The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 22, 2026
Filed:
Sep. 13, 2024
Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US);
Scott W Miller, Los Gatos, CA (US);
Hao Zheng, Cupertino, CA (US);
Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US);
Abstract
Various embodiments include a device (e.g., a camera or other type of device) that optimizes a preload force for a ball bearing voice coil motor (VCM) actuator in order to achieve a stable ball bearing contact. To optimize the preload force, a plate may be placed and/or shaped in a way that causes the center of the preload force to be at a location that results in stable ball bearing contact (e.g., to prevent dynamic tilt/rocking of a frame/carrier during movement). In embodiments, the device includes a flexure (flexible circuit) to supply a drive current to the ball bearing VCM actuator. In some embodiments, the ball bearing VCM actuator is used in a camera device to move an image sensor of a carrier, relative to a lens, to provide focus and/or autofocus (AF) functionality.