CAMERA STRUCTURE AND DISPLAY DEVICE
20230288779 · 2023-09-14
Inventors
- Kuo-Yang CHENG (Taipei City, TW)
- Yun-Chien YEN (Taipei City, TW)
- Kuang LUO (Taipei City, TW)
- Nien-Yu PANG (Taipei City, TW)
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
A camera structure includes a support frame, a camera, a camera switch and a latch mechanism. The camera is supported by the support frame. The camera switch is spatially separated from the camera. The camera switch is configured to enable and disable the camera. The latch mechanism includes a slidable latch body and a cover and a connecting rod linking the latch body. The latch body is configured to move between a first position and a second position. When the latch body is at the first position, the camera is exposed from a first opening of the cover and the connecting rod interferes with the camera switch to enable the camera. When the latch body is at the second position, the cover shields the camera and the connecting rod moves away from the camera switch to enable the camera.
Claims
1. A camera structure, comprising: a support frame; a camera supported by the support frame; a camera switch electrically connected to the camera and configured to enable and disable the camera; and a latch mechanism comprising a latch body and a cover and a connecting rod linking the latch body, wherein the latch body is slidable, the latch body is configured to move between a first position and a second position, when the latch body is at the first position, the camera is exposed from a first opening of the cover and the connecting rod interferes with the camera switch to enable the camera, when the latch body is at the second position, the cover shields the camera and the connecting rod moves away from the camera switch to disenable the camera.
2. The camera structure of claim 1, wherein the latch mechanism comprises: a holder connected to the latch body and having an accommodating groove accommodating the cover, wherein a depth of the accommodating groove is greater than a thickness of the cover, so that the cover is spatially separated from the camera.
3. The camera structure of claim 2, wherein a material of the holder comprises polyoxymethylene.
4. The camera structure of claim 2, wherein the connecting rod of the latch mechanism is connected to one side of the holder, and the connecting rod bypasses the support frame on which the camera is supported.
5. The camera structure of claim 1, further comprising: a shutter covering the camera and the latch mechanism, wherein when the latch body is at the first position, the first opening of the cover is aligned with a second opening of the shutter, so that the camera is exposed from the second opening.
6. The camera structure of claim 5, wherein the shutter further comprises a strip slit, the latch body of the latch mechanism protrudes from the strip slit to be touched, and the latch body is moved between the first position and the second position.
7. The camera structure of claim 6, further comprising: a transparent cover disposed below the latch body protruding from the strip slit, wherein the second opening of the shutter is covered by the transparent cover.
8. The camera structure of claim 5, further comprising: a locking member abutting the latch mechanism to the shutter, wherein the locking member has a channel on a first surface of the locking member facing the shutter, the channel of the locking member is sealed by the shutter to form a closed track, the closed track is configured to accommodate the latch body so that the latch body of the latch mechanism slides relative to the locking member and the shutter.
9. The camera structure of claim 8, wherein: the locking member comprises a second surface opposite to the first surface and has a first elastic piece at one end of the channel of the locking member and a first protrusion protruding towards the second surface, the first elastic piece and the second surface of the locking member form a first accommodating space, the first accommodating space is configured to accommodate the first protrusion of the locking member, the first protrusion is held in the first accommodating space when the latch body is at the first position, and the first protrusion moves out of the first accommodating space through the first elastic piece when the latch body moves to the second position from the first position.
10. The camera structure of claim 8, wherein: the locking member comprises a second surface opposite to the first surface and has a second elastic piece at one end of the channel of the locking member and a second protrusion protruding towards the second surface, the second elastic piece and the second surface of the locking member form a second accommodating space, the second accommodating space is configured to accommodate the second protrusion of the locking member, the second protrusion is out of the second accommodating space when the latch body is at the first position, and the second protrusion moves into the second accommodating space through the second elastic piece when the latch body moves to the second position from the first position.
11. A camera structure, comprising: a camera; a camera switch electrically connected to the camera and configured to enable and disable the camera; and a latch mechanism being movable relative to the camera and the camera switch, wherein the latch mechanism comprises: a holder; a cover supported by the holder and having a first opening; a connecting rod extending to the camera switch and having an end fixed on the holder; and a latch body extended from the holder and configured to move between a first position and a second position, wherein the camera is exposed from the first opening of the cover and the connecting rod interferes with the camera switch to enable the camera when the latch body is at the first position, and the cover shields the camera and the connecting rod moves away from the camera switch to disenable the camera when the latch body is at the second position.
12. The camera structure of claim 11, further comprising: a shutter covering the camera and the latch mechanism, wherein when the latch body is at the first position, the first opening of the cover is aligned with a second opening of the shutter, so that the camera is exposed from the second opening.
13. The camera structure of claim 12, wherein the shutter further comprises a strip slit, the latch body of the latch mechanism protrudes from the strip slit to be touched, and the latch body is moved between the first position and the second position.
