Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention generally relates to a mobile device and, more particularly, to a mobile device with a digital camera and an assembly method thereof.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Mobile phones are built with digital lenses for providing a digital camera function, but conventional digital cameras configured on the mobile phones do not support the optical zooming function. In general, a digital zooming function can only be simulated by graphic and image processing software which is capable of partially enlarging or reducing sizes of images. This simulating software, however, may cause blurred pictures.  
         [0005]     Recently, the manual zooming digital camera modules are provided on the mobile phones and it can photograph not only at a regular distance but also at a close distance. Besides, the manual zooming digital camera is capable of zooming-in or zooming-out function by rotating a ring configured on the mobile phone.  
         [0006]     The conventional manual zooming digital camera modules are mainly assembled by three portions including a rotatable ring, a housing, and a third section which can be a supporting or restraining means. The third section and the housing construct a containing space so that the rotatable ring can be disposed and rotated in the containing space.  
         [0007]     Nevertheless, the third section and the housing are coupled by the hot-melt means or the adhesives, wherein additional tooling is required in a hot-melt process, thus increasing the cost of manufacturing the ring, and further the adhesives break easily. In addition, the hot-melt means and adhesives may be not strong enough to bear external force.  
         [0008]     Accordingly, it is known that the third section in the conventional mobile device will result in increasing the cost of manufacturing the ring and the dimension of the mobile device. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved mobile device to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     An object of the present invention provides a mobile device with a digital camera module and an assembly method for reducing the manufacturing cost and allowing easy assembly.  
         [0010]     Another object of the present invention provides a mobile device with a digital camera module and an assembly method for easily assembling a ring on a housing of the mobile device, wherein the ring is capable of rotating on the housing to provide zooming and focusing functions.  
         [0011]     In accordance with an object of the present invention, a mobile device with a digital camera module is provided. The mobile device includes a housing, a digital camera module, and a ring. The housing has a through hole and a first notch and a second notch formed in the through hole. The digital camera module includes an arm. The ring has a first side forming an extended portion and a bump, wherein the extended portion is disposed in the first notch and is interacted with the arm, and the bump is disposed in the second notch, such that the ring is assembled on the housing by the extended portion and the bump.  
         [0012]     In accordance with an object of the present invention, a mobile device with a digital camera module is provided. The mobile device includes a housing, a digital camera module, and a ring. The housing forms a through hole, wherein a first notch and a second notch are defined around the through hole. The digital camera module includes an arm. The ring includes an extended portion and at least one bump. The extended portion is disposed in the first notch and is interacted with the arm, and the bump is disposed in the second notch.  
         [0013]     A block is disposed in the first notch to provide a drop height when the extended portion of the ring passes the block. In addition, two edges of the first notch respectively have a hitch, such that the hitches are kept the extended portion in the first notch when the extended portion is disposed.  
         [0014]     The through hole further forms a plurality of openings, and a plurality of protruding portions is disposed between the openings, wherein the first notch and the second notch are disposed between two of the protruding portions.  
         [0015]     A second side of the ring includes a driving portion for enabling users to control the ring. The first side of the ring further includes a second bump, one of the protruding portions further forms a third notch, and the second bump is disposed in the third notch.  
         [0016]     In accordance with an object of the present invention, a method of assembling a mobile device is provided. The mobile device includes a housing having a through hole, two openings defined around the through hole and corresponding to at least two protruding portions, two sides of each of the protruding portions respectively including a hitch, and a ring including a first side, an extended portion and at least one bump. The method of assembling a mobile device is characterized in including the steps of passing the extended portion of the ring through one of the openings of the housing; and making the extended portion or the bump of the ring cross the hitches of the housing, wherein the extended portion or the bump is respectively movable corresponding to one of the protruding portions.  
         [0017]     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  shows the ring attached to the housing of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4   a  shows the ring and the housing of the present invention before being assembled; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 4   b  shows the assembly of the ring and the housing. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0023]     The present invention provides a design to permit easy assembly of a mobile device with a digital camera capable of manually zooming and focusing during an image capturing process.  FIG. 1  shows a mobile device of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The mobile device  1  includes a housing  11  and a ring  13 . In the embodiment, the mobile device  1  can be a bar-type mobile phone. The housing  11  may be an upper cover of the mobile device  1 , and the ring  13  is attached to the upper cover of the mobile device  1 . In other embodiments, the ring  13  may be disposed on a bottom cover of a mobile device. The present invention is not limited in bar-type phones, but also may be utilized in folding-type phones, sliding-cover phones, smart phones, PDAs, or other mobile devices.  
