Portable electronic device

A portable electronic device includes a housing and a main body. The housing has an image pickup window. The main body is accommodated in the housing. The main body includes a first lens module, a second lens module, a rotatable base and a driving element. The rotatable base carries the first lens module and the second lens module thereon. The driving element is configured for driving the rotatable base to rotate to selectively allow the first lens module or the second lens module to be aligned with the image pickup window.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to portable electronic devices, and particularly to a portable electronic device with an image pickup device.

2. Description of Related Art

Currently, portable electronic devices, such as portable computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular telephones are now in wide spread use. Along with the increasingly widespread use of such devices, there is a demand for developing portable electronic devices with multifunction, such as incorporating an image pickup function. Meanwhile, volume reduction is also a trend for such products.

Camera module of the portable electronic devices are generally equipping with, for example, a wide-angle lens module and a zoom lens module for achieving wide-angle image pickup function and zooming image pickup function, respectively. However, with both the wide-angle lens module and zoom lens module arranged in the portable electronic devices, volume of the portable electronic devices increases dramatically.

What is needed, therefore, is a portable electronic device with multiple image pickup functions and having reduced volume.

SUMMARY

A portable electronic device is provided. In one present embodiment, the portable electronic device includes a housing and a main body. The housing has an image pickup window. The main body is accommodated in the housing. The main body includes a first lens module, a second lens module, a rotatable base and a driving element. The rotatable base carries the first lens module and the second lens module thereon. The driving element is configured for driving the rotatable base to rotate to selectively allow the first lens module or the second lens module to be aligned with the image pickup window.

Another portable electronic device is provided. In one present embodiment, the portable electronic device includes a housing, a supporting base, a plurality of camera modules and a driving element. The housing has an image pickup window. The supporting base is received in the housing. The supporting base is rotatable about a rotating axis. The camera modules are mounted on the supporting base. Each of the camera modules includes an image sensor and a lens module. Each lens module has an optical axis perpendicular to the rotating axis. The optical axes of the lens modules extend radially with respect to the rotating axis. The driving element is configured for driving the supporting base to rotate to selectively align one of the camera modules with the image pickup window.

Advantages and novel features of the present portable electronic device will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate two preferred or exemplary embodiment of the present portable electronic device, in various form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe embodiments of the present portable electronic device in detail.

Referring toFIG. 1,FIG. 2andFIG. 3, a portable electronic device100in accordance with a first embodiment, is shown. The portable electronic device100includes a housing110and a main body120. The main body120is accommodated in the housing110. In the present embodiment, the portable electronic device100is a mobile phone.

The housing110includes a front portion111and a rear portion112. The front portion111and the rear portion112are assembled with each other to accommodate the main body120, as shown inFIG. 3. The housing110has an image pickup window113defined on the rear portion112of the housing110. In the present embodiment, the image pickup window113is, but not limited to, in a circular shape.

The main body120includes a first lens module11, a second lens module12, a rotatable base121and a driving element122. The first lens module111and the second lens module12are disposed on the rotatable base121by adhesive, as shown inFIG. 2. The first lens module11and the second lens module12can be different kinds of lens modules, e.g. zoom lens module, wide-angle lens module, ultra-angle lens module, telephoto lens module, and so on. That is, the first lens module11and the second lens module12can separately achieve different optical functions. However, it is understood that the number of lens module11,12disposed on the rotatable base121is not limited to two. In the present embodiment, there are five lens modules11,12,13,14,15configured for achieving different optical functions, disposed on the rotatable base121.

The driving element122is connected to the rotatable base121, which is disposed corresponding to the image pickup window113. The driving element122can drive the rotatable base121to rotate to selectively allows one of lens modules11,12,13,14or15to be aligned with the image pickup window113to capture an image of an object outside the image pickup window113. Particularly, the driving element122includes a motor1221and a transmission element1222. The motor1221drives the transmission element1222. The transmission element1222is connected to the rotatable base121so as to transmit the rotatable force to rotate the rotatable base121. Additionally, the main body120can further include a circuit (not shown) electrically connected to the driving element122. The circuit can control the driving element122to operate. However, the rotatable base121is not limited to be driven automatically. Alternatively, the rotatable base121can be rotated manually. In the present embodiment, the transmission element1222includes a gear. The motor1221can be an electrostatic micromotor or a magnetic microstepping motor.

