CN101087371A - Built-in webcam - Google Patents

Abstract

A built-in network camera device is arranged in an electronic device and comprises a containing shell, a camera and a latch mechanism. The camera is movable between a first position in which the camera is stowed within the housing and a second position in which the camera is exposed from the housing. The latch mechanism fixes the camera in the first position and the second position.

Description

Built-in webcam

technical field

The invention relates to an electronic device with a built-in network camera device. The camera of the built-in network camera device has more than one degree of freedom of rotation, and the shooting angle can be fully adjusted when in use, and can be stored in the electronic device when not in use. inside to avoid contamination.

Background technique

The present network camera (Webcam) can be roughly divided into two types, one is an external type, and the other is a built-in type.

An external network camera does not need to be stored inside a computer or other information technology products. There is no limit in space, and the structure is relatively simple. Whether it is rotating or lifting, the degree of freedom of adjustment is relatively large.

The built-in network camera is commonly found in notebook computers. It can only be rotated around a single axis to adjust the elevation angle. Users must align the lens to take pictures, which is inconvenient. In addition, the lens is exposed and cannot be stored, and it is easily polluted by dust and fingerprints.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, the present invention proposes a built-in network camera device placed in an electronic device. The camera of the built-in network camera device has more than one degree of freedom of rotation. Stored inside electronic devices to avoid contamination.

The built-in network camera device of the present invention includes a storage case, a camera, a latch mechanism and a support base.

The camera can move between the first position and the second position. When the camera is at the first position, the camera is stored in the storage case to avoid contamination. And when the camera is at the second position, the camera is exposed outside the storage casing. A latch mechanism secures the camera in the first position and the second position.

The support seat is movably arranged in the storage case, and the camera is rotatably arranged on the support seat.

The support seat includes a first neck, and the camera includes a first shell, a second shell, a third shell and a fourth shell. Both the first shell and the second shell are provided with a first notch, and when the first shell and the second shell are combined, the first notch is combined into a first circular hole to accommodate the first neck of the support seat. Both the third shell and the fourth shell include a second neck, the first shell and the second shell are also provided with a second notch, and when the first shell and the second shell are combined, the second notch is combined into The second circular hole accommodates the second neck so that the third shell and the fourth shell can rotate relative to the first shell and the second shell.

As can be seen from the above, the first housing and the second housing of the camera can rotate relative to the support base, and the third housing and the fourth housing can rotate relative to the first housing and the second housing. Freedom, so the angle of shooting can be fully adjusted to meet the needs of users when in use.

In order to make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, preferred embodiments are specifically cited below and described in detail with accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

1A, 1B and 1C show the operation mode of the built-in network camera device of the present invention installed on a notebook computer;

2 is an exploded perspective view of a built-in network camera device according to the present invention;

3 is an exploded perspective view of the latch mechanism of the built-in network camera device according to the present invention;

4A and 4B show the operation of the latch mechanism of the built-in network camera device of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the camera of the built-in network camera device according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the second casing of the camera viewed along the X direction of Fig. 5;

7A and FIG. 7B are views along the -Z direction to observe the relative position of the bump of FIG. 5 and the bump of FIG. 6 after assembly; and

8A and 8B are views along the Y direction to observe relative positions of the bumps of FIG. 5 and the bumps of FIG. 6 after assembly.

Detailed ways

The preferred embodiment of the built-in webcam device (Built-in Webcam Device) of the present invention will be described below with a notebook computer, but it can be understood that, in addition to the notebook computer, the built-in webcam device of the present invention can also be applied to other on the electronic device.

Referring to FIG. 1A , in this embodiment, the camera 30 of the built-in network camera device is built on top of the display 70 of the notebook computer 1 . To use the video camera 30, the user depresses the latch mechanism 10, as shown in FIG. 1B, causing the video camera 30 to pop out from the display 70. The camera 30 can rotate around the Y axis and the Z axis, as shown in FIG. 1C , so as to adjust the shooting angle of the camera 30 .

