US20220004223A1 - Movable mounting assemblies - Google Patents
Movable mounting assemblies Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20220004223A1 US20220004223A1 US17/478,558 US202117478558A US2022004223A1 US 20220004223 A1 US20220004223 A1 US 20220004223A1 US 202117478558 A US202117478558 A US 202117478558A US 2022004223 A1 US2022004223 A1 US 2022004223A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- arm
- mounting assembly
- outer housing
- peripheral module
- module
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1601—Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays
- G06F1/1607—Arrangements to support accessories mechanically attached to the display housing
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K5/00—Casings, cabinets or drawers for electric apparatus
- H05K5/0017—Casings, cabinets or drawers for electric apparatus with operator interface units
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K5/00—Casings, cabinets or drawers for electric apparatus
- H05K5/02—Details
- H05K5/0217—Mechanical details of casings
- H05K5/0221—Locks; Latches
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K5/00—Casings, cabinets or drawers for electric apparatus
- H05K5/02—Details
- H05K5/0217—Mechanical details of casings
- H05K5/0234—Feet; Stands; Pedestals, e.g. wheels for moving casing on floor
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
Definitions
- Various electronic devices such as some stand-alone monitors, portable computers, desktop computers, and all-in-one (AiO) desktop computers, include cameras or other sensing elements incorporated into the body of the device. Some cameras are configured to move relative to a housing in which they are installed. Additional movement options may be beneficial.
- FIG. 1 shows an electronic device having a retractable, removable peripheral module installed in accordance with various examples
- FIG. 2 shows an inside, partially schematic rear view of the electronic display device of FIG. 1 , showing a mounting assembly for a peripheral module, in accordance with various examples;
- FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the electronic device and a camera mounting apparatus of FIG. 2 in accordance with various examples
- FIG. 4 shows the latch mechanism of the camera mounting apparatus of FIG. 3 in accordance with various examples
- FIG. 5 shows a rear view of a camera module for removably attaching to the camera mounting apparatus of FIG. 3 in accordance with various examples
- FIG. 6 shows a rear view of another camera module for removably attaching to the camera mounting apparatus of FIG. 3 in accordance with various examples
- FIG. 7 shows an opened and enlarged perspective view of the electronic display device of FIG. 1 having the camera module of FIG. 6 installed therein, with the camera module in a recessed position in accordance with various examples;
- FIG. 8 shows a rear view of the electronic display device and camera module of FIG. 7 , with the camera module moved to an operational position in accordance with various examples;
- FIG. 9 shows an opened and enlarged rear view of the electronic display device of FIG. 1 having the camera module of FIG. 5 installed therein, with the camera module in a recessed position in accordance with various examples;
- FIG. 10 shows a rear view of the electronic display device and camera module of FIG. 9 , with the camera module moved to an operational position in accordance with various examples.
- the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ”
- the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to be broad enough to encompass both indirect and direct connections. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections.
- axial and axially generally refer to positions along or parallel to a central or longitudinal axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “lateral” and “laterally” generally refer to positions located or spaced to the side of the central or longitudinal axis.
- the word “or” is used in an inclusive manner.
- “A or B” means any of the following: “A” alone, “B” alone, or both “A” and “B.”
- the word “generally” or “substantially” means within a range of plus or minus 20%.
- Examples described herein are directed to apparatuses for mounting peripheral modules to electronic devices such as All-in-One (AiO) computers or stand-alone monitors.
- the electronic device may include a display screen.
- the electronic devices disclosed herein include an outer housing, a display screen supported within the outer housing, and a recess in the outer housing that receives a moveable peripheral module containing a camera.
- a mounting assembly moveably couples the peripheral module to the outer housing and allows the peripheral module to move linearly into and out of the recess between a retracted position and an extended position.
- the mounting assembly also includes a stop tab or rotatable arm biased to a first angular position, which may be tapered with respect to the direction of linear movement, as an example.
- a first peripheral module includes a camera body, a camera sensor, and a pair of mounting pins extending from the bottom of the camera body. Some versions of this embodiment include a plurality of camera sensors, and some of the camera sensors may face in different directions.
- the first peripheral module may be optionally coupled to the mounting assembly to move with it, with the pair of mounting pins extending into the mounting assembly. The first peripheral module does not engage the rotatable arm, which remains in a first angular position.
- a second peripheral module includes a camera body, a camera sensor, a first pair of mounting pins, and a second pair of mounting pins, both pairs of mounting pins extending from the bottom of the camera body.
- the second peripheral module may be optionally coupled to the mounting assembly with both pairs of mounting pins extending into the mounting assembly and with the second pair of mounting pins engaging the rotatable arm, causing it to rotate to a second angular position, which may be horizontal, for example.
- the mounting assembly and the peripheral module may together be selectively raised or lowered in a linear direction such that at least a portion of the peripheral module, including the camera sensor, either extends a distance beyond the device body or is located within the recess.
- the maximum distance between the camera sensor and the device body depends on the angular position of the rotatable arm. For example, with the first peripheral module installed, the rotatable arm remains in the first position, and the mounting assembly and peripheral module may be raised such that the camera sensor may be positioned away from the device body at a first distance, which is a maximum for this configuration.
- the rotatable arm With the second peripheral module installed, the rotatable arm is in the second position and eventually engages a shoulder within the device body as the mounting assembly is raised. This engagement limits the movement of the mounting assembly, such that the camera sensor may be positioned away from the device body at a second distance, and the second distance is less than the first distance.
- the first and second distances may be referenced to another location or feature on the peripheral module, a location different than the camera sensor.
- an electronic device includes an outer housing, a mounting assembly moveably coupled to the outer housing to mount a peripheral module, the mounting assembly including a rotatable arm biased to a first angular position, and a first shoulder disposed within the outer housing, wherein the rotatable arm is to remain in the first angular position when a first peripheral module is mounted, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to extend the first peripheral module to a first clearance distance, and wherein the rotatable arm is rotatable to a second angular position in response to mounting a second peripheral module, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to engage the rotatable arm against the first shoulder and to extend the second peripheral module to a second clearance distance less than the first distance.
- the electronic device of claim 1 may include a display screen supported by the outer housing.
- the mounting assembly may include a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis with the peripheral module, wherein the body includes a first side and an aperture extending parallel to the body axis and through the first side, wherein the rotatable arm is an elongate member and includes a rotational axis perpendicular to the elongate member, and wherein a contact location on the rotatable arm is aligned with the aperture for a probe on the second peripheral module to extend through the aperture, to push against the contact location, and to rotate the rotatable arm to the second angular position.
- the body of the mounting assembly comprises an elongate slot extending parallel to the body axis, and a pin coupled to the outer housing extends through the slot.
- the rotational axis may be perpendicular to the body axis.
- the mounting assembly may include a latch mechanism to attach the mounting assembly to the first or second peripheral module, the latch mechanism including a slotted portion, an arm coupled to an end of the slotted portion to grasp the first or second peripheral module, and a boss extending parallel to the rotational axis, wherein the slotted portion includes an elongate slot oriented parallel to the body axis, and wherein a pin extends from the body of the mounting assembly into the slot of the slotted portion.
- the body of the mounting assembly may include a body shoulder extending toward the body axis, wherein the rotatable arm does not extend between the boss and the body shoulder when the rotatable arm is at the first angular position, and wherein the rotatable arm extends between the boss and the body shoulder when the rotatable arm is at the second angular position.
