Movable Accessory Housing for Laptop Camera and Antenna Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laptop computers face challenges in minimizing the size of the camera and antenna modules within the lid, leading to increased thickness and bezel size, which compromises screen space and camera quality, and positions the camera in an undesirable angle for image capturing.
Innovation Solution
A movable accessory housing that can be shifted from a lower position at the bottom edge of the lid to an upper position near the top edge, allowing for better camera positioning and reducing interference from the base and lid, thereby enabling thinner lids and smaller bezels, and accommodating larger, higher-quality camera and antenna components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the camera and antenna modules are integrated into the lid, then the laptop structure is simplified, but the lid thickness increases and bezel size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the camera and antenna modules into a separate movable accessory housing that can be detached from the lid. This segmentation allows the lid to maintain a thin profile while the accessory housing contains the camera and antenna components, resolving the contradiction between structural integration and lid thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the camera and antenna modules from a two-dimensional integration within the lid plane to a three-dimensional movable accessory housing that can be positioned at different locations. This dimensional change allows the components to be separated from the lid structure, reducing lid thickness while maintaining functionality.
2Length of stationary object
If the camera module size is reduced to fit in the lid, then the lid thickness is minimized, but camera quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the camera module into a dedicated movable accessory housing, the patent allows the camera component to be optimized for quality without being constrained by the thin lid dimensions. The accessory housing can accommodate a larger, higher-quality camera module while the lid remains thin.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable accessory housing can be dynamically positioned to optimize camera quality for different use cases. The housing can be moved to positions that provide better lighting conditions, angles, and distances for image capture, thereby improving camera quality beyond what a fixed integration would allow.
3Device complexity
If the camera is positioned at the bottom edge of the lid, then the structure is simplified, but the image capturing angle becomes undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a movable accessory housing that can be dynamically repositioned along the lid edge. This dynamic positioning capability allows the camera to be moved from the bottom edge to the top edge or intermediate positions, optimizing the image capturing angle for different scenarios while maintaining structural simplicity through a single modular component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the camera positioning from a fixed one-dimensional location at the bottom edge to a movable position along the entire perimeter of the lid. This dimensional freedom allows optimization of the image capturing angle while maintaining the simplified modular structure.
4Manufacturing precision
If larger camera and antenna components are used, then image quality and signal reception are improved, but the bezel size increases
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting the camera and antenna components into a separate movable accessory housing, the patent removes these components from the bezel area. This segmentation allows larger, higher-quality components to be used in the accessory housing without increasing the bezel size of the main display area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the camera and antenna modules from the fixed lid structure and places them in a removable accessory housing. This extraction allows the main lid and bezel to maintain their original dimensions while the accessory housing can accommodate larger components for improved image quality and antenna performance.
Data Source
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AI summary
Laptop computers with a movable accessory housing are described herein. An example laptop computer incudes a base, a lid moveably coupled to the base, a display carried by the lid, an arm pivotably coupled to the lid, and an accessory housing carried by the arm. The arm is pivotable to move the accessory housing between a first position in which the accessory housing is disposed along a bottom edge of the lid and a second position in which the accessory housing is disposed along a top edge of the lid.