PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10785395-B2
Application Number: US-201715594353-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Impact absorber for camera

Abstract:
In some embodiments, a camera includes an optical package, a camera actuator for moving the optical package, a camera cover, and an impact absorption member to prevent contact between the camera cover and the lens carrier. In some embodiments, the camera actuator includes a lens carrier moveably mounted to a camera cover.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A camera, comprising:
 a camera; 
 an optical package; 
 a lens carrier coupled with the optical package and moveably mounted relative to the camera cover; 
 a camera actuator for moving the lens carrier with the optical package along a path of motion; and 
 an impact absorption member located in the path of motion so as to prevent contact between the camera cover and the lens carrier, wherein the impact absorption member is coupled in a fixed position relative to the camera cover, wherein, along at least a portion of the path of motion, the lens carrier is movable apart from the impact absorption member, and wherein the impact absorption member comprises:
 one or more regions having a first thickness; and 
 one or more other regions having a second thickness, wherein the one or more other regions are at least partially in the path of motion of the lens carrier, and wherein the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The camera of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material, a second layer of material, and a third layer of material; 
 the second layer of material is placed between the first layer of material and the third layer of material; and 
 each of the first layer of material and the third layer of material have a respective hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material. 
 
     
     
       3. The camera of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material; and 
 the first layer of material has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material. 
 
     
     
       4. The camera of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer; and 
 the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer. 
 
     
     
       5. The camera of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer; and 
 the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer in the path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the one or more leaf springs. 
 
     
     
       6. The camera of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer; 
 the impact absorption member is of the first thickness at points at which the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer and the second thickness at points in the path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the one or more leaf springs. 
 
     
     
       7. The camera of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material; 
 the first layer of material has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material; and 
 the first layer of material faces the camera cover and the second layer of material faces the camera actuator. 
 
     
     
       8. A camera actuator assembly, comprising:
 one or more magnets and one or more coils for moving a lens carrier along a path of motion, wherein the lens carrier is moveably mounted relative to a structural member by the camera actuator assembly; and 
 an impact absorption member located in the path of motion so as to prevent contact between the structural member and the lens carrier, wherein the impact absorption member is coupled in a fixed position relative to the structural member, wherein, along at least a portion of the path of motion, the lens carrier is movable apart from the impact absorption member, and wherein the impact absorption member comprises:
 one or more regions having a first thickness; and 
 one or more other regions having a second thickness, wherein the one or more other regions are at least partially in the path of motion of the lens carrier, and wherein the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member is mounted to the structural member through a spacer; and 
 the impact absorption member is of the first thickness at a point of contact with the spacer. 
 
     
     
       10. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member is mounted to the structural member through a spacer; and 
 a thickness of the spacer at a point of contact with the impact absorption member is less than a thickness of the spacer at other points within the spacer. 
 
     
     
       11. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member is mounted to the structural member through a spacer; and 
 a radial width of the spacer at a point of contact with the impact absorption member is less than a radial width of the spacer at other points within the spacer. 
 
     
     
       12. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the impact absorption member radially surrounds an optics package moved by the camera actuator assembly. 
     
     
       13. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the camera actuator assembly is mounted to the structural member; and 
 the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the structural member by connection through the camera actuator assembly. 
 
     
     
       14. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the structural member by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer; and 
 the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer in the path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the one or more leaf springs. 
 
     
     
       15. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material, a second layer of material, and a third layer of material; 
 the second layer of material is placed between the first layer of material and the third layer of material; and 
 each of the first layer of material and the third layer of material have a respective thickness that is less than a thickness of the second layer of material. 
 
     
     
       16. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material; and 
 the first layer of material has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material. 
 
     
     
       17. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the structural member by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer; 
 the impact absorption member is of the first thickness at points at which the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer and the second thickness at points in the path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the leaf springs. 
 
     
     
       18. The camera actuator assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material; 
 the first layer of material has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material; and 
 the impact absorption layer is mounted so that the first layer of material faces the structural member and the second layer of material faces the camera actuator assembly. 
 
