KR20040003266A - Cellular Phone equipped with a camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An external camera for a mobile communication terminal is provided to drive a motor and a reduction instrument in forward or reverse direction by an operational signal of a switch, thereby automatically controlling a photographing angle by rotating the camera in forward or reverse direction. CONSTITUTION: A casing(30) rotatively receives a camera(70) thereinto, and is partially cut in order to expose a lens of the camera(70). Driving units are installed in the casing(30), generate a rotational force by receiving power, and transmit the rotational force to the camera(70) connected with an output end. A controller applies a control signal to the driving units, and controls operations of the driving units. Connection terminals(60) input/output image signals and the power to the camera(70) and the driving units. The driving units comprise as follows. A motor(40) is fixed into a side of the camera(70), and generates forward/reverse rotational forces by receiving the power. A reduction instrument(45) installed on one side of the motor(40) increases torque as reducing the rotational forces.

Description

External camera equipped with a mobile phone {Cellular Phone equipped with a camera}

The present invention relates to an external camera for a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly to an external camera for a mobile communication terminal to improve the function by automatically adjusting the shooting angle of the camera.

In general, mobile communication includes direct communication between radios (radio receiver), communication between one base station and a plurality of mobile devices (MCA radio), and communication for selecting a nearby base station from a plurality of base stations (car phone). In recent years, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), smartphones, and HPCs (Hand Held PCs) can freely transmit and receive data through computer tasks and network connection using portable peripheral devices. Portable PC).

Such mobile communication has exploded in demand due to the ease of portability and convenience of use of the mobile terminal, and is becoming smaller and more versatile to satisfy various needs of consumers.

In general, a mobile communication terminal has a bar (BaR) type in which the number (function) button is exposed to the outside according to its shape, a flip type having a cover shielding the number (function) button with a cover, The main body is classified into a folder type that is folded in half, and the spread of folder type mobile communication terminals is increasing according to the miniaturization trend.

On the other hand, in recent years, such a mobile communication terminal is capable of ultra-high speed data transmission beyond simple handset function, and thus, products with various additional functions have been released. Among these products, a mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera is one of the representative products. There is a terminal.

The mobile communication terminal equipped with the camera can basically take a picture, store it or send it by email, as well as enable a video call to talk while looking at the other party's face in real time. In addition, the GPS function may be used to receive location information of a place where a picture is taken.

As described above, mobile communication terminals equipped with cameras are provided in various forms, and when classified into large types, the mobile communication terminals are classified into a built-in type for embedding the camera in the body of the mobile communication terminal and a detachable type in which the camera is provided separately from the mobile communication terminal.

Here, the built-in type mobile communication terminal has a built-in camera in the terminal, the appearance configuration is simple and there is no need to carry the camera separately, but the disadvantage that the overall volume of the terminal is increased by the camera built in the terminal There is this. Such a built-in type mobile communication terminal has a disadvantage in that it is necessary to move the terminal or to provide a plurality of cameras in order to photograph not only the front view but also the surroundings thereof.

On the other hand, the removable type mobile communication terminal is a structure that can be selectively mounted or detached from the mobile communication terminal 100 as shown in Figure 1, the direction of the camera 200 to be manually adjusted It is composed.

This detachable type has the inconvenience that the user has to carry the camera 200 separately, but separates from the mobile communication terminal 100 when the camera 200 is not used, so that the volume of the mobile communication terminal is built in the camera 200. As an advantage that it can be provided in a small size compared to the type is currently being adopted in most mobile communication terminals.

However, the above removable type mobile communication terminal has to rotate the camera 200 manually in order not only to photograph its surroundings but also to photograph the surroundings. There is this.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an external camera for a mobile communication terminal that can maximize the convenience of use by adjusting the photographing angle of the camera using a drive source. have.

1 is a perspective view showing an external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the prior art.

2 is a perspective view showing an external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the camera in an external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention.

4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a control unit in an external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention;

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

30 casing 35 lens hole

40: motor 45: reducer

50: phase detector 60: connection terminal

70: camera 75: lens

An external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention for realizing the above object is to accommodate a camera having a lens rotatably therein, and a casing partially cut to expose the lens portion of the camera to the outside. A driving unit installed in the casing and receiving power from the outside to generate rotational force and transmitting rotational force to a camera connected to an output terminal, a control unit applying a control signal to the driving unit to control operation, and an image signal to the camera and the driving unit And a connection terminal unit for inputting and outputting power.

As a preferable feature of the present invention, the drive unit is fixed to the side of the camera provided in the casing, the motor is supplied to the power supply to generate a forward and reverse rotational force, and installed on one side of the motor to reduce the rotational force The torque is in the configuration of the reducer to increase.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit detects a phase according to the rotation of the camera and outputs a signal so that the power of the driving unit is intermittently installed so as to correspond to mutually opposing surfaces of the camera and the driving unit. It consists of a brush and a commutator.

In another preferred aspect of the present invention, the control unit is a switch that is wired to interrupt the power applied to the driving unit in response to a user's operation force.

