# US 12,181,774 B2 · Information handling system electromechanical camera shutter with plural apertures

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- Number: US 12,181,774 B2
- Document ID: US12181774B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/093,448
- Filed: 2023-01-05
- Published: 2024-07-11
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2023-01-05
- Assignees: Dell Products L.P.
- Applicants: Dell Products L.P.
- Inventors: Enoch Chen; Deeder M. Aurongzeb; Peng Lip Goh; Yao-Hsien Huang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181774B2

## CPC

- G03B 11/043: {Protective lens closures or lens caps built into cameras}
- G06F 1/1609: {to support filters or lenses}
- G06F 1/1679: {for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA (G06F1/1681 takes precedence)}
- G06F 1/1686: {the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera}
- H04N 23/57: Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
- H04N 23/11: for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
- G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A portable information handling system camera module has a single shutter that slides in response to a single shutter mechanism to manage access for a field of view of both a visual camera and an infrared camera by sliding only between first and second positions, the first position aligning an opening of the shutter with a visual camera and a shield visual camera opening, the second position blocking the opening of the shutter and extending an end of the shutter over infrared camera.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information handling system comprising:
a housing;
a processor disposed in the housing and operable to execute instructions to process information;
a memory disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the instructions and information;
an embedded controller interfaced with the processor and operable to manage operating conditions in the housing; and
a camera module having a visual camera and an infrared camera coupled to a circuit board and a shutter assembly, the shutter assembly having a shield with a visual camera opening and an infrared camera opening and having a shutter coupled to a shutter actuator, the shutter actuator sliding the shutter relative to the shield between a first position that blocks both the visual camera opening and the infrared camera opening and a second position that exposes the visual camera through the visual camera opening and the infrared camera through the infrared camera opening.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the shutter actuator comprises:
an electromagnet coupled to the circuit board;
a guide coupled to the shield;
a slider plate coupled to the shutter and the guide and configured to slide in the guide to move the shutter between the first and second positions; and
a magnet coupled to the slider plate and positioned to move the slider plate in the guide in response to a magnetic field of the electromagnet.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the slider plate has one opening and an end distal the slider plate, the opening aligned with the visual camera opening in the second position, the end extending over the infrared camera opening in the second position.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the camera module shutter has only the first position blocking capture of images by both the visual camera and the infrared camera and the second position provide a field of view to capture visual images by both the visual camera and the infrared camera.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the guide comprises a first guide body on a first side of the visual camera and a second guide body on a second side of the visual camera, the shutter spanning between the first and second guide bodies.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The information handling system of claim 5 further comprising a magnetic stop coupled to the guide and positioned to engage the slider plate when rotated to a first position and to disengage when rotated to a second position, the magnetic stop rotating between the first and second positions in response to the magnetic field of the electromagnet.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The information handling system of claim 6 wherein the electromagnet comprises a voice coil having first and second arms extending around the magnetic stop.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The information handling system of claim 7 further comprising plural spring biased connectors extending from the guide to contact the circuit board to communicate power to the electromagnet.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The information handling system of claim 8 wherein:
the visual camera power routes through spring biased connectors to the magnetic stop;
the electromagnet rotates the magnetic stop in response to a manual activation; and
the manual activation prevents power to the visual camera when the shutter is in the second position.

### Claim 10

A method for managing camera access at an information handling system, the method comprising:
configuring a shutter with a shutter opening;
engaging the shutter with a shutter actuator to slide between only a first position and a second position relative to a shield;
coupling the shield to align a first shield opening with a visual camera and a second shield opening with an infrared camera;
aligning the shutter opening with the first shield opening in the first position and blocking the first shield opening with the shutter in the second position; and
exposing the infrared camera in the first position and blocking the second shield opening with an end of the shutter in the second position.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10 further comprising:
configuring an electromagnet of the shutter actuator with a first magnetic alignment to move a slider plate and a slider magnet so that the shutter has the first position; and
configuring the electromagnet of the shutter actuator with a second magnetic alignment to move the slider plate and the slider magnet so that the shutter has the second position.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 further comprising:
rotationally coupling a lock magnet to a shutter body in a fixed location relative to the shield and electromagnet;
in response to the changes between the first and second magnetic alignments, rotating the lock magnet to selectively engage and release the slider plate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 further comprising:
coupling the visual camera and infrared camera to a circuit board; and
coupling the shutter actuator to the shutter body;
coupling the shutter body a spaced distance above the circuit board; and
interfacing the shutter actuator and the circuit board with spring biased connectors extending from the shutter body.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13 further comprising:
interfacing power to operate the visual camera through the lock magnet;
rotating the lock magnet to a first orientation that interfaces the power through the lock magnet to the visual camera; and
rotating the lock magnet to a second orientation that disconnects power through the lock magnet to the visual camera.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10 further comprising:
coupling a speaker in the slider plate; and
generating an audible response from the speaker when the speaker slides with the slider plate at a predetermined position.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15 further comprising:
coupling a manual input device proximate the slider plate; and
sliding the manual input device to translate by magnetic attraction of the manual input device and the slider magnet to slide the shutter relative to the shield.

### Claim 17

A camera module comprising:
a visual camera;
an infrared camera;
a circuit board, the visual camera and infrared camera coupled to the circuit;
a shutter assembly having a shield with a visual camera opening aligned with the visual camera and an infrared camera opening aligned with the infrared camera and a shutter coupled to a shutter actuator, the shutter actuator sliding the shutter relative to the shield between a first position that blocks both the visual camera opening and the infrared camera opening and a second position that exposes the visual camera through the visual camera opening and the infrared camera through the infrared camera opening.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The camera module of claim 17 wherein the shutter actuator comprises:
an electromagnet interfaced with the circuit board;
a guide coupled to the shield;
a slider plate coupled to the shutter and the guide and configured to slide in the guide to move the shutter between the first and second positions; and
a magnet coupled to the slider plate and positioned to move the slider plate in the guide in response to a magnetic field of the electromagnet.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The camera module of claim 18 wherein the electromagnet comprises a voice coil motor coupled in the guide and interfaced with the circuit board by spring biased connectors that extend down from the guide to bias against contacts of the circuit board.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The camera module of claim 19 wherein the slider plate has one opening and an end distal the slider plate, the opening aligned with the visual camera opening in the second position, the end extending over the infrared camera opening in the second position.