Camera assembly for a mobile communication device

• US 20050013606A1
• Filed: 04/16/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Min-Soo, Yang, Kyung-Tae
• Granted Patent: US 7,430,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/429
• 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 camera assembly for a mobile communication device, 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 means for decelerating said rotational force for the purpose of rotating said camera.

2. The camera assembly of claim 1, wherein said gear motor and said decelerating means are coaxially arranged.

3. The camera assembly of claim 1, wherein said decelerating means includes a drive gear provided at a camera motor axle and being 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.

4. The camera assembly of claim 3, 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.

5. The camera assembly of claim 4, wherein a frictional plate is coupled to said deceleration rotational axle.

6. The camera assembly of claim 5, 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.

7. The camera assembly of claim 6, wherein said stepped protrusions and said mating grooves are respectively hemispherically shaped.

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

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

10. The camera assembly of claim 4, 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.

11. The camera assembly of claim 3, wherein said camera is directly connected to said deceleration rotational axle.