In another preferred aspect of the present invention, the control unit is a magnetic sensor which is installed to correspond to the surface facing the camera and the driving unit to output a signal to detect the phase according to the rotation of the camera to control the power of the driving unit. have.

As another preferred feature of the present invention, the control unit protrudes a pair of stoppers at an angle along the rotational direction of the camera at the inner circumference of the casing, forcing the camera to be forced by the stopper and forcibly stopping the camera at the same time. It is configured to detect the overcurrent generated during the time to interrupt the power applied to the driver.

As another preferred feature of the invention, the connection terminal portion is characterized in that the connection jack is connected to the camera and the drive circuit and one end protruding out of the casing.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a perspective view showing a folder type mobile communication terminal equipped with an external camera according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a camera in the external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a controller in an external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the external camera mounted on the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is configured to automatically adjust the photographing angle by a user's switch sw.

At this time, the camera 70 is an input device for transmitting a video signal photographing a normal subject to the other party or storing the image signal in the form of an image. The camera 70 is connected to a main board provided in the mobile communication terminal and is connected to a power source. Input and output images and control signals.

The external camera 70 is configured such that the photographing angle is automatically adjusted by the driving device. At this time, the driving device includes a casing 30, a driving part, a control part, and a connection terminal part.

The casing 30 is an outer body forming a space portion of a predetermined size therein, and the casing 30 is rotatably provided with the camera 70. In this case, the casing 30 has a configuration in which a lens hole 35 is partially cut out so that a portion of the lens 75 may be exposed to the outside in the rotation direction of the camera 70.

That is, the camera 70 is rotatably provided in the casing 30, and the lens 75 is formed on the casing 30 even when the camera 70 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions. Through the lens hole 35 is maintained to the outside exposed state.

The driving unit is a device that rotates the camera 70 based on a subject to be photographed, and is configured to generate a predetermined rotational force by receiving power from the outside and transmit it to the camera 70.

Such a drive part is comprised by the motor 40 which generate | occur | produces the rotational force to the forward / reverse direction, and the reducer 45 which increases torque while reducing the rotational force output from this motor 40 at the same time.

In other words, the driving unit configured as described above will be described in more detail. The motor 40 is fixedly installed at one inner side of the casing 30 and is configured to generate rotational force in a forward and reverse direction by receiving power from the outside. The reducer 45 installed on one side of the motor 40 receives the rotational force generated by the motor 40 to increase the torque while decelerating and rotates the output end. At this time, one end of the output end of the reducer 45 is configured to be connected to the side of the camera 70 as shown in the figure.

When the motor 40 generates the rotational force in the forward and reverse directions by such a configuration, the rotational force is decelerated and the torque is increased through the speed reducer 45, and is output to the output end. As a result, the speed reduction of the speed reducer 45 The camera 70 connected to the output end is rotated in a direction coinciding with the rotation direction of the motor 40.

The controller is to control the photographing position of the camera 70 by receiving a user's operation signal to control the power supplied to the driving unit, it may be largely composed of a switch (sw) and the phase detector (50).

The switch sw is an input device that receives a user's manipulation force substantially, and is provided on one side of the main body of the mobile communication terminal and configured to receive the manipulation force of the user. The switch sw is provided to directly control the power applied to the driving unit according to the user's operation force or is connected to a microcomputer (not shown) built in the mobile communication terminal so as to control the driving unit through the microcomputer. It may be configured.

On the other hand, the switch (sw) as described above may be provided in various forms at a position that can be easily manipulated by the user, is configured on the side of the mobile communication terminal main body 10 as in the present invention or of the mobile communication terminal It may be provided on the keypad 11.

The phase detector 50 is a kind of sensing means for rotating the position of the camera 70 by a preset angle, and is operated by the above-described switch (sw) signal or by a separate input signal. It is configured to detect the position of the camera 70 and apply a predetermined electrical signal to the driver.

The phase detection unit 50 may be configured in the form of a brush 51 and a commutator 52 on the surfaces of the camera 70 that is a rotating body and the driving unit which is a stationary body, respectively, and the commutator 52 at this time. ) Is a structure for forming a rectifying pattern for conducting electricity when the contact with the brush (51). In such a structure, since the brush 51 is energized only in a section in which the rectifier pattern of the commutator 52 is formed, the brush 51 detects an electric signal at the beginning and the end of the energization section to interrupt the power of the driving unit.

On the other hand, if the phase detection unit 50 according to the present invention has a structural feature of detecting the position of the camera 70 and applying a signal to the drive unit, the above-described mechanical configuration, that is, the brush 51 and the commutator 52 It may be proposed as a variety of sensing means, not limited to. As an example, although not shown in the drawings, a magnetic field sensor, a Hall IC and a magnet, or an MR element and a magnet may be used.

In addition, although not shown in another embodiment of the controller, when the user operates the switch sw once, the driving unit, that is, the camera 70 is configured to rotate by the operation signal, but the camera 70 By forming a mechanical stopper (not shown) in the rotation path of the drive) to stop the rotation of the camera 70 by this stopper, at this time detect the overcurrent when the camera 70 is forcibly stopped to operate the drive unit It may be configured to control.

