Apparatus and method to maximize the display area of a mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9736383-B2
Application number	US-201615165887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2016
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

The technology disclosed here maximizes the size of the display area associated with the mobile device by various camera placement. In one embodiment, the camera is placed inside the mobile device, and can pop outside the mobile device when the camera is activated. When the camera is inactive the camera retracts inside the mobile device, and becomes unnoticeable to the user. In another embodiment, the camera is integrated into the mobile device display as a camera icon. The integrated camera serves two purposes: to record pictures, and to act as a camera icon, that when selected activates the camera. By removing the camera from the front side of the mobile device, or by integrating the camera into the display screen of the mobile device, the size of the mobile device display screen can be increased.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile device, comprising:
a display screen associated with the mobile device, the display screen comprising a plurality of light emitting elements, and further the display screen comprising a plurality of icons, the plurality of icons corresponding to a plurality of mobile device software applications and a plurality of mobile device operating system functions; and
a camera associated with the mobile device, the camera operable to record an image, the camera comprising:
a front aperture occupying a portion of the display screen reserved for the plurality of mobile device operating system functions, the display screen surrounding the front aperture comprising the plurality of light emitting elements, the portion of the display screen occupied by the front aperture functioning as both a camera icon in the plurality of icons and a physical camera, the portion of the screen occupied by the camera icon operable to activate the camera when selected;
a back aperture disposed in a direction opposite of the front aperture;
a plurality of photo sensors; and
an optical element associated with the front aperture, the back aperture, and the plurality of photo sensors, the optical element changing a direction of a light beam, the optical element operable to assume a first position, and a second position, the first position directing a light beam associated with the front aperture to the plurality of photo sensors associated with the camera, and the second position directing a light beam associated with the back aperture to the plurality of photo sensors associated with the camera.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , the front aperture and the back aperture comprising a front lens and a back lens, respectively.

3. The mobile device of claim 2 , the front lens and the back lens comprising a wide angle lens receiving light up to 220 degrees around the wide angle lens.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , the camera further comprising:
a lens disposed between the plurality of photo sensors and the optical element; and
a light guide connecting the apertures, the optical element, and the plurality of photo sensors, the light guide transmitting a beam of light between the apertures and the lens.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 , the camera comprising a micro-electromechanical systems device operable to actuate the optical element.

6. A mobile device, comprising:
a display screen associated with the mobile device, the display screen comprising a plurality of light emitting elements, and further the display screen comprising a plurality of icons, the plurality of icons corresponding to a plurality of mobile device software applications and a plurality of mobile device operating system functions; and
a camera associated with the mobile device, the camera operable to record an image, the camera occupying a portion of the display screen, the display screen surrounding the camera comprising the plurality of light emitting elements, the portion of the display screen occupied by the camera functioning as both a camera icon in the plurality of icons and a physical camera, the portion of the screen occupied by the camera icon operable to activate the camera when the camera icon is selected.

7. The mobile device of claim 6 , the mobile device comprising an outer surface, the display screen occupying substantially the whole outer surface associated with the mobile device.

8. The mobile device of claim 6 , the mobile device comprising a plurality of sides, the display screen associated with a side in the plurality of sides, the display screen occupying substantially the whole side in the plurality of sides.

9. The mobile device of claim 6 , comprising a border between the camera and the display screen, the border comprising a perimeter associated with the camera.

10. The mobile device of claim 6 , comprising a border between the camera and the display screen, the border comprising an outline partially enclosing a perimeter associated with the camera.

11. The mobile device of claim 6 , the camera icon disposed in a portion of the display screen reserved for the plurality of mobile device operating system functions.

12. The mobile device of claim 6 , the camera icon operable to launch a camera application on the mobile device when the camera icon is selected.

13. The mobile device of claim 6 , the camera icon operable to take a picture when the camera icon is selected.

14. The mobile device of claim 6 , the camera icon disposed in a portion of the display screen associated with the plurality of mobile device software applications.

15. The mobile device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a second camera associated with the mobile device, the second camera displaced a short distance from the camera, the second camera operable to record a second image corresponding to a first image captured by the camera; and
a processor coupled to the second camera and the camera, the processor operable to create stereoscopic images based on the first image and the second image.

16. The mobile device of claim 6 , the camera comprising:
a front aperture occupying the portion of the display screen;
a back aperture disposed in a direction opposite of the front aperture;
a plurality of photo sensors; and
an optical element associated with the front aperture, the back aperture, and the plurality of photo sensors, the optical element changing a direction of a light beam, the optical element operable to assume a first position, and a second position, the first position directing a light beam associated with the front aperture to the plurality of photo sensors associated with the camera, and the second position directing a light beam associated with the back aperture to the plurality of photo sensors associated with the camera.

17. The mobile device of claim 16 , the front aperture and the back aperture comprising a front lens and a back lens, respectively.

18. The mobile device of claim 17 , the front lens and the back lens comprising a wide angle lens receiving light up to 220 degrees around the wide angle lens.

19. The mobile device of claim 16 , the camera further comprising:
a lens disposed between the plurality of photo sensors and the optical element; and
a light guide connecting the apertures, the optical element, and the plurality of photo sensors, the light guide transmitting a beam of light between the apertures and the lens.

20. The mobile device of claim 16 , the camera comprising a micro-electromechanical systems device operable to actuate the optical element.

21. The mobile device of claim 16 , the optical element comprising a mirror or a prism.

22. A method comprising:
providing a display screen associated with a mobile device, the display screen comprising a plurality of light emitting elements, and further the display screen comprising a plurality of icons, the plurality of icons corresponding to a plurality of mobile device software applications and a plurality of mobile device operating system functions; and
providing a camera associated with the mobile device, the camera operable to record an image, said providing the camera comprising:
configuring a front aperture to occupy a portion of the display screen reserved for the plurality of mobile device operating system functions, the display screen surrounding the front aperture comprising the plurality of light emitting elements, the portion of the display screen occupied by the front aperture functioning as both a camera icon

Assignees

• Essential Products Inc

Inventors

• Evans V David John
• Jiang Xinrui
• Rubin Andrew E
• Hershenson Matthew
• Miao Xiaoyu

Classifications

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/55

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

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/57 Primary

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

• H04N13/239 Primary

  using two two-dimensional [2D] image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance (H04N13/243 takes precedence) · CPC title