     
     
       19. A camera, comprising:
 a camera cover; 
 an optical package; 
 an image sensor; 
 a lens carrier coupled with the optical package and moveably mounted relative to the camera cover by a spacer and one or more leaf springs; 
 a magnetic camera actuator for moving the lens carrier with the optical package, relative to the image sensor, along a path of motion, the magnetic camera actuator comprising:
 one or more coils; and 
 one or more magnets mounted to the camera cover; and 
 
 an impact absorption member located in a path of motion so as to prevent contact between the camera cover and the lens carrier, wherein the impact absorption member is coupled in a fixed position relative to the camera cover, wherein, along at least a portion of the path of motion, the lens carrier is movable apart from impact absorption member, and wherein the impact absorption member comprises:
 one or more regions having a first thickness; and 
 one or more other regions having a second thickness, wherein the one or more other regions are at least partially in the path of motion of the lens carrier, and wherein the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. 
 
 
     
     
       20. The camera of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material, a second layer of material, and a third layer of material; 
 the second layer of material is placed between the first layer of material and the third layer of material; and 
 each of the first layer of material and the third layer of material have a respective hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material. 
 
     
     
       21. The camera of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material; and 
 the first layer of material has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material. 
 
     
     
       22. The camera of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the one or more leaf springs are connected to the spacer. 
 
     
     
       23. The camera of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the one or more leaf springs are connected to the spacer; and 
 the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer in the path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the one or more leaf springs. 
 
     
     
       24. The camera of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the one or more leaf springs are connected to the spacer; 
 the impact absorption member is of the first thickness at points at which the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer and the second thickness at points in the path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the one or more leaf springs. 
 
     
     
       25. The camera of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the impact absorption member comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material; 
 the first layer of material has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material; and 
 the first layer of material faces the camera cover and the second layer of material faces the magnetic camera actuator.

