Mobile phone provided with video camera

• US 7,119,843 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2001
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kurosaka, Yoshitaka, Terasaki, Hajime, Hatayama, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/986,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20020058531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.99, 348/373, 348/374, 348/375, 348/376, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 455/556.1, 455/566, 455/575.1, 455/575.3
• US Class Current: 348/373
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/20 including a rotatable camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A mobile phone includes a phone body 1 having a wireless transmitting and receiving function of an image and sound and a virtual image optical display device 2 for forming a virtual image on a retina of an eye of a user by passing image information from an image information driving part 3 through an imaging optical system. The virtual image optical display device 2 positioned in front of the eye of the user is made as small as possible to make an eyepiece part of the mobile phone compact. An imaging optical system 4 of the virtual image optical display device 2 is separated into an optical system 4a on an image information driving part side and an optical system 4c on an eyepiece part side via a folding part 4b. The optical system 4c on the eyepiece part side is mounted on the arm 6 attached to the phone body 1 through the hinge 5. A length between a position of the phone body 1 contact with the ear of the user and the hinge 5, an angle of the arm 6 and the phone body 1 in using the phone, and a length of the arm 6 are determined under ergonomically optimum conditions.

Claims

1. A mobile phone provided with a video camera comprising;

a phone body having a wireless transmitting and receiving function of an image and sound,

a virtual image optical display device for forming a virtual image on a retina of an eye of a user by passing image information from an image information driving part through an imaging optical system,

an arm foldably provided to the phone body through a hinge,

an eyepiece part of the virtual image optical display device provided to the arm,

a video camera part mounted to the phone body so that a direction of the eye of the user and a direction for taking an image are parallel or approximately parallel when the arm is opened, wherein

a length between a position of the phone body which is contact with the ear of the user and the hinge, an angle between the arm and the phone body when the phone is used, a length of the arm are determined so as to have ergonomically optimum relations with each other,

and wherein

an imaging optical system of the virtual image optical display device is separated into an optical system on an image infomation driving part side and an optical system on an eyepiece part side via a folding part, the optical system on the eyepiece part side is mounted on the arm foldably provided to the phone body through the hinge, and the optical system on the image information driving part side and the image information driving part are mounted in the phone body.

2. The mobile phone provided with a video camera according to claim 1, wherein

the virtual image optical display device is mounted in the arm.

3. The mobile phone provided with a video camera according to claim 1, wherein

when a position contact with an ear of the user is Pa, a center position of the eyepiece lens of the optical system on the eyepiece part side is Pb, a point contact with the phone body and the face of the user is Pd, a straight line passing through the center position Pb of the eyepiece lens, horizontal to the eyepiece lens, and vertical to an optical axis of the eyepiece lens is La, and a cross point of the straight line La and a straight line Pa-Pd is Pe, a length between the position contact with the ear of the user and the hinge of the phone body, an angle formed of the arm and the phone body in using the phone, and a length of the arm are determined so that an angle a formed of a straight line between both ears and the line Pa-Pe is in a range 80°

≦

α

≦

90 °

.

4. The mobile phone provided with a video camera according to claim 1 wherein

positions of the arm, the phone body, and the hinge are set so that a ratio of a length between a speaker part and the hinge of the phone body, and a length between an optical axis of the eyepiece part and the hinge is in a range between 2:

1 and 15;

4.

5. The mobile phone provided with a video camera according to claim 1, wherein

the video camera part is roratably mounted to the phone body.

6. The mobile phone provided with a video camera according to claim 1, wherein

a means far detecting an opening state of the arm is provided, and at least driving of the image information driving part is controlled depending on the opening state of the arm.

7. The mobile phone provided wit a video camera according to claim 2, wherein

the phone body is formed of a first body pan provided with at least a speaker part and a second body part provided with a microphone so that the phone body is foldable, and the arm including the virtual image optical display device is foldably mounted on the second body part.