- an electronic device includes an outer housing, a mounting assembly moveably coupled to the outer housing to move a peripheral module into and out of the outer housing, the mounting assembly including a rotatable arm biased to a first angular position, and a first shoulder disposed within the outer housing, wherein the rotatable arm is to remain in the first angular position when a first peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to dispose a distal end of the first peripheral module to a first clearance distance beyond the outer housing, wherein the rotatable arm is rotatable to a second angular position in response to mounting a second peripheral module to the mounting assembly, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to engage the rotatable arm against the first shoulder and to dispose a distal end of the second peripheral module to a second clearance distance beyond the outer housing, and wherein the second clearance distance is less than the first clearance distance.
- the mounting assembly includes a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis with the peripheral module, wherein the body includes a first side and an aperture extending parallel to the body axis and through the first side, wherein the rotatable arm is an elongate member and includes a rotational axis perpendicular to the elongate member, and wherein a contact location on the rotatable arm is aligned with the aperture for a probe on the second peripheral module to extend through the aperture, to push against the contact location, and to rotate the rotatable arm to the second angular position.
- the mounting assembly may include a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis, wherein the body of the mounting assembly includes a body shoulder extending toward the body axis, wherein the rotatable arm does not extend alongside the body shoulder when the rotatable arm is at the first angular position, and wherein the rotatable arm extends alongside the body shoulder when the rotatable arm is at the second angular position.
- an electronic device includes an outer housing including a recess to receive a peripheral module, a display screen supported by the outer housing, a mounting assembly moveably coupled to the outer housing to move the peripheral module into and out of the recess, the mounting assembly including a rotatable arm biased to a first angular position, and a first shoulder disposed at a fixed position within the outer housing, wherein the rotatable arm remains in the first angular position when a first peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to a first position to extend the first peripheral module beyond the recess of the outer housing, and wherein the rotatable arm is rotatable to a second angular position in response to mounting a second peripheral module to the mounting assembly, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to a second position to engage the rotatable arm against the first shoulder and to extend the second peripheral module beyond the recess of the outer housing.
- the mounting assembly may include a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis, wherein the body includes a first side, wherein the first peripheral module includes a mounting end to be disposed alongside the first side of the body and a distal end to be separated from the first side of the body, and wherein when the first peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, and the mounting assembly is disposed at the first position, the distal end of the first peripheral module is disposed at a first clearance distance beyond the recess of the outer housing.
- the second peripheral module may include a mounting end to be disposed alongside the first side of the body and a distal end to be separated from the first side of the body, wherein when the second peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, and the mounting assembly is disposed at the second position, the distal end of the second peripheral module is disposed at a second clearance distance beyond the recess of the outer housing, and wherein the second clearance distance is less than the first clearance distance.
- the first peripheral module may include a mounting end to be disposed alongside the first side of the body, a first camera disposed at a first camera distance from the mounting end, and a second camera disposed at a second camera distance from the mounting end, wherein the second camera distance is less than the first camera distance, and wherein when the first peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly and the mounting assembly disposed at the first position, the first camera is disposed at a first clearance distance beyond the recess of the outer housing.
- FIG. 1 shows an electronic device 100 in accordance with the principles disclosed herein.
- electronic device 100 includes a support base 102 , a mounting arm 104 extending from base 102 , and a display unit 110 supported on the upper end of arm 104 .
- Display unit 110 includes an outer housing 112 and a display screen 114 supported within housing 112 .
- a peripheral module is moveably coupled to housing 112 .
- the peripheral module is a camera module 120 , and camera module 120 can move vertically up and down relative to housing 112 , and extend from the top surface 122 of housing 112 .
- the camera module 120 may also be coupled to other sides or surfaces of housing 112 .
- electronic device 100 is an AiO computer.
- a user input device, such as keyboard or mouse, may be coupled to device 100 .
- display unit 110 may operate alone, detached from base 102 or arm 104 .
- FIG. 2 shows an inside view of display unit 110 with a back cover plate removed and with camera module 120 removed.
- display unit 110 within housing 112 , display unit 110 includes an electric connector or image circuit 124 , a recess 126 extending from top surface 122 , a mounting apparatus 130 disposed within or adjacent recess 126 , and a mounting assembly 140 moveably coupled to housing 112 by apparatus 130 .
- Mounting assembly 140 is to couple a peripheral module to housing 112 physically and electrically and may also be called a peripheral mounting assembly.
- Image circuit 124 may be a connection board or image processor such as a scalar printed circuit assembly electrically coupled to the mounting assembly 140 with a cable 193 and coupled to the display screen 114 via a cable 125 .
- the image processor may include machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause the image processor to receive a first set of data from a camera module that is electrically coupled to mounting assembly 140 .
- the image processor may include machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause the image processor to send a second set of data to the display screen, wherein the second set of data is based on the first set of data.
- mounting apparatus 130 is disposed inside housing 112 and includes a pair of resilient members or springs 132 , a catch mechanism 134 , a pair of shoulders 135 , and a pair of stop plates or stops 136 .
- Shoulders 135 are disposed on the lateral sides of recess 126 and mounting apparatus 130 .
- catch mechanism 134 is a press-and-grasp-press-and-release style device.
- Springs 132 bias the mounting assembly 140 towards top surface 122 generally away from catch mechanism 134 .
- FIG. 2 shows the position of mounting assembly 140 when not held by catch mechanism 134 .
- the position shown in FIG. 2 represents the extended or outward position of mounting assembly 140 with respect to housing 112 .
- the biasing force of springs 132 may pull assembly 140 toward the extended position.
- the entirety of assembly 140 is contained inside housing 112 or recess 126 with no portion of assembly 140 extending beyond outer surface 122 when mounting assembly 140 is in the extended position.
- Stops 136 are spaced from top surface 122 sufficiently that mounting assembly 140 may be disposed between outer surface 122 and stops 136 for all positions of assembly 140 .
- mounting assembly 140 and mounting apparatus 130 form a combined assembly that may be installed or removed from within housing 112 as a combined unit, which may involve removing a rear cover of housing 112 in some examples.
- Each rotatable arm 160 is an elongate member having a rotational axis 161 perpendicular thereto, a first end 162 , and a second end 163 opposite first end 162 .
- Axis 161 is disposed between ends 162 , 163 , but proximal first end 162 .
- Arm 160 is biased to the angular position shown in FIG. 3 with arm 160 oriented at an acute angle with respect to body axis 143 and the outer sides of body 142 .
- arm 160 may biased by a torsional spring (not shown), a linear spring, or other resilient members, as examples. In the angular position shown in FIG.
- each latch mechanism 170 includes an elongate latch member 172 extending along a latch axis 171 oriented parallel to body axis 143 .
- Latch mechanism 170 is moveably coupled to the camera mounting body 142 .
- latch member 172 includes a slotted portion 180 including an elongate slot 181 extending along axis 171 , an arm 182 extending from slotted portion 180 , and a leg 186 extending from slotted portion 180 .
- Arm 182 extends axially (relative to axis 171 ) from slotted portion 180
- leg 186 extends axially in the opposite direction from slotted portion 180 .
- a boss 188 extends from slotted portion 180 in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to both axis 141 and lip 184 .
- Microphones 235 are located on distal end 223 and may be recessed within or protrude beyond distal end 223 . In this location, the microphones can face outward even when the camera module is retracted into a housing such as housing 112 (e.g., FIG. 2 ).
