Driving structure of 3D (three-dimensional) panoramic camera screen
By designing the panoramic camera as a rotatable housing structure and a flexible display screen, combined with sensor control, the problems of large size and high cost of panoramic cameras are solved, and compact and reliable display screen switching is achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-31
AI Technical Summary
Existing panoramic cameras are large in size, inconvenient to carry, have complex internal structures, and are expensive.
Design a 3D panoramic camera that uses a structure in which the first and second housings can rotate around a pivot assembly, combined with a flexible display screen and sensor components, to control the display state of the screen, including screen-off and screen-on states.
It achieves a compact structural design for panoramic cameras, reliable switching of display screens, and reduced costs.
Smart Images

Figure CN224067124U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of panoramic equipment technology, specifically to a driving structure for a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen. Background Technology
[0002] With the development of panoramic technology, cameras with panoramic shooting capabilities are becoming increasingly popular among users. However, existing panoramic cameras are often large in size, making them inconvenient for users to carry around, and their internal functional structures are complex and costly. Summary of the Invention
[0003] This application provides a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera, which aims to solve the technical problem that existing panoramic cameras are bulky, inconvenient to carry, have complex internal structures, and are costly.
[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, one technical solution adopted in this application is: providing a driving structure for a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen, the driving structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen comprising:
[0005] A camera body, the camera body comprising a first housing and a second housing, the first housing having a first display screen;
[0006] A pivot assembly is hinged to the first housing and the second housing, and the first housing and the second housing are rotatable about the pivot assembly to close or unfold.
[0007] The camera body also includes a second display screen, which is a flexible screen and can rotate around the pivot assembly to close or unfold.
[0008] The camera body also includes a sensor component, which controls the display states of the first display screen and the second display screen, including a screen-off display state and a screen-on display state.
[0009] In one embodiment, the sensor assembly includes a Hall sensor and a magnetic element, wherein the Hall sensor is disposed within the first housing and the magnetic element is disposed within the second housing.
[0010] In one specific embodiment, the first housing has a first receiving cavity, in which a motherboard assembly is fixed, and the Hall sensor is fixed in the motherboard assembly.
[0011] In one specific embodiment, the second housing has a second receiving cavity, and a second mounting member is fixed in the second receiving cavity, with the magnetic member fixed in the second mounting member.
[0012] In one specific embodiment, the first housing is fixed with a first mounting member, which is fixed to the side of the motherboard assembly away from the first accommodating cavity.
[0013] In one specific embodiment, a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera is also included, the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera having the driving structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen described in any of the above embodiments.
[0014] In one specific embodiment, the first housing is further provided with a first lens assembly, the second housing is further provided with a second lens assembly, the second accommodating cavity is further fixed with a battery assembly, and the battery assembly and the second lens assembly are connected to the motherboard assembly via a flexible circuit board.
[0015] In one specific embodiment, a first magnetic attractor is also fixed inside the first housing, and a second magnetic attractor is also fixed inside the second housing. When the first housing and the second housing rotate and close around the rotating shaft assembly, the first magnetic attractor and the second magnetic attractor are magnetically connected, so that the first housing and the second housing can be firmly attached.
[0016] In one specific embodiment, the pivot assembly includes a hinge assembly and a connecting assembly. The connecting assembly is hinged to the hinge assembly and fixedly connected to the first housing and the second housing, such that the first housing and the second housing can be closed or opened around the hinge assembly.
[0017] In one specific embodiment, the connecting assembly includes a first connector and a second connector. One end of the first connector is fixed to the first housing, and the other end is rotatably connected to the hinge assembly for hinged to the first housing to the hinge assembly.
[0018] One end of the second connector is fixed to the second housing, and the other end is rotatably connected to the hinge assembly for hinged the second housing to the hinge assembly.
[0019] The beneficial effect of this application is that, unlike the prior art, the driving structure for a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen provided in this application includes:
[0020] A camera body, the camera body comprising a first housing and a second housing, the first housing having a first display screen;
[0021] A pivot assembly is hinged to the first housing and the second housing, and the first housing and the second housing are rotatable about the pivot assembly to close or unfold.
