Welded bracket structure for multi-camera system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a welded bracket structure for a multi-camera system. Various embodiments include a welded bracket structure for a camera module and a technique for forming such a welded bracket structure. In some embodiments, the welded bracket structure may include a first bracket and a second bracket welded to each other. Some embodiments include a weld joint arrangement including one or more weld joints for attaching the first bracket to the second bracket. In addition, some embodiments include an epoxy resin arrangement for a multi-camera system including a welded bracket structure and a plurality of camera modules.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 202010226939.5, application date March 27, 2020, and invention name “Welding bracket structure for multi-camera system”. Background Art

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 826,657, filed on March 29, 2019, entitled “WELDED BRACKET STRUCTURE FORA MULTICAMERA SYSTEM,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to welding bracket structures for multi-camera systems. Background Art

[0005] The emergence of small mobile multi-purpose devices such as smart phones and tablet or slate devices has led to a demand for high-resolution small form factor cameras integrated into the devices. Some devices may include a multi-camera system including cameras held in place by a bracket formed from a single piece of material.

[0006] Some cameras may incorporate an optical image stabilization (OIS) mechanism that can sense and react to external stimuli / disturbance by adjusting the position of the optical lens on the X-axis and / or Y-axis in an attempt to compensate for unwanted motion of the lens. In addition, some cameras may incorporate an autofocus (AF) mechanism by which the focus of an object can be adjusted so that the object plane in front of the camera is focused at the image plane to be captured by the image sensor. In some such AF mechanisms, the optical lens is moved as a single rigid body along the optical axis of the camera to refocus the camera. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 A top perspective view of an exemplary system including an exemplary welding bracket structure for a camera module is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 Illustrated is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary welding bracket structure according to some embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 An exemplary process flow for manufacturing and / or assembling a solder bracket structure for a camera module according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0010] Figure 4 An exemplary epoxy arrangement for a multi-camera system including a solder bracket structure for camera modules is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 5 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for forming a solder bracket structure for a camera module according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 6 A block diagram of a portable multifunction device that may include a welded bracket structure for a camera module according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 7 A portable multifunction device is shown that may include a welded bracket structure for a camera module according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 8 An exemplary computer system that may include a welding bracket structure for a camera module according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0015] This specification includes references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment." The appearance of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner consistent with the present disclosure.

[0016] "Comprising". This term is open ended. As used in the appended claims, this term does not exclude additional structures or steps. Consider the following cited claim: "A device comprising one or more processor units..." Such a claim does not exclude the device from including additional components (e.g., a network interface unit, graphics circuitry, etc.).

[0017] "Configured to". Various units, circuits, or other components may be described or described as "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured to" is used to imply a structure (e.g., a circuit) that performs the one or more tasks during operation by indicating that the unit / circuit / component includes the structure. In this way, the unit / circuit / component is said to be configured to perform the task even when the specified unit / circuit / component is currently inoperable (e.g., not turned on). The units / circuits / components used with the "configured to" language include hardware-e.g., circuits, memories storing executable program instructions to implement operations, etc. The reference to a unit / circuit / component "configured to" perform one or more tasks is explicitly intended not to invoke the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. §112 for the unit / circuit / component. In addition, "configured to" may include a general structure (e.g., a general circuit) manipulated by software and / or firmware (e.g., an FPGA or a general processor executing software) to operate in a manner capable of performing one or more tasks to be solved. "Configured to" may also include adapting a manufacturing process (eg, a semiconductor fabrication facility) to produce a device (eg, an integrated circuit) suitable for implementing or performing one or more tasks.

[0018] "First," "second," etc. As used herein, these terms act as labels for the nouns that precede them, and do not imply any type of ordering (e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.). For example, a buffer circuit may be described herein as performing a write operation of a "first" value and a "second" value. The terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that the first value must be written before the second value.

[0019] "Based on". As used herein, this term is used to describe one or more factors that influence a determination. This term does not exclude additional factors that influence a determination. That is, a determination may be based solely on these factors or at least in part on these factors. Consider the phrase "A is determined based on B". In this case, B is a factor that influences the determination of A, and such a phrase does not exclude that the determination of A may also be based on C. In other examples, A may be determined based solely on B.

[0020] It will also be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the expected scope, the first contact may be referred to as the second contact, and similarly, the second contact may be referred to as the first contact. Both the first contact and the second contact are contacts, but they are not the same contact.

[0021] The terms used in the description herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms of "one", "a kind of" and "the" are intended to also cover the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and covers any and all possible combinations of one or more items in the items listed in association. It will also be understood that the terms "including" and / or "comprising" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their grouping.

[0022] As used herein, the term "if" may be interpreted to mean "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting," depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined that" or "if [a stated condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted to mean "upon determining that" or "in response to determining that" or "upon detecting [a stated condition or event]" or "in response to detecting [a stated condition or event]," depending on the context. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Various embodiments described herein relate to a welded bracket structure for use in conjunction with a plurality of camera modules. In some examples, the welded bracket structure may provide a monolithic structure to which a camera module may be attached or otherwise coupled, for example to form a multi-camera system module that may be incorporated into a device such as a phone or other computing device. The welded bracket structure may include at least two brackets welded together via one or more welded joints. Each of the brackets may be configured to couple with one or more camera modules. As a non-limiting example, a first bracket may be configured to couple with two camera modules, while a second bracket (welded to the first bracket) may be configured to couple with one camera module. In various embodiments, the welded bracket structure may be T-shaped, which may enable reduced space consumption compared to, for example, a rectangular welded bracket structure. According to various embodiments, each of the first bracket and the second bracket may be formed by deep drawing a corresponding metal sheet. In some embodiments, the welded bracket structure (and the techniques for forming the structure) may not be affected by some manufacturing issues that may occur in other camera bracket structures, such as a T-shaped bracket structure formed by stamping a single sheet of metal (which may cause metal breakage). Additionally, the techniques described herein may reduce manufacturing costs, for example, compared to processes used to form some other camera bracket structures (eg, CNC machining).

[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the detailed description that follows, numerous specific details are given in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that some embodiments may be implemented without these specific details. In other cases, well-known methods, processes, components, circuits, and networks are not described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure various aspects of the embodiments.

[0025] As described above, various embodiments include a welded bracket structure including at least two brackets welded together. Figure 1 A top perspective view of an exemplary system 100 (e.g., a multi-camera system) including an example of such a welded bracket structure 102 for a camera module is illustrated. In various embodiments, the welded bracket structure 102 may include a first bracket 104 and a second bracket 106. As will be discussed in further detail below, the welded bracket structure 102 may include a weld joint arrangement 108 that couples the second bracket 106 to the first bracket 104. For example, the weld joint arrangement 108 may include one or more weld joints to fixedly attach a side wall of the second bracket 106 to a side wall of the first bracket 104. Figure 1 The exemplary XYZ coordinate system shown is used to discuss various aspects of the system and / or system components and may be applicable to the embodiments described in the present disclosure.

[0026] According to various embodiments, the first bracket 104 can be configured to couple with one or more camera modules (eg, camera modules 110 and 112). Similarly, the second bracket 106 can be configured to couple with one or more other camera modules (eg, camera module 114). Figures 1 to 4 An example of a welded bracket structure is shown, indicating that a first bracket can be coupled to two camera modules, while a second bracket can be coupled to one camera module. However, it should be understood that in various embodiments, the first bracket and / or the second bracket can be coupled to more than one camera module. Figures 1 to 4 Fewer or more camera modules may be coupled as shown.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first bracket 104 may include a top wall 116 (also referred to herein as "first top wall 116") and one or more side walls 118 (e.g., side walls 118a-118d). The side walls 118 may be oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the first top wall 116. As a non-limiting example, one or more of the side walls 118 may be orthogonal to the first top wall 116. In some examples, one or more of the side walls 118 may be oriented at a first angle relative to the first top wall 116, while another one or more of the side walls 118 may be oriented at a different second angle relative to the first top wall 116.

[0028] The first top wall 116 may define one or more apertures, for example, to receive at least a portion of a first set of one or more camera modules. Figure 1 As shown, the first top wall 116 may define a first hole 120 and a second hole 122. The first hole 120 may be configured to receive at least a portion of the camera module 110. For example, the first hole 120 may be configured to receive at least a portion of a lens barrel 124 of the camera module 110. The lens barrel 124 may hold a lens group (not shown) of the camera module 110, and the lens group may include one or more lens elements that define the optical axis of the camera module 110. The second hole 122 may be configured to receive at least a portion of the camera module 112. For example, the second hole 122 may be configured to receive at least a portion of a lens barrel 126 of the camera module 112. The lens barrel 126 may hold a lens group (not shown) of the camera module 112, and the lens group may include one or more lens elements that define the optical axis of the camera module 112.

