Background of the Invention Next generation wireless communication units have been designed to support multimedia communication features such as digital imaging, either as video and or still photographic images. This requires that the communication units incorporate a mechanism for recording images such as a digital camera function. For the communication unit to operate in a variety of lighting conditions, the unit will also usually include a flash illumination arrangement, say, for recording images in low ambient light conditions.

For the few wireless communication units that currently offer this feature, the flash illumination arrangement is based on generating a pseudo-white light from a number of solid-state devices, such as a combination of red, green and blue light emitting diodes (LEDs). Thus, an appropriate electrical signal is applied to these three diodes simultaneously to produce a pseudo-white flash light.

It is known that such flash illumination units are stand alone items, albeit that they have output characteristics that preferably should be matched to the characteristics of the digital camera system with which they are being used.

The standard mechanism to match a flash illumination arrangement to the requirements of a digital camera is to use an optical lens. The use of an optical lens adds to the complexity of the wireless communication unit, reduces the unit's flexibility and increases the manufacturing costs. Most of these design criteria directly conflict with the key requirements of most wireless communication units, in that they must meet other design criteria such as minimum size and cost.

This is a primary reason why it is only a recent development in the field of wireless communications to support enhanced features such as multimedia functionality.

Thus, a need exists for a wireless communication unit with multimedia capabilities such as digital photography and/or video, and/or an additional artificial illumination mechanism with an improved and inexpensive optical design, wherein the above-mentioned disadvantages of current wireless communication units may be alleviated.

Statement of Invention In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication unit. The wireless communication unit comprises an

integrated optical camera unit and flash optimising unit.

An optical lens associated with the camera unit and an optical lens associated with the flash optimising unit are integral parts of the mechanical housing of the wireless communication unit, the mechanical housing being constructed from one or more housing components.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing component for a wireless communication unit. The housing component is formed from a substantially transparent material whereby one or more defined areas of the component are designed to provide optical properties to control light emissions from a flash unit in the wireless communication unit.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a set of optical housing components for use with mobile phones, for example a set of housing components according to the aforementioned second aspect, where the housing components have different optical properties.

Further features of the present invention are as defined in the appended Claims.

In summary, a wireless communication unit comprising a digital camera and flash optimising unit is described whereby one or more housing components of the wireless communication unit is provided with at least one integral, preferably interchangeable optical lens for focusing light for the camera or flash optimising unit of the wireless communication unit. In this manner, multimedia functionality has been added to the wireless

communication unit at minimal cost and yet still provides high quality optical performance of the camera. The invention thus makes possible the use of a variety of high-resolution cameras, and in particular the ability to readily interchange/transfer optical components to improve or differentiate the quality of multimedia capability in wireless communication units.

Brief Description of the Drawings Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication unit adapted in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 2 illustrates a housing part in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Description of Preferred Embodiments The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in terms of a mobile telephone. However, it will be appreciated that the invention may be embodied in any other type of wireless communication unit that requires or incorporates a camera and/or flash optimising unit, for example a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a mobile radio, etc. The expression housing', in the context of the present invention, encompasses or extends to cover', casing', enclosure', etc. or any part thereof.

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of part of a wireless communication unit 100, adapted to support the inventive concepts of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The communication unit 100, in the context of the preferred embodiment of the invention is a mobile phone. As such, the mobile phone 100 contains an antenna 102, preferably coupled to a duplex filter or antenna switch 104 that provides isolation between receive and transmit chains within the mobile phone 100. The receiver chain, as known in the art, includes receiver front-end circuitry 106 (effectively providing reception, filtering and intermediate or base-band frequency conversion). The front-end circuit is serially coupled to a signal processing function 108. An output from the signal processing function 108 is provided to a suitable output device 110. The functional blocks 128 and 126 represent respectively a digital camera unit and a flash optimising unit in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 2.

As known in the art, the receiver chain also includes received signal strength indicator (RSSI) circuitry 112, which in turn is coupled to a controller 114 for maintaining overall communication unit control. The controller 114 is also coupled to the receiver front-end circuitry 106 and the signal processing function 108 (generally realised by a DSP). The controller 114 may therefore receive bit error rate (BER) or frame error rate (FER) data from recovered information. The controller is also coupled to a memory device 116 that

stores operating regimes, such as decoding/encoding functions and the like. A timer 118 is typically coupled to the controller 114 to control the timing of operations (transmission or reception of time-dependent signals) within the mobile phone 100.