[0022] The camera body also includes a second display screen, which is a flexible screen and can rotate around the pivot assembly to close or unfold.
[0023] The camera body also includes a sensor component, which controls the display states of the first display screen and the second display screen, including a screen-off display state and a screen-on display state.
[0024] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the technical solutions provided in this application have the following advantages:
[0025] The camera body is divided into a first housing and a second housing. The first housing has a first display screen, and the camera body also has a second display screen. The first and second housings are rotatable around a pivot assembly, and the second display screen is also rotatable around the pivot assembly. A sensor assembly is installed inside the camera body. During the rotation of the first and second housings around the pivot assembly, the sensor assembly controls the display state of the first and second display screens. The driving structure for a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen provided in this application has a compact internal structure layout, and the driving structure for switching between the two display screens is convenient, reliable, and low in cost. Attached Figure Description
[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.
[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera provided in this application in its closed state;
[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera provided in this application in its unfolded state;
[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera provided in this application in its unfolded state;
[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the driving structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen provided in this application;
[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly cross-sectional structure of the driving structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen provided in this application;
[0032] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the first and second magnetic components of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera provided in this application in its unfolded state.
[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly cross-sectional structure of the first and second magnetic components of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera provided in this application in the closed state.
[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the rotating shaft assembly in the unfolded state of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera provided in this application.
[0035] Figure label:
[0036] 1000, 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera; 100, camera body; 110, Hall sensor; 120, magnetic component; 200, first housing; 210, first lens assembly; 220, first display screen; 230, first accommodating cavity; 240, first magnetic component; 300, second housing; 310, second lens assembly; 320, second accommodating cavity; 330, second magnetic component; 400, hinge assembly; 410, first connector; 420, second connector; 430, hinge assembly; 500, second display screen; 600, motherboard assembly; 700, battery assembly; 800, flexible circuit board; 910, first mounting component; 920, second mounting component. Detailed Implementation
[0037] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that the following embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the application. Similarly, the following embodiments are only some, not all, embodiments of the present application, and all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0038] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, used in this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. A process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.
[0039] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.
[0040] In the embodiments of this application, terms such as "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and "one side" are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings or the conventional placement or usage state. They are only used to facilitate the description of this utility model and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the structure, feature, device, or element referred to must have a specific orientation or positional relationship, nor that it must be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. They are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model.
[0041] The terms "first" and "second" used in this application are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.
[0042] The terms used above are for ease of description only and should not be construed as limitations on this technical solution.
[0043] In this document, the term "implementation" means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an implementation may be included in at least one implementation of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same implementation, nor is it a separate or alternative implementation mutually exclusive with other implementations. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the implementations described herein can be combined with other implementations.
[0044] The specific implementation of this application will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments:
[0045] Figure 1This diagram shows the overall structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera 1000 provided in this application in its closed state. Figure 2 and Figure 3 This diagram shows the overall structure of the 3D panoramic camera 1000 in its unfolded state. Figure 4 This paper illustrates an overall structural diagram of a driving structure for a 3D panoramic camera screen provided in this application. The driving structure for the 3D panoramic camera screen includes:
[0046] The camera body 100 includes a first housing 200 and a second housing 300, wherein the first housing 200 has a first display screen 220;
[0047] A pivot assembly 400 is hinged to the first housing 200 and the second housing 300, and the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 are rotatable about the pivot assembly 400 to close or unfold.
[0048] The camera body 100 also includes a second display screen 500, which is a flexible screen and can rotate around the pivot assembly 400 to close or unfold.
[0049] The second display screen 500 is located behind the first display screen 220, that is, on the opposite side of the first housing 200 and the second housing 300. Together with the first housing 200 and the second housing 300, it forms the camera body 100. The second display screen 500 can rotate around the pivot assembly 400 to close or unfold; that is, the second display screen 500 can be folded and unfolded as the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 are folded and unfolded. The area of the second display screen 500 is larger than the area of the first display screen 220, covering the entire back surface area of the camera body 100.
[0050] The camera body 100 also includes a sensor assembly that controls the display states of the first display screen 220 and the second display screen 500, including a screen-off display state and a screen-on display state.