When storing the video camera 30, firstly rotate the video camera 30 back to the position shown in FIG. The camera 30 can be fixed in the display 70 by unlocking the latch mechanism 10 . The detailed structure of the built-in network camera device of the present invention will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the built-in network camera device of the present invention includes a latch mechanism 10 , a storage case 20 , a camera 30 , a support base 40 , at least one spring 50 , and a chassis 60 .

The storage case 20 is substantially rectangular, and a through hole 23 is provided on the longer side, and through holes 21, 21' are provided on the shorter side. In addition, a plurality of parallel sliding slots 22 , 25 are provided on the inner wall of the storage case 20 .

The bottom frame 60 is fixed in the display 70 of the notebook computer 1, and the edge of the bottom frame 60 is provided with a plurality of hooks 61, 62, wherein the hooks 61 snap into the through holes 23 of the storage case 20, and the storage case 20 is fixed on the bottom frame 60 , and the hook 62 catches the bottom of the latch mechanism 10 to fix the latch mechanism 10 on the bottom frame 60 . An opening 64 is provided on the bottom frame 60 for the power and signal lines (not shown) of the camera 30 to pass through.

The support base 40 is used to support the camera 30, and the bottom of the support base 40 is provided with protrusions 41, 42, which are respectively accommodated in the guide grooves 25, 22 of the storage case 20. When the support base 40 slides in the storage case 20, The protrusions 41 , 42 slide correspondingly in the guide grooves 25 , 22 respectively.

One end of the spring 50 abuts against the supporting seat 40 , and the other end abuts against the bottom frame 60 . When the camera 30 is stored in the storage case 20 , the spring 50 is in a compressed state, and the restoring force of the spring 50 is used to bounce the camera 30 out of the storage case 20 .

The latch mechanism 10 is used to fix the position of the camera 30. When the camera 30 is at the first position, the camera 30 is stored in the storage case 20. When the camera 30 is at the second position, the camera 30 is exposed outside the storage case 20. The detailed structure of the latch mechanism 10 will be described below first, then the action of each component of the latch mechanism 10 will be introduced, and finally how the latch mechanism 10 fixes the position of the camera 30 will be described.

Detailed structure of the latch mechanism 10

Referring to FIG. 3 , FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the latch mechanism 10 .

The latch mechanism 10 includes a button 11, a frame body 15, two telescopic members 12, 12', a linkage rod 13 and a spring 14. Wherein, the telescopic members 12, 12' are arranged in the frame body 15, the engaging parts 122, 122' of the telescopic members 12, 12' protrude from the frame body 15 from the openings 153, 153', and the elastic parts of the telescopic members 12, 12' 121 , 121 ′ are against the inner wall of the frame body 15 . The linkage rod 13 passes through the opening 157 of the frame body 15, the through holes 123', 123 of the telescopic members 12', 12, and the opening 155 of the frame body 15, and the hook portion 131 of the linkage rod 13 and the hook of the button 11 Part 111 is engaged with each other. The spring 14 abuts between the linkage rod 13 and the inner wall of the frame body 15, wherein the protrusion 133 of the linkage rod 13 extends downward into the spring 14, and the protrusion 151 of the frame body 15 extends upward into the spring 14, For positioning spring 14.

Actions of Components of the Latch Mechanism 10

As shown in Figure 4A and Figure 4B, the linkage rod 13 has a first slope 135, 135', the telescopic member 12, 12' has a through hole 123, 123', and a second slope 124 is arranged in the through hole 123, 123' , 124'. When the user presses down the button 11 by a distance ΔZ ( _L1 is the reference line), the linkage rod 13 can be moved downwards, and the first slope 135, 135' of the linkage rod 13 can be used to push the telescopic member 12 The second slope 124,124' in the through hole 123,123' of 12' can make the telescopic member 12,12' move a distance ΔY to the left of Fig. 4A (L ₂ is the reference line), as shown in Fig. 4B As shown, the elastic portions 121 , 121 ′ against the inner wall of the frame body 15 are deformed, and the engaging portions 122 , 122 ′ protruding from the openings 153 , 153 ′ are retracted into the frame body 15 . When the user releases the button 11 , the restoring force of the elastic parts 121 , 121 ′ can make the telescopic members 12 , 12 ′ move rightward and return to the reference line L ₂ .