[0029] In some embodiments, the second bracket 106 may include a top wall 128 (also referred to herein as "second top wall 128") and one or more side walls 130 (e.g., side walls 130a-130d). The side walls 130 may be oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the second top wall 128. As a non-limiting example, one or more of the side walls 130 may be orthogonal to the second top wall 128. In some examples, one or more of the side walls 130 may be oriented at a first angle relative to the second top wall 128, while another one or more of the side walls 130 may be oriented at a different second angle relative to the second top wall 128.

[0030] The second top wall 128 may define one or more apertures, for example, to receive at least a portion of a second set of one or more camera modules. Figure 1 As shown, second top wall 128 may define aperture 132. Aperture 132 may be configured to receive at least a portion of camera module 114. For example, aperture 132 may be configured to receive at least a portion of lens barrel 134 of camera module 114. Lens barrel 134 may hold a lens assembly (not shown) of camera module 114, and the lens assembly may include one or more lens elements that define an optical axis of camera module 114.

[0031] According to some embodiments, the first bracket 104 can be formed by deep drawing a first metal sheet. In addition or alternatively, the second bracket 106 can be formed by deep drawing a second metal sheet. However, the first bracket 104 and / or the second bracket 106 can be formed using any other suitable material and / or process. Figure 3 and Figure 5 An exemplary method / process for manufacturing a solder bracket structure for a camera module is described in greater detail.

[0032] As described above, the welded bracket structure 102 may include a weld joint arrangement 108 coupling the second bracket 106 with the first bracket 104 . Figure 1 and Figure 2 An example of such a weld joint arrangement 108 is illustrated. Figure 2 , a bottom perspective view of a weld bracket structure 102 including a weld joint arrangement 108 is shown.

[0033] In some embodiments, the weld joint arrangement 108 may include one or more weld joints to fixedly attach the first bracket 104 and the second bracket to each other, such as such that the first side wall 118a of the first bracket 104 abuts the second side wall 130a of the second bracket 106. According to various embodiments, the weld joint may include one or more spot welds 136, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 For example, the welded joint may include a spot weld 136 between the first side wall 118a of the first bracket 104 and the second side wall 130a of the second bracket 106. Additionally or alternatively, the welded joint may include one or more seam welds 138, such as Figure 2 For example, the weld joint may include a seam weld 138 between a first edge (e.g., at least a portion of the first inner edge) of the first side wall 118a and a second edge (e.g., at least a portion of the second inner edge) of the second side wall 130a. Additionally or alternatively, the weld joint may include one or more butt welds. For example, the weld joint may include a side butt weld 140 between a corner portion of the first side wall 118a of the first bracket 104 and the second bracket 106, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The corner portion may include a portion of the second side wall 130a and a portion of another side wall of the second bracket 106 (e.g., side wall 130b). In addition, the weld joint may include a top edge butt weld 142 between a first edge (e.g., at least a portion of the first outer edge) of the first side wall 118a and a second edge (e.g., at least a portion of the second outer edge) of the second side wall 130a, as shown. Figure 1 shown.

[0034] In some non-limiting examples, the weld joint may include a first set of one or more spot welds 136a located at a first portion of the first side wall 118a of the first bracket 104 (see Figure 2 ), and a second set of one or more spot welds 136b located at a second portion of the first side wall 118a (see Figure 2Detailed view in FIG. 1 ). In some examples, the first side wall 118a can define a first cutout portion, and the second side wall 130a can define a second cutout portion. The first cutout portion and the second cutout portion can be at least partially aligned with each other such that together they define a combined cutout portion between the first bracket 104 and the second bracket 106 (e.g., a Figure 2 144). A first set of one or more spot welds 136 may be located on a first side of the cutout portion 144, and a second set of one or more spot welds 136 may be located on a second side of the cutout portion 144. The second side may be opposite the first side. In some examples, the cutout portion 144 may be configured to allow epoxy to flow from the first bracket 104 to the second bracket 106, or vice versa, such as described below with reference to Figure 4 described.

[0035] In some non-limiting examples, the weld joint may include a seam weld 138 between a first inner edge of the first side wall 118a (of the first bracket 104) and a second inner edge of the second side wall 130a (of the second bracket 106). The first inner edge may at least partially define a first cutout portion of the first side wall 118a. The second inner edge may at least partially define a second cutout portion of the second side wall 130a. That is, in some embodiments, the first inner edge and / or the second inner edge may define a combined cutout portion 144.

[0036] In some non-limiting examples, the weld joints may include a side butt weld 140 and a top edge butt weld 142. A first side butt weld 140a may be created between a first side wall 118a of a first bracket 104 and a first corner portion 146a of a second bracket 106, such as Figure 2 Detailed view in FIG. The first corner portion 146a may include a portion of the second side wall 130a and a portion of another side wall (e.g., side wall 130b). In some embodiments, the side wall 130b (forming a portion of the first corner portion 146a) may be orthogonal to the second side wall 130a and / or the second top wall 128. The second side butt weld 140b may be produced between the first side wall 118a of the first bracket 104 and the second corner portion 146b of the second bracket 106, for example, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 . The second corner portion 146b may include a portion of the second side wall 130a and a portion of another side wall (e.g., side wall 130d). The side wall 130d that forms a portion of the second corner portion 146b may be opposite to the side wall 130b that forms a portion of the first corner portion 146a. The top edge butt weld 142 may be created between the first outer edge of the first side wall 118a and the second outer edge of the second side wall 130a, for example, as shown in FIG. Figure 1In some embodiments, the first outer edge and the first inner edge of the first side wall 118a may be opposite to each other. Similarly, in some embodiments, the second outer edge and the second inner edge of the second side wall 130a may be opposite to each other.

[0037] In various embodiments, the weld joint arrangement 108 (e.g., spot welds 136, seam welds 138, side butt welds 140, and / or top edge butt welds 142) can be configured to counteract forces (e.g., pulling, torque, etc.) applied to the welded bracket structure 102 so that the first bracket 104 and the second bracket 106 remain firmly attached to each other. In some examples, the spot welds 136 can be used to bring the first bracket 104 and the second bracket 106 together, for example, so that the corresponding geometries of the first side wall 118a and the second side wall 130a abut each other. That is, in some non-limiting examples, the spot welds 136 can be generated before other types of weld joints. In various examples, the first bracket 104 and the second bracket 106 can be welded to each other (e.g., via the weld joint arrangement 108), with the goal of having no gaps between the first side wall 118a and the second side wall 130a. In some cases, the gap between the first side wall 118a and the second side wall 130a may adversely affect accuracy in the manufacture and / or assembly of the welding bracket structure 102. Additionally or alternatively, the gap between the first side wall 118a and the second side wall 130a may adversely affect the accuracy of alignment between camera modules coupled to the welding bracket structure 102. As described below with reference to Figure 4 As described, epoxy may be dispensed (e.g., in an epoxy infusion process) into a multi-camera system that includes a welded bracket structure, such as welded bracket structure 102. According to some examples, seam weld 138 may also act as a seal between the inner edges of first sidewall 118a and second sidewall 130a, which may prevent epoxy from flowing through any gaps between first sidewall 118a and second sidewall 130a.

[0038] Figure 3 An exemplary process flow 300 for manufacturing and / or assembling a solder bracket structure for a camera module, such as described above with reference to FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The welded bracket structure 102 is described. At 302, the process 300 may include deep drawing a first metal (eg, stainless steel, copper alloy, etc.) sheet to at least partially form a first bracket (eg, Figure 1 and Figure 2 At 304, process 300 may include deep drawing a second metal (e.g., stainless steel, copper alloy, etc.) sheet to at least partially form a second bracket of the welded bracket structure (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2 The second bracket 106 in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] At 306, process 300 may include forming a hole and / or a cutout portion on the first bracket. At 308, process 300 may include forming a hole and / or a cutout portion on the second bracket. In some non-limiting examples, the hole and / or the cutout portion may be formed by performing one or more piercing and / or punching operations on the first bracket and / or the second bracket.

[0040] At 310, process 300 may include providing a first top wall (eg, Figure 1 One or more grinding operations (e.g., rotary grinding) can be performed on the first top wall 116 of the first bracket. The grinding operation can be performed to reduce the thickness of the first top wall of the first bracket. In some embodiments, the thickness of the first top wall can be reduced so that the first top wall has a thickness similar to that of the second top wall of the second bracket (e.g., Figure 1 Different top wall thicknesses may be desired, for example, where the size (e.g., height dimension along the Z axis) of the camera module coupled to the welded bracket structure varies. Figure 3 It is indicated that a grinding operation may be performed (at 310) on a first top wall of a first bracket, but in some embodiments, process 300 may additionally or alternatively include performing a grinding operation on a second top wall of a second bracket.

[0041] At 312, process 300 may include aligning the first bracket with the second bracket. For example, each of the first bracket and the second bracket may be positioned in a respective attachment orientation so that they may be attached to each other, such as via welding. In some examples, a first cutout portion of the first bracket may be aligned with a second cutout portion of the second bracket. The first cutout portion may be formed by a first side wall (e.g., Figure 1 The second cutout portion may be defined by a second side wall of the second bracket (e.g., Figure 1 The second side wall 130a) is defined in FIG.

