Patent ID: 11927440
Assignee: WAYMO LLC
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 16:
17. A method comprising:
receiving, from a capacitive position sensor, a capacitance measurement indicative of a position of a substrate relative to a lens assembly, wherein the lens assembly comprises at least one lens that defines an optical axis, wherein an image sensor is disposed on the substrate, wherein the capacitive position sensor comprises a first capacitive plate coupled to the substrate and a second capacitive plate coupled to the lens assembly, wherein the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate are oriented parallel to the substrate such that a distance between the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate is configured to change based on changes in the position of the substrate relative to the lens assembly along the optical axis, and wherein a first width of the first capacitive plate differs from a second width of the second capacitive plate such that a capacitive area of the capacitive position sensor remains constant while a lateral position of the substrate changes relative to the lens assembly in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis;
determining, based on the capacitance measurement, a control signal for an actuator that is coupled to the substrate and configured to adjust the position of the substrate relative to the lens assembly to move the image sensor along the optical axis; and
providing the control signal to the actuator to move the substrate.