- the placement may allow machine readable instructions, e.g., software, to activate a voice call or a “digital assistant” like “Siri,” “Alexa,” “Cortana,” and the like while the camera is recessed.
- the digital assistant may be operated with privacy from a webcam, i.e., when only the microphones are active and the camera is not. In other instances, the digital assistant may be activated while the camera is mounted within and extended beyond the housing.
- microphones 235 may allow them to receive sound from multiple or all sides of the camera module, possibly collecting sound from a range that spans more than 180 degrees or spans up to or including 360 degrees.
- Some other embodiments of camera modules may have microphones 235 located on a side that includes a camera sensor 206 or on another location. More or less than the pair of microphones 235 can be included in the camera module, at various locations on the camera module.
- the microphones 235 can be other types of sensing elements, such as optical or light sensors.
- first camera 205 A includes a pair of camera sensors 206 pointed in a first direction (e.g., into the page of FIG. 5 ) through housing 202
- second camera 205 B includes a camera sensor 206 pointed in a second direction through cover plate 204 and opposite the first direction.
- Any of camera sensors 206 may be selected from a group that includes sensor types such as: RGB sensors, RGB high definition sensors, infrared (IR) sensors, and other suitable image sensors.
- the sensors 206 of module 120 A may be of the same type or of different types.
- Camera 205 A and, more specifically, the center of one or both of its camera sensors 206 are disposed at a camera distance 208 A from mounting end 222 .
- Camera 205 B and, more specifically, the center of its camera sensor 206 are disposed at a camera distance 208 B from mounting end 222 .
- Camera distance 208 B is less than camera distance 208 A.
- the orientation of cameras 205 A, 205 B, or the direction their sensors are pointing in module 120 A are adjusted.
- the placement of cameras 205 A, 205 B, e.g., which is closer to mounting end 222 may be adjusted.
- Latch arms 182 extend through apertures 228 and grasp module 120 B, attaching module 120 B to assembly 140 and device 100 .
- Mounting end 222 rests alongside, possibly contacting, first side 144 and distal end 223 is separated from first side 144 along axis 143 .
- Tabs 225 , alignment pins 226 (not shown), and probes 234 extend through various apertures 148 in mounting assembly 140 , and module 120 B is removably connected to electrical interconnect 190 .
- Probes 234 have engaged and rotated rotatable arms 160 , each to a second angular position, perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to axis 143 .
- Each rotatable arm 160 has rotated such that end portion 163 extends alongside or between body shoulder 150 of mounting body 142 and boss 188 of latch mechanism 170 .
- Rotatable arm 160 may contact one or both of body shoulder 150 and boss 188 in various circumstances.
- Boss 188 may be brought into this position relative too mounting assembly 140 and rotatable arm 160 by the installation of camera module 120 B, during which latch mechanism 170 may rest against stop 136 while module 120 B and mounting assembly 140 continue to move toward stop 136 .
- Arms 182 may grasp camera module 120 B to keep boss 188 adjacent rotatable arm 160 after installation.
- arms 182 may be caused to disengage from module 120 B.
- Other camera modules 120 e.g., module 120 A, may be coupled to and decoupled from assembly 140 in the same manner as module 120 B.
- rotatable arm 160 may remain in its biased angular position, allowing module 120 A to move further beyond outer surface 122 than is achieved by module 120 B in FIG. 8 .
- assembly 140 and module 120 B are in a second outward position in which assembly 140 is not as close to outer surface 112 as it was in the first outward position of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 .
- the location of this second outward position is influenced by rotatable arms 160 being in their second angular positions (for example, being perpendicular to axis 143 ) and engaging the shoulders 135 of mounting apparatus 130 , which limits the outward movement of assembly 140 and module 120 B.
- the force of springs 132 may work to bring assembly 140 to the second outward position of FIG. 8 , contacting shoulders 135 .
- module 120 A and mounting assembly 140 may be the same as described for module 120 B, except module 120 A lacks probes 234 . Accordingly, no probes 234 extend into mounting assembly 140 to engage the ends 162 of rotatable arms 160 . Thus, the pair of rotatable arms 160 may remain in their biased angular position as shown, or even if positioned differently after module 120 A is installed, arms 160 have not rotated sufficiently to extend beyond slots 149 in lateral sides 146 and to forcibly engage shoulders 135 . An example of the lack of engagement between arms 160 and shoulders 135 is shown in FIG. 10 in which mounting assembly 140 and module 120 A are moved outward with respect to housing 112 while rotatable arms 160 are in their biased angular positions.
- camera module 120 A may be decoupled or removed from mounting assembly 140 or device 100 using the same or a similar technique as described for module 120 B.
- FIG. 10 assembly 140 and module 120 A of FIG. 9 are depressed inward, catch mechanism 134 releases so that springs 132 may pull assembly 140 and module 120 A to an outward position.
- assembly 140 and module 120 A are in the first outward position in which assembly 140 may be at the same distance from outer surface 112 as it was in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 .
- the arrangement of FIG. 10 is achieved, in part, due to the position of rotatable arms 160 , as described above.
- a portion of module 120 A, including sensor 206 (not shown here) of camera 205 A, is outside recess 126 ; consequently, FIG. 10 represents an operation position of module 120 A because camera 205 A is in a location where it can be used to take images of objects located outside housing 112 .
- module clearance distance 240 B is less than module clearance distance 240 A
- camera clearance distance 242 C is less than camera clearance distance 242 A.
- mounting assembly 140 with mounting apparatus 130 were shown as installed in a housing that supports a display screen within the housing, in some examples, an assembly 140 or apparatus 130 are installed in a housing that does not have a display screen.
- Other selections of cameras or camera features may be made for various embodiments of camera modules 120 A, 120 B.
- the camera modules disclosed herein were mounted to travel through recess 126 extending through top surface 122 of electronic device 100 , in some examples, a camera module attached to a mounting assembly 140 is coupled to move through another surface (for example, a side surface) in an electronic device.
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Abstract
An example electronic device includes an outer housing, and a mounting assembly coupled to the outer housing that is to mount a peripheral module to the outer housing. The mounting assembly is to transition between a first position in which the peripheral module is recessed within the outer housing and a second position in which the peripheral module is extended out of the outer housing. The mounting assembly includes an arm and wherein a rotational position of the arm is to adjust a clearance distance of the peripheral module from the outer housing when the mounting assembly is in the second position.
Description
- The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/076,155, filed Aug. 7, 2018, titled “Movable Mounting Assemblies,” which is the U.S. National Stage under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent App. No. PCT/US2017/040948, filed Jul. 6, 2017, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
- Various electronic devices, such as some stand-alone monitors, portable computers, desktop computers, and all-in-one (AiO) desktop computers, include cameras or other sensing elements incorporated into the body of the device. Some cameras are configured to move relative to a housing in which they are installed. Additional movement options may be beneficial.