Description:
This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/337,205, filed on May 16, 2016, entitled “Impact Absorber”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     This disclosure relates generally to position control and more specifically to vibration reduction for managing the motion of camera components. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     The advent of small, mobile multipurpose devices such as smartphones and tablet or pad devices has resulted in a need for high-resolution, small form factor cameras for integration in the devices. Some small form factor cameras may incorporate optical image stabilization (OIS) mechanisms that may sense and react to external excitation/disturbance by adjusting location of the optical lens on the X and/or Y axis in an attempt to compensate for unwanted motion of the lens. Some small form factor cameras may incorporate an autofocus (AF) mechanism whereby the object focal distance can be adjusted to focus an object plane in front of the camera at an image plane to be captured by the image sensor. In some such autofocus mechanisms, the optical lens is moved as a single rigid body along the optical axis (referred to as the Z axis) of the camera to refocus the camera. 
     In addition, high image quality is easier to achieve in small form factor cameras if lens motion along the optical axis is accompanied by minimal parasitic motion in the other degrees of freedom, for example on the X and Y axes orthogonal to the optical (Z) axis of the camera. Thus, some small form factor cameras that include autofocus mechanisms may also incorporate optical image stabilization (OIS) mechanisms that may sense and react to external excitation/disturbance by adjusting location of the optical lens on the X and/or Y axis in an attempt to compensate for unwanted motion of the lens. In such systems, ability to dampen vibration of the position of the lens or absorb impact of the lens carrier with other components of the camera is useful. 
     SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS 
     In some embodiments, a camera includes an optical package, a camera actuator for moving the optical package, a camera cover, and an impact absorption member placed within the camera cover to prevent contact between the camera cover and the lens carrier. In some embodiments, the camera actuator includes a lens carrier moveably mounted to a camera cover. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping or impact absorption for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
         FIG. 1B  depicts an example embodiment of a vibration dampener or impact absorption member that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
         FIG. 1C  illustrates an example embodiment of a vibration dampener or impact absorption member that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram of a portable multifunction device with a camera in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  depicts a portable multifunction device having a camera in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration dampening or impact absorption for autofocus in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
         FIG. 5A  depicts a use case for an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping or impact absorption for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping or impact absorption for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  depicts an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping or impact absorption for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an exploded view of an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping or impact absorption for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an example computer system configured to implement aspects of the system and method for camera control with vibration dampening or impact absorption, according to some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     This specification includes references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment.” The appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner consistent with this disclosure. 
     “Comprising.” This term is open-ended. As used in the appended claims, this term does not foreclose additional structure or steps. Consider a claim that recites: “An apparatus comprising one or more processor units . . . .” Such a claim does not foreclose the apparatus from including additional components (e.g., a network interface unit, graphics circuitry, etc.). 
     “Configured To.” Various units, circuits, or other components may be described or claimed as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is used to connote structure by indicating that the units/circuits/components include structure (e.g., circuitry) that performs those task or tasks during operation. As such, the unit/circuit/component can be said to be configured to perform the task even when the specified unit/circuit/component is not currently operational (e.g., is not on). The units/circuits/components used with the “configured to” language include hardware—for example, circuits, memory storing program instructions executable to implement the operation, etc. Reciting that a unit/circuit/component is “configured to” perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, for that unit/circuit/component. Additionally, “configured to” can include generic structure (e.g., generic circuitry) that is manipulated by software and/or firmware (e.g., an FPGA or a general-purpose processor executing software) to operate in manner that is capable of performing the task(s) at issue. “Configure to” may also include adapting a manufacturing process (e.g., a semiconductor fabrication facility) to fabricate devices (e.g., integrated circuits) that are adapted to implement or perform one or more tasks. 
     “First,” “Second,” etc. As used herein, these terms are used as labels for nouns that they precede, 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 write operations for “first” and “second” values. The terms “first” and “second” do not necessarily imply that the first value must be written before the second value. 
     “Based On.” As used herein, this term is used to describe one or more factors that affect a determination. This term does not foreclose additional factors that may affect a determination. That is, a determination may be solely based on those factors or based, at least in part, on those factors. Consider the phrase “determine A based on B.” While in this case, B is a factor that affects the determination of A, such a phrase does not foreclose the determination of A from also being based on C. In other instances, A may be determined based solely on B. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Introduction to Vibration Dampeners or Impact Absorption Members for Miniature Autofocus Cameras 
     Some embodiments include camera equipment outfitted with controls, magnets, and sensors to improve the position accuracy of a miniature actuation mechanism for a compact camera module. More specifically, in some embodiments, compact camera modules include actuators to deliver functions such as autofocus (AF) and optical image stabilization (OIS). One approach to delivering a very compact actuator for OIS is to use a voice coil motor (VCM) arrangement. In this preferred arrangement, plural magnets are bonded to the moving body of the OIS actuator. For size and efficiency reason, these magnets are also used as part of the AF actuator housed inside the moving body of the OIS actuator. An arrangement of coils is mounted on the fixed body of the OIS actuator, along with an arrangement of Hall sensors. 
