JP2001245034A - Portable telephone set with camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable telephone set with a camera which can easily change the sight line of a camera to the front face or the rear face with a simple structure without impairing portability and which reduces costs and also can change camera functions. SOLUTION: In this portable telephone set with a camera where a camera 100 is attached to a telephone body 10 in a freely attachable and detachable way, the camera 100 and the body 10 are connected by female and male connectors 102 and 200. The contacts 103 and 203 of the connectors are also doubly provided, and the sight line of the camera can be set toward the front or rear faces by the reversible connection mechanism of the camera 100.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile phone having a camera mounted on the mobile phone, and more particularly to an improvement in a camera mounting mechanism for capturing an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a portable telephone with a video telephone function, that is, a portable telephone with a monitor and a camera, FIG.
As shown in the figure, a speaker 17 is provided on the upper part of a telephone body 10 of a mobile phone having a speaker 11, a monitor (display) 12, a function switch 13, a dial button 14, and a microphone 15 on the front and an antenna 16 on the side. The camera 18 is rotatably mounted.

In this portable telephone, an image is captured by a camera 18 and sent to the other party communicating with the voice. To display the video. camera
18 turns the camera's line of sight to the front when capturing his / her face. In addition, in order to send materials and the like to the other party, the camera 18 is rotated to the back so that the camera's line of sight can be directed to the materials.

Another example of a mobile phone with a camera is:
As shown in FIG. 8, one that connects the camera 20 to the telephone body 10 via a cable 22 with a connector 21 is also used. This one connects a small camera 20 to the phone body 10,
Images can be captured while freely changing the camera gaze. The mobile phone body of FIG. 8 is substantially the same as that of FIG. 7, and the same reference numerals are given and the description of each part is omitted.

[0005]

However, in the conventional portable telephone having a video conference function shown in FIG. 7, the structure for rotating the camera is complicated, and the cost and the reliability of the product are increased. There are many problems, or there is a problem that the camera function cannot be changed because the camera is integrated with the phone body.

[0008] In addition, the one shown in FIG. 8 has a problem that a camera-equipped mobile phone cannot be used with one hand, and the handy characteristic of the mobile phone is eliminated.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem.
With a simple structure, the camera's line of sight can be easily changed to the front (mainly for capturing images of the user) and the back (for imaging documents, samples, etc.) without compromising portability, reducing costs and reducing camera functions. The object of the present invention is to provide a camera-equipped mobile phone which allows a change of the camera.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile phone in which a camera is detachably attached to a telephone body, wherein the camera and the telephone body are connected by male and female connectors. The contact of the connector is provided in duplicate, so that the camera's line of sight can be set toward the front and back by inverting the camera. As a result, the camera line of sight can be easily viewed from the front by simply removing the camera from the phone body and inverting the camera.
It can be changed to the back and does not impair the portability of the phone. In addition, since the connector has a simple structure in which the connector contacts are doubled, the cost can be reduced, and the camera function can be changed by replacing the attached camera.

A contact is provided on one of the male and female connectors,
The contact structure is more simplified in the case where the front and back sides are provided symmetrically. In the process of inserting the contact of the connector into the camera body, the ground contact, the functional circuit contact,
Finally, when the contact start position of each contact of the male and female connectors is changed so as to be connected in the order of the power circuit contacts, the electric circuit can be protected when the connectors are connected.

A camera comprising a lens section and a connector section, an electric circuit of each section is formed on a common flexible circuit board, and the lens section is attached to the connector section so as to be rotatable back and forth. Thus, the camera line of sight can be changed on the front and back sides. Further, the provision of the stopper mechanism including the locking body and the receiving body at the joint of the male and female connectors allows the completion of the mounting of the camera to be confirmed by a tactile sensation and prevents the camera from being detached after the mounting of the camera.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) shows a mobile phone mounted with a camera line of sight facing the front, and FIG. 1 (b) shows a detached camera. FIG. 1 (c) shows a mobile phone mounted with the camera line of sight at the back. FIG. 2 is a front view of a connector portion of a camera and a telephone body. FIG. 2A shows a connector of the camera, and FIG.
Indicates an enlarged connector of the telephone body. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a combination of the contacts of the connector.
Fig. 3 (a) shows an example of a male connector with double contacts, Fig. 3 (b)
Shows an example in which the female connector has double contacts.

