Digital Camera Patent Abstract
A digital camera with rotatable components is disclosed. In the
front of camera there is provided a lens, a flash, and a viewfinder,
while in the rear thereof there is provided a liquid crystal display
(LCD) corresponding to lens, a control button, and the rear of viewfinder.
Control button is operable to press for rotating lens, flash, viewfinder,
and LCD in the same direction and into a desired angle with respect
to an object. Next a shutter button on the camera is operable to
press for taking a picture. This camera has the benefits of ergonomic,
precise picture taking, and full covering of the object by flash.
Digital Camera Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A digital camera enclosed in a housing comprising: a lens and
a flash in a front portion of a housing; a liquid crystal display
(LCD) in a rear portion of said housing and corresponding to said
lens; a first gear means on periphery of a first cylindrical member
coupled to said. LCD; a viewfinder extended from said front to said
rear; a second gear means on periphery of a second cylindrical member
coupled to said viewfinder; a drive means in said housing having
a gear meshed with said first gear means; a gear assembly in said
housing meshed with said first and said second gear means respectively;
a control button on said housing electrically coupled to a circuit
in said housing for controlling said activation of said drive means;
and a shutter button on said housing being operable to press for
taking a picture; wherein said first gear means comprises a first
gear member along a shoulder on said periphery of said first cylindrical
member coupled to said LCD, said first gear member is meshed with
said gear of said drive means, and a second gear member abutted
said shoulder on said periphery of said first cylindrical member;
said second gear means is meshed with one gear in said gear assembly
such that said LCD, said viewfinder, said lens, and said flash are
rotated in a same direction and into a desired angle with respect
to an object when said gear assembly is driven clockwise or counterclockwise
by said drive means.
Digital Camera Patent Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to digital cameras and more particularly
to a digital camera with rotatable components such as lens, flash,
viewfinder, and liquid crystal display (LCD) with improved picture
taking characteristics.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a lens, a flash, a viewfinder, and a liquid crystal
display (LCD) mounted on a digital camera such as digital still
camera are not rotatable. Hence, user may view an object through
viewfinder and LCD for taking a picture horizontally or rotate camera
to cause viewfinder and LCD to be perpendicular to the horizontal
plane, thereby seeing the object in the vertically disposed viewfinder
and LCD for taking a picture vertically. However, the previous design
(i.e., camera disposed horizontally or vertically) is not ergonomic.
Further, it is possible for user to drop camera on the ground or
even cause damage therefrom when rotating the camera.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an improved digital camera with
rotatable components such as lens, flash, viewfinder, and LCD. User
may simply press a control button for effecting a rotation of lens,
flash, viewfinder, and LCD into a horizontal or vertical position
prior to taking a picture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital camera
with rotatable components such as lens, flash, viewfinder, and liquid
crystal display (LCD) wherein user may press a control button for
rotating lens, flash, viewfinder, and LCD in the same direction
and into a desired angle with respect to an object. This digital
camera has the benefits of ergonomic, precise picture taking, full
covering of object by flash, and without worrying the dropping or
damage caused therefrom as experienced in prior art while horizontally
or vertically taking a picture.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed description
taken with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a digital camera according
to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the FIG. 1 camera;
FIG. 3 is a rear plan view showing certain internal components
of the FIG. 1 camera; and
FIG. 4 is perspective view of the FIG. 3 components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, there is shown a digital camera
1 with rotatable components constructed in accordance with the invention.
In the front side, the camera comprises a lens 10, aflash 11, and
a viewfinder 12. In the rear side, the camera further comprises
a liquid crystal display (LCD) 13 disposed corresponding to lens
10, a control button 14, and the rear of viewfinder 12. A gear assembly
20 is activated when control button 14 is pressed. Then lens 10,
flash 11, viewfinder 12, and LCD 13 are rotated in the same direction
and into a desired angle with respect to an object. Next user may
press a shutter button 15 on the top of camera 1 for taking a picture.
Further, the object is completely covered by the light projected
from flash 11. Furthermore, this is an ergonomic design. Most importantly,
a precise picture taking is carried out.
The components of camera 1 are enclosed by a housing. Flash 11
is fixed to the top of lens 10 in the front side of camera 1 while
LCD 13 is disposed corresponding to lens 10 in the rear side thereof
(FIGS. 1 and 2). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a first gear member
131 is formed along a shoulder on the periphery of a cylindrical
member coupled to LCD 13 and a second gear member 132 is formed
abutted the shoulder on the periphery of cylindrical member. First
gear member 131 is meshed with gear 31 coupled to a drive device
30 through a shaft. Hence, LCD 13 may be rotated when gear 31 is
driven clockwise or counterclockwise by drive device 30. In the
embodiment, the drive device 30 is a motor while it is appreciated
by those skilled in the art that the drive device 30 may be replaced
by another suitable device without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention. Gear assembly 20 comprises, as viewed from
LCD 13 toward lens 10, a first gear 21, a second gear 22, a second
gear 23, a fourth gear 24, and a fifth gear 25. The diameter of
first gear 21 is larger than that of second gear 22. The diameter
of third gear 23 is larger than that of fourth gear 24. The diameter
of first gear 21 is larger than that of second gear 22. First gear
21 is meshed with second gear member 132. Thus third gear 23 may
be driven by second gear 22 and fourth gear 24 may be driven by
fifth gear 25 respectively.
A third gear member 121 is formed on the periphery of another cylindrical
member coupled to viewfinder 12. Third gear member 121 is meshed
with fifth gear 25. Thus LCD 13, viewfinder 12, lens 10, and flash
11 are rotated in the same direction and into a desired angle with
respect to an object when gear assembly 20 is driven clockwise or
counterclockwise by drive device 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In the
embodiment, control button 14 is electrically coupled to a printed
circuit (now shown) in camera 1. Hence, when control button 14 is
pressed lens 10, flash 11, viewfinder 12, and LCD 13 are rotated
in the same direction and into a desired angle with respect to the
object as driven by gear assembly 20 which is in turn driven by
drive device 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Next user may press shutter
button 15 on the top of camera 1 for taking a picture.
In brief, lens 10, flash 11, viewfinder 12, and LCD 13 may be rotated
in the same direction and into a desired angle with respect to an
object by pressing control button 14. This is an ergonomic design.
Most importantly, a precise picture taking is carried out.
While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments,
numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those
skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of
the invention set forth in the claims.
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