Apple Inc.

Aurelien R Hubert

Scott Wallace Miller

Douglas Stuart Brodie

Qiang Yang

Shashank Sharma

Bin Xu

Yoshiyuki Takase

Simon S Lee

Ho Seop Jeong

Seyed Mohammad Javid Mahmoudzadeh

Phillip R Sommer

Steven Webster

Stoyan P Hristov

Ryan J Dunn

Calvin Kyaw Wong

Xu Wang

Xiao Liao

Lee E Hooton

Yazan Z Alnahhas

Jeffrey Nathan Gleason

Iain A McAllister

Alex J Speltz

Julien C Vittu

Nitin Kumar Chennupati

David C Beard

Ya-Wen Hsu

Masahito Morita

Kevin Garrison

Paulom Shah

Jee Tung Tan

Vijay Kumar

Chaitali N Dalvi

Justan Forsyth

Regis R Tessieres

Jinjun Zhang

Nicole Elizabeth Cazares

Quiang Yang

Various embodiments include a damper arrangement that may be used to dampen motions of a dynamic component. In some embodiments, the damper arrangement may be used in a camera module that includes a stationary component and a dynamic component. For instance, the dynamic component may hold a lens such that the lens moves together with the dynamic component. In various examples, the damper arrangement may include an interface member that extends from the stationary component or the dynamic component to at least partially into a viscoelastic material within a pocket configured in the stationary component, the dynamic component, or both. The interface member may be configured to traverse within the viscoelastic material to dampen motion of the dynamic component, for example, during operation of a lens actuator to move the dynamic component along an optical axis of the lens.

Damper arrangement for actuator damping

Various embodiments include a camera having a ball bearing voice coil motor (VCM) actuator for moving a carrier (and image sensor) and a flexure to supply a drive current to the ball bearing VCM actuator, allowing motion of the carrier relative to a stationary structure of the camera while maintaining an electrical connection. In embodiments, the camera may include a shield can coupled to a lens barrel (e.g., forming a seal to block particles and/or light), and the carrier is coupled with the image sensor. The ball bearing VCM actuator may include a coil coupled with the carrier, a magnet coupled with the shield can, and a ball bearing suspension arrangement to suspend the carrier from the shield can.

Ball bearing sensor shift camera with flexure

An actuator assembly for a camera module is provided. The actuator assembly includes a transversal actuator for motion of an image sensor of the camera module in one or more directions orthogonal to an optical axis of the camera module. The actuator assembly also includes an axial actuator for motion of the image sensor in one or more directions parallel to the optical axis of the camera module. The actuator assembly further includes a carrier retaining a portion of the transversal actuator and a portion of the axial actuator. The carrier moves with the image sensor in the one or more directions orthogonal to the optical axis of the camera module and is static relative to motion of the image sensor in the one or more directions parallel to the optical axis of the camera module.

Five-axis sensor shift camera module

A camera may include a tilt actuator having one or more tilt magnets and one or more tilt coils. The tilt actuator may detect unexpected tilt between one or more lenses and an image sensor of the camera. The tilt actuator may control current of the tilt coils to interact with magnetic fields of the tilt magnets to generate motive force to rotate the lenses relative to the image sensor around one or more axes to compensate for the detected tilt. In addition, the tilt coils and tilt magnets may interact to move the lenses relative to the image sensor along an optical axis of the lenses to adjust a focus of the camera.

Camera with tilt compensation

A camera may include at least one actuator configured to move an image sensor relative to one or more lenses in one or more directions to implement an optical image stabilization (OIS) function. The camera may include a first suspension wires having one or more flexure arms to allow the image sensor to move relative to the lenses in the one or more directions for performing the OIS. The camera may further include a second suspension structure having one or more suspension wires to stabilize the image sensor and restrain it from moving in other directions.

Suspension wires for optical image stabilization (OIS) function of cameras

A camera includes a camera actuator having autofocus (AF) voice coil motor (VCM) with a lens carrier mounting attachment moveably mounted to a base, magnets mounted to the base, and an AF coil fixedly mounted to the lens carrier mounting attachment for producing forces for moving a lens carrier in a direction of an optical axis of a lens of the lens carrier. The magnets may include a pair of first magnets laterally spaced along a first side of the camera and a pair of second magnets laterally spaced along a second side of the camera opposite the first side. The optical image stabilization (OIS) VCM includes an image sensor carrier moveably mounted to the base, and OIS coils moveably mounted to the image sensor carrier within the magnetic fields of the magnets, for producing forces for moving the image sensor carrier in directions orthogonal to the optical axis.

Optical image stabilization with voice coil motor for moving image sensor

A camera may comprise a sensor-shift structure including a substrate to allow an image sensor to be movable relative to one or more lenses of the camera in one or more directions. During a drop or shock event, the substrate may experience unwanted movement and collide with a base structure in the vicinity. The camera may include one or more protection structures to prevent the substrate from directly colliding with the base structure to protect the base structure from potential damages. The protection structures may be implemented using components placed at the substrate and/or the base structure.