[0042] At 314, process 300 may include welding the first bracket and the second bracket together. In various examples, the first bracket and the second bracket may be arranged via a weld joint (e.g., as described above with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The weld joint arrangement 108) is welded together, and the weld joint arrangement includes one or more weld joints to fixedly attach the first side wall of the first bracket to the second side wall of the second bracket. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 5 Non-limiting examples of weld joints that may be used to weld brackets together are described.

[0043] At 316, process 300 may include performing one or more grinding operations on the first top wall of the first bracket and the second top wall of the second bracket, for example, after the brackets have been welded together. The grinding operations may be performed to ensure that the first top wall of the first bracket is flush with the second top wall of the second bracket. That is, in some embodiments, the first top wall may be coplanar with the second top wall as a result of the grinding operations.

[0044] At 318, process 300 may include plating the welded bracket structure. For example, the welded bracket structure may be plated with a material (e.g., nickel) to prevent corrosion, for example, if the first bracket and / or the second bracket are formed of a corrosive material (e.g., copper). In some examples, plating may additionally or alternatively be performed on the first bracket and / or the second bracket, for example, prior to welding (at 314), such as Figure 3 In some embodiments, the additional material layer produced by plating can improve the bending strength of the weld joint produced to weld the first bracket and the second bracket together.

[0045] As described above, in various embodiments, the welding bracket structure may include a cutout portion that may allow epoxy to flow from the first bracket to the second bracket, or vice versa. Figure 4 An exemplary epoxy arrangement 400 is illustrated for a multi-camera system including a solder bracket structure for camera modules. Figure 4 , a bottom view of an exemplary multi-camera system is shown.

[0046] The welded bracket structure may include a first bracket 402 and a second bracket 404. Figure 4 , but the welded bracket structure may include a welded joint arrangement, such as that described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 5 In various embodiments, the welding bracket structure can be "T-shaped", such as Figure 4 shown.

[0047] In some examples, the multi-camera system may include a first camera module 406, a second camera module 408, and a third camera module 410. The first bracket 402 may at least partially encompass the first camera module 406 and the second camera module 408, for example, such that they are adjacent to each other. The second bracket 404 may at least partially encompass the third camera module 410. In some embodiments, Figure 4 The multi-camera system can be Figure 1 The system 100 is the same or similar.

[0048] According to various embodiments, epoxy arrangement 400 may include first epoxy 412 and / or second epoxy 414. In some embodiments, first epoxy 412 and second epoxy 414 may be different types of epoxies. In some non-limiting examples, first epoxy 412 (e.g., silver epoxy) may be used to electrically ground the solder bracket structure to the camera module, while second epoxy 414 may include thermal epoxy.

[0049] In some examples, the first epoxy 412 may include one or more first portions 412a that provide electrical connections between the soldered bracket structure and the camera modules for the first bracket 402, such as to ground the soldered bracket structure to those camera modules for electromagnetic interference (EMI) purposes. For example, the first portion 412a may contact the first bracket 402 and respective components (e.g., shielding cans, reinforcement sheets, etc.) of each of the first camera module 406 and the second camera module 408. In addition, the first epoxy 412 may include one or more second portions 412b that provide electrical connections between the soldered bracket structure and the camera modules for the second bracket 404, such as to ground the soldered bracket structure to those camera modules for EMI purposes. For example, the second portion 412b may contact the second bracket 404 and components (e.g., shielding cans, reinforcement sheets, etc.) of the third camera module 410.

[0050] In some examples, the second epoxy 414 (eg, hot epoxy) may be dispensed into the multi-camera system, for example, in an epoxy infusion process. A needle may be used to inject the epoxy resin into the multi-camera system via one or more injection points such as Figure 4 The first injection point 414a and the second injection point 414b are shown to inject the second epoxy 414 into the multi-camera system. In some embodiments, the second epoxy 414 can be a low viscosity epoxy, and the second epoxy 414 can flow around the sides of the camera module via a capillary effect. The second epoxy 414 can be injected into the camera module through a cutout portion (not shown) or a window (e.g., a cutout portion defined by abutting the side walls of the first bracket 402 and the second bracket 404, such as described above with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The cutout portion 144 ) flows between the first bracket 402 and the second bracket 404 .

[0051] In some embodiments, the first epoxy 412 and the second epoxy 414 may be dispensed into the multi-camera system after one or more of the camera modules are actively aligned. When performing such active alignment, the welding bracket structure may be used as a reference to align the camera modules with each other. For example, the first camera module 406 (and / or the second camera module 408) may be placed in the welding bracket structure, and the third camera module 410 may be actively aligned to the first camera module 406 (and / or the second camera module 408). An ultraviolet (UV) flash epoxy (not shown) may be used to mount the camera modules to the welding bracket structure during the active alignment process. In some examples, the first epoxy 412 may be dispensed during a time period after dispensing the UV flash epoxy and before dispensing the second epoxy 414. According to some examples, the second epoxy 414 may be dispensed (e.g., using the first injection point 414a and / or the second injection point 414b for infusion) to produce a thermal fill covering the camera modules. The second epoxy 414 may be dispensed until it reaches a certain height (eg, full height) of the wall, which may increase rigidity and improve reliability of the multi-camera system.

[0052] According to some embodiments, each of the camera modules may include a flexible circuit board. For example, the first camera module 406 may include a first flexible circuit board 416, the second camera module 408 may include a second flexible circuit board 418, and the third camera module 410 may include a third flexible circuit board 420. The flexible circuit board may transmit signals (e.g., power and / or control signals) from the corresponding camera module to one or more other components outside the welding bracket structure. In a non-limiting example, the multi-camera system may be included in a mobile device, and the flexible circuit board may transmit signals from the corresponding camera module to one or more components of the mobile device located outside the welding bracket structure (e.g., a processor, a controller, etc.).

[0053] Figure 5 is a flow chart of an exemplary method 500 for forming a welded bracket structure for a camera module. At 502, method 500 may include forming a first bracket of the welded bracket structure. For example, at 502a, forming the first bracket may include deep drawing a first metal sheet. In some embodiments, forming the first bracket may include removing one or more portions of the first metal sheet at 502b. In various examples, one or more portions of the first metal sheet may be removed to form one or more holes, one or more cutout portions, and / or one or more reduced wall thicknesses, such as described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 In some examples, one or more portions of the first metal sheet may be removed before the first metal sheet is deep drawn (at 502a). In addition or alternatively, one or more portions of the first metal sheet may be removed after the first metal sheet is deep drawn (at 502a).

[0054] At 504, method 500 may include forming a second bracket of the welded bracket structure. For example, at 504a, forming the second bracket may include deep drawing the second metal sheet. In some embodiments, forming the second bracket may include removing one or more portions of the second metal sheet at 504b. In various examples, one or more portions of the second metal sheet may be removed to form one or more holes, one or more cutout portions, and / or one or more reduced wall thicknesses, such as described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 In some examples, one or more portions of the second metal sheet may be removed before the second metal sheet is deep drawn (at 504a). In addition or alternatively, one or more portions of the second metal sheet may be removed after the second metal sheet is deep drawn (at 504a).

[0055] At 506, method 500 may include welding the first bracket to the second bracket. In some examples, welding the first bracket to the second bracket may create one or more weld joints that fixedly attach the first bracket to the second bracket, such as such that a first side wall of the first bracket abuts a second side wall of the second bracket. The first side wall may be adjacent to a first top wall of the first bracket. The first top wall may define a first set of one or more holes (e.g., holes formed at 502b) to receive at least a portion of the first set of one or more camera modules. The second side wall may be adjacent to a second top wall of the second bracket. The second top wall may define a second set of one or more holes (e.g., holes formed at 504b) to receive at least a portion of the second set of one or more camera modules.

[0056] According to various examples, welding the first bracket to the second bracket may include generating one or more spot welds, one or more seam welds, and / or one or more butt welds. The spot welds may include a first spot weld and / or a second spot weld generated between a first side wall of the first bracket and a second side wall of the second bracket. The first spot weld may be located on a first side of a first cutout portion of the first bracket. The second spot weld may be located on a second side of the first cutout portion, the second side being opposite to the first side. The seam weld may include a seam weld generated between a first edge of the first side wall and a second edge of the second side wall. In some examples, the first edge may at least partially define the first cutout portion, and the second edge may at least partially define the second cutout portion of the second bracket. The butt weld may include a first side butt weld, a second side butt weld, and / or a top edge butt weld. The first side butt weld may be generated between a first side wall of the first bracket and a first corner portion of the second bracket. The first corner portion may include a portion of the second side wall and a portion of a third side wall orthogonal to the second side wall and the second top wall. The second side butt weld may be generated between the first side wall of the first bracket and the second corner portion of the second bracket. The second corner portion may include another portion of the second side wall and a portion of a fourth side wall opposite the third side wall.A top edge butt weld may be produced between a first outer edge of the first side wall and a second outer edge of the second side wall.

