Laptop Camera Assembly with Rotating Shaft for Bezel Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laptop designs face challenges with narrow bezels, poor aesthetics, and user experience due to camera placement, which affects screen-to-body ratio and design complexity.
Innovation Solution
A laptop with a camera assembly that includes a mounting bracket on the display housing and a pivotally coupled camera unit, which maintains a preset angle relative to the keyboard housing when the display is opened beyond a certain angle, using a rotating shaft assembly and guide surfaces for precise orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the camera is placed on the top side of the display, then the camera functionality is provided, but the screen-to-body ratio is reduced and aesthetics are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The camera is moved from the traditional top-side placement (2D plane on display surface) to the side edge of the display housing, utilizing the third dimension (depth/thickness) of the laptop structure. This dimensional transition allows the camera to be positioned without occupying screen real estate, thereby maintaining screen-to-body ratio while preserving camera functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the camera is placed on one of the keycaps of the keyboard, then the camera functionality is provided, but the user experience is poor due to restricted angle and design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera module is extracted from the keyboard structure (specifically from the space bar keycap) and repositioned to the side edge of the display housing. This extraction eliminates the need for complex integrated designs where the camera must be embedded within keycap mechanisms, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining camera functionality.
3Reliability
If the camera is fixed to the display panel through a rotary shaft, then the camera can rotate to maintain constant angle, but the structure becomes complex and production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera module is designed to automatically maintain its shooting angle through its pivotal coupling mechanism and the geometric relationship between the display housing and keyboard housing during opening/closing. The system self-adjusts the camera orientation based on the laptop's configuration state without requiring additional active control mechanisms, motors, or complex rotary shaft assemblies, thereby achieving angle consistency with simplified structure.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
A camera assembly is applied to a laptop and includes: a mounting bracket coupled to a display housing of the laptop and a camera unit (2) pivotally coupled to the mounting bracket. When an opening-closing angle of the display housing relative to a keyboard housing (5) of the laptop is greater than a first preset angle V1, an angle between an orientation of the camera unit (2) and the keyboard housing (5) is maintained as a second preset angle V2.