JP2010028368A - Electronic instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic instrument which can conceal an activation state of an imaging device. <P>SOLUTION: In an electronic instrument 11, a mirror surface 22 is defined in a first casing 12. When a close state is established, the mirror surface 22 is confronted to an imaging device 18. The mirror surface 22 recedes from a surface 12a of the first casing 12 as heading for a contour of the first casing 12 from the surface 12a of the first casing 12. Accordingly, the mirror surface 22 can introduce a frontward image to the imaging device 18 from the electronic instrument 11, for example, based on a reflection. As a result, the imaging device 18 can establish the activation state, in the close state. Since the close state is thus established, the activation state of the imaging device 18 is concealed. The imaging device 18 can function sufficiently as a monitoring camera, for example. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device including an imaging device, for example.

  For example, a notebook personal computer (notebook personal computer) includes a main body case and a display case connected to the main body case so as to be relatively rotatable about a rotation axis defined in parallel to the plane of the main body case. For example, a keyboard is incorporated in the main body housing. A camera is incorporated in the display housing. For example, the camera is disposed outside the liquid crystal display panel on the surface of the display housing.

When using a laptop, the laptop is placed open. In the open state, the display housing rises at a predetermined angle with respect to the main body housing. The lens of the camera is directed forward from the surface of the display housing. For example, when the user is away from home, the camera can function as a surveillance camera. For example, the user can monitor the state of his / her home while on the go via the Internet.
JP 2000-168441 A JP 9-301069 A

  The camera is immovably incorporated in the surface of the display housing. Therefore, the open state must be established in the notebook computer when using the camera. As a result, the activation state of the camera is easily recognized. The camera cannot fully function as a surveillance camera.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic device capable of hiding the activation state of an imaging apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device is coupled to the first housing and the first housing so as to be relatively rotatable about a horizontal axis defined parallel to the surface of the first housing. A second casing that establishes a closed state superimposed on the surface of the first casing, an imaging device incorporated in the surface of the second casing, and an outline of the first casing that is formed on the first casing. And a mirror surface that moves away from the surface of the first housing as it goes from the surface of the one housing toward the contour of the first housing and faces the imaging device in the closed state.

  In such an electronic device, a mirror surface is defined in the first housing. When the closed state is established, the mirror surface faces the imaging device. The mirror surface moves away from the surface of the first casing as it goes from the surface of the first casing toward the contour of the first casing. Therefore, the mirror surface can guide the front image from the electronic device to the imaging device based on the reflection. As a result, the imaging apparatus can establish an activated state in the closed state. In the closed state, the activation state of the imaging apparatus is hidden. The imaging device can sufficiently function as a surveillance camera, for example.

  As described above, the electronic device can hide the activation state of the imaging apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an appearance of a specific example of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention, that is, a notebook personal computer (notebook personal computer) 11. The notebook computer 11 includes a thin first housing, that is, a main body housing 12, and a second housing, that is, a display housing 13 that is connected to the main body housing 12. The main body housing 12 and the display housing 13 may be made of a reinforced resin material such as polycarbonate. Input devices such as a keyboard 14 and input buttons 15 are incorporated on the surface of the main body housing 12, that is, the front flat surface 12a. The user can input instructions and data from these input devices 14 and 15.

  For example, a mother board is housed in the housing space of the main housing 12. A chipset and main memory are mounted on the motherboard. A plurality of LSI (semiconductor integrated circuit) chips are incorporated in the chip set. The chip set executes various arithmetic processes based on, for example, software programs and data temporarily stored in the main memory. Similarly, the software program and data may be stored in a mass storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) housed in the main body housing 12.

  A display device, that is, an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel 16 is incorporated in the display housing 13. The display screen of the LCD panel 16 faces the window hole 17 defined on the surface of the display housing 13, that is, the front flat surface 13 a. Text and graphics are displayed on the display screen of the LCD panel 16 based on the arithmetic processing of the chipset. The user can confirm the operation of the notebook computer 11 based on such text and graphics. For example, a plasma display panel may be incorporated in the display housing 13 instead of the LCD panel 16.

  An imaging device, that is, a camera 18 is incorporated in the display housing 13. The camera 18 is disposed on the front flat surface 13 a of the display housing 13 outside the window hole 17. Here, the camera 18 is disposed adjacent to the contour of the upper end of the display housing 13. The camera 18 exposes the lens 19 on the surface of the display housing 13. The optical axis of the lens 19 is directed in the vertical direction orthogonal to the front flat surface 13a of the display housing 13. The camera 18 can shoot still images and moving images. For example, a CCD (charge coupled device) camera may be used as the camera 18.

