# US 12,181,937 B2 · Electronic device including camera module

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- Number: US 12,181,937 B2
- Document ID: US12181937B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/440,507
- Filed: 2021-09-16
- Published: 2022-10-06
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-09-18
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kyeongeun Lee; Jeongyeol Lee; Sunggwan Woo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181937B2

## CPC

- G06F 1/1686: {the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera}
- G06F 1/1605: {Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones}
- H04M 1/0214: {Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position (combined with translation movement H04M1/0235)}
- H04M 1/0235: {Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts}
- H04M 1/0264: {for a camera module assembly}
- G06F 1/1652: {the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable}
- H04M 1/0268: {including a flexible display panel}
- H04N 23/51: Housings
- H04N 23/55: Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
- H04N 23/57: Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing including a plate structure, a display disposed on the plate structure and including a plurality of layers including a cover layer forming part of a surface of the housing and a panel layer including a light emitting element, and a camera module including a lens assembly including a plurality of lenses, the camera module being at least partially located in a space formed in the plate structure and coupled to the display such that an extension line of an optical axis passes through the panel layer and the cover layer. The panel layer includes a first area including a field of view of the camera module and a second area around the first area, and the number of light emitting elements per unit area of the first area is smaller than the number of light emitting elements per unit area of the second area.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device comprising:
a first housing including a first plate structure;
a second housing including a second plate structure;
a hinge structure configured to rotate the first housing and the second housing about a folding axis such that the first plate structure and the second plate structure face a same direction or form a predetermined angle therebetween;
a display including:
a first flat area disposed on at least part of the first plate structure,
a second flat area disposed on at least part of the second plate structure,
a folding area formed between the first flat area and the second flat area and deformable to be flat or curved,
a panel layer including a pixel array, and
a support layer stacked on a rear surface of the panel layer; and
a camera module coupled to the display such that an optical axis of a first lens of the camera module passes through the pixel array,
wherein the first plate structure or the second plate structure has a first opening formed therein in which at least part of the camera module is accommodated,
wherein the display further includes a second opening formed through at least portion of the support layer,
wherein the second opening is at least partially aligned with the first opening in a direction of the optical axis,
wherein the first lens is located at least partially inside the second opening, and
wherein the camera module is attached to the rear surface of the panel layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1,
wherein the first opening is formed such that a sidewall of the first opening is spaced apart from the camera module by a first gap in a direction of the folding axis and by a second gap in a direction perpendicular to the folding axis, and
wherein the second gap is greater than the first gap.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1,
wherein a camera area through which the optical axis of the first lens passes is defined in the first flat area or the second flat area, and
wherein, when the camera module operates, the camera area displays contents different from contents that an area around the camera area displays.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1,
wherein the pixel array includes a first area through which the optical axis of the first lens passes and that includes a field of view (FOV) of the camera module and a second area around the first area, and
wherein a number of light emitting elements per unit area of the first area is smaller than a number of light emitting elements per unit area of the second area.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The electronic device of claim 4,
wherein the display further includes an aperture layer disposed between the pixel array and the camera module,
wherein the aperture layer includes a transparent area through which the optical axis of the first lens passes and that includes a field of view of the camera module and an opaque area around the transparent area, and
wherein the transparent area functions as an aperture of the camera module.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the transparent area has a smaller area than the first area.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1,
wherein the camera module comprises a lens assembly including a plurality of lenses,
wherein the lens assembly further includes a lens barrel configured to surround at least a part of the plurality of lenses,
wherein lens assembly further includes an adhesive area attached to an outer side surface of the lens barrel and to a rear surface of the panel layer, and
wherein the adhesive area is substantially flat where attached to the rear surface of the panel layer, and
wherein the adhesive area surrounds the second opening.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The electronic device of claim 7,
wherein the plurality of lenses include the first lens,
wherein the first lens is closest to the display among the plurality of lenses,
wherein the first lens includes a flat area formed to be substantially flat, and
wherein the camera module is coupled to the display such that the flat area of the first lens is attached to a rear surface of the panel layer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The electronic device of claim 8,
wherein the pixel array includes a first area through which the optical axis passes and that includes a field of view (FOV) of the camera module and a second area around the first area,
wherein a number of light emitting elements per unit area of the first area is smaller than a number of light emitting elements per unit area of the second area, and
wherein the flat area of the first lens, when viewed from above the panel layer, has an area greater than or equal to that of the first area.