[0057] Multi-function device example

[0058] Embodiments of electronic devices, user interfaces for such devices, and associated processes for using such devices are described herein. In some embodiments, the device is a portable communication device, such as a mobile phone, that also includes other functions, such as a PDA and / or a music player function. Exemplary embodiments of portable multifunction devices include, but are not limited to, the Apple iPod from Apple Inc. (Cupertino, California). iPod and Device. Other portable electronic devices, such as laptops, cameras, mobile phones, or tablet computers may also be used. It should also be understood that in some embodiments, the device is not a portable communication device, but a desktop computer with a camera. In some embodiments, the device is a gaming computer with an orientation sensor (e.g., an orientation sensor in a game controller). In other embodiments, the device is not a portable communication device, but a camera.

[0059] In the following discussion, an electronic device including a display and a touch-sensitive surface is described. However, it should be understood that the electronic device may include one or more other physical user interface devices, such as a physical keyboard, mouse, and / or joystick.

[0060] The device typically supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a drawing application, a presentation application, a word processing application, a website creation application, a disk editing application, a spreadsheet application, a gaming application, a telephony application, a video conferencing application, an email application, an instant messaging application, a fitness support application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and / or a digital video player application.

[0061] Various applications executable on the device may use at least one common physical user interface device, such as a touch-sensitive surface. One or more functions of the touch-sensitive surface and corresponding information displayed on the device may be adjusted and / or varied from one application to the next and / or within a respective application. In this way, a common physical architecture of the device (such as a touch-sensitive surface) may support a variety of applications with a user interface that is intuitive and transparent to the user.

[0062] Attention is now turned to embodiments of portable devices having a camera. Figure 6 A block diagram of an exemplary portable multifunction device 600 is illustrated, according to some embodiments, which may include one or more welded bracket structures and / or cameras (e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. Figures 1 to 5 The welding bracket structure and / or camera module described above). For convenience, the camera 664 is sometimes referred to as an "optical sensor" and may also be named or referred to as an optical sensor system. The device 600 may include a memory 602 (which may include one or more computer-readable storage media), a memory controller 622, one or more processing units (CPUs) 620, a peripheral device interface 618, an RF circuit 608, an audio circuit 610, a speaker 611, a touch-sensitive display system 612, a microphone 613, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 606, other input or control devices 616, and an external port 624. The device 600 may include multiple optical sensors 664. These components may communicate via one or more communication buses or signal lines 603.

[0063] It should be understood that device 600 is only one example of a portable multifunction device and that device 600 may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components. Figure 6 The various components shown in the drawings may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware, including one or more signal processing circuits and / or application specific integrated circuits.

[0064] The memory 602 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Access to the memory 602 by other components of the device 600 (such as the CPU 620 and the peripheral device interface 618) may be controlled by a memory controller 622.

[0065] The peripheral device interface 618 can be used to couple the input peripheral devices and output peripheral devices of the device to the CPU 620 and the memory 602. The one or more processors 620 run or execute various software programs and / or instruction sets stored in the memory 602 to perform various functions of the device 600 and process data.

[0066] In some embodiments, peripherals interface 618, CPU 620, and memory controller 622 may be implemented on a single chip, such as chip 604. In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips.

[0067] RF (radio frequency) circuit 608 receives and transmits RF signals, also referred to as electromagnetic signals. RF circuit 608 converts electrical signals into / from electromagnetic signals and communicates with a communication network and other communication devices via electromagnetic signals. RF circuit 608 may include well-known circuits for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and the like. RF circuit 608 may communicate with a network and other devices via wireless communications, such as the Internet (also referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW)), an intranet, and / or a wireless network (such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN), and / or a metropolitan area network (MAN)). The wireless communication may use any of a variety of communication standards, protocols and technologies, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and / or IEEE 802.11n), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, protocols for email (e.g., Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and / or Post Office Protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Utilizing Extensions (SIMPLE), Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS), and / or Short Message Service (SMS)), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed on the filing date of this document.

[0068] The audio circuit 610, speaker 611, and microphone 613 provide an audio interface between a user and the device 600. The audio circuit 610 receives audio data from the peripheral device interface 618, converts the audio data into electrical signals, and transmits the electrical signals to the speaker 611. The speaker 611 converts the electrical signals into sound waves audible to humans. The audio circuit 610 also receives electrical signals converted from sound waves by the microphone 613. The audio circuit 610 converts the electrical signals into audio data and transmits the audio data to the peripheral device interface 618 for processing. The audio data can be retrieved from the memory 602 and / or the RF circuit 608 by the peripheral device interface 618 and / or transmitted to the memory and / or the RF circuit. In some embodiments, the audio circuit 610 also includes a headset jack (e.g., Figure 7The headset jack provides an interface between the audio circuit 610 and a removable audio input / output peripheral device, such as an output-only headset or a headset with both output (e.g., a single or dual-ear headset) and input (e.g., a microphone).

[0069] The I / O subsystem 606 couples input / output peripherals on the device 600, such as a touch screen 612 and other input control devices 616, to a peripheral device interface 618. The I / O subsystem 606 may include a display controller 656 and one or more input controllers 660 for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers 660 receive electrical signals from or send electrical signals to other input or control devices 616. Other input control devices 616 may include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, etc. In some alternative embodiments, the input controller 660 may be coupled to (or not coupled to) any of the following: a keyboard, an infrared port, a USB port, and a pointing device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons (e.g., Figure 7 708 in the figure) may include an increase / decrease button for volume control of the speaker 611 and / or the microphone 613. The one or more buttons may include a push button (e.g., Figure 7 706 in ).

[0070] The touch-sensitive display 612 provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and the user. The display controller 656 receives electrical signals from the touch screen 612 and / or sends electrical signals to the touch screen 112. The touch screen 612 displays visual output to the user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, videos, and any combination thereof (collectively referred to as "graphics"). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output may correspond to user interface objects.

[0071] The touch screen 612 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor, or sensor group that accepts input from a user based on tactile and / or haptic contact. The touch screen 612 and display controller 656 (together with any associated modules and / or instruction sets in memory 602) detect contact (and any movement or interruption of the contact) on the touch screen 612 and convert the detected contact into interaction with a user interface object (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages, or images) displayed on the touch screen 612. In an exemplary embodiment, the point of contact between the touch screen 612 and the user corresponds to the user's finger.

[0072] The touch screen 612 may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, or LED (light emitting diode) technology, although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments. The touch screen 612 and display controller 656 may use any of a variety of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive technology, resistive technology, infrared technology, and surface acoustic wave technology, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with the touch screen 612 to detect contact and any movement or interruption thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, projected mutual capacitance sensing technology is used, such as the . iPod and Technology found in.

[0073] The touch screen 612 may have a video resolution of more than 800 dpi. In some embodiments, the touch screen has a video resolution of about 860 dpi. The user may use any suitable object or appendage such as a stylus, finger, etc. to contact the touch screen 612. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily through finger-based contacts and gestures, which may not be as precise as stylus-based input due to the larger contact area of ​​a finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device converts rough finger-based input into precise pointer / cursor positions or commands for performing the actions desired by the user.

[0074] In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, the device 600 may include a touch pad (not shown) for activating or deactivating specific functions. In some embodiments, the touch pad is a touch-sensitive area of ​​the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touch pad can be a touch-sensitive surface separate from the touch screen 612, or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen.

[0075] Device 600 also includes a power system 662 for powering the various components. Power system 662 may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., batteries, alternating current (AC)), a charging system, power fault detection circuits, power converters or inverters, power status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), and any other components associated with the generation, management, and distribution of power in a portable device.

[0076] Device 600 may also include one or more optical sensors or cameras 664 . Figure 6An optical sensor 664 coupled to an optical sensor controller 658 in the I / O subsystem 606 is shown. The optical sensor 664 may include a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistor. The optical sensor 664 receives light projected through one or more lenses from the environment and converts the light into data representing an image. In conjunction with the imaging module 643 (also referred to as a camera module), the optical sensor 664 can capture a still image or a video. In some embodiments, the optical sensor 664 is located on the back of the device 600 opposite to the touch screen display 612 on the front of the device, so that the touch screen display 612 can be used as a viewfinder for still image and / or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, another optical sensor is located on the front of the device so that the user can obtain an image of the user for video conferencing while watching other video conference participants on the touch screen display.

[0077] Device 600 may also include one or more proximity sensors 666 . Figure 6 A proximity sensor 666 is shown coupled to peripherals interface 618. Alternatively, proximity sensor 666 can be coupled to input controller 660 in I / O subsystem 606. In some embodiments, when multifunction device 600 is placed near a user's ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call), proximity sensor 666 turns off and disables touch screen 612.

[0078] The device 600 includes one or more orientation sensors 668. In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors 668 include one or more accelerometers (e.g., one or more linear accelerometers and / or one or more rotational accelerometers). In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors 668 include one or more gyroscopes. In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors 668 include one or more magnetometers. In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors 668 include one or more of a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), and / or other global navigation system receivers. GPS, GLONASS, and / or other global navigation system receivers can be used to obtain information about the position and orientation (e.g., longitudinal or transverse) of the device 600. In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors 668 include any combination of orientation / rotation sensors. Figure 6One or more orientation sensors 668 are shown coupled to the peripherals interface 618. Alternatively, the one or more orientation sensors 668 can be coupled to an input controller 660 in the I / O subsystem 606. In some embodiments, information is displayed on the touch screen display 612 in a portrait view or a landscape view based on analysis of data received from the one or more orientation sensors 668.