How the latch mechanism 10 controls the position of the camera 30

When the video camera 30 is stored in the housing 20, the engaging portion 122' of the lower telescopic member 12' will be blocked above the protrusion 41 of the support seat 40, so that the spring 50 cannot push up the video camera 30 and support it. Seat 40 , so camera 30 is fixed in storage case 20 . If the user presses the button 11 of the latch mechanism 10, the engaging parts 122, 122' of the telescopic members 12, 12' will retract into the frame body 15 at the same time, releasing the engagement of the engaging parts 122' of the telescopic member 12'. Restricted by the support base 40, the spring 50 can bounce the camera 30 out of the housing 20, as shown in FIG. The openings 153 , 153 ′ protrude, and the engaging portion 122 of the telescopic member 12 at a higher position will be supported under the protrusion 41 of the support base 40 to fix the position of the camera 30 .

When storing the video camera 30 again, the user presses the button 11, so that the telescopic members 12, 12' retract into the frame body 15 at the same time, and the support of the engaging part 122 of the telescopic member 12 to the protrusion 41 of the support seat 40 is released, and then The user presses the camera 30 back into the storage case 20, and then releases the button 11, so that the telescopic members 12, 12' extend out of the frame body 15 again, so that the engaging part 122' of the telescopic member 12' will block the support seat from above The projection 41 of 40 prevents the spring 50 from pushing up the camera 30 and the support seat 40.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the camera 30 includes a first housing 36 , a second housing 37 , a third housing 38 , a fourth housing 39 , a circuit board 32 , a lens 31 , and power and signal lines 33 . The circuit board 32 is sandwiched between the third housing 38 and the fourth housing 39 , the lens 31 is mounted on the circuit board 32 , and an opening 393 is provided on the fourth housing 39 for exposing the lens 31 . Referring to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 at the same time, the first housing 36 and the second housing 37 have semicircular first gaps 361, 373 and second gaps 362, 375 respectively, when the first, second, third and fourth housings When 36, 37, 38, 39 are combined, the semicircular first notch 361, 373 will be combined into a circular hole, which is used to accommodate the first neck 46 of the support seat 40, so that the camera 30 can rotate around the Z axis. The semicircular second notches 362, 375 are also combined into a circular hole for accommodating the second necks 383, 397 of the third and fourth housings 38, 39, so that the camera 30 can rotate around the Y axis.

It should be emphasized that a screw hole 363 is provided on the first housing 36, and a corresponding stud 377 is provided on the second housing 37, as long as a screw (not shown) is used to pass through the screw hole 363 and lock in Stud 377 can complete the combination of the first, second, third and fourth housings 36, 37, 38, 39.

After combination, the flange 43 on the support base 40 can prevent the camera 30 from breaking away from the support base 40, and the flanges 381, 391 on the third and fourth housings 38, 39 can prevent the third and fourth housings 38, 39 from disengaging from the support base 40. The first and second casings 36, 37 are separated.

The power and signal lines 33 are connected to the circuit board 32, and extend through the cavities formed by the first and second housings 36, 37, the hollow support base 40, and the opening 64 on the chassis 60 to connect to the notebook computer 1 The circuit board (not shown), in order to make the drawing simple, only a small section of power supply and signal line 33 is shown in FIG. 5 .