     In some embodiments, a camera includes an optical package, a camera actuator for moving the optical package, a camera cover, and an impact absorption member placed within the camera cover to prevent contact between the camera cover and the lens carrier. In some embodiments, the camera actuator includes a lens carrier moveably mounted to a camera cover. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least three layers of material. In some embodiments, a first layer of material and a third layer of material have respective hardness greater than a hardness of the second layer of material, and the second layer is placed between the first layer and the third layer. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least two layers of material. In some embodiments, a first layer of material has a hardness greater than a hardness of the second layer of material. 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer, and the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer. 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer, and the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the leaf springs. 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer, and the impact absorption member is of a first thickness at points at which it is mounted to the spacer and a second thickness at points in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the leaf springs. In some embodiments, the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least two layers of material. In some embodiments, a first layer of material has a hardness greater than a hardness of the second layer of material, and the first layer of material faces the cover and the second layer of material faces the camera actuator. 
     In some embodiments, a camera actuator assembly includes one or more magnets and one or more coils for moving a lens carrier, and an impact absorption member placed between the lens carrier and a structural member to prevent contact between the structural member and the lens carrier. In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the structural member by the actuator assembly. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member is mounted to the structural member through a spacer, and a thickness of the impact absorption member at a point of contact with the spacer is less than a thickness of the impact absorption member at a point in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier. 
     In some embodiments the impact absorption member is mounted to the structural member through a spacer, and a thickness of the spacer at a point of contact with the impact absorption member is less than a thickness of the spacer at other points within the spacer. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member is mounted to the structural member through a spacer, and a radial width of the spacer at a point of contact with the impact absorption member is less than a radial width of the spacer at other points within the spacer. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member radially surrounds an optics package moved by the actuator assembly. 
     In some embodiments, the camera actuator assembly is mounted to the structural member, and the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the structural member by connection through the actuator assembly. 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the structural member by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer, and the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the leaf springs. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least three layers of material. In some embodiments, a first layer of material and a third layer of material have a respective thickness less than a thickness of the second layer of material, and the second layer is placed between the first layer and the third layer. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least two layers of material. In some embodiments, a first layer of material has a hardness greater than a hardness of the second layer of material. 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the structural member by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer, and the impact absorption member is of a first thickness at points at which it is mounted to the spacer and a second thickness at points in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the leaf springs. In some embodiments, the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least two layers of material. A first layer of material has a hardness greater than a hardness of the second layer of material, and the impact absorption layer is mounted so that the first layer of material faces the cover and the second layer of material faces the camera actuator. 
     In some embodiments, a camera includes an optical package, an image sensor, a magnetic camera actuator for moving the optical package relative to the image sensor, a camera cover, one or more magnets mounted to the camera cover, and an impact absorption member placed within the camera cover to prevent contact between the camera cover and the lens carrier. In some embodiments, the camera actuator includes a lens carrier moveably mounted to a camera cover by a spacer and a set of leaf springs, and one or more coils for moving the optical package in a magnetic field. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least three layers of material. A first layer of material and a third layer of material have a respective hardness greater than a hardness of the second layer of material, and the second layer is placed between the first layer and the third layer. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least two layers of material. A first layer of material has a hardness greater than a hardness of the second layer of material. 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer, and the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer. 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer, and the impact absorption member is mounted to the spacer in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the leaf springs. 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier is moveably mounted to the camera cover by one or more leaf springs connected to a spacer, and the impact absorption member is of a first thickness at points at which it is mounted to the spacer and a second thickness at points in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier by the leaf springs. The second thickness is greater than the first thickness. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member includes at least two layers of material. A first layer of material has a hardness greater than a hardness of the second layer of material, and the first layer of material faces the cover and the second layer of material faces the camera actuator. 
     Multifunction Device Examples 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth 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 practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments. 
     It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the intended scope. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact. 
     The terminology used in the description herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     As used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context. 
     Embodiments of electronic devices, user interfaces for such devices, and associated processes for using such devices are described. In some embodiments, the device is a portable communications device, such as a mobile telephone, that also contains other functions, such as PDA and/or music player functions. Example embodiments of portable multifunction devices include, without limitation, the iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® devices from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Other portable electronic devices, such as laptops, cameras, cell phones, or tablet computers, may also be used. It should also be understood that, in some embodiments, the device is not a portable communications device, but is a desktop computer with a camera. In some embodiments, the device is a gaming computer with orientation sensors (e.g., orientation sensors in a gaming controller). In other embodiments, the device is not a portable communications device, but is a camera. 
     In the discussion that follows, an electronic device that includes a display and a touch-sensitive surface is described. It should be understood, however, that the electronic device may include one or more other physical user-interface devices, such as a physical keyboard, a mouse and/or a joystick. 
     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 authoring application, a spreadsheet application, a gaming application, a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a workout 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. 