[0051] The sensor assembly controls the display states of the first display screen 220 and the second display screen 500, including:
[0052] When the first display screen 220 is in the on-screen display state, the second display screen 500 is in the off-screen display state.
[0053] When the first display screen 220 is in a screen-off state, the second display screen 500 is in a screen-on state.
[0054] One specific embodiment is that the sensor assembly includes a Hall sensor 110 and a magnetic element 120, wherein the Hall sensor 110 is disposed within the first housing 200 and the magnetic element 120 is disposed within the second housing 300.
[0055] When the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 rotate around the rotating shaft assembly 400 to close, the magnetic element 120 approaches the Hall sensor 110, triggering the Hall sensor 110. The Hall sensor 110 controls the second display screen 500 to be in a screen-off display state, and the first display screen 220 to be in a screen-on display state.
[0056] When the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 rotate around the pivot assembly 400 to unfold, the magnetic element 120 moves away from the Hall sensor 110, the Hall sensor 110 is not triggered, and the Hall sensor 110 controls the first display screen 220 to be in a screen-off display state and the second display screen 500 to be in a screen-on display state.
[0057] One specific implementation method is as follows: Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the first housing 200 has a first accommodating cavity 230, and the first accommodating cavity 230 is fixed with a motherboard assembly 600, and the Hall sensor 110 is fixed in the motherboard assembly 600.
[0058] The first accommodating cavity 230 is a cavity enclosed within the first housing 200, used for the layout and installation of various functional structures, and the Hall sensor 110 is welded into the motherboard assembly 600.
[0059] One specific embodiment is that the second housing 300 has a second accommodating cavity 320, the second accommodating cavity 320 is fixed with a second mounting member 920, and the magnetic member 120 is fixed in the second mounting member 920.
[0060] The second accommodating cavity 320 is a cavity enclosed within the second housing 300, used for the layout and installation of various functional structures. The second mounting member 920 is fixed to the side of the second accommodating cavity 320 away from the second housing 300, and together with the second housing 300, they enclose the second accommodating cavity 320.
[0061] In one specific embodiment, the first housing 200 is fixed with a first mounting member 910, which is fixed to the side of the motherboard assembly 600 away from the first accommodating cavity 230.
[0062] The first mounting member 910 is fixed to the side of the motherboard assembly 600 away from the first receiving cavity 230, and together with the first housing 200, it forms the first receiving cavity 230, and the motherboard assembly is fixed in the first receiving cavity 230.
[0063] One specific embodiment is that the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera has the driving structure of the 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen described in any of the above specific embodiments.
[0064] In one specific embodiment, the first housing 200 is further provided with a first lens assembly 210, the second housing 300 is further provided with a second lens assembly 310, and the second accommodating cavity 320 is further fixed with a battery assembly 700. The battery assembly 700 and the second lens assembly 310 are connected to the mainboard assembly 600 through a flexible circuit board 800.
[0065] When the 3D panoramic camera 1000 is closed, the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 are fitted together in an axisymmetric structure, and the first lens assembly 210 and the second lens assembly 310 are back-to-back in an axisymmetric structure. Furthermore, both the first lens assembly 210 and the second lens assembly are fisheye lenses, used to obtain fields of view in different directions, and then stitch them together to form a panoramic image or video.
[0066] The first lens assembly 210 is electrically connected to the motherboard assembly 600 to transmit the acquired image data to the motherboard assembly 600 for processing.
[0067] The battery assembly 700 powers the 3D panoramic camera 1000. The battery assembly 700 and the second lens assembly 310 are electrically connected to the mainboard assembly 600 via a flexible circuit board 800. A flexible circuit board, also known as a "flexible board," is a printed circuit made of a flexible insulating substrate. Flexible circuit boards offer excellent electrical performance, meeting the design needs for smaller and higher-density installations, and also help reduce assembly steps and enhance reliability. Flexible circuit boards can be freely bent, rolled, and folded, and can withstand millions of dynamic bends without damaging the wires. They can be arbitrarily arranged according to spatial layout requirements and can move and stretch arbitrarily in three-dimensional space, thereby achieving integration of component assembly and wire connection. Flexible circuit boards can significantly reduce the size and weight of electronic products, meeting the needs of electronic products developing towards high density, miniaturization, and high reliability.