That is, the stopper is a structure that protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the casing 30 at a predetermined angle and is provided on the rotation path of the camera 70. This stopper forcibly stops the rotation of the camera 70, and the camera 70 generates an overcurrent by forcibly stopping the camera 70. At this time, the overcurrent may be configured to recognize the microcomputer built in the mobile communication terminal to control the power of the driver.

The connection terminal unit connects the camera 70 and the driving unit with the main circuit of the mobile communication terminal to input and output video signals and power. In the present invention, the connection terminal unit is inserted into a terminal hole (not shown) provided at one side of the body of the mobile communication terminal. It is proposed as a connection jack 60 that is electrically connected.

The connection jack 60 is configured to protrude to the outside of the casing 30, it is preferable that at least one is provided as shown in the figure. This is because the separation of the video signal and the control signal of the camera 70 for the purpose of inputting and outputting the power to the drive unit is stable in the circuit.

Meanwhile, reference numeral 10 denotes a main body in a folder type mobile communication terminal, and reference numeral 11 denotes a keypad composed of various functions and numeric buttons. Reference numeral 20 denotes a folder, reference numeral 21 denotes a display window indicating various handset information, and reference numeral 22 denotes a speaker.

Referring to the operation of the external camera 70 for a mobile communication terminal configured as described above are as follows.

First, when the user operates the switch sw provided on one side of the main body 10 of the mobile communication terminal, the motor 40 and the reducer 45 move in the forward and reverse directions by the operation signal of the switch sw. As a result, the photographing angle is automatically adjusted by rotating the camera 70 in the forward and reverse directions.

At this time, the switch (sw) signal is configured to control the rotation angle of the driving unit, that is, the camera 70 in a variety of ways, for example, to apply an electrical signal to the driving unit during the time the user operates the switch (sw) As a result, the camera 70 may be configured to rotate in the forward and reverse directions during the operation time of the switch sw.

In another embodiment, the phase detection unit 50 may detect the phase of the camera 70 by the switch (sw) signal and output an electric signal according to the configuration of the camera 70. It may be configured to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by the set angle.

In another embodiment, when the user operates the switch sw once, the driving unit, that is, the camera 70 is configured to rotate by the operation signal, and a mechanical stopper is provided in the rotation path of the camera 70. The stopper may be forced to stop the rotation of the camera 70 by controlling the operation of the driving unit by detecting an overcurrent when the camera 70 is forcibly stopped.

In the present invention, an external camera mounted on a folder type mobile communication terminal is shown, but the present invention is not limited to the folder type. In other words, if the mobile terminal is equipped with an external camera, its shape may be applied to a bar type or a flip type.

In addition, the said embodiment is only what demonstrated one preferred embodiment of this invention, The range of application of this invention is not limited to such and can change suitably within the scope of the same idea. For example, the shape and structure of each component shown in the embodiment of the present invention can be modified.

The external camera for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention configured and operated as described above can easily adjust the shooting angle of the camera through a user's switch operation.

Therefore, since the shooting angle of the camera can be automatically adjusted, it provides an advantage that can improve the function and quality of the product by greatly increasing the ease of use.

Claims (7)

A casing in which a lens portion of the camera is partially cut so as to form an outer body rotatably accommodating the camera therein so as to be exposed to the outside; A driving unit installed in the casing and receiving power from the outside to generate rotational force and transferring the rotational force to a camera connected to the output end; A control unit for controlling an operation by applying a control signal to the driving unit; A connection terminal unit configured to input and output image signals and power to the camera and the driver; External camera for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that consisting of. The method of claim 1, wherein the driving unit A motor fixed to the side of the camera provided in the casing, and receiving a power supply to generate a rotational force in the forward and reverse directions; A reducer installed at one side of the motor and increasing torque while reducing rotational force; External camera for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that consisting of. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit, A movement of detecting a phase according to the rotation of the camera and outputting a signal so that the power of the driving unit is interrupted and installed to correspond to mutually opposing surfaces of the camera and the driving unit, the movement comprising a brush and a commutator selectively energizing each other External camera for communication terminal. The external camera of claim 1, wherein the controller is a switch that is wired to interrupt a power applied to a driving unit in response to a user's manipulation force. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit, An external camera for a mobile communication terminal, comprising: a magnetic field sensor installed to correspond to surfaces facing the camera and the driving unit by detecting a phase according to the rotation of the camera and outputting a signal for controlling the power of the driving unit; The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit, A pair of stoppers protrude from the inner periphery of the casing at a predetermined angle along the rotational direction of the camera, and the stopper forces the camera to stop and at the same time detects the overcurrent generated during the forced stop of the camera and is applied to the driving unit. External camera for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that configured to control. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection terminal portion, External camera for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that the connection jack is connected to the camera and the driving circuit and one end protrudes out of the casing.