When the camera 30 rotates around the Y-axis and the Z-axis, the power and signal lines 33 will be twisted accordingly. In order to avoid damage due to excessive twisting, the rotation angle of the camera 30 must be limited. Figure 5 shows that a first projection 44 is provided on the flange 43 of the support seat 40, and Figure 6 shows that an L-shaped second projection 371 is provided in the second housing 37, referring to Figures 7A and 7B, Figure 7A and FIG. 7B is a view along the −Z direction to observe the relative positions of the first bump 44 of FIG. 5 and the second bump 371 of FIG. 6 after combination. When the camera 30 rotates around the Z axis, the second bump 371 rotates with the camera 30, and stops when it encounters the first bump 44 and cannot continue to rotate, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the camera 30 around the Z axis and preventing power and The signal line 33 is excessively twisted and damaged. Similarly, a third protrusion 395 is provided on the flange 391 of the fourth housing 39, referring to Fig. 8A and Fig. 8B at the same time, Fig. 8A and Fig. 8B are viewed along the Y direction to the third protrusion 395 of Fig. 5 It is a view of the relative position after combination with the second bump 371 in FIG. 6 . When the camera 30 rotates around the Y axis, the third protrusion 395 rotates with the camera 30, and stops when it encounters the second protrusion 371 and cannot continue to rotate, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the camera 30 around the Y axis and preventing power and The signal line 33 is excessively twisted and damaged.

To sum up, the camera of the built-in network camera device of the present invention has more than one rotational degree of freedom, and can fully adjust the shooting angle when in use, and can be stored in a notebook computer (or electronic device) when not in use, so as to Avoid contamination.

Although the present invention has been disclosed with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make any changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention The scope of protection is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (16)

1. A built-in network camera device placed in an electronic device, comprising: a storage case; A video camera, movable between a first position and a second position, when the video camera is in the first position, the video camera is stored in the storage case, when the video camera is in the second position In the second position, the camera is exposed outside the storage case; and A latch mechanism secures the camera in the first position and the second position. 2 . The built-in network camera device according to claim 1 , further comprising a support base, which is movably disposed in the storage case, and the camera is rotatably disposed on the support base. 3 . 3. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the support base comprises a first neck, the camera comprises a first housing and a second housing, the first housing and the second The shells are all provided with a first notch, and when the first and second shells are combined, the first notch is combined into a first round hole for accommodating the first neck of the support seat. 4. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the support base includes a first protrusion, the second housing comprises a second protrusion, and when the camera rotates relative to the support base, the second protrusion The two protrusions rotate with the camera until the second protrusion touches the first protrusion, so as to limit the rotation angle of the camera. 5. The built-in network camera device of claim 4, wherein the camera further comprises a third housing and a fourth housing, the third housing and the fourth housing both comprising the second neck , the first shell and the second shell are also provided with a second notch, when the first and second shells are combined, the second notch is combined into a second round hole to accommodate the second neck, so that the third and fourth shells The body can rotate relative to the first and second shells. 6. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the fourth housing comprises a third protrusion, when the third and fourth housings rotate relative to the first and second housings, the fourth housing The third protrusion follows the rotation of the fourth housing until the third protrusion touches the second protrusion, so as to limit the rotation angle of the third and fourth housings. 7. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the camera further comprises a screw screwed together with the first casing and the second casing. 8. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the latch mechanism comprises a frame body, two telescopic members, and a linkage rod, the telescopic members are movably arranged in the frame, and connected The moving rod is connected with the telescopic member to push the telescopic member into the frame or out of the frame to fix the camera. 9. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the support base includes a protrusion, wherein a telescopic member protrudes from the frame to block the protrusion of the support base, so that the camera is fixed at the first position. When the other telescopic member protrudes from the frame and supports the projection of the support base, the camera is fixed at the second position. 10 . The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein each telescopic member includes an elastic portion, and when the telescopic member retracts into the frame, the elastic portion abuts against the frame to generate deformation. 11 . 11. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the linkage rod comprises a first slope, each telescopic member comprises a second slope, and the linkage rod pushes the second slope with the first slope. Inclined surfaces that allow the telescoping member to retract into or protrude from the frame. 12. The built-in network camera device according to claim 11, wherein each telescopic rod is provided with a through hole, the second slope is disposed in the through hole, and the linkage rod passes through the through hole. 13. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the latch mechanism further comprises a spring, and the spring is pressed against between the linkage rod and the frame. 14. The built-in network camera device according to claim 8, wherein the latch mechanism further comprises a button connected to the linkage mechanism. 15. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a bottom frame connected to the housing case. 16. The built-in network camera device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a spring abutted between the supporting seat and the bottom frame.

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