[0068] One specific implementation method is as follows: Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, a first magnetic suction member 240 is fixed inside the first housing 200, and a second magnetic suction member 330 is fixed inside the second housing 300. When the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 rotate and close around the rotating shaft assembly 400, the first magnetic suction member 240 and the second magnetic suction member 330 are magnetically connected, so that the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 can be firmly attached.
[0069] If the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 are closed solely by the damping effect of the pivot assembly 400, it is easy for large gaps to appear at the edges of the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 away from the pivot assembly 400, making it impossible to fit firmly and stably. Therefore, by increasing the magnetic attraction of the first magnetic member 240 and the second magnetic member 330, the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 can be more firmly fitted together without gaps.
[0070] One specific embodiment is that the first magnetic attractor 240 is disposed in the first accommodating cavity 230, and the second magnetic attractor 330 is disposed in the second accommodating cavity 320. Another feasible specific embodiment is that the first magnetic attractor 240 and the second magnetic attractor 330 are both magnetic sheets, or the first magnetic attractor 240 is a magnetic sheet and the second magnetic attractor 330 is a metal sheet that can be attracted by the magnetic sheet, or the second magnetic attractor 330 is a magnetic sheet and the first magnetic attractor 240 is a metal sheet that can be attracted by the magnetic sheet.
[0071] In one specific embodiment, the first magnetic suction member 240 is fixed to the side of the first accommodating cavity 230 away from the rotating shaft assembly 400, and the second magnetic suction member 330 is fixed to the side of the second accommodating cavity 320 away from the rotating shaft assembly 400.
[0072] The number of the first magnetic 240 is 2, and the number of the second magnetic 330 is also 2. When the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 rotate and close around the rotating shaft assembly 400, each of the first magnetic 240 is magnetically connected to the corresponding second magnetic 330.
[0073] Two first magnetic attractors 240 are respectively located at two corners of the first housing 200 away from the rotating shaft assembly 400, and two second magnetic attractors 330 are respectively located at two corners of the second housing 300 away from the rotating shaft assembly 400. When the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 rotate and close around the rotating shaft assembly 400, each first magnetic attractor 240 forms a stable magnetic attraction connection with the corresponding second magnetic attractor 330, so that the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 are firmly attached together.
[0074] One specific implementation method is as follows: Figure 8 As shown, the pivot assembly 400 includes a hinge assembly 430 and a connecting assembly. The connecting assembly is hinged to the hinge assembly 430 and fixedly connected to the first housing 200 and the second housing 300, so that the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 can be closed or opened around the hinge assembly 400.
[0075] One specific embodiment is that the connecting component includes a first connector 410 and a second connector 420. One end of the first connector 410 is fixed to the first housing 200, and the other end is rotatably connected to the hinge assembly 430, for hinged to the first housing 200 and the hinge assembly 430.
[0076] One end of the second connector 420 is fixed to the second housing 300, and the other end is rotatably connected to the hinge assembly 430, for hinged to the second housing 300.
[0077] In one specific embodiment, one end of the first connector 410 is fixed to the first housing 200 by a threaded connection, and one end of the second connector 420 is fixed to the second housing 300 by a threaded connection.
[0078] This application provides a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera 1000 that can be used as both a panoramic camera and a 3D camera. When the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 are closed, the magnetic component 120 inside the second housing 300 approaches the Hall sensor 110 inside the first housing 200, triggering the Hall sensor 110. The Hall sensor 110 controls the first display screen 220 to be in a bright display state and controls the second display screen 500 to be in a dark display state. The 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera 1000 is in panoramic mode. Images or videos from different directions acquired by the first lens assembly 210 and the second lens assembly 310 are stitched together to form a panoramic image or video, which is displayed on the first display screen 220. This also includes a normal panoramic camera UI, allowing users to perform corresponding panoramic shooting operations or preview and view the stitched panoramic image or video, and perform further operations such as sharing and editing. When the first housing 200 and the second housing 300 are unfolded, the second housing 300... The magnetic component 120 inside the first housing 200 is far from the Hall sensor 110 inside the first housing 200. The Hall sensor 110 is not triggered. The Hall sensor 110 controls the first display screen 220 to be in a screen-off display state, and the second display screen 500 to be in a screen-on display state. The 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera 1000 is in three-dimensional mode. The first lens assembly 210 and the second lens assembly 220 are on the same horizontal plane, respectively acquiring images or videos on the left and right sides, which are then stitched together into a planar image or video, or synthesized into a three-dimensional image or video, and displayed on the second display screen 500. When the second display screen 500 displays a three-dimensional image or video, the second display screen can be directly viewed by VR 3D glasses to present users with 3D effect images or videos, making it convenient for users to directly and quickly view images or videos with 3D effect without having to export them to a 3D device for viewing through VR glasses.