- Various examples will be described below referring to the following figures:
-
FIG. 1 shows an electronic device having a retractable, removable peripheral module installed in accordance with various examples; -
FIG. 2 shows an inside, partially schematic rear view of the electronic display device ofFIG. 1 , showing a mounting assembly for a peripheral module, in accordance with various examples; -
FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the electronic device and a camera mounting apparatus ofFIG. 2 in accordance with various examples; -
FIG. 4 shows the latch mechanism of the camera mounting apparatus ofFIG. 3 in accordance with various examples; -
FIG. 5 shows a rear view of a camera module for removably attaching to the camera mounting apparatus ofFIG. 3 in accordance with various examples; -
FIG. 6 shows a rear view of another camera module for removably attaching to the camera mounting apparatus ofFIG. 3 in accordance with various examples; -
FIG. 7 shows an opened and enlarged perspective view of the electronic display device ofFIG. 1 having the camera module ofFIG. 6 installed therein, with the camera module in a recessed position in accordance with various examples; -
FIG. 8 shows a rear view of the electronic display device and camera module ofFIG. 7 , with the camera module moved to an operational position in accordance with various examples; -
FIG. 9 shows an opened and enlarged rear view of the electronic display device ofFIG. 1 having the camera module ofFIG. 5 installed therein, with the camera module in a recessed position in accordance with various examples; and -
FIG. 10 shows a rear view of the electronic display device and camera module ofFIG. 9 , with the camera module moved to an operational position in accordance with various examples. - In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to be broad enough to encompass both indirect and direct connections. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections. In addition, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” generally refer to positions along or parallel to a central or longitudinal axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “lateral” and “laterally” generally refer to positions located or spaced to the side of the central or longitudinal axis.
- As used herein, including in the claims, the word “or” is used in an inclusive manner. For example, “A or B” means any of the following: “A” alone, “B” alone, or both “A” and “B.” In addition, when used herein including the claims, the word “generally” or “substantially” means within a range of plus or minus 20%.
- Examples described herein are directed to apparatuses for mounting peripheral modules to electronic devices such as All-in-One (AiO) computers or stand-alone monitors. The electronic device may include a display screen. In accordance with various examples, the electronic devices disclosed herein include an outer housing, a display screen supported within the outer housing, and a recess in the outer housing that receives a moveable peripheral module containing a camera. A mounting assembly moveably couples the peripheral module to the outer housing and allows the peripheral module to move linearly into and out of the recess between a retracted position and an extended position. The mounting assembly also includes a stop tab or rotatable arm biased to a first angular position, which may be tapered with respect to the direction of linear movement, as an example.
- In an embodiment, a first peripheral module includes a camera body, a camera sensor, and a pair of mounting pins extending from the bottom of the camera body. Some versions of this embodiment include a plurality of camera sensors, and some of the camera sensors may face in different directions. The first peripheral module may be optionally coupled to the mounting assembly to move with it, with the pair of mounting pins extending into the mounting assembly. The first peripheral module does not engage the rotatable arm, which remains in a first angular position.
- In an embodiment, a second peripheral module includes a camera body, a camera sensor, a first pair of mounting pins, and a second pair of mounting pins, both pairs of mounting pins extending from the bottom of the camera body. The second peripheral module may be optionally coupled to the mounting assembly with both pairs of mounting pins extending into the mounting assembly and with the second pair of mounting pins engaging the rotatable arm, causing it to rotate to a second angular position, which may be horizontal, for example.
- With either peripheral module coupled to the mounting assembly, the mounting assembly and the peripheral module may together be selectively raised or lowered in a linear direction such that at least a portion of the peripheral module, including the camera sensor, either extends a distance beyond the device body or is located within the recess. When extended, the maximum distance between the camera sensor and the device body depends on the angular position of the rotatable arm. For example, with the first peripheral module installed, the rotatable arm remains in the first position, and the mounting assembly and peripheral module may be raised such that the camera sensor may be positioned away from the device body at a first distance, which is a maximum for this configuration. With the second peripheral module installed, the rotatable arm is in the second position and eventually engages a shoulder within the device body as the mounting assembly is raised. This engagement limits the movement of the mounting assembly, such that the camera sensor may be positioned away from the device body at a second distance, and the second distance is less than the first distance. Optionally, the first and second distances may be referenced to another location or feature on the peripheral module, a location different than the camera sensor.
- In some examples, an electronic device includes an outer housing, a mounting assembly moveably coupled to the outer housing to mount a peripheral module, the mounting assembly including a rotatable arm biased to a first angular position, and a first shoulder disposed within the outer housing, wherein the rotatable arm is to remain in the first angular position when a first peripheral module is mounted, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to extend the first peripheral module to a first clearance distance, and wherein the rotatable arm is rotatable to a second angular position in response to mounting a second peripheral module, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to engage the rotatable arm against the first shoulder and to extend the second peripheral module to a second clearance distance less than the first distance. The electronic device of
claim 1 may include a display screen supported by the outer housing. The mounting assembly may include a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis with the peripheral module, wherein the body includes a first side and an aperture extending parallel to the body axis and through the first side, wherein the rotatable arm is an elongate member and includes a rotational axis perpendicular to the elongate member, and wherein a contact location on the rotatable arm is aligned with the aperture for a probe on the second peripheral module to extend through the aperture, to push against the contact location, and to rotate the rotatable arm to the second angular position. - In some examples, the body of the mounting assembly comprises an elongate slot extending parallel to the body axis, and a pin coupled to the outer housing extends through the slot. The rotational axis may be perpendicular to the body axis. The mounting assembly may include a latch mechanism to attach the mounting assembly to the first or second peripheral module, the latch mechanism including a slotted portion, an arm coupled to an end of the slotted portion to grasp the first or second peripheral module, and a boss extending parallel to the rotational axis, wherein the slotted portion includes an elongate slot oriented parallel to the body axis, and wherein a pin extends from the body of the mounting assembly into the slot of the slotted portion. The body of the mounting assembly may include a body shoulder extending toward the body axis, wherein the rotatable arm does not extend between the boss and the body shoulder when the rotatable arm is at the first angular position, and wherein the rotatable arm extends between the boss and the body shoulder when the rotatable arm is at the second angular position.
- In some examples, an electronic device includes an outer housing, a mounting assembly moveably coupled to the outer housing to move a peripheral module into and out of the outer housing, the mounting assembly including a rotatable arm biased to a first angular position, and a first shoulder disposed within the outer housing, wherein the rotatable arm is to remain in the first angular position when a first peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to dispose a distal end of the first peripheral module to a first clearance distance beyond the outer housing, wherein the rotatable arm is rotatable to a second angular position in response to mounting a second peripheral module to the mounting assembly, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to engage the rotatable arm against the first shoulder and to dispose a distal end of the second peripheral module to a second clearance distance beyond the outer housing, and wherein the second clearance distance is less than the first clearance distance. The mounting assembly includes a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis with the peripheral module, wherein the body includes a first side and an aperture extending parallel to the body axis and through the first side, wherein the rotatable arm is an elongate member and includes a rotational axis perpendicular to the elongate member, and wherein a contact location on the rotatable arm is aligned with the aperture for a probe on the second peripheral module to extend through the aperture, to push against the contact location, and to rotate the rotatable arm to the second angular position.
- In some examples, the mounting assembly may include a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis, wherein the body of the mounting assembly includes a body shoulder extending toward the body axis, wherein the rotatable arm does not extend alongside the body shoulder when the rotatable arm is at the first angular position, and wherein the rotatable arm extends alongside the body shoulder when the rotatable arm is at the second angular position.