14. The camera structure of claim 13, further comprising: a transparent cover disposed below the latch body protruding from the strip slit, wherein the second opening of the shutter is covered by the transparent cover.
15. The camera structure of claim 12, further comprising: a locking member abutting the latch mechanism to the shutter, wherein the locking member has a channel on a first surface of the locking member facing the shutter, the channel of the locking member is sealed by the shutter to form a closed track, the closed track is configured to accommodate the latch body so that the latch body of the latch mechanism slides relative to the locking member and the shutter.
16. The camera structure of claim 11, wherein a material of the holder comprises polyoxymethylene.
17. The camera structure of claim 11, wherein the camera switch comprises a switch button.
18. A display device, comprising: a display panel; a bezel surrounding the display panel; and a camera structure disposed at the bezel and above the display panel, wherein the camera structure comprises a camera, a camera switch electrically connected to the camera and configured to enable and disable the camera and a latch mechanism being movable relative to the camera and the camera switch, wherein the latch mechanism has a first opening, when the latch mechanism is at a first position, the first opening of the latch mechanism exposes the camera and the latch mechanism touches the camera switch to enable the camera, and when the latch mechanism is at a second position, the first opening of the latch mechanism is misaligned with the camera and the latch mechanism moves away from the camera switch to disable the camera.
19. The display device of claim 18, wherein the camera structure further comprises: a shutter covering the camera and the latch mechanism, wherein when the latch mechanism is at the first position, the first opening of the latch mechanism is aligned with a second opening of the shutter, so that the camera is exposed from the second opening.
20. The display device of claim 19, further comprising: a transparent cover disposed below the latch mechanism protruding from the shutter, wherein the second opening of the shutter is covered by the transparent cover, and the transparent cover extends beyond the shutter and covers the display panel.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] In order to make the above and other objects, features, advantages, and embodiments of the present disclosure more comprehensible, the description of the drawings is as follows:
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034]
[0035]
[0036]
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[0039]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0040] The following embodiments are disclosed with accompanying diagrams for detailed description. For illustration clarity, many details of practice are explained in the following descriptions. However, it should be understood that these details of practice do not intend to limit the present disclosure. That is, these details of practice are not necessary in parts of embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, for simplifying the drawings, some of the conventional structures and elements are shown with schematic illustrations. Also, the same labels may be regarded as the corresponding components in the different drawings unless otherwise indicated. The drawings are drawn to clearly illustrate the connection between the various components in the embodiments, and are not intended to depict the actual sizes of the components.
[0041] In addition, terms used in the specification and the claims generally have the usual meaning as used in the field, in the context of the invention and in the context of the particular content unless particularly specified. Some terms used to describe the invention are to be discussed below or elsewhere in the specification to provide additional guidance related to the description of the invention to specialists in the art.
[0042] The phrases “first,” “second,” etc., are solely used to separate the descriptions of elements or operations with the same technical terms, and are not intended to convey a meaning of order or to limit the invention.
[0043] Additionally, the phrases “comprising,” “includes,” “provided,” and the like, are all open-ended terms, i.e., meaning including but not limited to.
[0044] Further, as used herein, “a” and “the” can generally refer to one or more unless the context particularly specifies otherwise. It will be further understood that the phrases “comprising,” “includes,” “provided,” and the like used herein indicate the stated characterization, region, integer, step, operation, element and/or component, and does not exclude additional one or more other characterizations, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0045] In order to effectively prevent the unintended activation of the camera from affecting user privacy, and to take into account the convenience of use, an improved camera structure of the present disclosure is provided, wherein a camera of the camera structure can be physically shielded and simultaneously physically disenabled at the same time.
[0046] Reference is made by
[0047] As shown in
[0048] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the camera structure 100 may be disposed at the bezel 210 above the display panel 220, and the front side of the camera structure 100 faces the user to capture a front image of the user.
[0049] In some embodiments, the display device 200 can be a display device of a portable electronic device, for example, a screen of a notebook computer, but not limited to the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the camera structure 100 can be used with other types of electronic devices (e.g., servers) to provide corresponding imaging display functions.
[0050] Reference is made by
[0051] In the embodiment shown in
[0052] The camera 120 is disposed on the support frame 110. In the embodiment shown in
[0053] In
[0054] The camera switch 131 is electrically connected to the camera 120. In this embodiment, the camera switch 131 is disposed on a support board 130 separated from the support frame 110 on which the camera 120 is disposed.
[0055] The wire 132 extending from the support board 130 can be used to connect circuits on the support board 130 to other internal components. For the purpose of simple description, only a part of the wire 132 is illustrated in
[0056] In some embodiments, the camera 120 on the support frame 110 and the camera switch 131 on the support board 130 may be connected through a wire 132.
