CLAMPING APPARATUS OF WEB CAMERA
A clamping apparatus of web camera includes a first clamping element, a second clamping element and at least one elastic element. The first clamping element has a base portion for engaging with a web camera. The base portion has a first clamping surface. A guide portion is extended from the first clamping surface. The second clamping element has a main portion which has a second clamping surface. The second clamping surface defines a recess for relatively slidably engaging with the guide portion and then adjusting the width of a clamping space defined by the first and second clamping surfaces. The elastic element is disposed between the first clamping element and the second clamping element for providing a clamping force between the first and second clamping surfaces.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamping apparatus, and more particularly to a clamping apparatus of web camera.
2. The Related Art
A known clamping apparatus of web camera is disclosed to clamp a panel body for fixing a web camera onto the panel body. The clamping apparatus includes a first clamping arm, a second clamping arm, a connecting element and an elastic element. The first clamping arm is fixed to one side of the connecting element, and the second clamping arm is movably connected to the other side of the connecting element through the elastic element. An acute angle is formed between a free end of the first clamping arm and a free end of the second clamping arm for clamping the panel body therebetween. The elastic element enables the clamping apparatus to clamp different width panel bodies.
However, the above-mentioned clamping apparatus employs the free end of the first clamping arm and the free end of the second clamping arm to form an acute angle therebetween to clamp the panel body, the clamping manner is point-to-surface, the contact area is small and as a result, the clamping is unstable. Moreover, it is liable to scrape the surface of the panel body when clamping the panel body, especially when the panel body is the LCD panel of a notebook computer, so it will impact on the LCD panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the present invention is to provide a clamping apparatus of web camera capable of firmly clamping a panel body to fix a web camera to the panel body. The clamping apparatus includes a first clamping element, a second clamping element and at least one elastic element. The first clamping element has a base portion for engaging with the web camera. The base portion has a first clamping surface. A guide portion is extended from the first clamping surface. The second clamping element has a main portion which has a second clamping surface. The second clamping surface defines a recess for relatively slidably engaging with the guide portion and then adjusting the width of a clamping space defined by the first and second clamping surfaces. The elastic element is disposed between the first clamping element and the second clamping element for providing a clamping force between the first and second clamping surfaces. So that the web camera can be fixed to the panel body by the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface firmly clamping the panel body therebetween.
As described above, the web camera is fixed to the panel body by the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface firmly clamping the panel body therebetween. The clamping manner is surface-to-surface, which increases the contact area between the panel body and the first and second clamping surfaces and then ensures the clamping effect more stable, and it will not scrape the surface appearance of the panel body.
The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of an embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
With reference to
Please refer to
The first lower casing 12 has a lower head portion 121 which defines plural first locking cavities 122 for correspondingly engaging with the first hooking lumps 114 of the first upper casing 11. A first engaging trough 123 is defined around the outer periphery of a bottom of the lower head portion 121. The first engaging trough 123 defines two first fixing holes 124 penetrating through the lower head portion 121. A lower tail portion 125 perpendicularly extends from a rear surface of the lower head portion 121. Two guiding slots 126 (as best shown in
The first hooking lumps 114 are engaged with the first locking cavities 122 at one-to-one correspondence to assemble the first upper casing 11 with the first lower casing 12 together. In this case, the upper head portion 111 and the lower head portion 121 are connected together to form a base portion 10, the rear surface of the upper head portion 111 and the rear surface of the lower head portion 121 corporately define a first clamping surface 14 (labeled in
The first holding frame 13 has a first holding base 131 showing an arc shape for matching the first engaging trough 123 of the first lower casing 12. The first holding base 131 defines two first fixed lumps 132 for correspondingly being buckled into the first fixing holes 124 to fix the first holding frame 13 to the first lower casing 12. The first holding base 131 further defines two first clamping legs 133 apart extending downward from the outside surface thereof, and inner sides of the first clamping legs 133 are disposed at the same plane as the first clamping surface 14 after the first holding frame 13 is assembled to the first lower case 12.
Please refer to
Equivalent to the first lower casing 12, the second lower casing 22 has a second engaging trough 221 and two second fixing holes 222. The second lower casing 22 further defines two parallel supporting boards 224 extending upward and projecting out of the second lower casing 22. The distance between the two supporting boards 224 is substantially equal to the distance between the two guiding slots 126 of the first lower casing 12. Each supporting board 224 defines a supporting hole 225 penetrating through a top end thereof.
The second holding frame 23 is the same as the first holding frame 13, having a second holding base 231, two second fixed lumps 232 and two second clamping legs 233. The second holding base 231 is engaged with the second engaging trough 221 and the second fixed lumps 232 are buckled into the corresponding second fixing holes 222 to fix the second holding frame 23 to the second lower casing 22. Inner sides of the second clamping legs 233 are also disposed at the same level as the second clamping surface 24 after the second holding frame 23 is assembled to the second lower case 22.
The sliding element 3 has a sliding rod 31 and a limitative bar 32 adhered to the sliding rod 31. The limitative bar 32 is shorter than the sliding rod 31 and the length of the limitative bar 32 is slightly smaller than or substantially equal to the distance between the two supporting boards 224. In this embodiment, the elastic elements 4 are drawsprings.
