Magnetic mount assembly of a camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10250783-B2
Application number	US-201615209735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2016
Priority date	Jul 7, 2016
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

This application is directed to a physical assembly including a magnet mount for physically receiving a physical module that includes a housing having a rear surface of a first shape. The magnet mount includes a first surface, a second surface and a magnetic material. The first surface is configured to attach to a mounting surface. The second surface has a second shape that is substantially complementary to the first shape, and is configured to engage the rear surface of the housing of the physical module. The magnetic material is disposed between the first and second surfaces and configured to magnetically couple to a magnetic material of the physical module. When the physical module is magnetically coupled to the magnet mount, an adjustable union between the magnet mount and the physical module is formed permitting adjustment of an angle of orientation of the physical module with respect to the magnet mount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A physical assembly, comprising:
a magnet mount for physically receiving a physical module, the physical module including a housing having a rear surface of a first shape, the magnet mount including:
a first surface configured to attach to a mounting surface directly or indirectly;
a second surface opposing the first surface, the second surface having a second shape that is substantially complementary to the first shape of the rear surface of the housing of the physical module, the second surface being configured to engage the rear surface of the housing of the physical module; and
a magnetic material disposed between the first and second surfaces and configured to magnetically couple to a magnetic material of the physical module such that when the physical module is magnetically coupled to the magnet mount an adjustable union between the magnet mount and the physical module is formed permitting adjustment of an angle of orientation of the physical module with respect to the magnet mount, the angle of orientation being limited by a stopping structure of the physical module, wherein the magnetic material of the physical module has an area that is substantially greater than that of a cross section of the magnetic material included in the magnet mount.

2. The physical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first shape is substantially convex and the second shape is substantially concave.

3. The physical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the physical module includes a non-magnetic housing and the magnetic material configured to magnetically coupled to the magnetic material of the magnet mount, wherein the magnetic material of the physical module is coupled to the rear surface of the housing.

4. The physical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic material of the magnet mount is at least partially made of a high-performance permanent magnet and the magnetic material of the physical module is made of one of an electromagnet and a permanent magnet.

5. The physical assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a magnetic mounting structure configured to be attached and fixed onto the mounting surface, wherein the first surface of the magnet mount is configured to attach to the mounting surface indirectly via the magnetic mounting structure.

6. The physical assembly of claim 5 , further comprising:
a detachable non-magnetic material disposed between the first surface of the magnet mount and the mounting structure, the detachable foam plate configured to increase a distance between the first surface of the magnet mount and the mounting structure and reduce an attraction force between the magnet mount and the mounting structure.

7. The physical assembly of claim 5 , wherein:
the first surface of the magnet mount includes a first stopper structure;
the mounting structure includes a second stopper structure on a front surface that receives the first surface of the magnet mount, and
the first stopper structure is configured to mate with the second stopper structure, thereby preventing the magnet mount from rotating with respect to the mounting structure.

8. A physical assembly, comprising:
a magnet mount for physically receiving a physical module, the physical module including a housing having a rear surface of a first shape, the magnet mount including:
a first surface configured to attach to a mounting surface directly or indirectly;
a second surface opposing the first surface, the second surface having a second shape that is substantially complementary to the first shape of the rear surface of the housing of the physical module, the second surface being configured to engage the rear surface of the housing of the physical module;
a magnetic material disposed between the first and second surfaces and configured to magnetically couple to a magnetic material of the physical module such that when the physical module is magnetically coupled to the magnet mount an adjustable union between the magnet mount and the physical module is formed permitting adjustment of an angle of orientation of the physical module with respect to the magnet mount, the angle of orientation being limited by a stopping structure of the physical module; and
a magnetic mounting structure configured to be attached and fixed onto the mounting surface, wherein the first surface of the magnet mount is configured to attach to the mounting surface indirectly via the magnetic mounting structure;

wherein when the assembly is mounted onto the mounting surface, the magnet mount magnetically attaches onto the mounting structure with a first attraction force and the physical module magnetically couples to the magnet mount with a second attraction force that is substantially smaller from the first attraction force.

9. The physical assembly of claim 8 , wherein the magnetic material of the magnet mount includes two magnetic parts that are respectively disposed in proximity to the first and second surfaces and enable the first and second attraction forces.

10. The physical assembly of claim 9 , wherein each of the two magnetic parts includes a plurality of magnetic domains that have a respective size configured to enable the attraction force associated with the respective magnet part.

11. The physical assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first and second attraction forces enables secure attachment of the physical module onto the mounting surface, and the secure attachment satisfies one or more Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards that set forth at least safety requirements for mounting the physical module onto a mounting surface.

12. A camera assembly, comprising:
a magnet mount for physically receiving a camera module, the camera module including a housing having a rear surface of a first shape, the magnet mount including:
a first surface configured to attach to a mounting surface directly or indirectly;
a second surface opposing the first surface, the second surface having a second shape that is substantially complementary to the first shape of the rear surface of the housing of the camera module, the second surface being configured to engage the rear surface of the housing of the camera module; and
a magnetic material disposed between the first and second surfaces and configured to magnetically couple to a magnetic material of the camera module such that when the camera module is magnetically coupled to the magnet mount an adjustable union between the magnet mount and the camera module is formed permitting adjustment of an angle of orientation of the camera module with respect to the magnet mount, the angle of orientation being limited by a stopping structure of the camera module, wherein the camera module has an unlimited range of rotation with respect to a central axis of the camera module.

13. The camera assembly of claim 12 , further comprising the camera module, wherein the magnetic material of the camera module is concealed within the camera module and attached to an interior surface of the camera module opposing the rear surface of the camera module.

14. The camera assembly of claim 13 , wherein the magnetic material of the camera module is configured to spread and dissipate heat generated by electronic components in the camera module.

15. The camera assembly of claim 13 , wherein the magnetic material of the camera module has a symmetric shape.

16. The camera assembly of claim 13 , wherein:
the magnetic material of the camera module includes a magnetic plate enclosed in the housing of the camera module;
the magnetic material of the magnet mount includes a first magnet part that is disposed in proximity to the seco

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Germe Gregory Daniel Louis
• Dong William Raeming
• Goulden Jason Evans
• Mittleman Adam Duckworth
• Webb Nicholas
• Shih Poll

Classifications

• G03B17/561 Primary

  Support related camera accessories · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/51 Primary

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N5/2256

  Electricity · mapped topic