Dual Direction Popup Camera for Ergonomic Viewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional webcams integrated into display screens or laptops often require users to adjust their head position to align with the camera's fixed outward direction, leading to ergonomic discomfort and potential neck pain due to the lack of adjustable camera angles.
Innovation Solution
A dual direction popup camera system that allows the camera to pop out of a housing and angle upward and outward relative to the display screen, providing a more ergonomic viewing position by sliding between recessed and unrecessed positions within a bezel-mounted housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the webcam is configured to move only between closed and open positions using a simple spring mechanism, then the device structure remains simple, but the camera angle is fixed and causes ergonomic discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The camera assembly is divided into two independent movable components: the popup mechanism that moves the camera assembly outward, and the rotation mechanism that independently adjusts the camera angle. This segmentation allows each mechanism to perform its specific function without interfering with the other, enabling ergonomic angle adjustment while maintaining structural clarity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static fixed-angle camera design into a dynamic adjustable-angle system. The rotation mechanism with pivot points and articulation joints enables the camera to dynamically change its viewing angle between different positions (e.g., facing forward, facing sideways, or angled downward), allowing users to optimize the camera angle for different usage scenarios without compromising mechanism simplicity
2Ease of operation
If the camera is positioned to face directly outward parallel to the display screen, then the mechanism remains simple, but users must adjust their head position which causes neck pain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds rotational freedom in addition to the existing popup motion, transforming the camera's movement from a single linear dimension to two dimensions. The camera can now not only pop out along the z-axis but also rotate around a pivot point, providing angular adjustment capability that enables ergonomic positioning while maintaining adaptability for various user positions and usage scenarios
3Ease of operation
If a dual direction popup mechanism is implemented to allow upward and outward camera movement, then ergonomic viewing position is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the popup and rotation functions into an integrated camera assembly unit. The rotation mechanism is built into the camera assembly itself, with pivot points and articulation joints that allow the camera to rotate as it pops out. This merging eliminates the need for separate rotation mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity while achieving dual-directional movement and ergonomic positioning
Data Source
AI summary
An example device includes: A housing is mounted in a bezel. A camera holder is slideably mounted in the housing, the camera holder to slide in the housing between a recessed and an unrecessed position. A camera head is slideably mounted in the camera holder, the camera holder to slide between a downward position, when the camera holder is in the recessed position, and an upward position, when the camera holder is the unrecessed position. The camera head include a camera device angled outward, relative to the display, when the camera head is in the upward position and the camera holder is in the unrecessed position. The camera holder and the housing contains the camera head and the camera device, when the camera head is in the downward position and the camera holder is in the recessed position.