As regards the transmit chain, this essentially includes an input device 120, such as a microphone and keypad, coupled in series through transmitter/modulation circuitry 122 and a power amplifier 124 to the antenna 102. The transmitter/modulation circuitry 122 and the power amplifier 124 are operationally responsive to the controller.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a digital signal is received from the camera unit 128, processed and output to a local display unit 110 or stored in memory 116 for later retrieval and/or transmission.-Advantageously, the camera unit 128 and flash optimising unit 126 are constructed in such a manner as to produce a high quality optical image, which in turn substantially reduces the requirement for post- processing in the signal processing function 108. This also reduces the load on the signal processing function 108 and improves the multimedia performance of the phone from the customer's perspective, not least by allowing better optical reproduction more quickly.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the optical lens of the camera unit 128 and the focusing lens of the flash optimising unit 126 are constructed as integral parts of the mechanical housing of the mobile

phone, where the mechanical housing is constructed from one or more housing components.

Thus, a mobile phone having a camera and flash optimising unit is provided where the mobile phone comprises a housing component with integral optical lens structures, such that the aforementioned disadvantages with prior art arrangements have been substantially alleviated.

Advantageously, by constructing a housing component that supports the camera unit and a white LED flash optimising unit, together with their associated lens structures that are designed and optimised for use together, the primary optical components in the mobile phone are interchangeable and can be readily replaced in a wholesale manner. This allows easy upgrading of an optical unit within the mobile phone.

Furthermore, it is envisaged that a manufacturer of such 'housing components will be able to market a-set of optical housing components for use with mobile phones, where the housing components are configured to provide different optical properties. This enables a range of tiered mobile phones to be developed, with more complex high-resolution or less complex low-resolution camera units and their associated flash optimising units and lens structures. This provides a manufacturer with an opportunity to better differentiate between their ranges of products.

The inventive concepts of the present invention can be better understood by reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Referring now to FIG. 2, a detailed view of a

housing component arrangement 200 is illustrated according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The housing component 200 is preferably constructed with a number of component parts. The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a radio frequency (RF) connector 202 for testing the antenna, a camera port 204 with a lens 206, a mirror 208 and a flash optimising unit 210. The flash optimising unit 210 has an integral lens 212. Thus, the housing is provided with two integral lens structures 206 and 212, which are advantageously manufactured as part of the moulding.

The lenses 206,212 are preferably manufactured to a very high optical specification, thereby providing high quality optical performance with minimal optical aberrations. The flash optimising unit 210, in the context of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, may be viewed as comprising, at least, any light source used to enhance a camera's ability to take a picture. The term encompasses any and all aspects of the optimising unit and any use of a specialised camera, for example one that is capable of working with, say, the infra-red or ultraviolet range of the light spectrum.

Furthermore, it is envisaged that the light source may emit any frequency of the light spectrum including white light, infa-red and ultraviolet.

The housing component 200 is manufactured as a single piece and preferably in a single step process, which thus simplifies the final assembly of the mobile phone itself.

Preferably, different areas of the complete housing component 200 can be manufactured with different

finishes, for example the optically-important areas are manufactured with a high polish whilst other decorated areas can be manufactured with a matt or lower grade polish.

An in-mould foil is located on an external cosmetic surface of the plastic housing component 200. The in- mould foil preferably has a black ink first printed onto the foil, followed by a decorative pattern and/or a variety of colours printed on top of the black ink. The in-mould foil, after printing, preferably has a hard coat finish, either printed or sprayed onto it, which continues over the entire outer cosmetic surface of the housing component 200. Notably, the decorative print is arranged to avoid covering any lens area, which is left clear. In contrast, the hard coat finish, anti reflective coat, etc. , continues over the entire outer cosmetic surface of the housing component 200.

Cleary, it is envisaged that the housing component 200 can also be assembled onto, and removed from, the mobile phone, thus advantageously allowing the use of a range of housing components having a variety of combinations of lenses 206,212 to be coupled to the mobile phone. This significantly extends the capabilities of the integrated camera 204 and flash optimising unit 210, as well as differentiating between phones.

Furthermore, a housing component 200 constructed in this manner allows optical improvements to be continually made available to the wireless communication unit, without affecting the manufacturing process. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a variety of

different mechanical features and decoration techniques can be used to control and optimise the direction of the flash light and prevent light leakage into unwanted areas.

For example, a cylindrical structure 214 is provided adjacent the flash optimising unit (not shown) and the associated flash optimising unit's lens 212. The cylindrical structure 214 is preferably manufactured from a transparent plastic material and comprises a highly polished chamfered angle, which acts to gather light emitted by the flash optimising unit. The 3-dimensional aspect to the cylindrical structure 214 then facilitates the focusing of the emitted light towards the flash optimising unit's lens 212. Notably, the external side of the cylindrical structure 214 is also highly polished to facilitate refraction of the light within the cylindrical structure 214. This has the effect of preventing light bleed directly from the flash optimising unit to the camera, in addition to focusing the light through the clear cylindrical structure 214 towards the flash lens 212. Furthermore, the internal side of the cylindrical structure 214 is also highly polished to facilitate light travelling through the surface by refraction.