[0079] In some embodiments, the software components stored in the memory 602 include an operating system 626, a communication module (or instruction set) 628, a contact / motion module (or instruction set) 630, a graphics module (or instruction set) 632, a text input module (or instruction set) 634, a global positioning system (GPS) module (or instruction set) 635, an arbitration module 658, and an application (or instruction set) 636. In addition, in some embodiments, the memory 602 stores a device / global internal state 657. The device / global internal state 657 includes one or more of the following: an active application state, which indicates which applications (if any) are currently active; a display state, which indicates what applications, views, or other information occupy various areas of the touch screen display 612; a sensor state, including information obtained from various sensors and input control devices 616 of the device; and position information about the position and / or posture of the device.

[0080] The operating system 626 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and / or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.), and facilitates communication between various hardware and software components.

[0081] The communication module 628 facilitates communication with other devices through one or more external ports 624, and also includes various software components for processing data received by the RF circuit 608 and / or the external port 624. The external port 624 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, etc.) is suitable for coupling directly to other devices, or indirectly through a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector.

[0082] The contact / motion module 630 can detect contact with the touch screen 612 (in conjunction with the display controller 656) and other touch-sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). The contact / motion module 630 includes various software components for performing various operations related to the detection of contact, such as determining whether contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a finger press event), determining whether there is movement of the contact and tracking the movement on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., detecting one or more finger drag events), and determining whether the contact has terminated (e.g., detecting a finger lift event or contact interruption). The contact / motion module 630 receives contact data from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining the movement of a contact point represented by a series of contact data may include determining the rate (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction), and / or acceleration (change in magnitude and / or direction) of the contact point. These operations can be applied to a single contact point (e.g., a finger contact point) or multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g., "multi-touch" / multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, the contact / motion module 630 and the display controller 656 detect contact on a touchpad.

[0083] The contact / motion module 630 can detect gesture inputs made by a user. Different gestures on a touch-sensitive surface have different contact patterns. Therefore, a gesture can be detected by detecting a specific contact pattern. For example, detecting a single-finger tap gesture includes detecting a finger press event, and then detecting a finger lift (lift-off) event at the same location (or substantially the same location) as the finger press event (e.g., at an icon location). For another example, detecting a finger swipe gesture on a touch-sensitive surface includes detecting a finger press event, then detecting one or more finger drag events, and then detecting a finger lift (lift-off) event.

[0084] The graphics module 632 includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on the touch screen 612 or other display, including components for changing the intensity of the displayed graphics. As used herein, the term "graphics" includes any object that can be displayed to a user, including, without limitation, text, web pages, icons (such as user interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations, etc.

[0085] In some embodiments, the graphics module 632 stores data representing graphics to be used. Each graphic may be assigned a corresponding code. The graphics module 632 receives one or more codes for specifying the graphics to be displayed from an application program, etc., and also receives coordinate data and other graphic attribute data together if necessary, and then generates screen image data to be output to the display controller 656.

[0086] The text input module 634, which may be a component of the graphics module 632, provides a soft keyboard for entering text in a variety of applications (eg, contacts 637, email 640, instant messaging 641, browser 647, and any other application requiring text input).

[0087] The GPS module 635 determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to the phone 638 for location-based dialing; to the camera 643 as picture / video metadata; and to applications that provide location-based services such as the Weather widget, the Local Pages widget, and the Maps / Navigation widget).

[0088] The application 636 may include the following modules (or instruction sets) or a subset or superset thereof:

[0089] Contacts module 637 (sometimes called address book or contact list);

[0090] Telephone module 638;

[0091] Video conferencing module 639;

[0092] Email client module 640;

[0093] Instant messaging (IM) module 641;

[0094] Fitness support module 642;

[0095] A camera module 643 for still images and / or video images;

[0096] Image management module 644;

[0097] Browser module 647;

[0098] Calendar module 648;

[0099] A widget module 649, which may include one or more of the following: a weather widget 649-1, a stock market widget 649-2, a calculator widget 649-3, an alarm clock widget 649-4, a dictionary widget 649-5, and other widgets acquired by the user and a widget 649-6 created by the user;

[0100] A widget creator module 650 for forming a user-created widget 649-6;

[0101] Search module 651;

[0102] Video and music player module 652, which can be used by video player

[0103] ·Module and music player module;

[0104] Notepad module 653;

[0105] Map module 654; and / or

[0106] Online video module 655.

[0107] Examples of other applications 636 that may be stored in memory 602 include other word processing applications, other image editing applications, drawing applications, presentation applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, and voice replication.

[0108] In combination with the touch screen 612, display controller 656, contact module 630, graphics module 632 and text input module 634, the contact module 637 can be used to manage an address book or contact list (e.g., stored in the application internal state 657), including: adding names to the address book; deleting names from the address book; associating phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, or other information with names; associating images with names; categorizing and classifying names; providing phone numbers or email addresses to initiate and / or facilitate communications via telephone 638, video conferencing 639, email 640, or instant messaging 641; and the like.

[0109] In conjunction with RF circuit 608, audio circuit 610, speaker 611, microphone 613, touch screen 612, display controller 656, contact module 630, graphics module 632, and text input module 634, phone module 638 can be used to enter a character sequence corresponding to a phone number, access one or more phone numbers in address book 637, modify an entered phone number, dial a corresponding phone number, conduct a conversation, and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is completed. As described above, wireless communication can use any of a number of communication standards, protocols, and technologies.

[0110] In combination with RF circuit 608, audio circuit 610, speaker 611, microphone 613, touch screen 612, display controller 656, optical sensor 664, optical sensor controller 658, contact module 630, graphics module 632, text input module 634, contact list 637 and telephone module 638, video conferencing module 639 includes executable instructions for initiating, conducting and terminating a video conference between a user and one or more other participants in accordance with user instructions.

[0111] In conjunction with RF circuit 608, touch screen 612, display controller 656, contact module 630, graphics module 632, and text input module 634, email client module 640 includes executable instructions for creating, sending, receiving, and managing emails in response to user instructions. In conjunction with image management module 644, email client module 640 makes it very easy to create and send emails with still images or video images captured by camera module 643.

[0112] In conjunction with the RF circuit 608, the touch screen 612, the display controller 656, the contact module 630, the graphics module 632, and the text input module 634, the instant messaging module 641 includes executable instructions for inputting a character sequence corresponding to an instant message, modifying previously input characters, sending a corresponding instant message (e.g., using a short message service (SMS) or multimedia message service (MMS) protocol for phone-based instant messaging or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messaging), receiving instant messages, and viewing received instant messages. In some embodiments, the sent and / or received instant messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video files, and / or other attachments supported in MMS and / or enhanced messaging services (EMS). As used herein, "instant messaging" refers to both phone-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS).

[0113] In combination with the RF circuit 608, the touch screen 612, the display controller 656, the contact module 630, the graphics module 632, the text input module 634, the GPS module 635, the map module 654 and the music player module 646, the fitness support module 642 includes executable instructions for creating a fitness (e.g., with time, distance and / or calorie burn goals); communicating with fitness sensors (sports equipment); receiving fitness sensor data; calibrating sensors for monitoring fitness; selecting and playing music for fitness; and displaying, storing and transmitting fitness data.

[0114] In conjunction with the touch screen 612, display controller 656, optical sensor 664, optical sensor controller 658, contact module 630, graphics module 632 and image management module 644, the camera module 643 includes executable instructions for the following operations: capturing still images or videos (including video streams) and storing them in the memory 602, modifying the characteristics of the still images or videos, or deleting the still images or videos from the memory 602.

[0115] In conjunction with touch screen 612, display controller 656, contact module 630, graphics module 632, text input module 634, and camera module 643, image management module 644 includes executable instructions for arranging, modifying (e.g., editing), or otherwise manipulating, labeling, deleting, presenting (e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and storing still images and / or video images.

[0116] In combination with the RF circuit 608, the touch screen 612, the display system controller 656, the contact module 630, the graphics module 632 and the text input module 634, the browser module 647 includes executable instructions for browsing the Internet (including searching, linking to, receiving and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages) in accordance with user instructions.

[0117] In combination with the RF circuit 608, the touch screen 612, the display system controller 656, the contact module 630, the graphics module 632, the text input module 634, the email client module 640 and the browser module 647, the calendar module 648 includes executable instructions for creating, displaying, modifying and storing calendars and data associated with the calendar (e.g., calendar entries, to-do items, etc.) in accordance with user instructions.

