Apple Inc.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Qiang Yang

Aurelien R Hubert

Jifang Tian

Jian Yang

Yoshiyuki Takase

Douglas Stuart Brodie

Bin Xu

Shashank Sharma

Scott Wallace Miller

Himesh Patel

Phillip R Sommer

Yih-Jen Dennis Chen

Kai Min

William S Wang

Simon S Lee

Steven Webster

Kia Moh Teo

Hongqi Li

Julien C Vittu

Peng Chen

Ho Seop Jeong

Masahito Morita

Paulom Shah

Takeshi Ichimiya

Jee Tung Tan

Shaolong Sui

Vijay Kumar

Pavle Stojanovic

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

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 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

A flexure for a camera module is provided. The flexure includes a dynamic platform to which an image sensor is connected such that the image sensor moves with the dynamic platform. The flexure also includes a static platform connected to a static portion of the camera. The flexure further includes a plurality of flexure arms that mechanically connect the dynamic platform to the static platform. The plurality of flexure arms includes a first flexure arm including one or more signal traces having a first impedance and a base layer having a first width. The plurality of flexure arms includes a second flexure arm including one or more signal traces having a second impedance and a base layer having a second width. The first impedance is greater than the second impedance. The first width is less than the second width. The second flexure arm routes image data from the image sensor.

Variable flexure arm sizes for flexure module of camera with moveable image sensor

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

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

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.

Optical image stabilization with voice coil motor for moving image sensor

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 an interlock arrangement that may be used to attach a lens barrel to a lens carrier of a camera. In some embodiments, the interlock arrangement may restrict movement of the lens barrel relative to the lens carrier along at least an optical axis. In various examples, the interlock 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 interlock arrangement may include an adhesive that at least partially fills gaps within the interlock arrangement between the lens barrel and the lens carrier. According to some embodiments, the interlock arrangement may include one or more recesses that provide inlets for the adhesive to be introduced to the gaps within the interlock arrangement.

Interlock arrangement for attaching a lens barrel to a lens carrier

A hybrid sensor shift platform for an optical image stabilization (OIS) actuator mechanism in compact camera modules includes two or more substrates. A top substrate is composed of an organic material (e.g., a resin) to reduce mass, reduce magnetic interaction with permanent magnets, and improve reliability. One or more lower substrates of the hybrid sensor shift platform are ceramic substrates that provide the benefits of ceramics for connection to the image sensor. The organic substrate is connected via a solder bond process to the lower ceramic substrate(s). The connection between the substrates is reinforced with an under-fill of epoxy that surrounds the solder bonds, thus creating a full interface between the substrates within the overlap.

Hybrid sensor shift platform

In some embodiments, a camera includes an optical package, a camera actuator for moving the optical package, a camera cover, and an impact absorption member to prevent contact between the camera cover and the lens carrier. In some embodiments, the camera actuator includes a lens carrier moveably mounted to a camera cover.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Qiang Yang