Lever Linkage Shutter Button for Mobile Phones
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users find it inconvenient to press the physical shutter button on smart cellular phones while holding the device in vertical orientation for self or scene shots, as it blocks the view of the touch screen, and existing solutions do not adequately address this issue.
Innovation Solution
A photographic assist apparatus comprising a tank, a shaft, and a rod with a hand-crank-shaped design, where the rod includes a central portion with a shaft hole and interlocked active and passive button portions, allowing for a lever linkage that limits rotational angle to one degree, enabling the passive button to press the physical shutter button without obstructing the screen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the physical shutter button is located at the lower left side of the phone for easy access, then the ease of operation is improved, but the view of the touch screen is blocked when holding the phone vertically
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a spatial dimension by extending the shutter button mechanism outward from the phone body through a protruding structure. This allows the shutter button to be accessible from the side (maintaining ease of operation) while the phone body itself remains in the vertical position (maintaining screen visibility). The protruding button mechanism operates in a different spatial dimension than the phone's vertical orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a mechanical linkage system as an intermediary between the user's finger and the shutter button. The linkage includes a lever arm and hinge mechanism that translates lateral finger pressure into the required button pressing motion, allowing the user to operate the shutter button without directly blocking the screen view.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the shutter button mechanism is made protruding to avoid blocking the screen, then the screen view is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter button mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: a protruding button portion for user interaction, a hinge joint for motion transmission, and a lever arm for mechanical advantage. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while keeping the overall design relatively simple and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a dynamic mechanical linkage system with movable parts (hinge joints and lever arms) that adapt to user input. The system transforms lateral pressing motion into the required button activation motion through dynamic mechanical movement, achieving functionality without requiring a complex fixed structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables convenient and unobstructed access to the shutter button, allowing users to maintain a clear view of the screen while taking photos, improving the usability of smart cellular phones in photographic modes.
Implementation Method 1
the rod includes a central portion with a shaft hole and interlocked active and passive button portions, allowing for a lever linkage that limits rotational angle to one degree
Implementation Method 2
When an user presses the first active button portion, the second passive button portion is interlocked to inwardly press via the rotation of the rod on the shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A photographic assist apparatus of a mobile communications unit includes a tank, a shaft and a rod. A groove is formed at the bottom of the inner side of the tank. The shape of the groove is designed corresponding to the shape of the rod, for accommodating the rod. A first and a second button portions are disposed at two ends of the rod respectively. And a central portion is located between the first and the second button portions. The shaft is disposed in the groove. The rod has a hole located at the central portion thereof for the shaft setting through. When a user presses the first button portion, the rod is rotated to turn a small rotation angle by taking the shaft as an axis, to drive the second button portion moving, and the rotation angle is limited by the gap between the groove and the rod.