Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.

Fu Zhun Precision Industry (shen Zhen) Co., Ltd.

Jen-Te Wang

Ching-Hsing Huang

Cheng-Fa Weng

Huai-Chao You

Da-Yi Wen

Jen-Hung Chung

Chou-Chen Shih

Biao Wang

Wun-Chang Shih

Ying-Sen Chen

Yun-Ming Hu

A camera module includes a lens unit () and a stator (). The lens unit includes a lens barrel (), a lens () received in the lens barrel and a permanent magnet () fixedly mounted around the lens barrel. The stator is for receiving the lens unit therein. The stator includes a coil seat () and a coil () wound therearound. The coil seat includes a base () and at least a connector () fixed on one side of the base. The at least a connector is electrically connected with the coil and includes a connecting pin () extending towards a bottom surface of the base. The connecting pin is made of an electrically conductive material and adapted for electrically connecting to a printed circuit board arranged under the base.

Camera module

An exemplary camera module includes a lens mount, a lens unit, a magnet unit, a printed circuit board (PCB)-based Rogowski coil and a blade spring. The PCB-based Rogowski coil is fixed around the lens unit. The PCB-based Rogowski coil establishes an induced magnetic field when an electric current is applied thereto. The induced magnetic field interacts with the magnet unit to generate a magnetic force moving the lens unit telescopically. The blade spring includes a plurality of ribs. Each rib includes a moveable end connected with the lens unit and an opposite fixed end. The moveable end moves together with the lens unit with respect to the fixed end to cause the ribs to distort and generate an elastic force. The lens unit stops at a focal position when the magnetic force and the elastic force come to a balance.

A camera module includes a lens unit, a magnet, a stator and an elastic element. The stator includes an upper coil seat with an upper coil wound therearound and a lower coil seat with a lower coil wound therearound. The upper and the lower coils establish an induced magnetic field when electric currents are applied thereto. The induced magnetic field interacts with the magnet to generate a magnetic force driving the lens unit into a telescopic movement. The elastic element includes a plurality of ribs. Each rib includes a fixed end connected with the stator and an opposite movable end. The moveable end moves together with the lens unit with respect to the fixed end to cause the ribs to deform and generate an elastic force. The lens unit stops at a focal position when the magnetic force and the elastic force come to a balance.

An auto-focusing camera includes a pair of drive units () arranged back-to-back. Each one of the drive units includes a lens unit (), a permanent magnet () mounted around the lens unit, upper and lower coil seats () arranged at upper and lower sides of the permanent magnet, and upper and lower coils () wound around the upper and lower coil seats, respectively. The upper and lower coils are used for inducing the upper and lower yokes () to generate magnetic fields when electric currents are applied to the first and second coils. The magnetic fields generated by the upper and lower yokes interact with the magnetic field of the permanent magnet to drive the lens unit into movement between its focal points. The permanent magnet is fixed to and telescopes inwardly or outwardly with the lens unit.

Auto-focusing camera

An auto-focusing camera includes a stator (), a rotor () rotatably disposed in the stator, and a lens unit () received in the rotor. The stator includes a stator core () and coils () winding on the stator core. The rotor is a permanent magnet () securely mounted around the lens unit. The lens unit forms three ears () at a bottom thereof, and a wave-shaped surface () is formed on a top of an inner, bottom flange () of the stator. The ears abut the wave-shaped surface. The ears of the lens unit move along the wave-shaped surface during rotation of the rotor and the lens mount, and thus the lens unit moves telescopically along an axial direction thereof.

A lens unit includes a moveable section and an elastic element. The moveable section includes a lens barrel, a lens received in the lens barrel and a magnet fixedly mounted around the lens barrel. The moveable section is configured to telescopically move along an optical axis direction of the lens. The elastic element includes an attachment portion connecting with the moveable section, a holding portion for holding the movable section, and a plurality of elastic ribs capable of being elastically deformed during the telescopic movement of the moveable section. The elastic ribs of the elastic element are configured to restrain a movement of the moveable section, whereby the moveable section can stop at a focal position when an elastic force generated by the deformation of the at least one elastic rib is equal to a force for causing the moveable section to have the telescopic movement.

Lens unit

An auto-focusing camera includes a lens mount (), a lens unit () and a motor. The lens unit includes a lens barrel () and a lens () received in the lens barrel. Tabs () and blocks () respectively extend outwardly from upper and lower end portions of the lens barrel. Each of the tabs forms an aslant guiding surface (), which is declined outwardly along a top-to-bottom direction. The motor includes a magnet () which is forced to move over the guiding surfaces to be securely sandwiched between the tabs and the blocks. Upper and lower yokes () are respectively arranged at the upper and lower sides of the magnet. Upper and lower coils () respectively wind around the two yokes for establishing magnetic fields which interact with the magnetic field of the permanent magnet to drive the lens unit into movement.

A two-step auto focus camera with two focal points includes a lens unit () and a permanent magnet () being fixedly mounted around the lens unit to move with the lens unit. Upper and lower coil seats () are mounted around the lens unit and are arranged at upper and lower sides of the magnet, respectively. Upper and lower coils () wind around the upper and lower coil seats, respectively. A circuit board () supplies a current to each of the coils, wherein the current to each coil has a plurality of square waves in one focusing time for the lens unit to move from one focal point to the other focal point.

Two-step auto focus camera and method for driving the same

A camera module includes a lens unit, a magnet mounted around the lens unit, a stator receiving the lens unit and the magnet therein and an elastic element. The stator includes a coil seat and a coil wound therearound. The coil establishes a magnetic field when an electric current is applied thereto. The magnetic field interacts with a magnetic field of the magnet to generate a magnetic force driving the lens unit into telescopic movement. The elastic element includes at least one rib which has a fixed end connected with the stator and an opposite movable end. The moveable end moves together with the lens unit with respect to the fixed end to generate an elastic force during the telescopic movement of the lens unit. The lens unit stops at a focal position when the magnetic force and the elastic force come to a balance.

Growing community of inventors

Taipei Hsien, Taiwan

Jen-Te Wang