[0118] In combination with RF circuit 608, touch screen 612, display system controller 656, contact module 630, graphics module 632, text input module 634 and browser module 647, desktop widget module 649 is a mini-application that can be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather desktop widget 649-1, stock desktop widget 649-2, calculator desktop widget 649-3, alarm desktop widget 649-4 and dictionary desktop widget 649-5) or a mini-application created by a user (e.g., user-created desktop widget 649-6). In some embodiments, the desktop widget includes HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) files, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) files and JavaScript files. In some embodiments, the desktop widget includes XML (Extensible Markup Language) files and JavaScript files (e.g., Yahoo! Desktop widget).

[0119] In combination with the RF circuit 608, the touch screen 612, the display system controller 656, the contact module 630, the graphics module 632, the text input module 634 and the browser module 647, the desktop widget creator module 650 can be used by users to create desktop widgets (for example, to transfer a user-specified portion of a web page to a desktop widget).

[0120] In combination with the touch screen 612, display system controller 656, contact module 630, graphics module 632 and text input module 634, the search module 651 includes executable instructions for searching the memory 602 for text, music, sound, images, video and / or other files that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms) in accordance with user instructions.

[0121] In conjunction with touch screen 612, display system controller 656, contact module 630, graphics module 632, audio circuit 610, speaker 611, RF circuit 608, and browser module 647, video and music player module 652 includes executable instructions that allow a user to download and play back recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats (such as MP3 or AAC files), as well as executable instructions for displaying, presenting, or otherwise playing back video (e.g., on touch screen 612 or on an external display connected via external port 624). In some embodiments, device 600 may include the functionality of an MP3 player.

[0122] In conjunction with the touch screen 612, display controller 656, contact module 630, graphics module 632 and text input module 634, the notepad module 653 includes executable instructions for creating and managing notes, to-do lists, etc. according to user instructions.

[0123] In combination with the RF circuit system 608, the touch screen 612, the display system controller 656, the contact module 630, the graphics module 632, the text input module 634, the GPS module 635 and the browser module 647, the map module 654 can be used to receive, display, modify and store executable instructions for maps and data associated with the maps (e.g., driving routes; data on stores and other points of interest at or near a particular location; and other location-based data) in accordance with user instructions.

[0124] In conjunction with the touch screen 612, the display system controller 656, the contact module 630, the graphics module 632, the audio circuit 610, the speaker 611, the RF circuit 608, the text input module 634, the email client module 640, and the browser module 647, the online video module 655 includes instructions that allow a user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and / or downloading), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external display connected via the external port 624), send an email with a link to a specific online video, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more file formats such as H.264. In some embodiments, the instant messaging module 641 is used instead of the email client module 640 to send a link to a specific online video.

[0125] Each module and application identified above corresponds to a set of executable instructions for performing one or more of the above functions and methods described in this application (e.g., computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (i.e., instruction sets) do not have to be implemented as separate software programs, processes, or modules, so various subsets of these modules can be combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 602 can store subsets of the above modules and data structures. In addition, memory 602 can store additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0126] In some embodiments, the device 600 is a device on which the operation of a predefined set of functions is performed exclusively through a touch screen and / or a touch pad. By using a touch screen and / or a touch pad as the primary input control device for the operation of the device 600, the number of physical input control devices (such as push buttons, dials, etc.) on the device 600 can be reduced.

[0127] A predefined set of functions that can be uniquely performed by a touch screen and / or a touchpad include navigating between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touchpad, when touched by a user, navigates the device 600 to a main menu, a home menu, or a root menu from any user interface that may be displayed on the device 600. In such embodiments, the touchpad may be referred to as a "menu button." In some other embodiments, the menu button may be a physical push button or other physical input control device, rather than a touchpad.

[0128] Figure 7 An exemplary portable multifunction device 600 is shown, which may include one or more welded bracket structures and / or cameras (e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 1 ). Figures 1 to 5 The device 600 may have a touch screen 612. The touch screen 612 may display one or more graphics within the user interface (UI) 700. In this embodiment, and in other embodiments described below, a user may select one or more of the graphics by, for example, gesturing on the graphics with one or more fingers 702 (not drawn to scale in the figures) or with one or more styluses 703 (not drawn to scale in the figures).

[0129] The device 600 may also include one or more physical buttons, such as a "home" button or menu button 704. As previously described, the menu button 704 may be used to navigate to any application 636 in a set of applications executable on the device 600. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button 704 is implemented as a soft key in a GUI displayed on the touch screen 612.

[0130] In one embodiment, the device 600 includes a touch screen 612, a menu button 704, a push button 706 for turning the device on and off and locking the device, a volume adjustment button 708, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card slot 710, a headset jack 712, and a docking / charging external port 724. The push button 706 can be used to turn the device on and off by pressing the button and keeping the button pressed for a predefined time interval; lock the device by pressing the button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval has passed; and / or unlock the device or initiate an unlocking process. In an alternative embodiment, the device 600 can also accept voice input for activating or deactivating some functions through a microphone 613.

[0131] It should be noted that while many of the examples herein reference optical sensor / camera 664 (on the front of the device) being provided, one or more rear-facing cameras or optical sensors pointing opposite the display may be used in place of or in addition to optical sensor / camera 664 on the front of the device.

[0132] Exemplary Computer System

[0133] Figure 8 An exemplary computer system 800 is illustrated, according to some embodiments, which may include one or more welded bracket structures and / or cameras (e.g., as described above with reference to Figures 1 to 5 The computer system 800 may be configured to perform any or all of the embodiments described above. In various embodiments, the computer system 800 may be any of a variety of types of devices, including, but not limited to, a personal computer system, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, an all-in-one computer, a tablet computer or a netbook computer, a mainframe computer system, a handheld computer, a workstation, a network computer, a camera, a set-top box, a mobile device, a consumer device, a video game controller, a handheld video game device, an application server, a storage device, a television, a video recording device, a peripheral device (such as a switch, a modem, a router), or generally any type of computing or electronic device.

[0134] Various embodiments of the camera motion control system as described herein, including the embodiments of magnetic position sensing as described herein, may be executed in one or more computer systems 800, which may interact with various other devices. Figures 1 to 7 Any component, action or functionality described may be implemented in a configuration as Figure 8800. In the illustrated embodiment, the computer system 800 includes one or more processors 810 coupled to a system memory 820 via an input / output (I / O) interface 830. The computer system 800 also includes a network interface 840 coupled to the I / O interface 830, and one or more input / output devices 850, such as a cursor control device 860, a keyboard 870, and a display 880. In some cases, it is contemplated that the embodiments may be implemented using a single instance of the computer system 800, while in other embodiments, multiple such systems or multiple nodes constituting the computer system 800 may be configured to host different parts or instances of the embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, some elements may be implemented via one or more nodes of the computer system 800 that are different from those nodes that implement other elements.

[0135] In various embodiments, computer system 800 may be a uniprocessor system including one processor 810, or a multiprocessor system including a number of processors 810 (e.g., two, four, eight, or another suitable number). Processor 810 may be any suitable processor capable of executing instructions. For example, in various embodiments, processor 810 may be a general-purpose or embedded processor that implements any of a variety of instruction set architectures (ISAs), such as x86, PowerPC, SPARC, or MIPS ISAs, or any other suitable ISAs. In a multiprocessor system, each of processors 810 may typically, but not necessarily, implement the same ISA.

[0136] The system memory 820 may be configured to store camera control program instructions 822 and / or camera control data that may be accessed by the processor 810. In various embodiments, the system memory 820 may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), non-volatile / flash type memory, or any other type of memory. In the illustrated embodiment, the program instructions 822 may be configured to implement a lens control application 824 that includes any of the above-described functionality. Additionally, the existing camera control data 832 of the memory 820 may include any of the above-described information or data structures. In some embodiments, the program instructions and / or data may be received, sent, or stored on a different type of computer accessible medium or similar medium separate from the system memory 820 or the computer system 800. Although the computer system 800 is described as implementing the functionality of the functional blocks of the preceding figures, any functionality described herein may be implemented by such a computer system.

[0137] In one embodiment, the I / O interface 830 may be configured to coordinate I / O communications between the processor 810, the system memory 820, and any peripheral devices in the device (including the network interface 840 or other peripheral device interfaces, such as the input / output device 850). In some embodiments, the I / O interface 830 may perform any necessary protocol, timing, or other data conversion to convert data signals from one component (e.g., the system memory 820) into a format suitable for use by another component (e.g., the processor 810). In some embodiments, the I / O interface 830 may include support for devices attached, for example, via various types of peripheral device buses (such as, a variation of the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus standard or the universal serial bus (USB) standard). In some embodiments, the functions of the I / O interface 830 may be divided into two or more separate components, such as a north bridge and a south bridge, for example. In addition, in some embodiments, some or all of the functions of the I / O interface 830 (such as an interface to the system memory 820) may be directly incorporated into the processor 810.