[0057] In some embodiments, the camera switch 131 is, for example, a switch of a physical switch button, so as to physically touch a real connecting rod 163 extending from the back of the shutter 170 to physically control the camera 120 to be enabled.
[0058] The connecting rod 163 extends along an X direction and has an N-shape bypassing the support frame 110. In this embodiment, the connecting rod 163 is physically linked to the latch body 153 of the latch mechanism. Once the latch body 153 slides toward the X direction, the connecting rod 163 can be driven away from the camera switch 131, thereby disenabling and enabling the camera function of the camera 120. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the camera 120 can be physically shielded after sliding the latch body 153 through the cover 159 linked with the latch body 153. For details, please refer to following
[0059] Reference is made by
[0060] As shown in
[0061] The holder 156 has an accommodating groove 157 for accommodating the cover 159. The cover 159 is provided with an opening 161 to expose the camera 120. By sliding the latch body 153, the camera 120 can be physically shielded by the part beyond the opening 161 of the cover 159 that can be driven.
[0062] In this embodiment, the connecting rod 163 is fastened to the holder 156, so that the connecting rod 163 can be linked with the latch body 153.
[0063] In summary, the cover 159 can be accommodated in the accommodating groove 157 of the holder 156 after the cover 159 is held in the holder 156. As shown in
[0064] Further, a locking member 140 is provided between the camera 120 and the latching mechanism. The locking member 140 can abut the latch body 153 against the shutter 170.
[0065] As shown in
[0066] In this embodiment, the shutter 170 and the locking member 140 are configured to be stationary relative to the camera 120, and the latch body 153, the connecting rod 163 and the cover 159 linked with the latch body 153 move relative to the camera 120.
[0067] In the embodiment shown in
[0068] In this embodiment, the locking member 140 can be fixed on the shutter 170 by screws. In this embodiment, the connecting rod 163 is fixed on the holder 156 by screws 181. In some embodiments, the connecting rod 163 can be fixed on the holder 156 by means of hooks or heat fusion. In some embodiments, the connecting rod 163 and the holder 156 may be integrally formed.
[0069] Reference is made by
[0070] For the purpose of simple description, some elements other than the shutter 170 and the locking member 140 are not illustrated in
[0071]
[0072]
[0073] Referring to
[0074] Further, in the rear view shown in
[0075] In some embodiments, the elastic pieces 142 and/or the elastic pieces 143 are extended from the elastic arms of the locking member 140 in which the channels are provided. For example, in the Z direction, the upper elastic pieces 142 and 143 are extended downward by the elastic arms provided with the channel 144 (as shown in
[0076] Reference is made by
[0077] For the purpose of simple description, some elements beyond the latch mechanism and the locking member 140 are not illustrated in
[0078] In
[0079]
[0080]
[0081] On the other hand, from the rear view illustrated in
[0082] Further, in the rear view of
[0083] In other words, the elastic piece 142 and the elastic piece 143 can limit the interlocking movement of the holder 156, thereby restricting the movement of the latch body 153 and the connecting rod 163 of the latch mechanism together. In this way, when the latch body 153 of the latch mechanism is moved in place, the elastic pieces 142 and 143 on the locking member 140 can stand against the protrusions 1581 and 1582 respectively to avoid unintended misalignment. When the latch body 153 needs to slide to other positions, a thrust force needs to be applied in the X direction, so that the protrusion 1581 and the protrusion 1582 are able to overcome the limit of the elastic piece 142 and the elastic piece 143, respectively. The protrusion 1581, the protrusion 1582, the elastic piece 142 and the elastic piece 143 induce slightly elastic interference, which can also make the user feel like a manual switch when in use.
[0084] In
[0085]
[0086] As shown in
[0087] In
[0088] Therefore, a balance for shading the camera 120 and enabling the camera 120 is reached. Once the user needs to enable the camera 120, the latch body 153 is slid to the first position illustrated in
[0089] In this embodiment, the latch body 153 slides the distance d in the X direction from the first position to the second position. In some practical examples, the distance d is, for example, 3.5 mm. In some embodiments, the opening 161 of the cover 159 is circular, and the diameter of the opening 161 can be designed to be similar to the distance d.
[0090] In some embodiments, the material of the holder 156 can be selected from polyoxymethylene (POM). The polyoxymethylene has wear-resistant properties, which is beneficial to withstand the wear caused by sliding and prolong the service life of the holder 156.
[0091] In some embodiments, the material of the cover 159 includes, for example, PET film, i.e. mylar.
[0092]
[0093] As shown in
[0094]
[0095] With respect to the embodiment of
[0096] In summary, in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a camera structure is provided. A camera of the camera structure is shielded by a designed latch mechanism, and the camera is activated or deactivated by touching or moving away from a real switch button through the connecting rod. It prevents the user from enabling the camera of the camera structure without knowing it, so that privacy of the user of the camera structure can be protected.
[0097] Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.