Patent Publication Number: US-2010116958-A1

Title: Clamping apparatus of web camera

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a clamping apparatus, and more particularly to a clamping apparatus of web camera. 
     2. The Related Art 
     A known clamping apparatus of web camera is disclosed to clamp a panel body for fixing a web camera onto the panel body. The clamping apparatus includes a first clamping arm, a second clamping arm, a connecting element and an elastic element. The first clamping arm is fixed to one side of the connecting element, and the second clamping arm is movably connected to the other side of the connecting element through the elastic element. An acute angle is formed between a free end of the first clamping arm and a free end of the second clamping arm for clamping the panel body therebetween. The elastic element enables the clamping apparatus to clamp different width panel bodies. 
     However, the above-mentioned clamping apparatus employs the free end of the first clamping arm and the free end of the second clamping arm to form an acute angle therebetween to clamp the panel body, the clamping manner is point-to-surface, the contact area is small and as a result, the clamping is unstable. Moreover, it is liable to scrape the surface of the panel body when clamping the panel body, especially when the panel body is the LCD panel of a notebook computer, so it will impact on the LCD panel. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a clamping apparatus of web camera capable of firmly clamping a panel body to fix a web camera to the panel body. The clamping apparatus includes a first clamping element, a second clamping element and at least one elastic element. The first clamping element has a base portion for engaging with the web camera. The base portion has a first clamping surface. A guide portion is extended from the first clamping surface. The second clamping element has a main portion which has a second clamping surface. The second clamping surface defines a recess for relatively slidably engaging with the guide portion and then adjusting the width of a clamping space defined by the first and second clamping surfaces. The elastic element is disposed between the first clamping element and the second clamping element for providing a clamping force between the first and second clamping surfaces. So that the web camera can be fixed to the panel body by the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface firmly clamping the panel body therebetween. 
     As described above, the web camera is fixed to the panel body by the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface firmly clamping the panel body therebetween. The clamping manner is surface-to-surface, which increases the contact area between the panel body and the first and second clamping surfaces and then ensures the clamping effect more stable, and it will not scrape the surface appearance of the panel body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of an embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a clamping apparatus in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a first clamping element of the clamping apparatus; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second clamping element of the clamping apparatus; 
         FIG. 4  shows that the clamping apparatus holds a web camera and elastic elements of the clamping apparatus are in an expanded state for clamping an object to fix the web camera; and 
         FIG. 5  shows the clamping apparatus holding a web camera, where the clamping apparatus is fixed in a flat base for being placed on a plane surface. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a clamping apparatus  100  according to the invention includes a first clamping element  1 , a second clamping element  2 , a sliding element  3  and a pair of elastic elements  4 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , The first clamping element  1  includes a first upper casing  11 , a first lower casing  12  and a first holding frame  13 . The first upper casing  11  has an upper head portion  111  which defines a receiving chamber  112  therein for receiving a web camera. Two opposing sides of the receiving chamber  112  respectively define a pivotal hole  113  for pivotally engaging the web camera and allowing the web camera to rotate through 180 degrees. The upper head portion  111  defines plural first hooking lumps  114  projecting downwardly. An upper tail portion  115  perpendicularly extends from a rear surface of the upper head portion  111 . Two opposite sides of the upper tail portion  115  respectively define a sliding slot  116  extending horizontally and a location pole  118  located between the sliding slot  116  and the rear surface of the upper head portion  111 . Each sliding slot  116  has an inserting gap  117  extending upward from an end thereof which is adjacent to the location pole  118 . 
     The first lower casing  12  has a lower head portion  121  which defines plural first locking cavities  122  for correspondingly engaging with the first hooking lumps  114  of the first upper casing  11 . A first engaging trough  123  is defined around the outer periphery of a bottom of the lower head portion  121 . The first engaging trough  123  defines two first fixing holes  124  penetrating through the lower head portion  121 . A lower tail portion  125  perpendicularly extends from a rear surface of the lower head portion  121 . Two guiding slots  126  (as best shown in  FIG. 4 ) are defined through a bottom side of the lower tail portion  125  and adjacent to two opposite sides of the lower tail portion  125  respectively. The lengths of the guiding slots  126  are substantially equal to the lengths of the sliding slots  116 , and they are suitable for avoiding damaging the elastic potential energy of the elastic elements  4 . 
     The first hooking lumps  114  are engaged with the first locking cavities  122  at one-to-one correspondence to assemble the first upper casing  11  with the first lower casing  12  together. In this case, the upper head portion  111  and the lower head portion  121  are connected together to form a base portion  10 , the rear surface of the upper head portion  111  and the rear surface of the lower head portion  121  corporately define a first clamping surface  14  (labeled in  FIG. 4 ), the upper tail portion  115  and the lower tail portion  125  are coupled with each other to form a guide portion  15 . 
     The first holding frame  13  has a first holding base  131  showing an arc shape for matching the first engaging trough  123  of the first lower casing  12 . The first holding base  131  defines two first fixed lumps  132  for correspondingly being buckled into the first fixing holes  124  to fix the first holding frame  13  to the first lower casing  12 . The first holding base  131  further defines two first clamping legs  133  apart extending downward from the outside surface thereof, and inner sides of the first clamping legs  133  are disposed at the same plane as the first clamping surface  14  after the first holding frame  13  is assembled to the first lower case  12 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , similar to the first clamping element  1 , the second clamping element  2  includes a second upper casing  21 , a second lower casing  22  and a second holding frame  23 . The second upper casing  21  and the second lower casing  22  can be assembled together, like the first upper casing  11  and the first lower casing  12 , through the cooperation of second locking cavities (not shown) defined in the second upper casing  21  and the second hooking lumps  223  projected out of the second lower casing  22  to form a main portion  20 . And therefore, a second clamping surface  24  is formed at the main portion  20  after the second upper casing  21  is assembled with the second lower casing  22 . The second clamping surface  24  defines a recess  25  for relatively slidably engaging with the guide portion  15  and then adjusting the width of a clamping space defined by the first clamping surface  14  and the second clamping surface  24 . Two opposite sides of the recess  25  respectively extend sideward to form an eschewing opening  26  for allowing the location pole  118  of the first clamping element  1  to pass therethrough. 
