Actuator assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023328348-A1
Application number	US-202118023818-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2021
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Oct 12, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An actuator assembly comprising: a support structure; an image sensor assembly comprising an image sensor having a light-sensitive region, the image sensor assembly being suspended on the support structure in a manner allowing movement of the image sensor assembly relative to the support structure; and at least two flexible printed circuits, each electrically connected at one end to the image sensor assembly, wherein the flexible printed circuits fold around the image sensor assembly such that their other ends are at the same side of the image sensor assembly.

First claim

1 . An actuator assembly comprising:
a support structure; an image sensor assembly comprising an image sensor having a light-sensitive region, the image sensor assembly being suspended on the support structure in a manner allowing movement of the image sensor assembly relative to the support structure; and at least two flexible printed circuits, each electrically connected at one end to the image sensor assembly, wherein the flexible printed circuits fold around the image sensor assembly such that their other ends are at the same side of the image sensor assembly.

2 . (canceled)

3 . The actuator assembly of claim 1 wherein the image sensor assembly is suspended on the support structure in a manner allowing movement of the image sensor assembly relative to the support structure in any direction parallel to the plane in which the light-sensitive region extends and/or rotation of the image sensor assembly about any axis orthogonal to the plane in which the light-sensitive region extends.

4 - 5 . (canceled)

6 . The actuator assembly of claim 1 wherein each flexible printed circuit is folded around a corner extending along an axis orthogonal to the plane in which the light-sensitive region extends.

7 - 9 . (canceled)

10 . The actuator assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the flexible printed circuits are connected to different sides of the image sensor assembly.

11 . (canceled)

12 . The actuator assembly of claim 1 , wherein each flexible printed circuit comprises a static section that includes said other end and is parallel to the plane of the image sensor assembly.

13 . (canceled)

14 . The actuator assembly of claim 12 wherein the static sections of at least two of the flexible printed circuits are adjacent to each other.

15 . (canceled)

16 . The actuator assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flexible printed circuits comprise a power line for transferring electrical power to the image sensor assembly and/or a data lane for transferring data.

17 . (canceled)

18 . The actuator assembly of claim 16 wherein at least one of the data lanes comprises a meandering section such that the data lanes have substantially the same length as each other.

19 . The actuator assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the flexible printed circuits comprises one or more terminals for connecting to one or more actuators.

20 . (canceled)

21 . The actuator assembly of claim 1 , comprising:
plural shape memory alloy actuator wires in an arrangement capable, on selective driving thereof, of moving the image sensor assembly relative to the support structure in any direction laterally to the light-sensitive region and/or rotating the image sensor assembly about an axis orthogonal to the light-sensitive region.

22 - 23 . (canceled)

24 . A camera apparatus comprising:
the actuator assembly of claim 1 ; and a lens assembly comprising at least one lens arranged to focus an image on the light-sensitive region, the lens assembly being mounted on the support structure.

25 . The camera apparatus of claim 24 , wherein at least most of the sections of the flexible printed circuits that fold around the image sensor assembly are between the image sensor assembly and the top of the lens assembly in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the image sensor assembly.

26 . The camera apparatus of claim 24 wherein the lens assembly comprises:
a lens carriage, on which the lens is supported in a manner allowing movement of the lens along its optical axis; and
an autofocus actuator arrangement arranged to move the lens relative to the lens carriage along the optical axis.

27 . The camera apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the autofocus actuator arrangement is electrically connected to one or more terminals of the flexible printed circuits through the support structure.

28 - 35 . (canceled)

36 . The actuator assembly of claim 26 , comprising at least one further flexible printed circuit folded around the image sensor assembly so as to electrically connect the autofocus actuator arrangement to one or more terminals of said flexible printed circuits.

37 - 40 . (canceled)

41 . The camera apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the lens assembly comprises a lens actuator arrangement arranged to move the lens perpendicular to the optical axis.

42 . The actuator assembly according to claim 1 comprising a multilayer flexible printed circuit, wherein the multilayer flexible printed circuit includes at least a first layer comprising one of the at least two flexible printed circuits and a second layer comprising another of the at least two flexible printed circuits.

43 - 44 . (canceled)

45 . The actuator assembly according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the flexible printed circuits comprises at least one split along a length of the flexible printed circuit, wherein the at least one split divides the length of flexible printed circuit into at least two parts.

46 . (canceled)

47 . The actuator assembly according to claim 12 wherein the static section of each of the at least two flexible printed circuits is connected to the image sensor via a moving section that is generally parallel to the plane of the image sensor assembly.

48 . (canceled)

49 . The actuator assembly according to claim 1 wherein the image sensor assembly comprises a printed circuit board, and wherein at least one of the flexible printed circuits is connected directly to the printed circuit board without being mechanically connected to any other component of the image sensor assembly.

Assignees

• Cambridge Mechatronics Ltd

Inventors

• Pantelidis Konstantinos
• South Adam
• Brown Andrew Benjamin Simpson
• Howarth James
• Eddington Robin
• Windle Paul
• Flouris Andreas

Classifications

• H04N23/54 Primary

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/687

  by shifting the lens or sensor position · CPC title

• H05K1/147

  at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit (H05K1/148 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03B13/36

  Autofocus systems · CPC title