[0138] The network interface 840 may be configured to allow data to be exchanged between the computer system 800 and other devices (e.g., carrier or proxy devices) attached to the network 885 or between nodes of the computer system 800. In various embodiments, the network 885 may include one or more networks, including but not limited to a local area network (LAN) (e.g., an Ethernet or an enterprise network), a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet), a wireless data network, some other electronic data network, or some combination thereof. In various embodiments, the network interface 840 may, for example, support communication via a wired or wireless general data network (such as any suitable type of Ethernet network); communication via a telecommunications / telephone network (such as an analog voice network or a digital fiber optic communication network); communication via a storage area network (such as a Fiber Channel SAN), or communication via any other suitable type of network and / or protocol.

[0139] In some embodiments, input / output devices 850 may include one or more display terminals, keyboards, keypads, touch pads, scanning devices, voice or optical recognition devices, or any other device suitable for inputting or accessing data by one or more computer systems 800. Multiple input / output devices 850 may be present in computer system 800, or may be distributed across various nodes of computer system 800. In some embodiments, similar input / output devices may be separate from computer system 800 and may interact with one or more nodes of computer system 800 via a wired or wireless connection (such as via network interface 840).

[0140] like Figure 8As shown, the memory 820 may include program instructions 822, which may be executable by a processor to implement any element or action described above. In one embodiment, the program instructions may execute the method described above. In other embodiments, different elements and data may be included. It should be noted that the data may include any data or information described above.

[0141] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer system 800 is merely illustrative, and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments. In particular, computer systems and devices may include any combination of hardware or software that can perform the indicated functions, including computers, network equipment, Internet equipment, personal digital assistants, wireless telephones, pagers, etc. Computer system 800 may also be connected to other devices not shown or otherwise operate as an independent system. In addition, the functions provided by the shown components may be combined in fewer components or distributed in additional components in some embodiments. Similarly, in some embodiments, the functions of some components in the shown components may not be provided, and / or other additional functions may be available.

[0142] Those skilled in the art will also recognize that, although various items are shown as being stored in memory or on storage devices during use, for the purpose of memory management and data integrity, these items or parts thereof may be transmitted between memory and other storage devices. Alternatively, in other embodiments, some or all of these software components may be executed in a memory on another device, and communicate with the computer system shown via inter-computer communication. Some or all of the system components or data structures may also be stored (e.g., as instructions or structured data) on a computer-accessible medium or portable article to be read by a suitable driver, various examples of which are described above. In some embodiments, instructions stored on a computer-accessible medium separated from the computer system 800 may be transmitted to the computer system 800 via a transmission medium or signal (such as an electrical signal, an electromagnetic signal, or a digital signal transmitted via a communication medium such as a network and / or a wireless link). Various embodiments may also include receiving, sending, or storing instructions and / or data implemented according to the above description on a computer-accessible medium. Generally speaking, a computer-accessible medium may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or memory medium, such as a magnetic medium or an optical medium, for example a disk or a DVD / CD-ROM, a volatile or non-volatile medium, such as a RAM (e.g., SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM, SRAM, etc.), a ROM, etc. In some embodiments, a computer-accessible medium may include a transmission medium or signal, such as an electrical signal, an electromagnetic signal, or a digital signal transmitted via a communication medium such as a network and / or a wireless link.

[0143] In different embodiments, the methods described herein can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In addition, the order of the frames of the method can be changed, and various elements can be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc. For those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure, various modifications and changes can obviously be made. The various embodiments described herein are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Therefore, multiple instances can be provided for the components described as a single instance in this article. The boundaries between the various components, operations, and data repositories are arbitrary to a certain extent, and specific operations are shown in the context of a specific exemplary configuration.

[0144] Additional description of implementation scheme (exemplary clauses):

[0145] Item 1: A bracket structure for a camera module, the bracket structure comprising: a first bracket, the first bracket comprising: a first top wall defining a first group of one or more holes to receive at least a portion of a first group of one or more camera modules; and a first side wall adjacent to the first top wall; a second bracket, the second bracket comprising: a second top wall defining a second group of one or more holes to receive at least a portion of a second group of one or more camera modules; and a second side wall adjacent to the second top wall; and one or more welding joints, the one or more welding joints being used to fixedly attach the second bracket to the first bracket so that the second side wall is adjacent to the first side wall.

[0146] Clause 2: The bracket structure according to clause 1, wherein: the first bracket is formed by deep drawing a first metal sheet; and the second bracket is formed by deep drawing a second metal sheet.

[0147] Clause 3: A bracket structure according to any one of clauses 1 to 2, wherein the one or more welded joints include at least one of the following: a spot weld between the first side wall of the first bracket and the second side wall of the second bracket; a seam weld between the first inner edge of the first side wall and the second inner edge of the second side wall; a first butt weld between the first side wall and the corner portion of the second bracket, wherein the corner portion includes a portion of the second side wall and a portion of a third side wall orthogonal to the second side wall and the second top wall of the second bracket; or a second butt weld between the first outer edge of the first side wall and the second outer edge of the second side wall.

[0148] Clause 4: A bracket structure according to Clause 3, wherein: the one or more welded joints include: the spot weld; the seam weld; the first butt weld; and the second butt weld; the first outer edge is opposite to the first inner edge relative to the first side wall; and the second outer edge is opposite to the second inner edge relative to the second side wall.

[0149] Clause 5: A bracket structure according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein: the first side wall of the first bracket is orthogonal to the first top wall of the first bracket and parallel to the second side wall of the second bracket; and the second side wall is orthogonal to the second top wall.

[0150] Item 6: A device comprising: one or more processors; a memory storing program instructions, the program instructions being executable by the one or more processors to control the operation of one or more cameras of a multi-camera system; the multi-camera system, the multi-camera system comprising: a plurality of camera modules, the plurality of camera modules comprising: a first group of one or more camera modules; and a second group of one or more camera modules; and a bracket structure for the plurality of camera modules, the bracket structure comprising: a first bracket, the first bracket comprising: a first top wall defining a first group of one or more holes to receive at least a portion of the first group of one or more camera modules; and a first side wall adjacent to the first top wall; a second bracket, the second bracket comprising: a second top wall defining a second group of one or more holes to receive at least a portion of the second group of one or more camera modules; and a second side wall adjacent to the second top wall; and one or more weld joints, the one or more weld joints being used to fixedly attach the second bracket to the first bracket so that the second side wall is adjacent to the first side wall.

[0151] Clause 7: The apparatus of clause 6, wherein: the first bracket is formed by deep drawing a first metal sheet; and the second bracket is formed by deep drawing a second metal sheet.

[0152] Clause 8: The apparatus of any one of clauses 6 to 7, wherein the one or more welded joints include: a spot weld; a seam weld; and a butt weld.

[0153] Clause 9: The apparatus of any of clauses 6 to 8, wherein the one or more welded joints comprise spot welds between the first side wall of the first bracket and the second side wall of the second bracket.

[0154] Clause 10: The apparatus of any of clauses 6 to 9, wherein the one or more welded joints comprise a seam weld between a first edge of the first side wall and a second edge of the second side wall.

[0155] Clause 11: Apparatus according to any one of clauses 6 to 10, wherein the one or more welded joints comprise: a first butt weld between the first side wall and a corner portion of the second bracket, wherein the corner portion comprises a portion of the second side wall and a portion of a third side wall orthogonal to the second side wall and the second top wall of the second bracket; and a second butt weld between a first outer edge of the first side wall and a second outer edge of the second side wall.

[0156] Clause 12: A device according to any one of clauses 6 to 11, wherein: the first group of one or more camera modules includes: a first camera module, the first camera module including: a first lens group including one or more lens elements; and a first lens barrel for holding the first lens group; and a second camera module, the second camera module including: a second lens group including one or more lens elements; and a second lens barrel for holding the second lens group; and the first group of one or more holes includes: a first hole for receiving at least a portion of the first lens barrel; and a second hole for receiving at least a portion of the second lens barrel.

[0157] Clause 13: The apparatus of clause 12, wherein: the second group of one or more camera modules comprises: a third camera module, the third camera module comprising: a third lens group comprising one or more lens elements; and a third lens barrel for holding the third lens group; and the second group of one or more holes comprises: a third hole for receiving at least a portion of the third lens barrel.

[0158] Clause 14: The apparatus of clause 13, wherein the one or more weld joints fixedly attach the second bracket to the first bracket such that a plane intersecting the central axis of the third hole is located between the first hole and the second hole.

[0159] Clause 15: The apparatus of any of clauses 13 to 14, further comprising an epoxy electrically grounding the solder bracket structure to the first camera module, the second camera module, and the third camera module.

[0160] Clause 16: The apparatus of clause 15, wherein: the epoxy comprises silver epoxy; the apparatus further comprises thermal epoxy; and the first sidewall and the second sidewall define a cutout portion configured to allow at least one of the silver epoxy or the thermal epoxy to flow from the first bracket to the second bracket or from the second bracket to the first bracket.

[0161] Item 17: A method of forming a bracket structure for a camera module, the method comprising: welding a first bracket to a second bracket to produce one or more weld joints, the one or more weld joints fixedly attaching the first bracket to the second bracket so that a first side wall of the first bracket is adjacent to a second side wall of the second bracket, wherein: the first side wall is adjacent to a first top wall of the first bracket, the first top wall is used to define a first group of one or more holes to receive at least a portion of a first group of one or more camera modules; and the second side wall is adjacent to a second top wall of the second bracket, the second top wall is used to define a second group of one or more holes to receive at least a portion of a second group of one or more camera modules.