     The various applications that may be executed on the device may use at least one common physical user-interface device, such as the touch-sensitive surface. One or more functions of the touch-sensitive surface as well as 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 (such as the touch-sensitive surface) of the device may support the variety of applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and transparent to the user. 
       FIG. 1A  illustrates an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping or impact absorption for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. A camera  1000  includes an optical package  1006 , a camera actuator  1026  for moving the optical package  1006 , a camera cover  1028 , and an impact absorption member  1010  placed within the camera cover  1028  to prevent contact between the camera cover  1028  and the lens carrier  1008 . In some embodiments, the camera actuator  1026  includes a lens carrier  1008  moveably mounted to a camera cover  1028 . 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier  1008  is moveably mounted to the camera cover  1028  by one or more leaf springs  1014  connected to a spacer  1012 , and the impact absorption member  1010  is mounted to the spacer  1012 . 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier  1008  is moveably mounted to the camera cover  1028  by one or more leaf springs  1014  connected to a spacer  1012 , and the impact absorption member  1010  is mounted to the spacer  1012  in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier  1008  by the leaf springs  1014 . 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier  1008  is moveably mounted to the camera cover  1028  by one or more leaf springs  1014  connected to a spacer  1012 , and the impact absorption member  1010  is of a first thickness at points at which it is mounted to the spacer  1012  and a second thickness at points in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier  1008  by the leaf springs  1014 . In some embodiments, the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. 
     In some embodiments, the impact absorption member  1010  may be attached to the camera cover  1028  and/or the spacer  1012 . For example, an adhesive (e.g., epoxy, glue, etc.) may be used to attach the impact absorption member  1010  to an underside of the camera cover  1028 . In some cases, the impact absorption member  1010  may be attached to the camera cover  1028  without being attached to the spacer  1012 . Furthermore, in some embodiments, the spacer  1012  may define one or more recesses that accommodate one or more tabs defined by the impact absorption member  1010 , e.g., as discussed below with reference to  FIG. 7 . In some examples, one or more portions of the impact absorption member  1010  may be located between the camera cover  1028  and the spacer  1012 . For example, the tabs of the impact absorption member  1010  may extend radially to at least partially into the recesses of the spacer  1012  such that the tabs are at least partially located between the camera cover  1028  and the spacer  1012 . 
     A substrate  1022 , an actuator base  1020  and an image sensor  1024  are also shown. 
       FIG. 1B  depicts an example embodiment of a vibration dampener or impact absorption member that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. In some embodiments, the impact absorption member  1002  includes at least two layers of material. For instance, the impact absorption member  1002  may include a first layer of material  1034  and a second layer of material  1036 . In some examples, the first layer of material  1034  may face a camera cover (e.g., the camera cover  1028  described above with reference to  FIG. 1A ), and the second layer of material  1036  may face one or more upper surfaces of a lens carrier and/or a camera actuator (e.g., the lens carrier  1008  and/or the camera actuator  1026  described above with reference to  FIG. 1A ). 
     In some embodiments, the first layer of material  1034  may have a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material  1036 . In other embodiments, the second layer of material  1036  may have a hardness that that is greater than the first layer of material  1034 . The impact absorption member  1002  may include a “soft” layer of material (e.g., the layer of material having a lesser hardness) to provide shock absorption. Furthermore, the impact absorption member  1002  may include a “hard” layer of material (e.g., the layer of material having a greater hardness) to facilitate handling and/or manufacturing of the impact absorption member  1002  and/or a camera module (e.g., the camera  1000  described above with reference to  FIG. 1A ). For instance, the “soft” layer of material may be difficult to cut into a desired shape for the impact absorption member  1002  without the adjacent “hard” layer of material. 
     In some embodiments, the first layer of material  1034  may be thicker than the second layer of material  1036 . In other embodiments, the second layer of material  1036  may be thicker than the first layer of material  1034 . According to some cases, one or more portions of the first layer of material  1034  may be thicker than one or more portions of the second layer of material  1036 , or vice-versa. For instance, a portion of the first layer of material  1034  may be thicker than an adjacent portion of the second layer of material  1036 , or vice-versa. Furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more portions of the first layer of material  1034  may have a same thickness as one or more portions of the second layer of material  1036 . 
       FIG. 1C  illustrates an example embodiment of a vibration dampener or impact absorption member that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping or impact absorption for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. In some embodiments, the impact absorption member  1004  includes at least three layers of material. For instance, the impact absorption member  1004  may include a first layer of material  1030 , a second layer of material  1032 , and a third layer of material  1038 . According to various embodiments, the second layer of material  1032  may be sandwiched between the first layer of material  1030  and the third layer of material  1038 . In some examples, the first layer of material  1030  may face a camera cover (e.g., the camera cover  1028  described above with reference to  FIG. 1A ), and the third layer of material may face one or more upper surfaces of a lens carrier and/or a camera actuator (e.g., the lens carrier  1008  and/or the camera actuator  1026  described above with reference to  FIG. 1A ). 
     In some embodiments, the first layer of material  1030  and/or the third layer of material  1038  may have a respective hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second layer of material  1032 . In other embodiments, the second layer of material  1032  may have a hardness that is greater than a respective hardness of the first layer of material  1030  and/or the third layer of material  1038 . 
     According to some examples, the second layer of material  1032  may be thicker than the first layer of material  1030  and/or the third layer of material  1038 . In other embodiments, the first layer of material  1030  and/or the third layer of material  1038  may be thicker than the second layer of material  1032 . 
     In some embodiments, one or more portions of the first layer of material  1030  and/or one or more portions of the third layer of material  1038  may be thicker than one or more portions of the second layer of material  1032 . For instance, a portion of the first layer of material  1030  and/or a portion of the third layer of material  1038  may be thicker than an adjacent portion of the second layer of material. In other embodiments, one or more portions of the second layer of material  1032  may be thicker than one or more portions of the first layer of material  1030  and/or one or more portions of the third layer of material  1038 . For instance, a portion of the second layer of material  1032  may be thicker than an adjacent portion of the first layer of material  1030  and/or an adjacent portion of the third layer of material  1038 . Furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more portions of the first layer of material  1030  and/or one or more portions of the second layer of the third layer of material  1038  may have a same thickness as one or more portions of the second layer of material  1032 . 