In assembly, the supporting boards 224 project through the guiding slots 126 and are properly adjusted along the guiding slots 126 to make the lower tail portion 125 located in the second lower casing 22 and the first lower casing 12 smoothly connected with the second lower casing 22. Then the first upper casing 11 is assembled to the first lower casing 12. In this case, the supporting boards 224 are received in the guide portion 15 and the supporting holes 225 are aligned with the inserting gaps 117. The sliding element 3 is inserted into one inserting gap 117 to mount the sliding rod 31 on the supporting holes 225 and meanwhile, two free ends of the sliding rod 31 are exposed outside through the sliding slots 116. Rotate the sliding rod 31 to make the limitative bar 32 positioned between the two supporting boards 224 for limiting the movement of the sliding element 3, so the sliding element 3 will not easily slip out of the upper tail portion 115. The elastic elements 4 are disposed between the first clamping element 1 and the second clamping element 2 with one end tied to the location pole 118 and the other end fastened to one free end of the sliding rod 31. Next, the second upper casing 21 is coupled with the second lower casing 22 to receive the upper tail portion 115 therein and smoothly contact the first upper casing 11. Finally, the first holding frame 13 and the second holding frame 23 are separately fixed to the corresponding first lower casing 12 and the second lower casing 22. Thus, the clamping apparatus 100 is completely assembled.
Refer to
Refer to
As the above description, the web camera 200 can be placed on a plane surface by the first and the second clamping legs 133, 233 combined with each other and inserted into the inserting hole 401 of the flat base 400. Also, the web camera 200 can be fixed to a panel body by the first clamping surface 14 and the second clamping surface 24 firmly clamping the panel body. The clamping manner is surface-to-surface, which increases the contact area between the panel body and the first and second clamping surfaces 14, 24 and then ensures the clamping effect more stable, and it will not scrape the surface appearance of the panel body.
The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.
Claims
1. A clamping apparatus of a web camera, comprising:
- a first clamping element having a base portion for engaging with the web camera, the base portion having a first clamping surface, a guide portion extended from the first clamping surface;
- a second clamping element having a main portion, the main portion having a second clamping surface, the second clamping surface defining a recess for relatively slidably engaging with the guide portion and then adjusting the width of a clamping space defined by the first and second clamping surfaces; and
- at least one elastic element disposed between the first clamping element and the second clamping element for providing a clamping force between the first and second clamping surfaces;
- wherein the base portion of the first clamping element has at least one first clamping leg extending downward from a bottom thereof and an inner side of the first clamping leg is disposed at the same plane with the first clamping surface, the main portion of the second clamping element has at least one second clamping leg extending downward from a bottom thereof and an inner side of the second clamping leg is disposed at the same level with the second clamping surface.
2. (canceled)
3. The clamping apparatus of a web camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a flat base which defines at least one inserting hole, the first clamping leg and the second clamping leg being capable of combining together and embedded in the inserting hole for placing the web camera on a plane surface.
4. A clamping apparatus of a web camera, comprising:
- a first clamping element having a base portion for engaging with the web camera, the base portion having a first clamping surface, a guide portion extended from the first clamping surface;
- a second clamping element having a main portion, the main portion having a second clamping surface, the second clamping surface defining a recess for relatively slidably engaging with the guide portion and then adjusting the width of a clamping space defined by the first and second clamping surfaces; and
- at least one elastic element disposed between the first clamping element and the second clamping element for providing a clamping force between the first and second clamping surfaces;
- wherein two opposite sides of the guide portion respectively define a sliding slot and a location pole located between the sliding slot and the first clamping surface, a sliding element being placed on the sliding slots with two free ends thereof projecting outside from the sliding slots, one end of the elastic element being tied to one location pole and the other end being fastened to one free end of the sliding element, two opposing sides of the recess of the second clamping element respectively extending sideward to form an eschewing opening for allowing the location pole and the elastic element to pass therethrough.
5. The clamping apparatus of a web camera as claimed in claim 4, wherein a bottom side of the guide portion defines two guiding slots apart from each other, the main portion of the second clamping element having two supporting boards extending upwardly into the recess from a bottom thereof, the supporting boards correspondingly passing through the guiding slots and extending into the guiding portion and capable of sliding along the guide slots.
6. The clamping apparatus of a web camera as claimed in claim 5, wherein each sliding slot has an inserting gap extending upward from an end thereof which is adjacent to the location pole, each supporting board defining a supporting hole penetrating through a top end thereof for being in alignment with the inserting gaps, the sliding element having a sliding rod and a limitative bar shorter than the sliding rod connected with the sliding rod, the limitative bar inserted in the inserting gap to mount the sliding rod on the supporting holes, then supporting boards holding the sliding rod and pulling the sliding rod to slip along the sliding slots.
7. The clamping apparatus of a web camera as claimed in claim 5, wherein a limitative bar is jammed between the two supporting boards for limiting the movement of the sliding element by rotating a sliding rod after the sliding element is mounted on the supporting boards.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 7, 2008
Publication Date: May 13, 2010
Inventor: Da-Yong Kuo (Tu-Cheng City)
Application Number: 12/289,928
International Classification: A47B 96/06 (20060101);