Apple Inc.

Kai Min

Himesh Patel

Phillip R Sommer

Qiang Yang

Anup K Sharma

Qi Wang

Ashirwad Bahukhandi

Daniel R Hennigan

Ho Seop Jeong

Pavle Stojanovic

A camera includes a lens carrier to which lens(es), defining an optical axis, are mounted. The lens carrier and the lens(es) are movable along the optical axis. The camera includes an autofocus (AF) damping structure for dampening motion of the lens carrier and the lens(es) in a direction along the optical axis. The camera includes a flexure platform having a dynamic platform to which an image sensor and a substrate are connected for movement together with the dynamic platform, a static platform connected to a static portion of the camera, and multiple flexure arms that mechanically connect the dynamic platform to the static platform. The camera includes electronic component(s) and a volume of space vertically aligned with the AF damping structure and extending from the AF damping structure to the substrate. The volume of space does not include a mounting location of the electronic component(s).

Flexure module component configurations for camera with moveable image sensor

A camera may include a substrate for placing components. An image sensor having a light-receiving side and an opposite non-light-receiving side may be attached to a first side of the substrate to receive light from one or more lenses of the camera to capture an image. The camera may also include one or more additional components separate and distinct from the image sensor. The additional components may be placed beneath the non-light-receiving side of the image sensor. The components may be attached to a second side of the substrate opposite the first side where the image sensor is mounted at least partially inside one or more recesses, or embedded at least partially inside the substrate.

Substrate to place components for camera size reduction

A flexure for a camera includes a dynamic platform to which an image sensor and a substrate are connected such that the image sensor and the substrate move together with the dynamic platform. A driver associated with an actuator to move the image sensor relative to a lens group is mounted to the substrate. The flexure also includes a static platform connected to a static portion of the camera, a plurality of flexure arms that mechanically connect the dynamic platform to the static platform, a routing layer and a base layer both at least partially forming the dynamic platform, the static platform, and the plurality of flexure arms, and at least one segmentation region extending through the base layer and configured to physically isolate a return current from the driver and through the base layer from a return current from the image sensor and through the base layer.

Camera module flexure with segmented base layer

Various embodiments include sensor shift flexure arrangements for improved signal routing. For example, a camera with sensor shift actuation may include a flexure for suspending an image sensor from a stationary structure of the camera, and for allowing motion of the image sensor enabled by one or more actuators of the camera. The flexure may be configured to convey electrical signals between the image sensor and a flex circuit in some embodiments. According to some embodiments, the flexure may include a stack of layers comprising a conductive layer and an electrical grounding. The conductive layer may include a signal pad region and a signal trace region. A distance between at least one section of the signal pad region and the electrical grounding may be greater than a distance between at least a section of the signal trace region and the electrical grounding.

Variable polyimide thickness to control pad impedance

Various embodiments include flex circuit arrangements for a camera with sensor shift actuation. Some embodiments include a flexure-circuit hybrid structure. Some embodiments include an actuation-module flex circuit hybrid structure. In some embodiments, the hybrid structures may include different portions that share multiple layers of a plurality of stacked layers. In some embodiments, one portion of a hybrid structure may include one or more layers that are different from the layers in another portion of the hybrid structure.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Kai Min