  A notch 21 is formed at the front end of the main body housing 12. A mirror surface 22 is formed in the notch 21. The mirror surface 22 moves away from the front side flat surface 12a of the main body housing 12 as it goes from the front side flat surface 12a of the main body housing 12 toward the contour of the main body housing 12, that is, the front end surface 12b. The mirror surface 22 is defined by a flat surface. The mirror surface 22 extends along a virtual plane parallel to the ridgeline 12c defined by the front flat surface 12a and the front end surface 12b. Here, the mirror surface 22 extends along an inclined surface that intersects the front side flat surface 12a of the main body housing 12 at an inclination angle of, for example, 45 degrees. The mirror surface 22 can reflect light.

  The display housing 13 is connected to the main body housing 12 around the horizontal axis 23 so as to be relatively rotatable. Here, the horizontal axis 23 may be defined parallel to the rear end of the surface of the main body housing 12. The relative rotation of the main body housing 12 and the display housing 13 is realized based on, for example, a hinge mechanism (not shown). The display housing 13 is opened based on relative rotation around the horizontal axis 23. In the open state, the display housing 13 rises from the rear end of the main body housing 12 at a predetermined angle.

  When the display housing 13 rotates relative to the main body housing 12 around the horizontal axis 23, the front side flat surface 13a of the display housing 13 becomes the front side flat surface 12a of the main body housing 12, as shown in FIG. Is superimposed. The notebook computer 11 is folded. As a result, the closed state is established in the notebook computer 11. In the closed state, the contour of the display housing 13 overlaps the contour of the main body housing 12. Since the notch 21 is formed at the front end of the main body casing 12 at the contour of the main body casing 12, the mirror surface 22 faces the front end of the notebook computer 11.

  The lens 19 and the mirror surface 22 are arranged on a perfect circle defined in a virtual plane orthogonal to the horizontal axis 23. Therefore, when the closed state is established in the notebook personal computer 11, the camera 18 faces the mirror surface 22 as shown in FIG. The optical axis of the lens 19 intersects the mirror surface 22 at an intersection angle of 45 degrees. Thus, the camera 18 can take a still image or a moving image in front of the notebook computer 11 based on the reflection of the mirror surface 22. The mirror surface 22 is realized based on a mirror 24, for example. The mirror 24 may be attached to the inclined surface 25 defined in the main body housing 12 within the notch 21.

  A sensor 26 is incorporated in the notebook computer 11. The sensor 26 includes a magnetic force sensor 27 incorporated in the main body housing 12 and a permanent magnet 28 incorporated in the display housing 13. In the notebook personal computer 11 in the closed state, the magnetic force sensor 27 and the permanent magnet 28 face each other. The magnetic sensor 27 detects a magnetic field acting from the permanent magnet 28 within a predetermined range. The predetermined range is defined, for example, as a range that extends to the vicinity of the front flat surface 13a of the display housing 13 in the closed state. For the magnetic sensor 27, for example, a coil element that allows current to flow based on the action of a magnetic field may be used.

  For example, when the closed state is established by the notebook computer 11, the magnetic sensor 27 and the permanent magnet 28 approach the shortest distance. At this time, the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 28 acts on the magnetic sensor 27. As a result, the magnetic sensor 27 detects the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 28. Thus, the sensor 26 detects the closed state. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the open state is established in the notebook computer 11, the magnetic sensor 27 and the permanent magnet 28 are separated by a maximum distance. At this time, the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 28 does not act on the magnetic sensor 27. As a result, the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 28 is not detected by the magnetic sensor 27. Thus, the sensor 26 detects the open state.

  FIG. 5 shows a control system of the notebook personal computer 11. In the notebook personal computer 11, a control circuit, that is, a chip set 31 is connected to the camera 18. An image such as a still image or a moving image captured by the camera 18 is input to the chipset 31. Such an image may be input as a USB signal, for example. Under the control of the chipset 31, an image captured by the camera 18 is displayed on the display screen of the LCD panel 16. Similarly, an image may be stored in the HDD 32 based on the control of the chipset 31. The image may be displayed based on, for example, the VGA (Video Graphics Array) standard.

  The aforementioned sensor 26 is connected to the chip set 31. When the sensor 26 detects the closed state of the notebook computer 11, it outputs a closed state detection signal to the chip set 31. Similarly, when detecting the open state of the notebook computer 11, the sensor 26 outputs an open state detection signal to the chip set 31. As will be described later, the chip set 31 determines the presence / absence of an image processing process according to the detection signal output from the sensor 26. The LCD panel 16 displays an image without processing or an image after processing. Similarly, the HDD 32 stores an unprocessed image or a processed image.

