Electronic device with camera flash structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9575392-B2
Application number	US-201313760930-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2013
Priority date	Feb 6, 2013
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device may contain a camera, a camera flash, and a display in a housing. The camera flash or the display may provide illumination while capturing images with camera. The camera flash may be formed from light guiding structures that receive camera flash light from a light source. The camera flash may be located under a speaker port mesh. A speaker port may contain a camera and a camera flash. Light guiding structures may have a ring shape with an opening. A speaker port, camera, or button may be located within the opening. A button may have an opaque portion in which a transparent light guiding structure for a camera flash is embedded. Camera flash structures may produce camera flash light to capture images and can serve as a status indicator to indicate when a message is received or other state change is detected during operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a display mounted on a front face of the housing;
a speaker port in the display;
a camera flash in the speaker port;
a camera window in an inactive area of the display; and
a camera mounted within the housing in alignment with the camera window.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising mesh that overlaps the speaker port and the camera flash.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a speaker in the speaker port; and
mesh that covers at least the speaker.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the camera flash comprises:
a light source that produces light; and
ring-shaped light guiding structures that receive the light from the light source and direct the light outwards from the front face.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 further comprising a coating on the ring-shaped light-guiding structures.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the light source comprises a light-emitting diode and wherein the coating comprises metal.

7. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a display mounted on a front face of the housing;
a speaker port in the display;
a light source that produces light;
ring-shaped light guiding structures in the speaker port that receive the light from the light source and direct the light outwards from the front face; and
a speaker in the speaker port, wherein the ring-shaped light guiding structures surround the speaker, wherein the ring-shaped light guiding structures have an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein the speaker has an upper surface, and wherein the upper surface of the speaker is positioned between the upper surface of the ring-shaped light guiding structures and the lower surface of the ring-shaped light guiding structures.

8. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a display mounted on the housing that has at least one transparent layer;
a layer of opaque masking material on an inner surface of the transparent layer, wherein the opaque masking layer has an opaque masking layer opening;
a camera flash having a light source that produces camera flash light and ring-shaped light guiding structures that receives the camera flash light and direct the camera flash light through the opaque masking layer opening, wherein the ring-shaped light guiding structures have an opening that is aligned with the opaque masking layer opening; and
a speaker in the opening.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 further comprising a coating on the light guiding structures.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the opening in the light guiding structures is circular and wherein the light guiding structures have an extending portion through which the camera flash light from the light source is received.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the light guiding structures comprise light diffusing structures that impart an angular spread on the camera flash light as the camera flash light exits the light guiding structures.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the light diffusing structures comprise a curved surface portion of the light guiding structures.

13. Apparatus, comprising:
a camera flash having ring-shaped light-guiding structures with an opening and a light source that produces camera flash light that passes through the ring-shaped light-guiding structures; and
a speaker located within the opening.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 further comprising:
an electronic device housing; and
a display mounted in the electronic device housing, wherein the speaker and camera flash are mounted in an opening in the display.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 further comprising a coating on the ring-shaped light guiding structures.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 15 wherein the ring-shaped light guiding structures comprise transparent plastic and wherein the coating comprises metal.

17. A method of operating an electronic device that has a display and that has control circuitry configured to control a camera and a camera flash that provides illumination for the camera during image capture operations and that is configured to control the display, the method comprising:
in response to detecting a command to use the display to provide illumination for capturing an image, capturing an image with the camera while using the control circuitry to direct the display to provide illumination for a subject of the image; and
in response to detecting a change in operating state for the electronic device with the control circuitry, providing status indicator light output to a user of the electronic device using the camera flash.

18. The method defined in claim 17 wherein the camera flash comprises a front-facing camera flash mounted on a front face of the electronic device and wherein providing the status indicator light output comprises providing light output with a pattern corresponding to the detected change in operating state.

19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein the detected change in operating state is associated with receipt of a message using the control circuitry and wherein providing the status indicator light output comprises providing light output indicative of receipt of the message.

20. The method defined in claim 19 , further comprising:
in response to detection of an input to acquire an image, directing the camera to capture an image while directing the camera flash to provide illumination for the camera using the control circuitry.

21. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a display mounted on a front face of the housing;
a speaker port in the display;
a camera flash in the speaker port; and
a camera in an inactive area of the display.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 21 further comprising mesh that overlaps the speaker port and the camera flash.

23. The electronic device defined in claim 21 further comprising:
a speaker in the speaker port; and
mesh that covers at least the speaker.

24. The electronic device defined in claim 21 wherein the camera flash comprises:
a light source that produces light; and
ring-shaped light guiding structures that receive the light from the light source and direct the light outwards from the front face.

25. The electronic device defined in claim 24 , further comprising:
a speaker in the speaker port, wherein the ring-shaped light guiding structures surround the speaker.

26. An electronic device, comprising:
a speaker port;
a camera flash in the speaker port;
a light source that produces light;
ring-shaped light guiding structures that receive the light from the light source; and
a speaker in the speaker port, wherein the ring-shaped light guiding structures surround the speaker.

27. The electronic device defined in claim 26 , further comprising:
a housing; and
a display mounted on a front face of the housing.

28. The electronic device defined in claim 27 , further comprising:
a camera window in an inactive area of the display; and
a camera mounted within the housing in alignment with the camera window.

29. The electronic device defined in claim 27 , further comprising a camera in an inactive area of the display.

30. The electronic device def

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hooton Lee E
• Kwong Kelvin

Classifications

• G03B15/03 Primary

  Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units · CPC title

• G03B17/02

  Bodies · CPC title

• G03B2215/0503

  Built-in units · CPC title

• G03B31/00

  Associated working of cameras or projectors with sound-recording or sound-reproducing means · CPC title