- In some examples, an electronic device includes an outer housing including a recess to receive a peripheral module, a display screen supported by the outer housing, a mounting assembly moveably coupled to the outer housing to move the peripheral module into and out of the recess, the mounting assembly including a rotatable arm biased to a first angular position, and a first shoulder disposed at a fixed position within the outer housing, wherein the rotatable arm remains in the first angular position when a first peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to a first position to extend the first peripheral module beyond the recess of the outer housing, and wherein the rotatable arm is rotatable to a second angular position in response to mounting a second peripheral module to the mounting assembly, whereby the mounting assembly is moveable to a second position to engage the rotatable arm against the first shoulder and to extend the second peripheral module beyond the recess of the outer housing. The mounting assembly may include a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis, wherein the body includes a first side, wherein the first peripheral module includes a mounting end to be disposed alongside the first side of the body and a distal end to be separated from the first side of the body, and wherein when the first peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, and the mounting assembly is disposed at the first position, the distal end of the first peripheral module is disposed at a first clearance distance beyond the recess of the outer housing. The second peripheral module may include a mounting end to be disposed alongside the first side of the body and a distal end to be separated from the first side of the body, wherein when the second peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, and the mounting assembly is disposed at the second position, the distal end of the second peripheral module is disposed at a second clearance distance beyond the recess of the outer housing, and wherein the second clearance distance is less than the first clearance distance.
- In some examples, the first peripheral module may include a mounting end to be disposed alongside the first side of the body, a first camera disposed at a first camera distance from the mounting end, and a second camera disposed at a second camera distance from the mounting end, wherein the second camera distance is less than the first camera distance, and wherein when the first peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly and the mounting assembly disposed at the first position, the first camera is disposed at a first clearance distance beyond the recess of the outer housing. The second peripheral module may include a mounting end to be disposed alongside the first side of the body and a camera disposed at a third camera distance from the mounting end, wherein the third camera distance is equal to or greater than the first camera distance, wherein when the second peripheral module is mounted to the mounting assembly, and the mounting assembly is disposed at the second position, the camera of the second peripheral module is disposed at a second clearance distance beyond the recess of the outer housing, and wherein the second clearance distance is less than the first clearance distance.
-
FIG. 1 shows anelectronic device 100 in accordance with the principles disclosed herein. In this example,electronic device 100 includes asupport base 102, amounting arm 104 extending frombase 102, and adisplay unit 110 supported on the upper end ofarm 104.Display unit 110 includes anouter housing 112 and adisplay screen 114 supported withinhousing 112. A peripheral module is moveably coupled tohousing 112. In this example, the peripheral module is acamera module 120, andcamera module 120 can move vertically up and down relative tohousing 112, and extend from thetop surface 122 ofhousing 112. Thecamera module 120 may also be coupled to other sides or surfaces ofhousing 112. In the example shown inFIG. 1 ,electronic device 100 is an AiO computer. A user input device, such as keyboard or mouse, may be coupled todevice 100. In some embodiments,display unit 110 may operate alone, detached frombase 102 orarm 104. -
FIG. 2 shows an inside view ofdisplay unit 110 with a back cover plate removed and withcamera module 120 removed. In this example, withinhousing 112,display unit 110 includes an electric connector orimage circuit 124, arecess 126 extending fromtop surface 122, a mountingapparatus 130 disposed within oradjacent recess 126, and a mountingassembly 140 moveably coupled tohousing 112 byapparatus 130. Mountingassembly 140 is to couple a peripheral module tohousing 112 physically and electrically and may also be called a peripheral mounting assembly. -
Image circuit 124 may be a connection board or image processor such as a scalar printed circuit assembly electrically coupled to the mountingassembly 140 with acable 193 and coupled to thedisplay screen 114 via acable 125. The image processor may include machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause the image processor to receive a first set of data from a camera module that is electrically coupled to mountingassembly 140. The image processor may include machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause the image processor to send a second set of data to the display screen, wherein the second set of data is based on the first set of data. - In
FIG. 2 , mountingapparatus 130 is disposed insidehousing 112 and includes a pair of resilient members or springs 132, acatch mechanism 134, a pair ofshoulders 135, and a pair of stop plates or stops 136.Shoulders 135 are disposed on the lateral sides ofrecess 126 and mountingapparatus 130. In general,catch mechanism 134 is a press-and-grasp-press-and-release style device.Springs 132 bias the mountingassembly 140 towardstop surface 122 generally away fromcatch mechanism 134.FIG. 2 shows the position of mountingassembly 140 when not held bycatch mechanism 134. Thus, the position shown inFIG. 2 represents the extended or outward position of mountingassembly 140 with respect tohousing 112. The biasing force ofsprings 132 may pull assembly 140 toward the extended position. In this example, the entirety ofassembly 140 is contained insidehousing 112 orrecess 126 with no portion ofassembly 140 extending beyondouter surface 122 when mountingassembly 140 is in the extended position.Stops 136 are spaced fromtop surface 122 sufficiently that mountingassembly 140 may be disposed betweenouter surface 122 and stops 136 for all positions ofassembly 140. In this example, mountingassembly 140 and mountingapparatus 130 form a combined assembly that may be installed or removed from withinhousing 112 as a combined unit, which may involve removing a rear cover ofhousing 112 in some examples. -
FIG. 3 shows a closer view of anexample mounting assembly 140 installed withinrecess 126 ofhousing 112 and withassembly 140 in the extended position. InFIG. 3 , mountingassembly 140 includes abody 142, abody axis 143 generally passing through a mid-plane ofbody 142, a pair ofrotatable arms 160, a pair oflatch mechanisms 170, and anelectrical interconnect 190 having acable 193 extending fromimage circuit 124.Latch mechanisms 170 releasably attach a camera module, such as camera module 120 (FIG. 1 ), to mountingassembly 140. - In this example,
body 142 includes atop side 144,lateral sides 146, a bottom 147, a plurality of through-apertures 148 extending throughtop side 144 parallel tobody axis 143, and aslot 149 in eachlateral side 146. Abody shoulder 150 is provided along eachslot 149 proximaltop side 144 and extends toward thebody axis 143. In addition,body 142 includes a pair of elongate mountingslots 152 extending parallel to thebody axis 143. Apin 154 extends through eachslot 152.Pins 154 are fixably coupled to mountingapparatus 130 orhousing 112.Body 142 is slidably coupled tohousing 112 bypins 154 of mountingapparatus 130. - Each
rotatable arm 160 is an elongate member having arotational axis 161 perpendicular thereto, afirst end 162, and asecond end 163 oppositefirst end 162.Axis 161 is disposed between ends 162, 163, but proximalfirst end 162.Arm 160 is biased to the angular position shown inFIG. 3 witharm 160 oriented at an acute angle with respect tobody axis 143 and the outer sides ofbody 142. In general,arm 160 may biased by a torsional spring (not shown), a linear spring, or other resilient members, as examples. In the angular position shown inFIG. 3 , which may be called a first or biased angular position, end 163 ofarm 160 is laterally spaced fromshoulder 135. In some examples, such as the one shown, whenarm 160 is in the biased angular position, end 163 is aligned completely over or positioned fully withinbody 142 and does not extend through alateral side 146 beyondbody 142. In the biased angular position, the angle ofarm 160 with respect toaxis 143 may be, for example, 45 degrees or may be between 40 and 50 degrees or between 30 and 70 degrees in various other examples. - For a range of angular positions of
