Vivo has filed a patent for an electronic device/smartphone with a housing for the device and a flying camera. The housing of the electronic device has an opening and an interior cavity, and the opening communicates with the internal cavity. The flying camera is movably arranged on the device housing. Further, the flying camera can be extended out of the equipment housing or retracted into the equipment housing through the opening if the flying camera is located outside the equipment housing. Moreover, the flying camera can be separated from the device housing.
Inside the Vivo flying camera module comprises a casing and a first camera, a battery, a propeller, and a second driving mechanism provided in the casing. The flying camera module is drivingly connected and drives the propeller to rotate. The battery is connected to the first camera and the second driving mechanism for the power supply, and the second driving mechanism is connected to the propeller.
Recently published reports say that Vivo has filed a patent for a smartphone with a built-in flying camera. The camera will detach from the smartphone and fly in the air, allowing users to take creative photos. Moreover, the electronic device/smartphone can only take pictures within the limited working distance of the camera module and cannot achieve longer-distance shooting.
During the usage of the camera module, it is highly observed that at the same time, the electronic device/smartphone camera module requires the user to grasp the electronic device during shooting and adjust the shooting angle by adjusting the body posture, so there is a problem of poor shooting flexibility.
The patent, titled ‘Electronic device’ for Vivo Mobile Communication, was filed with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) in December 2020. (click here to read more)
Figures of patent application clearly illustrate the working of the detachable flying camera inside the electronic device./smartphone, batteries, camera sensors, and infrared sensors are integrated. Moreover, the drawing in the filing depicts a small compartment on the smartphone’s top edge where the detachable camera can be slid in and out.
The camera shown in the present application has four propellers to get it up in the air, a battery compartment for solo flying, and a dual-camera system, with one sensor capturing footage above and the other below.
Accordingly, the camera system inside the smartphone and the mounting bracket can slide out entirely from the housing.
Multiple infrared sensors are installed on the camera module’s edges to calculate the distance to other objects and avoid collisions.
The detachable flying camera can be controlled using the smartphone to which it is connected, and it is likely to support air gestures as well, according to the patent. While the patent shows two cameras attached to the module in the sketch, it also states that a third and fourth camera can be added.
With today’s technology, the feasibility of such an idea is questionable. There are some obvious challenges that Vivo must overcome, such as the fact that the lightweight and small flying camera may be more susceptible to wind turbulence, resulting in shaky and unstable footage. Vivo could integrate a stabilising gimbal system into the cameras to reduce shaky footage, but the effect would likely be minor.
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