     Equivalent to the first lower casing  12 , the second lower casing  22  has a second engaging trough  221  and two second fixing holes  222 . The second lower casing  22  further defines two parallel supporting boards  224  extending upward and projecting out of the second lower casing  22 . The distance between the two supporting boards  224  is substantially equal to the distance between the two guiding slots  126  of the first lower casing  12 . Each supporting board  224  defines a supporting hole  225  penetrating through a top end thereof. 
     The second holding frame  23  is the same as the first holding frame  13 , having a second holding base  231 , two second fixed lumps  232  and two second clamping legs  233 . The second holding base  231  is engaged with the second engaging trough  221  and the second fixed lumps  232  are buckled into the corresponding second fixing holes  222  to fix the second holding frame  23  to the second lower casing  22 . Inner sides of the second clamping legs  233  are also disposed at the same level as the second clamping surface  24  after the second holding frame  23  is assembled to the second lower case  22 . 
     The sliding element  3  has a sliding rod  31  and a limitative bar  32  adhered to the sliding rod  31 . The limitative bar  32  is shorter than the sliding rod  31  and the length of the limitative bar  32  is slightly smaller than or substantially equal to the distance between the two supporting boards  224 . In this embodiment, the elastic elements  4  are drawsprings. 
     In assembly, the supporting boards  224  project through the guiding slots  126  and are properly adjusted along the guiding slots  126  to make the lower tail portion  125  located in the second lower casing  22  and the first lower casing  12  smoothly connected with the second lower casing  22 . Then the first upper casing  11  is assembled to the first lower casing  12 . In this case, the supporting boards  224  are received in the guide portion  15  and the supporting holes  225  are aligned with the inserting gaps  117 . The sliding element  3  is inserted into one inserting gap  117  to mount the sliding rod  31  on the supporting holes  225  and meanwhile, two free ends of the sliding rod  31  are exposed outside through the sliding slots  116 . Rotate the sliding rod  31  to make the limitative bar  32  positioned between the two supporting boards  224  for limiting the movement of the sliding element  3 , so the sliding element  3  will not easily slip out of the upper tail portion  115 . The elastic elements  4  are disposed between the first clamping element  1  and the second clamping element  2  with one end tied to the location pole  118  and the other end fastened to one free end of the sliding rod  31 . Next, the second upper casing  21  is coupled with the second lower casing  22  to receive the upper tail portion  115  therein and smoothly contact the first upper casing  11 . Finally, the first holding frame  13  and the second holding frame  23  are separately fixed to the corresponding first lower casing  12  and the second lower casing  22 . Thus, the clamping apparatus  100  is completely assembled. 
     Refer to  FIG. 4 , which shows an example of the clamping apparatus  100  adapted for fixing a web camera  200  to a panel body (not shown), in general use, the panel body is often the LCD panel of a notebook computer. The web camera  200  which has a USB plug  300  electrically connected therewith is pivotally engaged to the first clamping element  1  and can rotate to any orientation for the convenience of capturing images. When the clamping apparatus  100  is used to fix the web camera  200  to the panel body, the second clamping element  2  is pulled to be removed from the first clamping element  1 . The supporting boards  224  slide along the guiding slots  126  and pull the sliding element  3  to slip along the sliding slots  116 . In this case, the guide portion  15  is exposed out of the second clamping element  2  through the recess  25 , the elastic elements  4  pass through the eschewing openings  26  and are expanded for providing a clamping force between the first surface  14  and the second clamping surface  24 . The first clamping element  1  and the second clamping element  2  will be drawn close to each other due to the elastic potential energy of the elastic elements  4 . So the web camera  200  can be fixed to the panel body by the first clamping surface  14  and the second clamping surface  24  firmly clamping the panel body therebetween. Moreover, the first clamping legs  133  and the second clamping legs  233  can help to strengthen the clamping effect of the clamping apparatus  100 . 
     Refer to  FIG. 5 , showing another example of the clamping apparatus  100  adapted for fixing the web camera  200  on a plane surface. A flat base  400  which defines two inserting holes  401  is provided. The first clamping legs  133  and the second clamping legs  233  are combined with each other to be embedded in the inserting holes  401 . So the web camera  200  can be placed on a table or a desktop computer through the first and the second clamping legs  133 ,  233  inserted into the inserting hole  401  of the flat base  400 . 
     As the above description, the web camera  200  can be placed on a plane surface by the first and the second clamping legs  133 ,  233  combined with each other and inserted into the inserting hole  401  of the flat base  400 . Also, the web camera  200  can be fixed to a panel body by the first clamping surface  14  and the second clamping surface  24  firmly clamping the panel body. The clamping manner is surface-to-surface, which increases the contact area between the panel body and the first and second clamping surfaces  14 ,  24  and then ensures the clamping effect more stable, and it will not scrape the surface appearance of the panel body. 
     The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.