Camera drive unit and cellular phone equipped with camera drive unit

• US 20030227564A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Lim, Tae Hyeong
• Granted Patent: US 7,184,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/375
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils

Abstract

The present invention relates to a camera drive unit and a cellular phone equipped with the camera drive unit to provide users with convenience in use by making an automatic control of camera'"'"'s position.

Claims

1. A cellular phone comprising:

a body including a circuit for calls, a microphone, buttons and a pair of fixed units, the pair of fixed units which are protruded with predetermined intervals in one end of the body and have grooves formed in the opposite direction with each other;

a folder including a circuit for calls, a speaker, a display window, and a housing, wherein the housing is located and hinge-coupled between the pair of fixed units in the body and the internal side of the housing is empty;

a camera installed in the housing for rotating in the same direction with the folder, having a lens for imaging an object to the outside of the housing;

a drive unit installed in the housing for making a driving force selectively and transferring the driving force to the camera connected to an output terminal; and

a control unit for supplying electric signals to the drive unit and controlling operations.

2. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit comprises:

a motor fixed-installed in the housing for making a rotating force in the forward or backward direction by the supply of voltage; and

a decelerator installed in one end of the motor for increasing torques while reducing the rotating force.

3. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a brush and a commutator installed to correspond to the mutual-facing sides of the camera and the drive unit and electrically-connected mutual-selectively in order to detect phases according to the rotation of the camera and output signals for controlling a supply voltage of the drive unit.

4. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a switch installed in one end of the body and wired to control a supply voltage applied to the drive unit by an operation from a user.

5. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a magnetic sensor installed to correspond to the mutual-facing sides of the camera and the drive unit in order to detect phases according to the rotation of the camera and output signals for controlling a supply voltage of the drive unit.

6. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein the housing of the folder is partly cut to the rotating direction of the camera in order to allow it to take a picture of an object by having the lens exposed to the outside when the camera is rotated.

7. The cellular phone according to claim 6, further comprising a pair of the supporting units protruded in a jointed shape from the body between the partly-cut parts of the housing and the side parts of the camera in order to support both side parts of the camera.

8. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein FPC where the camera is connected in its one side part thereof for inputting/outputting a supply voltage, video signals and control signals, and the FPC is extended into the folder through the cut-part of the housing.

9. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein FPC where the camera is connected in its one side part thereof for inputting/outputting a supply voltage, video signals, control signals, and the FPC is extended into the body through the cut-part of the fixed units.

10. The cellular phone according to claim 7, wherein one of the pair of the supporting units is connected to the side part of the camera to form a passage for connecting one end of the FPC for inputting/outputting the supply voltage, the video signals and the control signals to the body.

11. A cellular phone comprising:

a body including a circuit for calls, a microphone, buttons and a pair of fixed units, the pair of fixed units which are protruded with predetermined intervals in one end of the body and have grooves formed in the opposite direction with each other;

a folder including a circuit for calls, a speaker, a display window, and a housing, wherein the housing is located and hinge-coupled between the pair of fixed units in the body and the internal side of the housing is empty;

a camera installed rotatably in a hole formed in one side part of the folder near the housing;

a drive unit installed in the housing for making a driving force selectively and transferring the driving force through an output terminal;

a power transferring unit for transferring the driving force of the drive unit to the camera for a rotation operation; and

a control unit for supplying electric signals to the drive unit and controlling operations.

12. The cellular phone according to claim 11, wherein the drive unit comprises:

a motor fixed-installed in the housing for making a rotating force in the forward or backward direction by the supply of voltage; and

a decelerator installed in one end of the motor for receiving a rotating force from the motor and rotating the output terminal by increasing torques while reducing the rotating force.

13. The cellular phone according to claim 11, wherein the power transferring unit comprises:

a first gear axis-jointed to the output terminal of the drive unit, having gear teeth formed on the outer surface thereof; and

a second gear located in one side of the camera and connected with a post to the camera to operate in one unit with the camera, the second gear which has gear teeth formed on the outer surface thereof and is jointed to the first gear to receive the rotating force.

14. The cellular phone according to 13, wherein the first and second gears consist of an ordinary gear and a half moon gear.

15. The cellular phone according to 11, wherein the control unit comprises a brush and a commutator installed to correspond to the mutual-facing sides of the camera and the drive unit and electrically-connected mutual-selectively in order to detect phases according to the rotation of the camera and output signals for controlling a supply voltage of the drive unit.

16. The cellular phone according to 11, wherein the control unit comprises a switch installed in one side part of the body and wired to control a supply voltage applied to the drive unit by the operation from a user.

17. The cellular phone according to 11, wherein the control unit comprises a magnetic sensor installed to correspond to the mutual-facing sides of the camera and the drive unit in order to detect phases according to the rotation of the camera and output signals for controlling a supply voltage of the drive unit.

18. A camera drive unit comprising:

a camera including lens for imaging an object;

a drive unit, whose output terminal is connected to one side part of the camera, for making a driving force selectively and rotating the output terminal; and

a control unit for controlling operations by supplying electric signals to the drive unit.

19. The camera drive unit according to claim 18, wherein the drive unit comprises:

a motor for making a rotating force selectively in the forward or backward direction by the supply of voltage; and

a decelerator installed in one side part of the motor for increasing torques while reducing the rotating force.

20. The camera drive unit according to claim 18, wherein the control unit comprises a brush and a commutator installed to correspond to the mutual-facing sides of the camera and the drive unit and electrically-connected mutual-selectively in order to detect phases according to the rotation of the camera and output signals for controlling a supply voltage of the drive unit.

21. The camera drive unit according to claim 18, wherein the control unit comprises a switch wired to control a supply voltage applied to the drive unit by the operation from a user.

22. The camera drive unit according to claim 18, wherein the control unit comprises a magnetic sensor installed to correspond to the mutual-facing sides of the camera and the drive unit in order to detect phases according to the rotation of the camera and output signals for controlling a supply voltage of the drive unit.