arm 160, including the biased angular position, end 162 is laterally aligned with anaperture 148 intop side 144. First end 162 functions as a contact location forarm 160 such that a component on a camera module (e.g., camera module 120) extending thoughaperture 148 may press downward (in the orientation ofFIG. 3 ) onend 162 and causearm 160 to rotate from the biased angular position to a second angular position, thereby movingend 162 upward. - Referring still to
FIG. 3 , eachlatch mechanism 170 includes anelongate latch member 172 extending along alatch axis 171 oriented parallel tobody axis 143.Latch mechanism 170 is moveably coupled to thecamera mounting body 142. - Referring now to
FIG. 4 ,latch member 172 includes a slottedportion 180 including anelongate slot 181 extending alongaxis 171, anarm 182 extending from slottedportion 180, and aleg 186 extending from slottedportion 180.Arm 182 extends axially (relative to axis 171) from slottedportion 180, andleg 186 extends axially in the opposite direction from slottedportion 180. Aboss 188 extends from slottedportion 180 in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to both axis 141 and lip 184. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , a pin orshoulder screw 174 extends from thecamera mounting body 142 intoslot 181. In this example, pin 174 is fixably attached tobody 142.Pin 174 includes an enlarged head to retainlatch member 172. Slottedportion 180 is disposed within or alongsidecamera mounting body 142, andarm 182 extends along the direction ofaxis 171 fromcamera mounting body 142 beyondtop side 144. Thus,latch mechanism 170 is slidably coupled to thecamera mounting body 142 bypin 174. InFIG. 3 mountingassembly 140 and latchmechanisms 170 182 are in a retracted position with no camera module attached.Arm 182 may be retained insiderecess 126. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , stops 136 of mountingapparatus 130 are aligned withlegs 186 oflatch mechanism 170 to limit the axial movement (relative to axis 171) oflatch member 172 intohousing 112. For example, if mountingassembly 140 moves sufficiently downward, thenlegs 186 may press againststops 136, thereby limiting the downward movement ofarms 182, which may aid the installation of acamera module 120 by encouragingarms 182 to enter the camera module grasp the module. -
FIG. 5 shows an example of acamera module 120A that is illustrative ofcamera module 120 ofFIG. 1 and may be installed indevice 100. InFIG. 5 ,camera module 120A includes acentral axis 201, acamera housing 202, acover plate 204closing camera housing 202, afirst camera 205A mounted insidehousing 202, asecond camera 205B mounted insidehousing 202, and a pair of microphones or sensingelements 235. In this example,camera 205B is spaced-apart fromcamera 205A alongaxis 201.Camera module 120A also includes a mountingend 222, adistal end 223,lateral sides 224, a pair ofscrew tabs 225 extending axially outward from mountingend 222, and a pair ofsecond apertures 228, extending through mountingend 222 to receive anarm 182 of a latch mechanism 170 (FIG. 4 ). -
Microphones 235 are located ondistal end 223 and may be recessed within or protrude beyonddistal end 223. In this location, the microphones can face outward even when the camera module is retracted into a housing such as housing 112 (e.g.,FIG. 2 ). The placement may allow machine readable instructions, e.g., software, to activate a voice call or a “digital assistant” like “Siri,” “Alexa,” “Cortana,” and the like while the camera is recessed. The digital assistant may be operated with privacy from a webcam, i.e., when only the microphones are active and the camera is not. In other instances, the digital assistant may be activated while the camera is mounted within and extended beyond the housing. The outward placement ofmicrophones 235 may allow them to receive sound from multiple or all sides of the camera module, possibly collecting sound from a range that spans more than 180 degrees or spans up to or including 360 degrees. Some other embodiments of camera modules may havemicrophones 235 located on a side that includes acamera sensor 206 or on another location. More or less than the pair ofmicrophones 235 can be included in the camera module, at various locations on the camera module. Themicrophones 235 can be other types of sensing elements, such as optical or light sensors. - In
camera module 120A,first camera 205A includes a pair ofcamera sensors 206 pointed in a first direction (e.g., into the page ofFIG. 5 ) throughhousing 202, andsecond camera 205B includes acamera sensor 206 pointed in a second direction throughcover plate 204 and opposite the first direction. Any ofcamera sensors 206 may be selected from a group that includes sensor types such as: RGB sensors, RGB high definition sensors, infrared (IR) sensors, and other suitable image sensors. Thesensors 206 ofmodule 120A may be of the same type or of different types.Camera 205A and, more specifically, the center of one or both of itscamera sensors 206 are disposed at acamera distance 208A from mountingend 222.Camera 205B and, more specifically, the center of itscamera sensor 206 are disposed at acamera distance 208B from mountingend 222.Camera distance 208B is less thancamera distance 208A. In some examples, the orientation ofcameras module 120A, are adjusted. In some examples, the placement ofcameras end 222, may be adjusted. -
FIG. 6 shows an example of acamera module 120B that is illustrative ofcamera module 120 ofFIG. 1 and may be installed indevice 100.Camera module 120B is similar or identical tomodule 120A with the exceptions thatcamera module 120B has onecamera 205C instead of two cameras andcamera module 120B includesprobes 234, described below. For example,camera module 120B includes acentral axis 201, acamera housing 202, acover plate 204, acamera 205C mounted insidehousing 202 andcover plate 204, and a pair ofmicrophones 235, each numbered item as previously described.Camera module 120B also includes a mountingend 222, adistal end 223,lateral sides 224, a pair ofscrew tabs 225 extending outward from mountingend 222, a pair of alignment pins 226 extending outward from mountingend 222, a pair ofapertures 228, as previously described with respect tomodule 120A.Microphones 235 are located ondistal end 223 and may be recessed within or protrude beyonddistal end 223. Unlikemodule 120A,module 120B includes a pair of pins orprobes 234 extending outward from mountingend 222 with eachprobe 234 being disposed between atab 225 and analignment pin 226.Probes 234 are to engage rotatable arm 160 (FIG. 3 ) whenmodule 120B is attached to mountingassembly 140. - In
camera module 120B,camera 205C includes acamera sensor 206 pointed in a first camera direction (e.g., into the page ofFIG. 6 ) throughhousing 202.Camera 205C and, more specifically, the center ofcamera sensor 206 are disposed at acamera distance 208C from mountingend 222. In various examples,camera distance 208C is equal to, less than, or greater than thecamera distance 208A ofcamera module 120A. Thesensor 206 ofmodule 120A may be selected from any of the type of sensors mentioned above. In some examples ofmodule 120B,camera 205C is replaced by another camera, such as acamera camera modules electronic device 100 may have any feasible number of cameras, and further, each camera may have any feasible number of camera sensors. -
FIG. 7 andFIG. 8 show camera module 120B installed inelectronic device 100 withmodule 120B coupled to mountingassembly 140 to move withassembly 140 alongbody axis 143. InFIG. 7 ,assembly 140 andmodule 120B are in a recessed position withmodule 120B entirely or almost fully received withinrecess 126 ofhousing 112. InFIG. 8 ,assembly 140 andmodule 120B are in a second outward position. When mounted toassembly 140 as shown in these two figures,camera module 120B may move into and out ofrecess 126 of housing 112 (FIGS. 2 and 3 ). This mounted configuration may be achieved by insertingmodule 120B intorecess 126 and by pushingmodule 120B towardtop side 144. Latcharms 182 extend throughapertures 228 andgrasp module 120B, attachingmodule 120B toassembly 140 anddevice 100. Mountingend 222 rests alongside, possibly contacting,first side 144 anddistal end 223 is separated fromfirst side 144 alongaxis 143.Tabs 225, alignment pins 226 (not shown), and probes 234 extend throughvarious apertures 148 in mountingassembly 140, andmodule 120B is removably connected toelectrical interconnect 190.Probes 234 have engaged and rotatedrotatable arms 160, each to a second angular position, perpendicular or substantially perpendicular toaxis 143. Eachrotatable arm 160 has rotated such thatend portion 163 extends alongside or betweenbody shoulder 150 of mountingbody 142 andboss 188 oflatch mechanism 170.Rotatable arm 160 may contact one or both ofbody shoulder 150 andboss 188 in various circumstances.Boss 188 may be brought into this position relative too mountingassembly 140 androtatable arm 160 by the installation ofcamera module 120B, during whichlatch mechanism 170 may rest againststop 136 whilemodule 120B and mountingassembly 140 continue to move towardstop 136.Arms 182 may graspcamera module 120B to keepboss 188 adjacentrotatable arm 160 after installation. - Referring still to