In FIG. 1, the configuration of the telephone body 10 of the camera-equipped mobile phone of the present invention is substantially the same as that of the above-described conventional camera-equipped mobile phone. Omitted. In FIG. 1, lens 1
The camera 100 has a built-in 01, and two sets of contacts 103 composed of a plurality of individual contact groups symmetrically on the front and back of the male connector 102 (see FIG. 3A). The female connector 200 on the body built in the upper part of the phone body 10
(FIG. 2 (b)), it is mounted on the telephone body 10 with the camera line of sight facing the front. When used in this state, the camera will mainly capture the user's image
(FIG. 1 (a)). Next, when the user wants to image the document L and send it to the other party, remove the camera 100 from the telephone body 10 (FIG. 1).
(b)), flip it up and attach it to the phone body 10 in that state, and monitor the required part of the document L
Take an image while confirming with.

Here, since two sets of the contacts 103 of the male connector 102 of the camera 100 are provided symmetrically on the front and back surfaces, the camera 100 can be imaged immediately with the camera's line of sight set to the back simply by inverting and inserting the camera 100. it can. As described above, the mobile phone of the present invention can easily change the line of sight of the camera with a simple structure, and furthermore, does not impair portability since the camera 100 is held on the phone main body 10 via the connector. . In addition, for example, when an enlarged image with a large magnification is necessary to image the document L or a sample, a camera for enlarged image (not shown) is separately prepared, and this may be attached to the telephone body 10. .

When connecting the male connector 102 and the female connector 200 of the camera 100, as shown in FIG. 2B, the female connector 200 is rotatably held by a pair of elastic supports 201 on both sides of the female connector 200. A roller 202 is provided as a pair of locking members, and the roller 202 is adapted to fit into a pair of recesses 104 as receiving members formed at predetermined positions of the male connector 102. When connecting the male and female connectors and mounting the camera, the roller 202 is fitted into the concave portion 104,
Attachment of the camera can be confirmed by sound or tactile sensation, and the stopper mechanism including the roller and the concave portion can prevent the camera 100 from coming off the telephone main body 10.

As for the stopper mechanism, the combination of such a resiliently mounted roller and the fitting hole, that is, the concave portion allows smooth insertion and secure prevention of detachment. An elastically indented and protruding locking ball provided on the inner wall of the female connector may be fitted into a concave portion on the side surface of the male connector. A mechanism can be adopted.

Regarding the combination of the contacts of the male and female connectors, in the description of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the individual contact groups are symmetrically arranged on the front and back surfaces of the male connector 102 of the camera. Although two sets of contacts 103a and 103b are formed and the female connector 200 of the telephone body is provided with one set of contacts 203, as shown in FIG. One set of contacts 103c may be provided, and two sets of contacts 203a and 203b may be formed on the female connector 200.In some cases, two sets of contacts may be provided symmetrically on the male and female connectors, respectively. It is more economical to duplicate only one of the connectors when the electrical capacity of the connector is sufficient.

Next, the connection timing of the contacts of the connector will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a circuit board 300 of the camera. The electric circuit of the camera includes a CCD 301 for detecting an image from the lens 101, an amplification circuit 302, a synchronization circuit 303, a circuit signal and a connector 102. The connector 102 is provided with an earth circuit contact connected to an earth circuit, a plurality of functional circuit contacts connected to a video circuit or a synchronous circuit, and a power circuit contact connected to a power circuit.

As shown in FIG. 4, when these connectors are connected by changing the positions of the tips of the respective contacts, a ground circuit is first connected, then a functional circuit is connected, and finally a power supply circuit is connected. I am doing so. As described above, since the ground circuit is secured first and the power supply circuit is finally connected, the circuit can be protected in case of emergency.

Finally, the movable mechanism of the camera will be described. 5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining the movable mechanism of the camera. FIG. 5 (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the camera housing, FIG. 5 (b) is a side view of the camera substrate, and FIG. c) is a perspective view of the camera board. 6A and 6B are views showing the rotation of the camera. FIG. 6A is a side view when the camera is upright, FIG. 6B is a side view when the camera is tilted forward, and FIG.

5A, 5B, and 5C, the circuit board 300 on which the lens 101 and the CCD 301 are mounted is composed of a surface flexible circuit board 300a on which an electric circuit (not shown) is printed. The connector 102 consists of a reinforcing plate 300b
Is a flexible circuit board 300 on which the contacts 103 are also printed.
The circuit board 300 and the connector 102 are attached to the housings 401 and 402 of the camera 100 by appropriate means (not shown).