         [0024]     A driving portion  131  is formed on the surface of the ring  13 , which enables a user to control a zooming-in and zooming-out function. The driving portion  131  is used to drive the ring  13  and is not limited in a specific form. For instance, the driving portion  131  can be a bulge with a regular or triangular shape. In other embodiments, the driving portion  131  may be received in a recess of the ring  13  so that a user may drive the ring  13  by the recess.  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the mobile device. The mobile device includes the ring  13 , the housing  11 , and the digital camera module  14 . The housing has a through hole  111 , wherein openings  1114 ,  1115 ,  1116  are formed around the through hole  111  and respectively correspond to protruding portions  1111 ,  1112 ,  1113 .  
         [0026]     A first side  1301  of the ring  13  has the driving portion  131  thereon, and a second side  1302  of the ring  13  has an extended portion  132 , and bumps  133 ,  134 . In the present embodiment, the first side  1301  of the ring  13  is defined as an upper side, and the second side  1302  of the ring  13  is defined as a bottom side. In addition, the extended portion  132  further forms a hole  1321 .  
         [0027]     The digital camera module  14  includes an arm  141  and a lens  142 , wherein the arm  141  includes a short pillar  1411  corresponding to the through hole  1321  of the extended portion  132  of the ring  13 . In addition, the arm  14  is interacted with the lens  142 . When the short pillar  1411  is engaged with the through hole  1321  of the extended portion  132  of the ring  13 , the extended portion  132  is utilized to control the motion of the arm  141  for controlling the zooming function of the digital camera  14 . For instance, when the arm  141  is rotated from a first position A to a second position B, a focus of the lens  142  is changed to thus execute the zooming-in function. On the other hand, when the arm  141  is rotated from the second position B to the first position A, the digital camera  14  is capable of executing the zooming-out function.  
         [0028]     According to the design provided by the present invention, the ring  13  is allowed to be directly attached to the housing  11 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The detailed steps of assembling the ring  13  and the housing  11  are described in the following and shown in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b.    
         [0029]      FIG. 4   a  shows the ring  13  and the housing  11  before being assembled. In the first embodiment, the housing  11  has openings  1114 ,  1115 ,  1116 . During assembling the ring  13  and the housing  11 , the extended portion  132  passes through one of the openings  1114 ,  1115 ,  1116  of the through hole  111 . In the embodiment, the extended portion  132  passes through the opening  1115 , and the bumps  133 ,  134  are respectively disposed in the openings  1114  and  1116 .  
         [0030]     Next, as shown in  FIG. 4   b,  two sides of each of the protruding portions  1111 ,  1112 ,  1113  corresponding to the openings  1114 ,  1115 ,  1116  of the through hole  111  respectively have hitches  1121 ,  1122 ,  1123 ,  1124 ,  1125 ,  1126 , and a notch is defined between each pair of the hitches. For instance, a notch  1117  is formed between the hitches  1121  and  1122  of the protruding portion  1111 . Similarly, the protruding portions  1112  and  1113  correspondingly have the notches  1118  and  1119 .  
         [0031]     As shown in  FIG. 4   b,  the extended portion  132  crosses the hitch  1121  and enters the notch  1117 . Similarly, the bumps  133 ,  134  correspondingly cross the hitches  1123 ,  1125  and enter the notches  1118 ,  1119 , wherein the extended portion  132  and the bumps  133 ,  134  are respectively disposed on the protruding potions  1111 ,  1112 ,  1113 . Because of the hitches  1121 ,  1122 ,  1123 ,  1124 ,  1125 ,  1126 , the extended portion  132 , the bumps  133 ,  134  are movably disposed in the notches  1117 ,  1118 ,  1119 . In another embodiment, the hitches  1121 ,  1123 , and  1125  have hooks to constrain the extended portion  132  and the bumps  133 ,  134  moving in the notches  1117 ,  1118 , and  1119 .  
         [0032]     Furthermore, the ring  13  and the housing  11  are capable of being directly assembled. The notches  1117 ,  1118 ,  1119  support the extended portion  132  and the bumps  133 ,  134 , and thus the ring  13  is attached to the housing  11 .  
         [0033]     As described above, the second side  1302  of the ring  13  of the embodiment forms the extended portion  132  and the bumps  133 ,  134  corresponding to the notches  1117 ,  1118 ,  1119  of the through hole  1111  of the housing  11  for coupling the ring  13  to the housing  11 . Alternatively, the second side  1302  of the ring  13  is not only formed an extended portion, but also formed one or more bumps depending on different angles. Moreover, the shapes of the extended portion  132  and the bumps may also be modified according to different requirements.  
         [0034]     In order to sense the change of the focus of the lens, a block (not shown) may be disposed in the notch  1117  and the users can feel a drop height when the extended portion  132  of the ring  13  passes the block. As mentioned above, the ring is coupled with the through hole of the housing to reduce the manufacturing cost and time.  
         [0035]     Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Technology Category: 5