FIG. 8 , to decouple or removecamera module 120B from mountingassembly 140 ordevice 100,arms 182 may be caused to disengage frommodule 120B.Other camera modules 120, e.g.,module 120A, may be coupled to and decoupled fromassembly 140 in the same manner asmodule 120B. As will be discussed in more detail below, if amodule 120A is installed,rotatable arm 160 may remain in its biased angular position, allowingmodule 120A to move further beyondouter surface 122 than is achieved bymodule 120B inFIG. 8 . - In
FIG. 7 ,assembly 140 andmodule 120B are in a recessed position withmodule 120B entirely or almost fully received withinrecess 126 ofhousing 112.Distal end 223 ofmodule 120B may be flush or recessed with respect totop surface 122 ofhousing 112. In some recessed positions,distal end 223 may extend slightly beyondtop surface 122 ofhousing 112.Assembly 140 may be near its fully retracted position, with the top ofslots 152 almost contactingpins 154. - In
FIG. 8 ,assembly 140 andmodule 120B are in a second outward position in whichassembly 140 is not as close toouter surface 112 as it was in the first outward position ofFIG. 2 andFIG. 3 . The location of this second outward position is influenced byrotatable arms 160 being in their second angular positions (for example, being perpendicular to axis 143) and engaging theshoulders 135 of mountingapparatus 130, which limits the outward movement ofassembly 140 andmodule 120B. The force ofsprings 132 may work to bring assembly 140 to the second outward position ofFIG. 8 , contactingshoulders 135. Contact betweenrotatable arms 160 andbosses 188 may bear all or a portion of that spring force as it is transferred from mountingbody 142, througharms 160, and toshoulders 135, potentially relieving the amount of that force that may be transferred through the rotational coupling that exists betweenbody 142 andarms 160. In the second outward position, a portion ofmodule 120B, including sensor 206 (not shown here) ofcamera 205C, isoutside recess 126. Accordingly,FIG. 8 represents an operation position ofmodule 120B becausecamera 205C is in a location where it can be used to take images of objects located outsidehousing 112. Thedistal end 223 ofmodule 120B is disposed at amodule clearance distance 240B beyondouter surface 122 andrecess 126.Camera 205C and, more specifically, the center ofcamera sensor 206 are disposed at a lessercamera clearance distance 242C beyondouter surface 122 andrecess 126.Camera distance 208C, introduced earlier, measures the distance ofsensor 206 fromfirst side 144 of mountingassembly 140. - Referring now to
FIG. 9 andFIG. 10 ,camera module 120A is shown installed inelectronic device 100, coupled to mountingassembly 140 to move withassembly 140 alongbody axis 143. Mounted toassembly 140 as shown,camera module 120A may move into and out ofrecess 126 ofhousing 112. This mounted configuration may be achieved in the same or similar manner as was describe forcamera module 120B, above. For example,module 120A may be inserted intorecess 126 and pushed towardfirst side 144 so thatarms 182 engage withinmodule 120A, attachingmodule 120A toassembly 140 and device 100 (FIG. 5 andFIG. 7 ). Mountingend 222 rests alongside, and in some cases is contacting,first side 144 anddistal end 223 is separated fromfirst side 144 alongaxis 143. - The connections between
module 120A and mountingassembly 140 may be the same as described formodule 120B, exceptmodule 120A lacksprobes 234. Accordingly, noprobes 234 extend into mountingassembly 140 to engage theends 162 ofrotatable arms 160. Thus, the pair ofrotatable arms 160 may remain in their biased angular position as shown, or even if positioned differently aftermodule 120A is installed,arms 160 have not rotated sufficiently to extend beyondslots 149 inlateral sides 146 and to forcibly engageshoulders 135. An example of the lack of engagement betweenarms 160 andshoulders 135 is shown inFIG. 10 in which mountingassembly 140 andmodule 120A are moved outward with respect tohousing 112 whilerotatable arms 160 are in their biased angular positions.End portions 163 ofrotatable arms 160 do not extend alongside or between bothbody shoulder 150 of mountingbody 142 andboss 188 oflatch mechanism 170. As mentioned above,camera module 120A may be decoupled or removed from mountingassembly 140 ordevice 100 using the same or a similar technique as described formodule 120B. - In
FIG. 9 ,assembly 140 andmodule 120A are in a recessed position withmodule 120A entirely or almost fully received withinrecess 126 ofhousing 112.Distal end 223 ofmodule 120A may be flush or recessed with respect toouter surface 122 ofhousing 112. In some recessed positions,distal end 223 may extend slightly beyondouter surface 122 ofhousing 112.Assembly 140 may be fully retracted with the top ofslots 152 having contacted pins 154. - When
assembly 140 andmodule 120A ofFIG. 9 are depressed inward,catch mechanism 134 releases so thatsprings 132 may pullassembly 140 andmodule 120A to an outward position. InFIG. 10 ,assembly 140 andmodule 120A are in the first outward position in whichassembly 140 may be at the same distance fromouter surface 112 as it was inFIG. 2 andFIG. 3 . The arrangement ofFIG. 10 is achieved, in part, due to the position ofrotatable arms 160, as described above. A portion ofmodule 120A, including sensor 206 (not shown here) ofcamera 205A, isoutside recess 126; consequently,FIG. 10 represents an operation position ofmodule 120A becausecamera 205A is in a location where it can be used to take images of objects located outsidehousing 112. Thedistal end 223 ofmodule 120A is disposed at amodule clearance distance 240A beyondouter surface 122 andrecess 126.Camera 205A and, more specifically, the center ofcamera sensors 206 are disposed at a lessercamera clearance distance 242A beyondouter surface 122 andrecess 126.Camera distance 208A measures the distance ofsensors 206 incamera 205A fromfirst side 144 of mountingassembly 140. Also inFIG. 10 ,camera 205B and, more specifically, the center of itscamera sensor 206 are disposed at acamera clearance distance 242B beyondouter surface 122 andrecess 126.Camera distance 208B measures the distance ofsensor 206 incamera 205B fromfirst side 144 ofassembly 140. - Comparing
camera module 120B ofFIG. 8 withcamera module 120A ofFIG. 10 ,module clearance distance 240B is less thanmodule clearance distance 240A, andcamera clearance distance 242C is less thancamera clearance distance 242A. Thus for these examples, whether comparing the bodies ofmodules outermost cameras module 120B, which includesprobes 234, protrudes a lesser distance beyondouter surface 122 andrecess 126 ofhousing 112 than doesmodule 120A, which lacks probes 234. - Although mounting
assembly 140 with mountingapparatus 130 were shown as installed in a housing that supports a display screen within the housing, in some examples, anassembly 140 orapparatus 130 are installed in a housing that does not have a display screen. Other selections of cameras or camera features may be made for various embodiments ofcamera modules recess 126 extending throughtop surface 122 ofelectronic device 100, in some examples, a camera module attached to a mountingassembly 140 is coupled to move through another surface (for example, a side surface) in an electronic device. - The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various examples of the present disclosure. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications. For example, although various examples of the electronic devices disclosed may be implemented as AiO computers or within AiO computers, the concepts described herein may also be applied to other electronic devices, such as other desktop computers, stand-alone monitors, and, portable computers (including “tablet” and “laptop” computers), as examples.