  Assume that the camera 18 is used in the open state. As shown in FIG. 6, the lens 19 of the camera 18 is directed forward from the notebook computer 11 in the open state. The sensor 26 outputs an open state detection signal to the chip set 31. As shown in FIG. 7, the vertical direction of the captured image of the camera 18 matches the actual vertical direction. As a result, the chip set 31 that has received the detection signal of the open state projects the image input from the camera 18 on the display screen of the LCD panel 16 as it is. The image is not processed. Similarly, the chip set 31 stores the image input from the camera 18 in the HDD 32 as it is.

  Next, a scene where the camera 18 is used in the closed state is assumed. In the closed state, the chip set 31 maintains the activation of the camera 18. No image is displayed on the display screen of the LCD panel 16. As shown in FIG. 8, the lens 19 of the camera 18 is directed forward from the notebook computer 11 by the action of the mirror surface 22. The sensor 26 outputs a closed state detection signal to the chipset 31. An image is taken based on the reflection of the mirror surface 22. As shown in FIG. 9, a mirror image of the actual image is generated in the captured image of the camera 18. Therefore, the chip set 31 performs processing on the image input from the camera 18. Here, for example, the mirror image is restored to the axis of symmetry extending along the upper end of the image. As a result, the original image is displayed on the display screen of the LCD panel 16. Similarly, the original image is stored in the HDD 32.

  In the notebook computer 11 as described above, the mirror surface 22 is defined on the main body housing 12. The mirror surface 22 can guide the front image from the notebook computer 11 to the lens 19 of the camera 18 based on the reflection. As a result, the camera 18 can establish an activated state in the closed state. Since the closed state is thus established, the activation state of the camera 18 is hidden. Therefore, the camera 18 can sufficiently function as a surveillance camera. In addition, since the presence / absence of processing for the image is determined based on the detection signal output from the sensor 26, the same image as the image captured in the open state in the closed state is generated. The user does not need to process the image himself. User effort is saved.

  In the notebook computer 11 as described above, a flash memory may be incorporated in place of the HDD 32. As is well known, a spindle motor, that is, a magnetic disk rotates in the HDD 32. An airflow is generated based on the rotation of the magnetic disk. Such airflow generates noise in the HDD 32. On the other hand, in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, noise is not generated in the notebook personal computer 11 because information is written in the memory cell. Therefore, the activation state of the camera 18 is hidden more effectively.

  When the closed state is established, the chip set 31 may output an image input from the camera 18 to the outside from the notebook computer 11. For output, for example, the Internet or a dedicated line may be connected to the notebook computer 11. In this way, the image is output to the outside online. The user of the notebook computer 11 can check the photographed image of the camera 18 on the go, for example. Similarly, the user can store an image captured by the camera 18 in an external storage device, for example, when he is away from home. In addition, the electronic apparatus of the present invention includes, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile phone terminal in addition to the notebook computer 11 described above.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an external appearance of a specific example of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention, that is, a notebook personal computer (notebook personal computer). It is a perspective view which shows roughly the external appearance of the notebook personal computer of a closed state. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 3, showing a closed notebook personal computer. Corresponding to FIG. 3, an open notebook personal computer is shown. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the notebook personal computer of this invention. It is a side view of the notebook computer with which photography is performed in an open state. It is a figure which shows roughly the image image | photographed in an open state. It is a side view of the notebook computer with which photography is performed in a closed state. It is a figure which shows roughly the image image | photographed in the closed state.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Electronic device (notebook personal computer), 12 1st housing | casing (main body housing | casing), 13 2nd housing | casing (casing for display), 18 Imaging device (camera), 22 Mirror surface, 23 Horizontal axis, 26 Sensor, 31 Control circuit (chip set).

Claims (2)

A first housing;
The first casing is connected to the first casing so as to be relatively rotatable about a horizontal axis defined parallel to the surface of the first casing, and establishes a closed state where the surface is superposed on the surface of the first casing. Two housings,
An imaging device incorporated in the surface of the second housing;
It is formed in the outline of the first casing and moves away from the surface of the first casing as it goes from the surface of the first casing to the outline of the first casing, and faces the imaging device in the closed state. An electronic device comprising a mirror surface. The electronic device according to claim 1,
A sensor that detects the closed state and an open state in which the second housing is raised from the surface of the first housing based on the relative rotation around the horizontal axis from the closed state and outputs a detection signal;
An electronic apparatus, further comprising: a control circuit that performs processing on an image output from the imaging device based on the detection signal of the closed state output from the sensor.

Images