Protection structures for sensor-shift cameras

Some embodiments include a camera voice coil motor (VCM) actuator that includes an additive coil structure for shifting a lens along one or multiple axes. The additive coil structure may include a base portion configured to couple with a lens carrier and at least partially surround a perimeter of the lens carrier. In various examples, the additive coil structure may include folded portions that individually include a respective coil that is located proximate a respective magnet. According to various embodiments, the additive coil structure may be formed using an additive process.

Additive coil structure for voice coil motor actuator

A ball bearing sensor shift arrangement for a camera may include one or more voice coil motor (VCM) actuators that include the fixed magnets, optical image stabilization (OIS) coils, and/or one or more autofocus (AF) coils. The ball bearing sensor shift arrangement may be coupled with an image sensor of the camera, and may include carrier frames configured to move on ball bearings so as to enable motion of the image sensor in multiple degrees-of-freedom (DOF). An OIS carrier frame(s) may be coupled with the OIS coils, which may be positioned proximate the fixed magnets and used for moving the image sensor in directions orthogonal to an optical axis of the camera. An AF carrier frame may be coupled with the AF coil(s), which may be positioned proximate the fixed magnets and used for moving the image sensor in at least one direction parallel to the optical axis.

Ball bearing sensor shift arrangement for camera with fixed magnets

A camera module includes a lens assembly, a lens holder, and an image sensor assembly. The lens assembly includes a lens barrel and multiple lens elements embedded within the lens barrel. A change of temperature causes an optical focal shift that is determined according to an optical thermal shift rate associated with an optical design of the lens assembly. The lens holder has a lens holder CTE to compensate for the optical focal shift by thermo-mechanical expansion. The change of temperature causes a length expansion of the lens holder determined at least in part according to the lens holder CTE. The image sensor assembly includes an image sensor and a substrate coupled to the image sensor, the image sensor to capture light passing through the multiple lens elements and convert the captured light into image signals. The lens holder is attached to the lens barrel and the substrate using adhesives.

Lens holder to compensate for optical focal shift by thermo-mechanical expansion

Various embodiments include a welded bracket structure for camera modules and techniques for forming such a welded bracket structure. In some embodiments, the welded bracket structure may include a first bracket and a second bracket that are welded to each other. Some embodiments include a weld joint arrangement comprising one or more weld joints for attaching the first bracket to the second bracket. Furthermore, some embodiments include an epoxy arrangement for a multi-camera system that includes the welded bracket structure and multiple camera modules.

Welded bracket structure for a multi-camera system

A camera may use a multi-axis image sensor shifting system to implement both autofocus (AF) and optical image stabilization (OSI) functions. The multi-axis image sensor shifting system may include a flexure suspension arrangement and an actuator. The flexure suspension arrangement may include an inner frame, an intermediate frame, and an outer frame. The actuator may include one or more magnets, and two sets of one or more coils attached respectively to some of the frames of the flexure suspension arrangement. Current flowing through the coils may be regulated to interact with the magnetic field of the magnets to generate motive force to move an image sensor of the camera relative to a lens group in multiple directions.

Multi-axis image sensor shifting system

Various embodiments include an engaging arrangement that may be used to attach a lens barrel to a lens carrier of a camera. In some embodiments, the engaging arrangement may restrict movement of the lens barrel relative to the lens carrier along at least an optical axis. In various examples, the engaging arrangement may include one or more grooves and one or more protrusions. For instance, a groove may be defined by the lens barrel or the lens carrier, and a protrusion may extend from the lens barrel or the lens carrier to at least partially into the groove. In some cases, the engaging arrangement may include an adhesive positioned continuously 360 degrees around the engaging arrangement between the lens barrel and the lens carrier.

Flangeless optical assembly for receiving glue dispense

Various embodiments include a locking mechanism for a camera. The locking mechanism may be used to provide a clamping force that prevents one or more components of the camera from moving along one or more axes in some examples. According to various embodiments, the locking mechanism may include a ferromagnetic plate fixedly attached to a carrier (e.g., a lens carrier, an image sensor carrier, etc.), an electromagnet for electromagnetically interacting with the ferromagnetic plate, and a flexure to which the electromagnet may be attached. The flexure may further be attached to a stationary structure of the camera. In some embodiments, the camera may be operable such that, in a lock mode of the camera, the electromagnet is electrically driven to generate a magnetic field that attracts the ferromagnetic plate, thereby providing a clamping force that prevents the carrier from moving along an optical axis of the camera.

Camera focus locking mechanism

In some embodiments, a camera actuator includes an actuator base, an autofocus voice coil motor, and an optical image stabilization voice coil motor. In some embodiments, the autofocus voice coil motor includes a lens carrier mounting attachment moveably mounted to the actuator base, a plurality of shared magnets mounted to the base, and an autofocus coil fixedly mounted to the lens carrier mounting attachment for producing forces for moving a lens carrier in a direction of an optical axis of one or more lenses of the lens carrier. In some embodiments, the optical image stabilization voice coil motor includes an image sensor carrier moveably mounted to the actuator base, and optical image stabilization coils moveably mounted to the image sensor carrier within the magnetic fields of the shared magnets, for producing forces for moving the image sensor carrier in a plurality of directions orthogonal to the optical axis.

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Aurelien R Hubert