Camera assembly for a mobile communication device

• US 7,430,013 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2004
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Min-Soo, Yang, Kyung-Tae
• Primary Examiner(s): Misleh; Justin P
• Application Number:
  US10/826,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20050013606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 348373-376, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/575.3
• US Class Current: 348/376
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A camera assembly for a mobile communication device comprises a camera, and a first portion adapted to rotate the camera. The first portion comprises a housing, a gear motor mounted in the housing for generating a rotational force, and a decelerator adapted to decelerate the rotational force for the purpose of rotating the camera.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device having a camera assembly, the camera assembly comprising:

a camera; and

a first portion adapted to rotate said camera, said first portion comprising a housing, a gear motor mounted in said housing for generating a rotational force, and a means for decelerating said rotational force for the purpose of rotating said camera, wherein said means for decelerating includes;

a drive gear provided at a camera motor axle and adapted to decelerate said rotational force generated from said gear motor;

a deceleration gear operatively coupled to said drive gear and deceleration-rotated with a certain ratio;

a deceleration rotational axle for transmitting said decelerated rotational force; and

a transmission gear operatively coupled between said drive gear and said deceleration gear,

wherein a frictional plate is positioned between the camera and the deceleration rotational axle, the frictional plate transmitting driving force to the camera when the deceleration rotational axle is driven by the gear motor and stopping without rotation against a manual rotation of the camera when the gear motor is in a power-off state.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein said gear motor and said decelerating means are coaxially arranged.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein a first connection terminal is installed at said gear motor, and a second connection terminal is coupled to at least one of a plurality of body side hinge portions relative to said first connection terminal.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 3, wherein said frictional plate is coupled to said deceleration rotational axle.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein said frictional plate is provided with a plurality of stepped protrusions, and said camera is provided with a plurality of grooves adapted to mate with said plurality of stepped protrusions.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 5, wherein said stepped protrusions and said mating grooves are respectively hemispherically shaped.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 3, wherein said first portion is inserted into a hinge groove formed inside said plurality of body side hinge portions and is fixed by a fixation ring.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the rotation of said camera.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) accommodation portion is formed at one side of said camera.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein means for controlling the rotation is selected via a keypad.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the rotation of said camera is automatically controlled by supplying power to the gear motor.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the rotation of said camera is manually controlled by turning off the gear motor.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein said transmission gear is mounted on a bracket and rotates via an axle.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein said rotational force generated by the gear motor is transmitted sequentially through said drive gear, transmission gear, and deceleration gear.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein said rotational force is outputted via said deceleration rotational axle.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the deceleration gear has teeth on an inner circumferential surface and the transmission gear is adapted to mesh with the drive gear at an inner area of the deceleration gear.