Camera Tilt Mechanism

Camera Tilt Mechanism

      Disclosed is a tilt mechanism of a video camera unit that can
be used in a notebook type Personal Computer (PC).  This invention
presents automatic tilt mechanism.

      Recently, some notebook PCs, such as IBM ThinkPad Power Series
850, have been equipped with a video camera (Fig. 1).  In using such
a type of PC, the operator needs to tilt the camera to adjust the as
shown in Figs. 2 through 4.

This mechanism includes the functions as follows:
  -  Camera unit extracts along with panel opening.
  -  Camera unit retracts with panel closing.
  -  Camera unit's angle is maintained horizontally at
      any panel tilted position.

      This mechanism comprises the slide member at the shaft of the
video camera rotation and the linkage member between the video camera
and the panel hinge unit.

      Fig. 5 shows the basic structure of this tilt mechanism.  The
pulley is attached at the shaft of the camera rotation and the hinge
unit of the panel.  These pulleys are linked with the belt or wire.
So the camera angle is maintained horizontally at any panel tilted
position.

      Fig. 6 shows the slide mechanism at the rotation shaft of the
camera unit.  The operator can adjust the camera tilted angle by this
slide mechanism.  The adjusted camera angle is maintained at any
panel tilted position by the linkage mechanism between the panel
hinge and the camera rotation shaft.