Apple Inc.

Hiran R Rathnasinghe

Nicholas D Smyth

Nitin Kumar Chennupati

Julien C Vittu

Jason T Weaver

Justin C Brunnett

Reynaldo Vincent H Sta Agueda

Kevin Garrison

Ross A Williams

Jeffrey P Bosco

Wai Shing Sin

A camera includes a base housing an image sensor. The base is adhered to an optics holder that holds optical components of the camera. The optics holder is located in a recess of the base component and includes a horizontal flange extending outward from an upper portion of vertical perimeter walls of the optical components holder. The horizontal flange redirects adhesive horizontally during assembly (may include an active alignment process) of the camera, and the horizontal adhesive adheres the flange to an upper horizontal ledge of the base. An exposed portion of the adhesive between the horizontal flange and the upper horizontal ledge of the base may be cured via ultraviolet light to prevent shifting of the optics holder during transport of the camera to a thermal curing process. A lower portion of a vertical interior wall of the base may include another ledge that redirects adhesive during assembly.

Robust mounting for folded optics assembly

A camera module for a portable electronic device includes an actuator assembly with at least one coil segment. The coil segment includes a dielectric substrate with two surfaces. Over each surface is formed a trace that follows a path defining a multi-turn coil. The coils of each side of the dielectric are conductively coupled together to define a single inductor/coil. The two-layer coil segment can be encapsulated as a component suitable for pick-and-place and/or SMT manufacturing. In many constructions, the actuator assembly includes a stack of coil segments, coupled together in series or parallel.

Compact multilayer actuator coils for camera modules of portable electronic devices

A camera including a camera enclosure; an optomechanical assembly fixedly coupled to the camera enclosure; a sensor assembly having an image sensor and an electronic component mounted to a substrate that is movably coupled to the camera enclosure; a voice coil motor having a base coupled to the optomechanical assembly and a carrier coupled to the sensor assembly that is operable to cause a displacement of the sensor assembly relative to the optomechanical assembly; and a displacement limiter coupled to the base or the carrier to limit an unintended displacement of the sensor assembly.

Shock limiters and dampers for improved camera reliability

A camera module may have an optical assembly, an image sensor, and a frame, where the frame includes a reinforcement member and a base member that collectively form a sidewall of the frame. The reinforcement member defines a portion of the sidewall of the frame, a peripheral edge, and an opening. The base member may define another portion of the sidewall and extend through the opening and surround the peripheral edge of the reinforcement member. The optical assembly may be coupled to the sidewall of the frame.

Camera modules with interlocked frames

A camera including a camera enclosure; a fixed optics portion having a prism fixedly coupled to the camera enclosure by a voice coil motor base; a moving sensor portion having an image sensor package coupled to the camera enclosure by a voice coil motor carrier that extends around the image sensor package and is operable to cause a displacement of the image sensor package relative to the fixed optics portion; and a damper coupled to the fixed optics portion or the moving sensor portion to absorb an impact between the fixed optics portion and the moving sensor portion.

A camera may include an image sensor attached with a substrate configured to move relative to one or more lenses of the camera in one or more directions. The camera may include one or more actuators to control movement of the image sensor, which may include at least one magnet and at least one corresponding coil. The magnet of the actuators may be attached with the substrate, outside a perimeter of the substrate or on the substrate but close to the perimeter of the substrate. The magnet may cause the adjacent portion of the substrate to become cantilevered with only partial support. The camera may include a frame structure having one or more raised regions towards the magnet to reduce a stress on the cantilevered portion of the substrate, e.g., during a drop or shock event.

Growing community of inventors

Lemon Grove, CA, United States of America

Hiran R Rathnasinghe