Electronic device including rotatable camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11553069-B2
Application number	US-202016838457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2020
Priority date	Apr 9, 2019
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include a housing, a display, an opening, a slide portion configured to slide with respect to the housing, a camera module unit configured to rotate in association with an operation of the slide portion within the opening, and a sliding motion controller configured to implement a slide operation of the slide portion and a rotation operation of the camera module unit. The sliding motion controller includes a sliding plate coupled to the slide portion to slide together, a rack gear rail disposed in a sliding direction of the slide portion and configured to move together with the slide portion by a first length and having a gear formed at one end thereof, a locking hook protruded from the other end of the rack gear rail so as to intersect a sliding direction of the rack gear rail, and a locking guide formed to correspond to a position of the locking hook and coupled to the locking hook.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a display received in the housing and exposed through a portion of the housing;
a slide portion comprising an opening exposed to the outside and configured to slide with respect to the housing;
a camera module unit disposed at the opening, configured to rotate within the opening, and to rotate in association with an operation of the slide portion; and
a sliding motion controller configured to implement a slide operation of the slide portion and a rotation operation of the camera module unit,
wherein the sliding motion controller comprises:
a sliding plate coupled to the slide portion to slide together;
a rack gear rail disposed in a sliding direction of the slide portion and configured to move together with the slide portion by a first length and having a gear formed at one end thereof;
a locking hook protruded from the other end of the rack gear rail so as to intersect a sliding direction of the rack gear rail; and
a locking guide formed to correspond to a position of the locking hook and coupled to the locking hook.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the slide portion comprises:
a first state in which the camera module unit is positioned to overlap with the display;
a second state from movement by a first length in a first direction toward an arbitrary edge of the display in the first state; and
a third state from movement by a second length in the first direction in the second state.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein, when the slide portion moves from the first state to the second state, the sliding plate, the rack gear rail, and the locking hook of the sliding motion controller move together, and the locking hook and the locking guide are coupled to each other to fix the rack gear rail.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein, when the slide portion moves from the second state to the third state, the sliding plate of the sliding motion controller moves and the camera module unit rotates.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the camera module unit faces a third direction in the first state and the second state, faces a fourth direction in the third state, and rotates toward a fourth direction different from the third direction when switching from the second state to the third state.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the third direction and the fourth direction are opposite to each other.

7. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein in the sliding plate, a first guide slit comprising a first section formed diagonally in a width direction of the rack gear rail and a second section formed in a longitudinal direction of the rack gear rail is formed,
at the other end of the rack gear rail, a second guide slit is formed in a width direction of the rack gear rail, and
in the locking hook, a first protrusion inserted into the first guide slit and the second guide slit to move is formed.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein, when the slide portion moves from the third state to the second state, a second protrusion of the locking hook moves along the second section of the second guide slit and releases the locking hook from the locking guide.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the locking guide has a first inclined surface formed to gradually approach the rack gear rail in the first direction.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the locking guide has a second inclined surface formed to gradually recede from the rack gear rail in the second direction and to have a steeper slope than that of an inclined surface of the first direction.

11. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein in an end potion of the first direction of the locking hook and an end potion of the second direction opposite to the first direction, an inclined surface is formed to correspond to an inclined surface of the locking guide.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a driving force is provided to operate the slide portion.

13. The electronic device of 2 , wherein the camera module unit comprises:
a camera housing comprising at least one camera device; and
at least one pinion gear formed along a rotation axis of the camera housing and configured to engage with a gear of the rack gear rail.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the sliding motion controller further comprises a push rod having one side fixed to the sliding plate and the other side connected to the camera module unit,
wherein the camera module unit further comprises an extension portion protruded from the camera housing and formed in a shaft between the at least one pinion gear and configured to receive a force in contact with the push rod to rotate in a rotation hole of the slide portion, and
wherein the push rod pushes the camera module unit by a second length in a process of moving from the second state to the third state.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the at least one pinion gear rotates on the gear of the rack gear rail to rotate the camera module unit, when the push rod exerts a force on the extension portion.

16. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing comprising a first surface facing in a first direction and a second surface facing in a second direction opposite to the first direction,
wherein the first surface comprises a first side having a substantially quadrangular shape and extended in a third direction and having a first length and a second side extended in a fourth direction substantially perpendicular to the third direction and having a second length, and
wherein the second surface comprises a third side having a quadrangular shape having an area smaller than that of the quadrangle and parallel to the first side and having the first length and a fourth side parallel to the second side and having a third length smaller than the second length;
a display disposed inside the housing and visible through the first surface; and
a camera structure slidable in the fourth direction between a first position and a second position,
wherein the camera structure comprises:
a third surface forming a surface substantially extended to the second surface,

wherein the third surface comprises:
a fifth side substantially aligned with or adjacent to the first side, and
a sixth side substantially in contact with or adjacent to the third side when viewed from above the second surface at the first position,

wherein at least one image sensor faces in the second direction at the first position and rotatable to face in the first direction at the second position,
wherein the first side is positioned between the third side and the fifth side at the second position when viewed from above the second surface;
wherein the camera structure is configured to move in the fourth direction,
wherein a first pinion gear is configured to couple to the camera structure while being rotatable along a first path in the fourth direction,
wherein a first rack gear is configured to engage with the first pinion gear while being extended along the first path,
wherein a first shaft is configured to couple to or integrally formed with the first rack gear while being extended in the fourth direction,
wherein a first hook member is configured to connect to the first shaft while being movable in the third direction with respect to the first shaft,
wherein the first hook member comprises a first structure protruded from an area of the first shaft in the third direction and a second structure protruded in the first direction or the second direction when viewed from the second

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Han Yonghwa
• Yoo Chungkeun
• Bae Chulho
• Cho Chaeyang
• Chun Hongmoon

Classifications

• H04M1/0237

  Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04M2250/20

  including a rotatable camera · CPC title

• G06F1/1605

  Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones · CPC title

• H04M1/0264 Primary

  for a camera module assembly · CPC title