device, a motor is controlled to adjust, according to input received at a user-input element of the device, an angle of rotation of a camera module about a rotation axis of the camera module. The camera module is partially embedded in a housing of the device. An image sensor is embedded in the camera module and senses an image in a field of view that is centered around a line of sight. The line of sight is perpendicular to the rotation axis. An orientation of the housing relative to a direction of gravity is sensed, and the motor is controlled to rotate the camera module and hence the line of sight about the rotation axis to achieve a particular angle between the line of sight and the direction of gravity.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A handheld electronic device comprising:
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a housing; a processor enclosed within said housing; a camera module partially embedded in said housing, wherein said camera module is rotatable about a rotation axis of said camera module; an image sensor embedded in said camera module to sense an image in a field of view that is centered around a line of sight, wherein said line of sight is perpendicular to said rotation axis; a display controlled by said processor to display said image; a motor coupled to said housing and to said camera module, wherein said motor is controllable by said processor to rotate said camera module and hence said line of sight about said rotation axis; and a memory able to store executable code which, when executed by said processor, controls said motor to rotate said camera module and hence said line of sight about said rotation axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method performed in a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:
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receiving input at a user-input element of said handheld electronic device; displaying in a display of said handheld electronic device an image sensed by an image sensor embedded in a camera module, wherein said image is sensed in a field of view that is centered around a line of sight; and controlling a motor of said handheld electronic device to adjust, according to said input, an angle of rotation of said camera module and hence of said line of sight about a rotation axis of said camera module; wherein said camera module is partially embedded in a housing of said handheld electronic device and wherein said line of sight is perpendicular to said rotation axis.
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12. A method performed in a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:
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displaying in a display of said handheld electronic device an image sensed by an image sensor embedded in a camera module, wherein said image is sensed in a field of view that is centered around a line of sight; sensing an orientation of a housing of said handheld electronic device relative to a direction of gravity, wherein said camera module is partially embedded in said housing; detecting an angle of rotation, relative to a reference axis, of said camera module and hence of said line of sight about a rotation axis of said camera module, wherein said line of sight is perpendicular to said rotation axis; and controlling a motor of said handheld electronic device to rotate said camera module and hence said line of sight about said rotation axis to achieve a particular angle between said line of sight and said direction of gravity. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification