Abstract:
A rotary module comprises: a digital camera module (DCM) electrically connected to a main body of an electronic product; a hinge assembly connected to a holding device (HD) and the main body, so as to allow relative rotation between the main body and the flip cover; a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB); and the HD to hold the DCM, and provide a wiring space for winding the FPCB and a hollow sleeve for receiving the hinge assembly. One end of the FPCB is connected to the DCM, and the rest extends along the flat surface of the HD, then winds around the wiring space, and finally connects to a PCB of either the main body or the flip cover. The rotary module could be disposed in an axial sleeve of flip-type cellular phone. When the flip cover is rotated, the HD and the DCM simultaneously rotate with the flip cover.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application Ser. No. 93104381, filed Feb. 20, 2004, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates in general to a rotary module, and more particularly to the rotary module having a digital camera module (DCM). 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Recently, there has been an increased demand in the marketplace for multi-mode cellular phones, particularly the cellular phones with photo-taking mode. With the cellular phone having photo-taking mode, a user can take a picture of anything (without intruding on other&#39;s privacies), and transmit the captured image anytime and anywhere. 
     Most of conventional multi-mode cellular phones are designed by externally connecting the digital camera module to the main body of cellular phone. This external-type digital camera module is generally bulky, and inconvenient to carry. Also, the overall size and weight of the cellular phone are increased after the digital camera module is externally attached to the main body of cellular phone. Now, more and more manufacturers have developed new types of multi-mode cellular phones. For the phones without a flip cover, the digital camera modules are commonly positioned at the main boards. For the phones with the flip covers, the digital camera modules are commonly positioned at the corners of the covers. There remains a need in the art, however, for improving the view finding of photo-taking, the size and the production cost of the cellular phone. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a rotary module with digital camera module. By designing a holding device having a special configuration, and assembling the holding device, digital camera module and flexible printed circuit board, it is much easier and timesaving to assemble the digital camera module and a hinge assembly with the applied electronic device (such as a cellular phone). Also, the well-assembled rotary module is very small and light. 
     The invention achieves the objects by providing a rotary module with a digital camera module. The rotary module comprises a digital camera module, electrically connected to a main body of an electronic device; a hinge assembly, and two ends respectively connected to a holding device and the main body so as to allow a relative rotation between a flip cover and the main body; a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB); and the holding device, for placing the digital camera module. The holding device has a hollow sleeve for receiving the hinge assembly and provides a winding portion around which part of the FPCB winds. Also, one end of the FPCB is electrically connected to the digital camera module, and the rest of the FPCB stretches at a bottom surface of the holding device, and winds around the winding portion of the hollow sleeve, and then is extended toward either the flip cover or the main body for electrical connection. 
     The rotary module can be installed in an electronic device, for example, secured in the axial sleeve of a cellular phone. When a relative rotation between the flip cover and the main body of the cellular phone is performed, the holding device of the rotary module and the digital camera module are simultaneously rotated with the flip cover. The flip cover could be opened or closed when a photo-taking mode is in use. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a rotary module with a digital camera module assembled with the cellular phone according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates the disassembled parts of the rotary module of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2B  illustrates the bottom of the hold device in  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 2C  illustrates the flexible printed circuit board of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the rotary module assembled within the axial sleeve according to the embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4A  is a bottom view of a cellular phone with the digital camera module according to the embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates the opened flip cover of the cellular phone according to the embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a rotary module with a digital camera module applied in an electronic product. By designing a holding device having a special configuration, and assembling the holding device, digital camera module and flexible printed circuit board, the flip cover rotating with respect to the main body also possesses the function of photo-taking. According to the embodiment of the invention, a cellular phone is illustrated as an electronic product in the application. 
     Also, the embodiment disclosed herein is for illustrating the invention, but not for limiting the scope of the invention. Additionally, the drawings used for illustrating the embodiment of the invention only show the major characteristic parts in order to avoid obscuring the invention. Accordingly, the specification and the drawing are to be regard as an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a rotary module with a digital camera module assembled with the cellular phone according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. The flip cover  1 , which has a display (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) or not, is assembled with the main body  2 . An axial sleeve  3  connected to the end of the flip cover  1  is used for receiving the rotary module  4  with a digital camera module  10 . Preferably, the axial sleeve  3  and the flip cover  1  are integrated as a whole. During assembling, the rotary module  4  is inserted into the axial sleeve  3 , and the assembly direction is specified by the arrow in  FIG. 1 ; then, the flip cover  1  and the main body  2  are rotatably connected. Also, there is a transparent aperture  5  on the axial sleeve  3 . The transparent aperture  5  is positioned and shaped with respect to the digital camera module  10 , for being a view-finding window. 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates the disassembled parts of the rotary module of  FIG. 1 . The rotary module  4  of the embodiment comprises a digital camera module  10 , a holding device  20 , a hinge assembly  30  and a flexibled printed circuit board (FPCB)  40 . 
     The digital camera module  10  is electrically connected to the main body  2 . When a user takes a picture, the data is transmitted to a processing system of the main body  2 , and the image captured by the digital camera module  10  is shown on the display after processing. The digital camera module  10  could be a still digital camera module, or a video camera module. 
     The holding device  20  comprises a positioning groove  21 , a hollow sleeve  22  and a securing portion. The positioning groove  21 , used for placing the digital camera module  10 , has a first sidewall  23   a  and a second sidewall  23   b  formed opposite. Preferably, the distance between the first sidewall  23   a  and the second sidewall  23   b  is substantially identical to the size of the digital camera module  10 , so that the first sidewall  23   a  and the second sidewall  23   b  can be tightly against the lateral sides of the digital camera module  10 . Also, there is a hole  24  opened through the second sidewall  23   b , and the positioning groove  21  communicates with the hollow sleeve  22  through the hole  24 . 
     The hollow sleeve  22  is laterally elongated from one side of the positioning groove  21 , and has an insertion hole  22   b  for placing the hinge assembly  30 . The hinge assembly  30  is assembled to the holding device  20  by receiving the hinge assembly  30  in the insertion hole  22   b . In this embodiment, the digital camera module  10  secured on the holding device  20  is rotated with the rotation of the filp cover  1  (the detail described later), and so is one end  31  of the hinge assembly  30  (i.e. the end  31  connected to the digital camera module  10  through the hole  24 ). The other end  32  of the hinge assembly  30  is fixed on the main body  2 . 
     In this embodiment, a stopper ring  25  and a stopper plate  26  are preferably formed on the outer surface  22   a  of the hollow sleeve  22 . The space between the stopper ring  25  and the stopper plate  26  properly creates a winding portion  27  for winding the flexible printed circuit board  40  without sliding off. The stopper plate  26  is preferably formed at the end of the hollow sleeve  22 . Additionally, a notch  28  formed at the first sidewall  23   a  functions as the securing portion of the holding device  20  in this embodiment. By mating the notch  28  and the rib  50  shown in  FIG. 3  of the axial sleeve  3 , the rotary module  4  can be fixed within the axial sleeve  3 , and simultaneously rotated with respect to the rotation of the flip cover  1 . 
     It is, of course, noted that the fixation between the rotary module  4  and the axial sleeve  3  is not limited in the way described herein. For example, the notch and the rib could be respectively formed on the axial sleeve  3  and the holding device  20  for achieving the purpose of fixation. 
       FIG. 2B  illustrates the bottom of the hold device in  FIG. 2A . The bottom of the holding device  20 , including the bottom surfaces  210  and  220  of the positioning groove  21  and the hollow sleeve  22 , is a flat surface. Moreover,  FIG. 2B  clearly shows the insertion hole  22   b  of the hollow sleeve  22  has a non-circular cross section, and the plane face  222  is used for constraining the rotation of the hinge assembly  30  within the hollow sleeve  22 . Preferably, the shape and the size of the hinge assembly  30  are identical to that of the insertion hole  22   b  of the hollow sleeve  22 . 
       FIG. 2C  illustrates the flexible printed circuit board of  FIG. 2A . The flexible printed circuit board (FPCB)  40  comprises a first connecting end  41 , a second connecting end  42  and an extending portion  43 . The first connecting end  41  is electrically connected to the digital camera module  10 . The second connecting end  42  is electrically connected to the PCB disposed in the flip cover of the main body. Two ends of the extending portion  43  respectively joint the first connecting end  41  and the second connecting end  42 . Part of the extending portion  43  winds around the outer surface  22   a  of the hollow sleeve  22  (see  FIG. 2A ). 
     During assembly, the first connecting end  41  of the FPCB  40  is connected to the digital camera module  10 , and the rest of the FPCB  40  goes to the back of the holding device  20  and stretches from the bottom surface  210  of the positioning groove to the bottom surface  220  of the hollow sleeve  22  for performing the winding action in the winding portion  27 . After the winding action is done, the FPCB  40  is away from the hollow sleeve  22  and extended toward either the flip cover  1  or the main body  2 . In this embodiment, the FPCB  40  is extended toward the main body  2  and connected to the PCB of main body  2  through the second connecting end  42 . The second connecting end  42  can be electrically connected to the main body  2  through a FPCB connector or a board-to-board connector. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the rotary module assembled within the axial sleeve according to the embodiment of the invention. Please also refer  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2A . As shown in  FIG. 3 , a rib  50  is formed at the inner wall of the axial sleeve  3 , and mated with the notch  28  of the first sidewall  23   a . Accordingly, the rotary module and the digital camera module  10  are simultaneously rotated with the axial sleeve  3 . In this embodiment, the axial sleeve  3  and the flip cover  1  are integrated in a single module. When a user opens the flip cover  1 , the axial sleeve  3 , the rotary module  4  and the digital camera module  10  are simultaneously rotated with the flip cover  1 . Through the transparent aperture  5 , the digital camera module can perform the camera function and take a picture. 
       FIG. 4A  is a bottom view of a cellular phone with the digital camera module according to the embodiment of the invention. When the flip cover  1  is closed, the digital camera module  10  secured in the axial sleeve  3  is turned to the back of the cellular phone.  FIG. 4B  illustrates the opened flip cover of the cellular phone according to the embodiment of the invention. When the flip cover  1  is opened, the digital camera module  10  secured in the axial sleeve  3  faces the user. Accordingly, when the user wants to take a picture of scenery, thing, friend or family, the backside of the cellular phone faces the to-be-photoed object as shown in  FIG. 4A  for photo taking. If the user wants to take a photo of self, the flip cover  1  is opened as shown in  FIG. 4B  for photo taking. 
     According to the aforementioned description, the rotary module with the digital camera module of the invention is provided by assembling a holding device (integrated as a single module)  20  with the digital camera module  10 , a hinge assembly  30  and a flexible printed circuit board  40 . Thus, it is very easy and timesaving to assemble the rotary module  4  within the axial sleeve  3  of the cellular phone. Also, the assembled rotary module  4  having small size and camera function can be rotated simultaneously with the flip cover. Without causing an effect on the flip-open and flip-close actions, the electronic product applied with the rotary module of the invention has the advantages of packed size, easy-to-photo, and low production cost. 
     While the invention has been described by way of examples and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.