[0162] Clause 18: The method of clause 17, further comprising: forming the first bracket, wherein the forming the first bracket comprises deep drawing a first metal sheet; and forming the second bracket, wherein the forming the second bracket comprises deep drawing a second metal sheet.

[0163] Item 19: A method according to Item 18, wherein: forming the first bracket also includes removing a portion of the first side wall so that the first side wall defines a first cut portion; forming the second bracket also includes removing a portion of the second side wall so that the second side wall defines a second cut portion; and the method also includes: grinding a portion of at least one of the first top wall or the second top wall so that: the first top wall has a first thickness; and the second top wall has a second thickness different from the first thickness.

[0164] Item 20: A method according to item 19, wherein the welding includes: creating a first spot weld between the first side wall of the first bracket and the second side wall of the second bracket, wherein the first spot weld is located on the first side of the first cut-out portion; creating a second spot weld between the first side wall of the first bracket and the second side wall of the second bracket, wherein the second spot weld is located on the second side of the first cut-out portion, and the second side is opposite to the first side; creating a seam weld between a first inner edge of the first side wall and a second inner edge of the second side wall, wherein: the first inner edge at least partially defines the first cut-out portion; and the second inner edge at least partially defines the second cut-out portion; creating a first side butt weld between the first side wall and a first corner portion of the second bracket, wherein the first corner portion includes a portion of the second side wall and a portion of a third side wall orthogonal to the second side wall and the second top wall; and creating a second side butt weld between the first side wall and the second corner portion of the second bracket, wherein the second corner portion includes another portion of the second side wall and a portion of the fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall; and creating a top edge butt weld between a first outer edge of the first side wall and a second outer edge of the second side wall.

[0165] Other allocations of functionality are contemplated and may fall within the scope of the appended claims. Finally, structures and functions presented as discrete components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as combined structures or components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the embodiments as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A bracket structure for a camera module, the bracket structure comprising: A first deep-drawing bracket, wherein the first deep-drawing bracket comprises: a first top wall defining a first set of one or more apertures to receive at least a portion of a first set of one or more camera modules, and a first side wall adjacent to the first top wall; A second deep-drawn bracket, wherein the second deep-drawn bracket comprises: a second top wall defining a second set of one or more apertures to receive at least a portion of a second set of one or more camera modules, and a second side wall adjacent to the second top wall; and A weld joint arrangement comprising two or more different types of weld joints to fixedly attach the second deep-drawn bracket to the first deep-drawn bracket so that the second side wall abuts the first side wall, wherein the two or more different types of weld joints are configured to resist both tensile and torsional forces between the first deep-drawn bracket and the second deep-drawn bracket.

2. The bracket structure according to claim 1, wherein: The first deep-drawn bracket is formed by deep-drawing a first metal sheet; and The second deep-drawn bracket is formed by deep-drawing a second metal sheet.

3. The bracket structure according to claim 1, wherein: The two or more different types of weld joints include at least two of the following: spot welding between the first side wall of the first deep-drawn bracket and the second side wall of the second deep-drawn bracket; a seam weld between a first inner edge of the first side wall and a second inner edge of the second side wall; a first butt weld between the first side wall and a corner portion of the second deep-drawn bracket, wherein the corner portion includes a portion of the second side wall and a portion of a third side wall orthogonal to the second side wall and the second top wall of the second deep-drawn bracket; or A second butt weld is provided between the first outer edge of the first side wall and the second outer edge of the second side wall.

4. The bracket structure according to claim 3, wherein: The two or more different types of weld joints include at least two of the following: The spot welding; The seam welding; the first butt weld; and the second butt weld; The first outer edge is opposite the first inner edge relative to the first side wall; and The second outer edge is opposite to the second inner edge relative to the second side wall.

5. The bracket structure according to claim 1, wherein: The first side wall of the first deep-drawn bracket is orthogonal to the first top wall of the first deep-drawn bracket and parallel to the second side wall of the second deep-drawn bracket; and The second side wall is perpendicular to the second top wall.

6. A device comprising: one or more processors; a memory storing program instructions executable by the one or more processors to control operation of one or more cameras of a multi-camera system; The multi-camera system comprises: A plurality of camera modules, the plurality of camera modules comprising: a first set of at least two camera modules; and a second set of one or more camera modules; and A bracket structure for the plurality of camera modules, the bracket structure comprising: A first deep-drawing bracket, wherein the first deep-drawing bracket comprises: a first top wall defining a first set of at least two apertures to receive at least a portion of a first set of one or more camera modules, and a first side wall adjacent to the first top wall; A second deep-drawn bracket, wherein the second deep-drawn bracket comprises: a second top wall defining a second set of one or more apertures to receive at least a portion of a second set of one or more camera modules; and a second side wall adjacent to the second top wall; and A weld joint arrangement comprising two or more different types of weld joints to fixedly attach the second deep-drawn bracket to the first deep-drawn bracket so that the second side wall abuts the first side wall, wherein the two or more different types of weld joints are configured to resist both tensile and torsional forces between the first deep-drawn bracket and the second deep-drawn bracket.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: The first deep-drawn bracket is formed by deep-drawing a first metal sheet; and The second deep-drawn bracket is formed by deep-drawing a second metal sheet.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the two or more different types of weld joints include at least two of the following: spot welding; Seam welding; or Butt welding.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The two or more different types of welded joints include spot welds between the first side wall of the first deep-drawn bracket and the second side wall of the second deep-drawn bracket.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the two or more different types of welded joints include a seam weld between a first edge of the first side wall and a second edge of the second side wall.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the two or more different types of weld joints include: a first butt weld between the first side wall and a corner portion of the second deep-drawn bracket, wherein the corner portion includes a portion of the second side wall and a portion of a third side wall orthogonal to the second side wall and the second top wall of the second deep-drawn bracket; and A second butt weld is provided between the first outer edge of the first side wall and the second outer edge of the second side wall.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: The first group of at least two camera modules comprises: A first camera module, the first camera module comprising: a first lens group comprising one or more lens elements; and a first lens barrel for holding the first lens group; and A second camera module, the second camera module comprising: a second lens group comprising one or more lens elements; and a second lens barrel for holding the second lens group; and The first set of at least two holes comprises: a first aperture for receiving at least a portion of said first lens barrel; and A second aperture is provided for receiving at least a portion of the second lens barrel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: The second set of one or more camera modules comprises: A third camera module, the third camera module comprising: a third lens group comprising one or more lens elements; and A third lens barrel for holding the third lens group; and The second set of one or more holes comprises: A third aperture is provided for receiving at least a portion of the third lens barrel.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein: The two or more different types of weld joints fixedly attach the second deep-drawn bracket to the first deep-drawn bracket such that a plane intersecting a central axis of the third hole is located between the first hole and the second hole.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising an epoxy electrically grounding the bracket structure to the first, second, and third camera modules.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein: The epoxy resin includes silver epoxy resin; The apparatus also includes a thermal epoxy; and The first sidewall and the second sidewall define a cutout portion configured to allow at least one of the silver epoxy or the thermal epoxy to flow from the first deep draw bracket to the second deep draw bracket or from the second deep draw bracket to the first deep draw bracket.

17. A multi-camera system comprising: A bracket structure comprising a first bracket welded to a second bracket via a weld joint arrangement comprising two or more different types of weld joints to fixedly attach the second bracket to the first bracket such that a first side wall of the first bracket abuts a second side wall of the second bracket, wherein the two or more different types of weld joints are configured to resist both tensile and torsional forces between the first bracket and the second bracket, wherein: The first side wall is adjacent to a first top wall of the first bracket, the first top wall defining a first set of at least two apertures to receive at least a portion of a first set of at least two camera modules, and the second side wall being adjacent to a second top wall of the second bracket, the second top wall defining a second set of one or more apertures to receive at least a portion of a second set of one or more camera modules; at least one camera module of the first set of at least two camera modules is mounted into at least one hole of the first set of at least two holes using epoxy; and At least one camera module of the second group of one or more camera modules is mounted into at least one hole of the second group of one or more holes using epoxy resin, wherein based on a reference position of the bracket structure, at least one camera module of the first group of at least two camera modules in at least one hole of the first group of at least two holes is aligned with at least one camera module of the second group of one or more camera modules in at least one hole of the second group of one or more holes.

18. The multi-camera system of claim 17, wherein the epoxy comprises an ultraviolet (UV) flash epoxy.

19. The multi-camera system of claim 17, further comprising one or more portions of a first epoxy dispensed into the bracket structure to provide electrical connections between the bracket structure and the camera modules.

20. The multi-camera system of claim 17, further comprising one or more portions of a second epoxy dispensed in the bracket structure at least around sides of the camera modules to form a thermal fill surrounding at least a portion of the respective camera modules.

Images