The housing 401 holding the circuit board 300, that is, the lens 101, is fitted to a pair of rotation fulcrums 403 provided on both side surfaces of the housing 401 holding the connector 102,
It is held rotatably around 03. When the line of sight of the camera 100, that is, the line of sight of the lens 101 is turned downward, FIG.
As shown in (b), the housing 401 is tilted forward, and when the camera line of sight is directed upward, the housing 401 is moved backward.

As described above, since the circuit board 300 in the housing is connected to the connector 102 at the bent portion 300d of the flexible circuit board 300a, the bent portion 300d can be deformed in accordance with the inclination of the camera 100, and Can take a free inclination. In addition, as a mechanism for fixing and holding the inclination of the camera 100, the fitting intersection between the housing 401 and the rotation fulcrum 403 may be reduced so that the camera 100 can be fixed at an arbitrary position by frictional rotation.
Appropriate means such as providing a known rotation stopper mechanism can be adopted.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the camera connector is a male connector, and the female connector is provided on the telephone main body side so that the camera can be detachably mounted on the telephone main body. Conversely, depending on the structure, a female connector can be formed on the camera and a male connector can be provided on the phone body side.

[0025]

According to the present invention, in a camera-equipped mobile phone in which a camera is detachably attached to a telephone body, the camera and the telephone body are connected by a male and female connector, and the connecting point of the connector is provided in duplicate. The camera's line of sight can be set to the front and back by inverting the camera, so the camera's line of sight can easily be changed from the front to the back just by removing the camera from the phone body and inverting the camera. There is no loss of sex. Further, since the connector has a simple structure in which the connector contacts are doubled, the cost can be reduced, and the camera function can be changed by replacing the attached camera.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
(a) is a perspective view of the camera mounted with the camera line of sight facing the front, and FIG.
FIG. 1 (b) is a perspective view of the detached camera, and FIG. 1 (c) is a perspective view of a mobile phone mounted with the camera's line of sight facing the back.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing a camera and a connector part of a telephone main body. FIG. 2A is a front view of a connector of the camera, and FIG. 2B is a front view of a connector of the telephone main body.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a combination of contacts of a connector. FIG. 3 (a) is an example in which a male connector is provided with double contacts, and FIG. 3 (b) is a contact with a female connector. The perspective view which shows the example which provided double.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a circuit board 300 of the camera.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a movable mechanism of the camera;
FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a camera housing, and FIG.
FIG. 5C is a side view of the camera board, and FIG. 5C is a perspective view of the camera board.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the rotation of the camera.
FIG. 6A is a side view when the vehicle is standing upright, FIG. 6B is a side view when the vehicle is tilted forward, and FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an example of a conventional camera-equipped mobile phone.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another example of a conventional camera-equipped mobile phone.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Phone body 100 Camera 101 Lens 102 Male connector (camera side) 103 (103a, 103b, 103c) Contact point 104 Recess (Receiver: stopper mechanism) 200 Female connector (Phone body side) 203 (203a, 203b) Contact point 300 Circuit board 300a Flexible circuit board 202 Rotating roller (locking part: stopper mechanism)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme coat ゛ (reference) H04N 7/14 H04B 7/26 VF term (reference) 5C022 AA12 AC70 AC78 5C064 AA01 AC04 AC22 5E023 AA04 AA24 BB02 BB11 BB23 DD29 EE22 HH20 5K023 AA07 BB11 MM00 MM25 NN06 PP12 PP16 5K067 BB04 KK17

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A camera-equipped mobile phone in which a camera is detachably mounted on a phone body, wherein the camera and the phone body are connected by a male and female connector, and the contacts of the connector are provided in duplicate, and the camera is inverted. A camera-equipped mobile phone characterized in that a camera line of sight can be set toward the front and the back by using the camera. 2. The camera-equipped mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein a contact is provided on either one of the male and female connectors in a symmetrical manner. 3. The contacts of the male and female connectors are connected in the order of a ground contact, a functional circuit contact, and finally a power circuit contact in the process of inserting the camera into the telephone body. The camera-equipped mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein a contact start position is changed. 4. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera comprises a lens section and a connector section, and an electric circuit of each section is formed on a common flexible circuit board, and the lens section is attached to the connector section so as to be rotatable back and forth. Item 4. The camera-equipped mobile phone according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. The camera-equipped mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein a stopper mechanism comprising a locking body and a receiving body is provided at a joint of said male and female connectors. 6. The locking member is a rotating roller elastically attached to one of the male and female connectors, and the receiving member is a concave portion provided on another connector and receiving the rotating roller. 6. The camera-equipped mobile phone according to any one of claims 5 to 5.