[0079] Unlike existing technologies, this application provides a driving structure for a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen, comprising:
[0080] A camera body, the camera body comprising a first housing and a second housing, the first housing having a first display screen;
[0081] A pivot assembly is hinged to the first housing and the second housing, and the first housing and the second housing are rotatable about the pivot assembly to close or unfold.
[0082] The camera body also includes a second display screen, which is a flexible screen and can rotate around the pivot assembly to close or unfold.
[0083] The camera body also includes a sensor component, which controls the display states of the first display screen and the second display screen, including a screen-off display state and a screen-on display state.
[0084] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the technical solutions provided in this application have the following advantages:
[0085] The camera body is divided into a first housing and a second housing. The first housing has a first display screen, and the camera body also has a second display screen. The first and second housings are rotatable around a pivot assembly, and the second display screen is also rotatable around the pivot assembly. A sensor assembly is installed inside the camera body. During the rotation of the first and second housings around the pivot assembly, the sensor assembly controls the display state of the first and second display screens. The driving structure for a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen provided in this application has a compact internal structure layout, and the driving structure for switching between the two display screens is convenient, reliable, and low in cost.
[0086] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the application.
Claims
1. A driving structure of a 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera screen, characterized in that, The 3D panoramic camera screen driving structure comprises a camera body, a hinge assembly and a connecting assembly. The camera body comprises a first shell and a second shell, the first shell is provided with a first display screen, and the second shell is provided with a second display screen. The second display screen is a flexible screen. The camera body is further provided with a sensor assembly.
2. The 3D panoramic camera screen driving structure according to claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly comprises a Hall sensor and a magnetic element.
3. The 3D panoramic camera screen driving structure according to claim 2, wherein the first shell is provided with a first accommodating cavity, and a mainboard assembly is fixed in the first accommodating cavity.
4. The 3D panoramic camera screen driving structure according to claim 3, wherein the second shell is provided with a second accommodating cavity, and a second mounting element is fixed in the second accommodating cavity.
5. The 3D panoramic camera screen driving structure according to claim 4, wherein the first shell is provided with a first mounting element, and the first mounting element is fixed on a side of the mainboard assembly away from the first accommodating cavity.
6. The 3D panoramic camera according to claim 5, wherein the 3D panoramic camera is provided with the 3D panoramic camera screen driving structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
7. The 3D panoramic camera according to claim 6, wherein the first shell is further provided with a first lens assembly, the second shell is further provided with a second lens assembly, the second accommodating cavity is further provided with a battery assembly, and the battery assembly and the second lens assembly are connected with the mainboard assembly through a flexible circuit board.
8. The 3D panoramic camera according to claim 7, wherein the first shell is further provided with a first magnetic element, and the second shell is further provided with a second magnetic element.
9. The 3D panoramic camera according to claim 8, wherein the hinge assembly and the connecting assembly are hingedly connected, and the connecting assembly is fixedly connected with the first shell and the second shell.
10. The 3D panoramic camera according to claim 9, wherein the hinge assembly comprises a hinge.
6. A 3D stereoscopic panoramic camera characterized by, The connecting assembly comprises a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece, one end of the first connecting piece is fixed to the first shell, and the other end is rotatably connected to the hinge assembly for hinging the first shell to the hinge assembly; One end of the second connecting piece is fixed to the second shell, and the other end is rotatably connected to the hinge assembly for hinging the second shell to the hinge assembly.