In providing a mechanism to readily replace a plurality of camera features of the mobile phone, such as the lenses 206 and 212, and/or the size of the camera port 204, it is thus possible to change the focal length of the camera. In particular, a multi-function optical unit is interchangeable and can be replaced, removed for repair, or upgraded, whilst simultaneously ensuring the

replacement or repaired or upgraded part (s) are optimised for any new focal length. The flash optimising unit's focusing lens 212 of the mechanical housing 200 is always selected to optimise any picture taken from the integrated camera 206, while the power output of the flash optimising unit (say, flash unit 126 of FIG. 1) may be adjusted appropriately via software.

The flash optimising unit and corresponding cylindrical structure 214 are designed to use a variety of pre- determined features in order to gather the maximum amount of light into the desired optical areas of the mechanical housing component 202 and thereby emit this light into the camera's viewable area. The flash optimising unit and corresponding cylindrical structure 214 are also designed to optimise an amount and evenness of light across such a pre-determined camera viewable area at any given focal length The housing component 200 is preferably manufactured from an optically transparent plastic material in a moulding process, where one or more areas of the mould are designed to produce structures in the housing component 200, which have the properties of either or preferably both of the optical lenses 206,212. Thus, in this manner, a low cost manufacturing process can be used to produce a complex optical unit.

In order to isolate the optical lens structures 206, 212 from the main body of the housing component 200, the housing is preferably produced using an in-mould foil process, whereby the foil is first printed with a light absorbing print/layer that reduces leakage/transmission

of light through the component 200 into unwanted areas.

The in-mould decorating film can also be optically graded to prevent polarization and reflections.

Advantageously, the light absorbing coating first printed on the foil does not extend into the regions where the lens structures 206,212 are located, whereas the anti- reflective, optically-clear foil continues over these areas thereby optimising light to pass through. The foil is also provided with a hard, transparent protective coating, which acts as a protective layer for the lens structures 206,212.

The in-mould foil can be further decorated with light absorber on the inside of the clear plastic housing 200, to act as a dark light pipe which absorbs unwanted light.

In this manner, light leakage is further prevented, i. e. light bleeding directly from the flash optimising unit to the camera is reduced.

In order to further improve the optical performance of the camera unit 204, the cylindrical structure 214 is formed in the housing component 200 in the region of the flash optimising lens 212. This cylindrical structure 214 preferably extends inwards towards both the camera sensor and the flash optimising unit (for example a white L. E. D. ) 210 within the mobile phone and thereby acts as a light guide. The interior surface of this cylindrical lens structure 214 is preferably rendered with a very high optical grade polish within the mould tool, which further reduces light leakage and channels light into the exact areas needed.

In this regard, external light entering the phone housing is minimised, primarily by the use of the dark coating printed first on the foil. The optically-clear highly- polished cylindrical structure 214 is also useful to channel the high intensity light that is emitted from the flash optimising unit. In effect, the optically-clear, highly-polished, cylindrical structure 214 gathers light rather than allows light to leak directly across into a camera unit's detector, thereby also improving the efficiency of the flash unit.

By utilising a matched camera lens 206 and corresponding flash lens 212, it is possible to optimise the output power of the flash optimising unit and thus reduce the power requirements of the phone's camera. As mentioned earlier, the cylindrical structure 214 also acts as a light guide causing the available light to be maximised and evened out across the viewing area of the camera, thereby resulting in a better image quality of the picture. The light absorbing printing on the clear foil, (for example the anti-reflective coating, and reduced polarization of the foil in the lens areas) also minimises the amount of unwanted light entering the plastic of the housing component, thereby reducing the amount of refracted light entering the camera detector.

In an enhanced embodiment of the present invention, it is envisaged that the flash optimising unit, camera and associated camera and flash lenses may be designed to operate in the infra-red or ultraviolet light range. In this manner, it is envisaged that one of a set housing components for a camera unit can be designed to enable a

wireless communication unit to be work with night vision, and/or infa-red heat signature features.

It will be understood that the wireless communication unit with an interchangeable optical housing component as described above aims to provide at least one or more of the following advantages: (i) The highly integrated optical design and the light-guide optical construction result in a worthwhile reduction in part count and assembly costs; (ii) Provides an improvement in optical quality; (iii) The improved optical unit allows the use of higher resolution sensors in the camera of mobile phones; (iv) The integrated optical design enables operation in poor lighting conditions; (v) The integrated optical design facilitates a reduction in power consumption of a multimedia wireless communication unit; and/or (vi) The optical unit allows a user of the communication unit to easily replace the optical housing component, thereby enabling a user to readily modify the performance of the camera, i. e. to change the focal length and/or to alter the characteristics of the flash optimising unit.

Whilst the specific and preferred implementations of the embodiments of the present invention are described above, it is clear that one skilled in the art could readily apply variations and modifications of such inventive concepts.

Thus, a wireless communication unit with integrated optical camera and flash optimising unit have been described where the aforementioned disadvantages with prior art arrangements have been substantially alleviated.