SHIFTED LENS CAMERA FOR MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES

• US 20130229570A1
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Beck, Douglas, Schoepflin, Todd, Goh, Chun Beng, Strande, Hakon, Xue, Raymond Cheng Hui
• Granted Patent: US 9,706,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/374
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

Techniques of shifting the lens stack from an image capture sensor within a smart device and/or mobile device are disclosed. The shifting of the center of the lens stack from the center of the sensor allows the Field of View (FOV) of such a camera assembly to have an angle from the normal and/or perpendicular direction from the surface of the device. Such an angle allows the FOV to be substantially horizontal and/or parallel to a surface when the device is held (e.g. by a kickstand) at a similar angle from the vertical direction. When the front of the lens stack is substantially at a front surface of the device and the sensor is attached to a back surface of the device, then the Total Track Length (TTL) is substantially the depth of the device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device, said computing device comprising a first side and a second side, the distance between said first side and said second side is substantially the depth of said computing device; and

a camera assembly, said camera assembly comprising a sensor and a lens stack; and

wherein said sensor and said lens stack are operably attached to said computing device such that the center of said lens stack is shifted from the center of said sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the front of said lens stack is substantially positioned at the surface of the first side of said computing device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said sensor is substantially positioned at the surface of the second side of said computing device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the total track length (TTL) of said camera assembly is substantially the distance between said front side and said second side of said computing device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said computing device further comprises a kickstand that is positionable to enable the computing device to be supported on a horizontal surface at a first angle from the vertical direction.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said FOV of said camera assembly comprises an angle substantially equal to said first angle.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said FOV of said camera assembly has a FOV that is substantially parallel to a surface when said computing device is supported by said kickstand resting upon said surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said sensor comprises a sensing area larger than the image projected by said lens stack.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the image captured by said sensor is capable of being digitally cropped and output to a sub-window.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said sensor comprises a sensor area substantially in ratio 4:

3.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said sub-window comprises an area substantially in ratio 16:

9.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device, said computing device comprising a first side and a second side, the distance between said first side and said second side is substantially the depth of said computing device; and

a camera assembly, said camera assembly comprising a sensor and a lens stack, wherein the front of said lens stack is substantially positioned at the surface of the first side of said computing device and said sensor is substantially positioned at the surface of the second side of said computing device;

wherein said sensor and said lens stack are operably attached to said computing device such that the center of said lens stack is shifted from the center of said sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the total track length (TTL) of said camera assembly is substantially the distance between said front side and said second side of said computing device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said computing device further comprises a kickstand that is positionable to enable the computing device to be supported on a horizontal surface at a first angle from the vertical direction.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said camera assembly comprises a FOV that is substantially parallel to a surface when said computing device is supported by said kickstand resting upon said surface.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said sensor comprises a sensing area larger than the image projected by said lens stack.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the image captured by said sensor is capable of being digitally cropped and output to a sub-window.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device, said computing device comprising a first side and a second side, the distance between said first side and said second side is substantially the depth of said computing device;

said computing device further comprising a kickstand that is positionable to enable the computing device to be supported on a horizontal surface at a first angle from the vertical direction;

a camera assembly, said camera assembly comprising a sensor and a lens stack wherein the front of said lens stack is substantially positioned at the surface of the first side of said computing device and further wherein said sensor is substantially positioned at the surface of the second side of said computing device;

wherein said sensor and said lens stack are operably attached to said computing device such that the center of said lens stack is shifted from the center of said sensor; and

further wherein the FOV of said camera assembly comprises an angle substantially equal to said first angle.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said FOV of said camera assembly has a FOV that is substantially parallel to a surface when said computing device is supported by said kickstand resting upon said surface.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the total track length (TTL) of said camera assembly is substantially the distance between said front side and said second side of said computing device.