Portable display device

Details Portable display device Portable display device

1998-01-14

2001-09-25

Ho, Tuan (Department: 2612)

Television

Camera, system and detail

With electronic viewfinder or display monitor

C348S376000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06295088

ABSTRACT:

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The disclosures of the following priority applications are herein incorporated by reference: Japanese Patent Application No. 9-032164, filed Feb. 17, 1997, Japanese Patent Application No. 9-146364, filed Jun. 4, 1997, and Japanese Patent Application No. 9-150840, filed Jun. 9, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to electronic devices such as, for example, electronic cameras. More specifically, it relates to an electronic camera which includes a photographic lens, an optical viewfinder and a screen monitor for monitoring an image to be photographed.
2. Description of Related Art
Advancements in liquid crystal display (LCD) technology now permit LCD screens to be used in portable devices such as digital cameras and PDA's (Personal Digital Assistants) which are even usable outdoors. Improved display operability has meant that LCD displays now appear in many common consumer devices. Although the conventional electronic camera is portable, when it is placed on a tabletop for connection to external devices and peripherals, the camera slants, causing difficulty in viewing the screen and difficulty operating the device.
Conventional digital cameras display object images, which are imaged by an imaging element, such as a CCD, onto a liquid crystal monitor. In these conventional systems, the digital camera is generally separated from the user when taking pictures so that the user can observe the liquid crystal monitor. For example, the digital camera may be positioned higher or lower than the user's viewing level, which may make it difficult to properly depress and operate operating buttons.
In response to this problem, some conventional electronic cameras include a camera body partitioned into a main body section, which houses the photographic elements and optical system, and a display section that includes the display monitor. The display monitor is attached so that it is capable of rotating around an axis perpendicular to the optical axis even if the main camera body section attached to the liquid crystal monitor is small.
FIG. 6
shows a conventional electronic camera which includes an electronic camera main body
61
and display component main body
62
which are formed as parallelepipeds having the same shape and same size and are oriented so that their side surfaces
61
a
and
62
a
abut. The main body
61
and display component main body
62
are connected by a rotating joint and thus rotate freely around an axis perpendicular to the side surfaces
61
a
and
62
a.
An imaging element, a lens unit having a lens aperture
63
located on the side surface
61
b
adjacent to side surface
61
a
and a motor are installed inside the camera main body
61
.
Inside the display component main body
62
, an LCD external display device is disposed in a manner so that it is positioned on the top surface
62
c.
The LCD displays images output from the electronic camera main body
61
as well as menu settings and a listing of camera functions.
The conventional electronic camera shown in
FIG. 6
also includes an IrDA aperture
65
which is positioned on the side surface
62
b,
adjacent to the side surface
62
a
and the top surface
62
c
of the display component main body
62
. The IrDA aperture facilitates transmission of image information to, e.g., a personal computer and/or television and allows remote operation of/by a personal computer via standard infrared communication.
The rotating joint described earlier includes cylindrical members fixed to the centers of the side surfaces
61
a
and
62
a
and which have matched axes in a direction perpendicular to the side surfaces
61
a
and
62
a.
The cylindrical members are coupled so as to be capable of rotation. In the hollow center of the cylindrical members, a contact lead is inserted for connecting the constituent elements inside the display component main body
62
and the constituent elements inside the electronic camera main body
61
. An intermittent rotating mechanism is provided in the coupled section, and the display component main body
62
and camera main body
61
can be set to the desired angle by rotating the display component main body
62
with respect to the camera main body
61
.
In operation, a user holds the display component main body
62
or the electronic camera main body
61
in one hand. The lens aperture
63
can be pointed at objects above and below the user's eye level while viewing the object with the LCD display window
64
by turning the electronic camera main body
61
in the direction of the object to be imaged with respect to the display component main body
62
.
When operating the electronic camera, a grip is generally formed on either the display component main body
61
or the electronic camera main body
62
in order to hold the device stabily. As shown by the dotted lines in
FIG. 6
, the grip section may protrude from the bottom surface
62
d
which is the surface opposite the top surface
62
c
or on the bottom surface
61
d
which is the surface opposite surface
61
c
and perpendicular to the side surface
61
b
on which the lens aperture
63
is formed.
In order to implement the rotatable display, additional design conditions must be considered focusing on the difficulty of operating the digital camera controls and effectively controlling vibration (e.g., due to hand shaking).
FIG. 19
shows a conventional electronic device including a display unit
42
having a liquid crystal display device (LCD) joined with an imaging unit
41
on which a shooting lens and an imaging device are positioned in a manner so that the display unit
42
rotates freely relative to the imaging unit
41
. This particular device may function as a video camera or digital still camera.
This type of electronic camera permits a user to image an object while observing the object on a display screen as well as locations above or below the object in order to verify the image position.
In operation, a user supports the electronic camera by holding the imaging unit
41
with a right hand
43
, and performs imaging of the object by directing the shooting lens in a desired direction.
Conventional electronic cameras generally position the display unit on a top face which is the widest surface of the camera, while the imaging unit is positioned on a side face where the palm of the right hand makes contact. This configuration makes storage difficult, particularly because the display unit and imaging unit are not rotatable relative to one another. Where the electronic camera includes a zooming function, the lens unit extends in the direction of the optical axis creating an addition to the imaging unit
41
.
Conventional digital cameras, which include zoom lenses are often tall and narrow in shape or narrow and flat, like a pair of binoculars. This configuration permits all of the camera elements to be positioned in a functional manner. However, unlike binoculars, which are only for viewing objects, it is helpful to the operation of a digital camera if the display monitor can be rotated relative to the photographic optical axis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an electronic device and display unit (e.g., an electronic camera) with superior operability when used as a portable device or on a desktop.
According to one aspect of the invention, a portable electronic device includes a display component main body which has a first surface and a first side surface which is smaller than the first surface. A device display device is positioned on the first surface. A device main body includes a second side surface, which is about the same height as the first side surface, mounted to the first side surface so that the first and second side surfaces rotate freely with respect to each other about an axis of rotation. A grip section is provided as a projection on a surface of the display component main body that faces in a direction opposite of the first surface. The distance between the axis of rotation and a third side surface that intersects the sec

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