# US 10,122,898 B2 · Electronic device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,122,898 B2 - Document ID: US10122898B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/003,998 - Filed: 2016-01-22 - Published: 2016-08-18 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-16 - Assignees: Mediatek Inc. - Applicants: MediaTek Inc. - Inventors: Yu-Chun Chang; Tsu-Ming Liu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10122898B2 ## CPC - H04N 23/51: Housings - G01N 15/1434: Optical arrangements - G01N 21/53: within a flowing fluid, e.g. smoke - G01N 21/55: Specular reflectivity - G06F 1/1626: {with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]} - G06F 1/1686: {the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera} - G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user} - G06F 3/0484: for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range - G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures - G06F 3/16: Sound input; Sound output (speech processing G10L) - G06T 3/60: Rotation of whole images or parts thereof - G06V 40/166: {using acquisition arrangements} - H04M 1/0264: {for a camera module assembly} - H04N 7/144: {camera and display on the same optical axis, e.g. optically multiplexing the camera and display for eye to eye contact} - H04N 7/15: Conference systems - H04N 23/54: Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils - H04N 23/57: Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices - H04N 23/61: based on recognised objects - H04N 23/63: by using electronic viewfinders - G01N 2201/062: LED's - G01N 2201/0638: Refractive parts - G06F 2203/04806: Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation - G06F 2203/04808: Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen - H04N 2007/145: {Handheld terminals} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing; a camera module disposed in the housing and having a lens outstanding from a surface of the housing; and a protection unit connected to the housing, wherein when the camera module is in an off-state, a top surface of the protection unit is higher than a surface of the lens, when the camera module is in an on-state, the top surface of the protection unit is lower than the surface of the lens. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device, comprising: a housing; a camera module disposed in the housing and having a lens outstanding from a surface of the housing; and a protection unit connected to the housing, wherein when the camera module is in an off-state, a top surface of the protection unit is higher than a surface of the lens, when the camera module is in an on-state, the top surface of the protection unit is lower than the surface of the lens, and wherein the protection unit moves along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the housing between the on-state and the off-state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protection unit has a circular shape, an arc shape, a square shape, strip shape, or a rectangular shape. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a material of the lens comprises plastic or glass. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lens is a fisheye lens. ### Claim 5 An electronic device, comprising: a housing; a camera module disposed in the housing and having a lens; and a protection unit connected to the housing, wherein when the camera module is in an off-state, the protection unit covers the lens, when the camera module is in an on-state, the lens outstands from a surface of the housing and the protection unit exposes the lens, wherein the protection unit is connected to the housing by a joint, when the camera module switches from the off-state to the on-state, the protection unit rotates to expose the lens with the joint serving as an axis of rotation, when the camera module switches from the on-state to the off-state, the protection unit rotates to cover the lens with the joint serving as the axis of rotation, wherein the axis of rotation is parallel to the surface of the housing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electronic device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the housing has a recess, wherein when the camera module is in an on-state, the protection unit exposes the lens and is disposed in the recess. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The electronic device as claimed in claim 5, wherein a material of the lens comprises plastic or glass. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The electronic device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the lens is a fisheye lens. ### Claim 9 An electronic device, comprising: a housing; a camera module disposed in the housing and having a lens; a protection unit connected to the housing, wherein when the camera module is in an off-state, the protection unit covers the lens, when the camera module is in an on-state, the lens outstands from a surface of the housing and the protection unit exposes the lens, wherein when the camera module switches from the on-state to the off-state, the protection unit moves along a first direction parallel to the surface of the housing to cover the lens, and the camera module moves along a second direction perpendicular to the surface of the housing to make a surface of the lens lower than the surface of the housing, when the camera module switches from the off-state to the on-state, the protection unit moves along a third direction parallel to the surface of the housing to expose the lens, and the camera module moves along a fourth direction perpendicular to the surface of the housing to make the surface of the lens higher than the surface of the housing, wherein the first direction is opposite to the third direction, and the second direction is opposite to the fourth direction, wherein the housing has an accommodation space having a first side and a second side which are opposite to each other, wherein the camera module is disposed in the accommodation space and is disposed over a first substrate, when the camera module switches from the on-state to the off-state, the protection unit moves toward the second side to cover the lens, and the first substrate moves toward the first side and the camera module moves toward the first side and toward the first substrate to make the surface of the lens lower than the surface of the housing, when the camera module switches from the off-state to the on-state, the protection unit moves toward the first side to expose the lens, and the first substrate moves toward the second side and the camera module moves toward the second side and moves away from the first substrate to make the surface of the lens higher than the surface of the housing; an elastic unit disposed over the first substrate; and a second substrate disposed over the elastic unit and having a third side and a fourth side which are opposite to each other, wherein the first side of the accommodation space and the third side of the second substrate face each other and are both slanted sides, wherein the camera module is disposed over the second substrate.