Camera Frame Raised Regions for Substrate Stress Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile device cameras with bearing structures face reliability issues due to unwanted movement during drops or shocks, causing excessive stress on substrates with cantilevered mounting components, which can lead to substrate cracking.
Innovation Solution
A frame structure with raised regions is integrated between the substrate and the stationary base to provide additional support, reducing the gap and stress on cantilevered portions, thereby enhancing camera reliability without affecting actuator performance or design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mounting components are placed outside or close to the edge of the substrate, then the substrate can support the components, but the cantilevered portion experiences excessive stress during drop or shock events, leading to substrate cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension by adding a support structure that extends downward from the substrate into the housing cavity. This creates a three-dimensional support system where the mounting component is supported both by the substrate from above and by the support structure from below, effectively reducing the cantilevered span and distributing stress across multiple support points in different spatial dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure acts as an intermediary element between the substrate and the housing base. It transfers and distributes the mechanical stress that would otherwise concentrate at the substrate edge, providing a mediating support that reduces the direct stress on the substrate while still allowing the mounting component to be positioned at the edge for operational flexibility.
2Reliability
If the substrate is made more robust to prevent cracking, then substrate reliability improves, but the overall camera device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support function is segmented between two separate components: the substrate and the support structure. The substrate maintains its original thin, lightweight design for optical precision, while the support structure (attached to the housing) provides the additional mechanical strength needed to prevent cracking. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure serves as a mediator that provides the necessary mechanical reinforcement without requiring the substrate itself to be made thicker or more robust. This intermediary support allows the substrate to remain lightweight while still preventing cracking during drop or shock events.
3Reliability
If the gap between the mounting component and housing base is reduced, then stress on the substrate is reduced, but the design flexibility and actuator performance may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to be flexible during normal camera operation, permitting the necessary movement of the image sensor and actuator components. During abnormal events like drops or shocks, the support structure provides rigid stress distribution to prevent substrate cracking. This dynamic design maintains design flexibility while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure provides localized support only where needed - specifically in the region where the mounting component creates cantilevered stress on the substrate. Other areas of the camera housing maintain their original design freedom, allowing actuator performance and overall design flexibility to be preserved while still providing stress reduction where it is most critical.
Data Source
AI summary
A camera may include an image sensor attached with a substrate configured to move relative to one or more lenses of the camera in one or more directions. The camera may include one or more actuators to control movement of the image sensor, which may include at least one magnet and at least one corresponding coil. The magnet of the actuators may be attached with the substrate, outside a perimeter of the substrate or on the substrate but close to the perimeter of the substrate. The magnet may cause the adjacent portion of the substrate to become cantilevered with only partial support. The camera may include a frame structure having one or more raised regions towards the magnet to reduce a stress on the cantilevered portion of the substrate, e.g., during a drop or shock event.