Patent ID: 8537271

Claim:
A camera shutter mechanism, comprising: a first cover assembly having a first rotary motor, a first crank mechanism coupled to the first rotary motor to be rotated by the first rotary motor about a central axis of the first crank mechanism, and a first cover coupled to the first crank mechanism at a point away from the central axis of the first crank mechanism, the first cover having an area at least as large as an imaging sensor array so as to completely cover the imaging sensor array when the first cover is in a first shutter closed position; a second cover assembly having a second rotary motor, a second crank mechanism coupled to the second rotary motor to be rotated by the second rotary motor about a central axis of the second crank mechanism, and a second cover coupled to the second crank mechanism at a point away from the central axis of the second crank mechanism, the second cover having an area at least as large as the imaging sensor array so as to completely cover the imaging sensor array when the second cover is in a second shutter closed position; a guide to support the first cover and the second cover, the guide restricts the first cover and the second cover to a substantially linear motion; and a drive circuit to control the first rotary motor and the second rotary motor so that the first cover and the second cover move back and forth repeatedly to cover and expose the imaging sensor array.