Triaxial Snubber Assembly for Miniature Camera Optics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Miniature cameras, such as those in cellular telephones, face limitations in low light conditions and pixel count due to fixed focus, which requires larger apertures and movable optics, but these are hindered by the size constraints of miniature mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A snubber assembly that controls the motion of camera optics in six degrees of freedom, allowing for precise focusing and zooming while inhibiting misalignment and shock, by using a stage with mesas and shims to limit motion in five degrees of freedom and facilitate movement in one translational degree, reducing manufacturing precision needs and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If fixed focus is used to simplify camera design, then device complexity is reduced, but imaging quality in low light conditions and at various distances deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a movable stage that can dynamically adjust its position along the optical axis to change focus distance. The stage transitions from a static fixed-focus design to a dynamic variable-focus system, allowing the camera to maintain imaging quality across different distances and lighting conditions while keeping the overall device compact.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a movable stage carrying the imager, a snubber assembly for positioning control, and a housing structure. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component, enabling precise focus adjustment without complicating the overall design.
2Manufacturing precision
If larger aperture is used to improve low light performance, then imaging quality is improved, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The imager is nested on a movable stage that is captured within the snubber assembly, which in turn is housed within the camera housing. This nested structure allows the aperture to be enlarged for better low-light performance while maintaining a compact overall camera size through efficient spatial arrangement.
3Manufacturing precision
If movable optics are used to achieve variable focus, then imaging quality is improved, but device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex lens assembly is extracted and replaced with a simpler movable stage carrying the imager. Instead of moving multiple lens elements, the entire imager is mounted on a single stage that moves along the optical axis, significantly reducing mechanism complexity while maintaining variable focus capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The snubber assembly acts as an intermediary mechanism between the motor driver and the movable stage. It provides precise positioning and shock absorption functions, enabling variable focus with a simple yet effective mechanism that avoids the complexity of traditional lens focusing systems.
4Measurement precision
If higher manufacturing precision is applied to the snubber assembly, then motion control precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The snubber assembly features localized precision elements (mesas and shims) at critical interfaces where motion control is needed, while other portions of the assembly can be manufactured with standard tolerances. This selective application of precision manufacturing reduces overall cost while maintaining necessary motion control accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesas and shims are designed to self-align and self-position the stage within the snubber assembly. The physical features of the stage assembly facilitate precise positioning of the snubber features, reducing the need for high-precision manufacturing across all components and lowering manufacturing costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for mitigating undesirable motion of the optics of a camera are disclosed. The system can include a stage and snubber assembly for defining motion of the camera optics. The stage and snubber assembly can include a stage assembly having a stage to which the optics are attachable, at least one wing formed upon the stage, and a snubber assembly configured to cooperate with the wing(s) so as to limit motion of the stage substantially to the desired direction of travel of the camera optics.