Patent ID: 7852576

Claim:
A lens module, comprising: a lens; a base; a carrier carrying the lens; two elastic members each having a first end attached on the base and an opposite second end, the second ends thereof being attached to opposite sides of the carrier, the carrier being movable relative to the base; and a plurality of thermal actuators each having a first arm and a second arm alongside the first arm, a gap defined between the first and second arms, the first and second arms aligned in a direction along an optical axis of the lens, and each having a first end electrically and mechanically coupled to the base and an opposite second end, the second ends of the first and second arms being interconnected and attached to the carrier, the first arms being thinner than the second arms so that the first arms are capable of deflecting toward the second arms in a direction along the optical axis of the lens due to differential heat generated when an electrical current is passed through the first and second arms from the first ends thereof to the second ends thereof, such that the carrier together with the lens is moved in the direction along the optical axis of the lens.