Optical image stabilization with voice coil motor for moving image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10924675-B2
Application number	US-201716083819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2017
Priority date	Mar 11, 2016
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camera, comprising:
a lens in a lens carrier;
an image sensor for capturing a digital representation of light transiting the lens;
an axial motion voice coil motor for focusing light from the lens on the image sensor by moving a lens assembly containing the lens along an optical axis of the lens, wherein
the axial motion voice coil motor comprises
a suspension assembly for moveably mounting the lens carrier to an actuator base,
a plurality of shared magnets mounted to the actuator base, and
a focusing coil fixedly mounted to the lens carrier and mounted to the actuator base through the suspension assembly; and

a transverse motion voice coil motor to move the image sensor, wherein
the transverse motion voice coil motor comprises
an image sensor frame member coupled to the image sensor,
one or more flexible members for mechanically connecting the image sensor frame member to a frame of the transverse motion voice coil motor, and
a plurality of transverse motion coils mounted to the image sensor frame member within magnetic fields of the shared magnets, for producing forces for moving the image sensor frame member in a plurality of directions orthogonal to the optical axis.

2. The camera of claim 1 , wherein,
the flexible members mechanically and electrically connect an image sensor resting in the image sensor frame member to the frame of the transverse motion voice coil motor, and
the flexible members include electrical signal traces.

3. The camera of claim 1 , wherein,
the flexible members comprise metal flexure bodies carrying electrical signal traces electrically isolated from the metal flexure bodies by polymide insulator layers.

4. The camera of claim 1 , wherein,
the transverse motion coils are mounted on a flexible printed circuit carrying power to the transverse motion coils for operation of the transverse motion voice coil motor.

5. The camera of claim 1 , wherein,
the transverse motion coils are corner-mounted on a flexible printed circuit mechanically connected to the actuator base and mechanically isolated from the axial motion voice coil motor.

6. The camera of claim 1 , wherein,
a bearing surface end stop is mounted to the actuator base for restricting motion of the transverse motion voice coil motor.

7. The camera of claim 1 , wherein,
a bearing surface end stop is mounted to the actuator base for restricting motion of the image sensor along the optical axis.

8. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the transverse motion voice coil motor further includes:
one or more flexure stabilizer members configured to mechanically connect flexible members of the one or more flexible members to each other such that the one or more flexure stabilizer members prevent interference between the flexible members.

9. The camera of claim 8 , wherein:
the flexible members include a first flexible member and a second flexible member that are parallel to each other; and
the one or more flexure stabilizer members include a flexure stabilizer member that connects the first flexible member to the second flexible member and extends along an axis that is orthogonal to the first flexible member and the second flexible member.

10. A camera actuator, comprising:
an actuator base;
an autofocus voice coil motor, wherein
the autofocus voice coil motor comprises
a lens carrier moveably mounted to the actuator base,
a plurality of shared magnets mounted to the base,
an autofocus coil fixedly mounted to the lens for producing forces in a direction of an optical axis of one or more lenses of the lens carrier; and

an optical image stabilization voice coil motor to move an image sensor, wherein the optical image stabilization voice coil motor comprises
an image sensor carrier moveably mounted to the actuator base, the image sensor carrier coupled to the image sensor; and
a plurality of optical image stabilization coils mounted to the image sensor carrier within 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.

11. The camera actuator of claim 10 , wherein,
the image sensor carrier further comprises one or more flexible members for mechanically connecting the image sensor resting in the image sensor carrier to a frame of the optical image stabilization voice coil motor.

12. The camera actuator of claim 10 , wherein,
the image sensor carrier further comprises one or more flexible members for mechanically and electrically connecting the image sensor resting in the image sensor carrier to a frame of the optical image stabilization voice coil motor, and
the flexible members include electrical signal traces.

13. The camera actuator of claim 10 , wherein,
the image sensor carrier further comprises one or more flexible members for mechanically and electrically connecting the image sensor resting in the image sensor carrier to a frame of the optical image stabilization voice coil motor, and
the flexible members comprise metal flexure bodies carrying electrical signal traces electrically isolated from the metal flexure bodies by polymide insulator layers.

14. The camera actuator of claim 10 , wherein,
the optical image stabilization coils are mounted on a flexible printed circuit carrying power to the coils for operation of the optical image stabilization voice coil motor.

15. The camera actuator of claim 10 , wherein,
the optical image stabilization coils are corner-mounted on a flexible printed circuit mechanically connected to the actuator base and mechanically isolated from the autofocus voice coil motor.

16. The camera actuator of claim 10 , wherein,
a bearing surface end stop is mounted to the base for restricting motion of the optical image stabilization voice coil motor.

17. A mobile multifunction device, comprising:
a camera module, including:
a lens including one or more lens elements that define an optical axis;
an image sensor configured to capture light passing through the lens and convert the captured light into image signals;
an axial motion voice coil motor (VCM) for focusing light from the lens on the image sensor by moving a lens assembly containing the lens along the optical axis, wherein the axial motion VCM comprises:
a plurality of shared magnets; and
a focusing coil;

a transverse motion VCM to move the image sensor, the transverse motion VCM including:
an inner frame coupled to the image sensor and configured to receive the image signals;
an outer frame that surrounds the inner frame along a plane that is orthogonal to the optical axis;
multiple spring arms configured to mechanically connect the inner frame to the outer frame;
electrical traces configured to convey the image signals from the inner frame to the outer frame; and
a plurality of transverse motion coils mounted to the inner frame within magnetic fields of the shared magnets, for producing forces for moving the inner frame in a plurality of directions orthogonal to the optical axis;

a display; and
one or more processors configured to:
cause the VCM actuator to move the inner frame relative to the outer frame in the plurality of directions orthogonal to the optical axis; and
cause the display to present an image based at least in part on one or more of the image signals that have been conveyed from the inner frame to the outer frame via the electrical traces.

18. The mobile multifunction device of claim 17 , wherein the transverse motion VCM further includes:
one or more flexure s

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hubert Aurelien R
• Yang Qiang
• Brodie Douglas S
• Miller Scott W
• Sharma Shashank

Classifications

• H04N23/687 Primary

  by shifting the lens or sensor position · CPC title

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• G03B2205/0069

  using electromagnetic actuators, e.g. voice coils · CPC title

• G03B30/00

  Camera modules comprising integrated lens units and imaging units, specially adapted for being embedded in other devices, e.g. mobile phones or vehicles · CPC title

• G03B13/36

  Autofocus systems · CPC title