Claims (16)
1. An electronic device comprising:
an outer housing; and
a mounting assembly coupled to the outer housing that is to mount a peripheral module to the outer housing, wherein the mounting assembly is to transition between a first position in which the peripheral module is recessed within the outer housing and a second position in which the peripheral module is extended out of the outer housing,
wherein the mounting assembly includes an arm and wherein a rotational position of the arm is to adjust a clearance distance of the peripheral module from the outer housing when the mounting assembly is in the second position.
2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a display screen supported by the outer housing.
3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the mounting assembly includes a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis with the peripheral module;
wherein the body includes a first side and an aperture extending parallel to the body axis and through the first side;
wherein the arm is an elongate member and includes a rotational axis perpendicular to the elongate member; and
wherein a contact location on the arm is aligned with the aperture for a probe on the peripheral module to extend through the aperture, to push against the contact location, and to rotate the arm.
4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the body of the mounting assembly comprises an elongate slot extending parallel to the body axis; and
wherein a pin coupled to the outer housing extends through the slot.
5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the rotational axis is perpendicular to the body axis.
6. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the mounting assembly includes a latch mechanism to attach the mounting assembly to the peripheral module, the latch mechanism comprising:
a slotted portion;
an arm coupled to an end of the slotted portion to grasp the peripheral module; and
a boss extending parallel to the rotational axis,
wherein the slotted portion includes an elongate slot oriented parallel to the body axis; and
wherein a pin extends from the body of the mounting assembly into the slot of the slotted portion.
7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the body of the mounting assembly includes a body shoulder extending toward the body axis;
wherein the arm is rotatable about the rotational axis to a first angular position in which the arm does not extend between the boss and the body shoulder;
wherein the arm is rotatable about the rotational axis to a second angular position in which the arm extends between the boss and the body shoulder; and
wherein a clearance distance of the peripheral module when the mounting assembly is in the second position Is greater when the arm is in the first angular position than when the arm Is in the second angular position.
8. An electronic device comprising:
an outer housing; and
a mounting assembly coupled to the outer housing that is to move a peripheral module out of the outer housing to a clearance distance from the outer housing, the mounting assembly including an arm that is rotationally biased to a first angular position,
wherein rotation of the arm away from the first angular position to adjust the clearance distance.
9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the mounting assembly includes a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis with the peripheral module;
wherein the body includes a first side and an aperture extending parallel to the body axis and through the first side;
wherein the arm is an elongate member and includes a rotational axis perpendicular to the elongate member; and
wherein a contact location on the arm is aligned with the aperture for a probe on the peripheral module to extend through the aperture, to push against the contact location, and to rotate the arm about the rotational axis, away from the first angular position.
10. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the mounting assembly includes a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis;
wherein the body of the mounting assembly includes a body shoulder extending toward the body axis;
wherein the arm does not extend alongside the body shoulder when the arm is at the first angular position; and
wherein a rotation of the arm away from the first angular position to extend the arm alongside the body shoulder is to decrease the clearance distance.
11. An electronic device comprising:
an outer housing including a recess;
a peripheral module positioned within the recess;
a display screen supported by the outer housing; and
a mounting assembly coupled to the outer housing and the peripheral module, wherein the mounting assembly is to move the peripheral module between a first position in which an end of the peripheral module is flush with a surface of the outer housing and a second position in which the end of the peripheral module is extended outward from the surface of the outer housing to a clearance distance,
wherein the mounting assembly includes an arm that is rotatable between a first angular position and a second angular position about a rotational axis, and
wherein the clearance distance is larger when the arm is in the first angular position than when the rotational arm is in the second angular position.
12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the mounting assembly includes a body slidably coupled to the outer housing to move along a body axis, and
wherein the peripheral module includes a probe that contacts the arm to rotate the arm from the first angular position to the second angular position.
13.-15. (canceled)
16. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the body of the mounting assembly includes a through aperture, wherein the probe extends through the through aperture to engage with the arm.
17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the mounting assembly includes a latch mechanism to attach the mounting assembly to the peripheral module, the latch mechanism comprising:
a slotted portion;
an arm coupled to an end of the slotted portion to grasp the peripheral module; and
a boss extending parallel to the rotational axis,
wherein the slotted portion includes an elongate slot oriented parallel to the body axis; and
wherein a pin extends from the body of the mounting assembly into the slot of the slotted portion.
18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the body of the mounting assembly includes a body shoulder extending toward the body axis;
wherein when the arm is in the first angular position, the arm does not extend between the boss and the body shoulder; and
wherein the arm is in the second angular position, the arm extends between the boss and the body shoulder.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US17/478,558 US20220004223A1 (en) | 2017-07-06 | 2021-09-17 | Movable mounting assemblies |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2017/040948 WO2019009909A1 (en) | 2017-07-06 | 2017-07-06 | Movable mounting assemblies |
US201816076155A | 2018-08-07 | 2018-08-07 | |
US17/478,558 US20220004223A1 (en) | 2017-07-06 | 2021-09-17 | Movable mounting assemblies |
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US16/076,155 Continuation US11150690B2 (en) | 2017-07-06 | 2017-07-06 | Movable mounting assemblies |
PCT/US2017/040948 Continuation WO2019009909A1 (en) | 2017-07-06 | 2017-07-06 | Movable mounting assemblies |
Publications (1)
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US20220004223A1 true US20220004223A1 (en) | 2022-01-06 |
Family
ID=64950310
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US16/076,155 Active 2039-04-09 US11150690B2 (en) | 2017-07-06 | 2017-07-06 | Movable mounting assemblies |
US17/478,558 Abandoned US20220004223A1 (en) | 2017-07-06 | 2021-09-17 | Movable mounting assemblies |
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US16/076,155 Active 2039-04-09 US11150690B2 (en) | 2017-07-06 | 2017-07-06 | Movable mounting assemblies |
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US (2) | US11150690B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3649837A4 (en) |
CN (1) | CN111034378B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2019009909A1 (en) |
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US20220236766A1 (en) * | 2020-01-17 | 2022-07-28 | Acer Incorporated | Electronic device assembly |
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CN214467164U (en) * | 2020-11-23 | 2021-10-22 | 京东方科技集团股份有限公司 | Lifting mechanism and display device |
CN116045174A (en) * | 2021-10-28 | 2023-05-02 | 纬联电子科技(中山)有限公司 | Display device, electronic device and telescopic assembly |
TWI783777B (en) * | 2021-11-11 | 2022-11-11 | 佳世達科技股份有限公司 | Camera assembly and display device having the same |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN111034378B (en) | 2021-09-03 |
EP3649837A4 (en) | 2021-01-27 |
WO2019009909A1 (en) | 2019-01-10 |
CN111034378A (en) | 2020-04-17 |
US11150690B2 (en) | 2021-10-19 |
EP3649837A1 (en) | 2020-05-13 |
US20210200266A1 (en) | 2021-07-01 |
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