Referring toFIG. 2, the rotatable base121is in a disk-like shaped. The rotatable base121has a toothed hole O defined at the center thereof. The toothed hole O is meshed with the transmission element1222. The rotatable base is rotatable about an axis N. In the present embodiment, the lens modules11,12,13,14,15are disposed on a side of the rotatable base121facing away from the transmission element1222. In addition, the lens modules11,12,13,14,15are spaced a distance from the axis N. That is, the distance between each of the lens modules11,12,13,14or15and the toothed hole O is about equal. In the present embodiment, an inclined angle α made by the lines connecting one of the adjacent lens modules11,12to the toothed hole O of the rotatable base121is about 72 degrees.

In addition, optical axes of the lens modules11,12,13,14,15are parallel to the axis N associated with the rotatable base121. The openings of lens modules11,12,13,14,15are configured for allowing light to enter and facing the same direction toward the image pickup window113. For obtaining desired images, the specific lens modules11,12,13,14or15can be selected and driven to align with the image pickup window113by rotating the rotatable base121. In such case, the portable electronic device100can further include a switch191configured for activating or deactivating the driving element122to operate at will so as to allow the desired lens module11,12,13,14or15to perform image pickup by user.

In use, when a specific lens module11,12,13,14or15is selected for image capturing, the circuit generates a controlling signal and transmits it to the motor1221. The motor1221drives the transmission element1222connected to the rotatable base121. Therefore, the rotatable base121can rotates clockwise or counter-clockwise by the rotatable force transmitted from the transmission element1222. Particularly, the rotatable base121is driven to rotate at an angle unit β to allow the lens module11,12,13,14or15to be aligned with the image pickup window113. In the present embodiment, the degree of the angle unit β is the same as the degree of the inclined angle α, e.g. 72 degrees.

For example, if the lens module11faces the image pickup window113, i.e. at a start position, and the lens module12is selected by user, the rotatable base121rotates one angle unit β, i.e. 72 degrees, in a clockwise direction to allow the desired lens module12to face the image pickup window113. After that, if another lens module13is selected, the rotatable base121rotates again to advance one more angle unit β to allow the lens module13to face the image pickup window113. In such case, the portable electronic device100can further include a sensor disposed on the rotatable base121(not shown). The sensor can be a magnetic sensor or an optical sensor to detect the value of the rotated angle units β of the rotatable base121. Moreover, for storing the data of movement of the lens modules11,12,13,14,15the portable electronic device100can further include a memory module to storing such data. Therefore, the positions of the lens modules11,12,13,14,15can be detected and be memorized/stored for facilitating the desired lens module11,12,13,14or15to be rotated to desired position.

However, the mechanism for position the desired lens module11,12,13,14or15is not limited to what mentioned above. As mentioned above, the lens module12and the lens module13can be selected separately to be aligned with the image pickup window113. After the lens module12aligning with the image pickup window113, the rotatable base121can rotate in counter-clockwise direction to return to the position where the lens module11faces the image pickup windows113. Then, the rotatable base121is driven to rotate two angle units β, i.e. 144 degrees, in clockwise direction so as to allow the lens module13to align with the image pickup window113.

Referring toFIG. 4,FIG. 5andFIG. 6, a portable electronic device200in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, is shown. The portable electronic device200includes a housing210and a main body220. The main body220is accommodated in the housing210.

The portable electronic device200of the second embodiment is similar to the portable electronic device100of the first embodiment. The difference is that an image pickup window213is defined on a front portion211of the housing210. Particularly, the image pickup window213in the present embodiment is provided on the top side of the portable electronic device200. In addition, a rotatable base221in the present embodiment has a plurality of receiving spaces2212disposed along the circumference thereof, as shown inFIG. 6. The lens modules21,22,23,24,25with different optical functions are received within the receiving spaces2212. In the present embodiment, the receiving spaces2212are slots formed around the lateral wall2211of the disk-like rotatable base221. The rotatable base221can be driven by the driving element222and then allows each of the lens modules21,22,23,24or25to be aligned with the image pickup window213defined on the top side of the portable electronic device200. In such case, optical axes of the lens modules21,22,23,24,25are perpendicular to the axis N associated with the rotatable base221.

In conclusion, by ways of disposing the lens modules with different optical functions on the rotatable base, the portable electronic device can easily achieve multiple image pickup functions. In addition, the portable electronic device in such design is compact.