     Attention is now directed toward embodiments of portable devices with cameras.  FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating portable multifunction device  100  with camera  164  in accordance with some embodiments. Camera  164  is sometimes called an “optical sensor” for convenience, and may also be known as or called an optical sensor system. Device  100  may include memory  102  (which may include one or more computer readable storage mediums), memory controller  122 , one or more processing units (CPU&#39;s)  120 , peripherals interface  118 , RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , touch-sensitive display system  112 , microphone  113 , input/output (I/O) subsystem  106 , other input or control devices  116 , and external port  124 . Device  100  may include one or more optical sensors  164 . These components may communicate over one or more communication buses or signal lines  103 . 
     It should be appreciated that device  100  is only one example of a portable multifunction device, and that device  100  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. The various components shown in  FIG. 2  may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. 
     Memory  102  may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Access to memory  102  by other components of device  100 , such as CPU  120  and the peripherals interface  118 , may be controlled by memory controller  122 . 
     Peripherals interface  118  can be used to couple input and output peripherals of the device to CPU  120  and memory  102 . The one or more processors  120  run or execute various software programs and/or sets of instructions stored in memory  102  to perform various functions for device  100  and to process data. 
     In some embodiments, peripherals interface  118 , CPU  120 , and memory controller  122  may be implemented on a single chip, such as chip  104 . In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips. 
     RF (radio frequency) circuitry  108  receives and sends RF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry  108  converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry  108  may include well-known circuitry 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 so forth. RF circuitry  108  may communicate with networks, 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), and other devices by wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any of a variety of communications 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, a protocol for e-mail (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 Leveraging 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 as of the filing date of this document. 
     Audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , and microphone  113  provide an audio interface between a user and device  100 . Audio circuitry  110  receives audio data from peripherals interface  118 , converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to speaker  111 . Speaker  111  converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. Audio circuitry  110  also receives electrical signals converted by microphone  113  from sound waves. Audio circuitry  110  converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the audio data to peripherals interface  118  for processing. Audio data may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to memory  102  and/or RF circuitry  108  by peripherals interface  118 . In some embodiments, audio circuitry  110  also includes a headset jack (e.g.,  212 ,  FIG. 3 ). The headset jack provides an interface between audio circuitry  110  and removable audio input/output peripherals, such as output-only headphones or a headset with both output (e.g., a headphone for one or both ears) and input (e.g., a microphone). 
     I/O subsystem  106  couples input/output peripherals on device  100 , such as touch screen  112  and other input control devices  116 , to peripherals interface  118 . I/O subsystem  106  may include display controller  156  and one or more input controllers  160  for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers  160  receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control devices  116 . The other input control devices  116  may include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, and so forth. In some alternate embodiments, input controller(s)  160  may be coupled to any (or none) of the following: a keyboard, infrared port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons (e.g.,  208 ,  FIG. 3 ) may include an up/down button for volume control of speaker  111  and/or microphone  113 . The one or more buttons may include a push button (e.g.,  206 ,  FIG. 3 ). 
     Touch-sensitive display  112  provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and a user. Display controller  156  receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to touch screen  112 . Touch screen  112  displays visual output to the user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof (collectively termed “graphics”). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects. 
     Touch screen  112  has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or set of sensors that accepts input from the user based on haptic and/or tactile contact. Touch screen  112  and display controller  156  (along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in memory  102 ) detect contact (and any movement or breaking of the contact) on touch screen  112  and converts the detected contact into interaction with user-interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages or images) that are displayed on touch screen  112 . In an example embodiment, a point of contact between touch screen  112  and the user corresponds to a finger of the user. 
     Touch screen  112  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. Touch screen  112  and display controller  156  may detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of a variety of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with touch screen  112 . In an example embodiment, projected mutual capacitance sensing technology is used, such as that found in the iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. 
     Touch screen  112  may have a video resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In some embodiments, the touch screen has a video resolution of approximately 160 dpi. The user may make contact with touch screen  112  using any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts and gestures, which can be less precise than stylus-based input due to the larger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based input into a precise pointer/cursor position or command for performing the actions desired by the user. 
     In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, device  100  may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating particular functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from touch screen  112  or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen. 
     Device  100  also includes power system  162  for powering the various components. Power system  162  may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other components associated with the generation, management and distribution of power in portable devices. 
     Device  100  may also include one or more optical sensors or cameras  164 .  FIG. 2  shows an optical sensor coupled to optical sensor controller  158  in I/O subsystem  106 . Optical sensor  164  may include charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistors. Optical sensor  164  receives light from the environment, projected through one or more lens, and converts the light to data representing an image. In conjunction with imaging module  143  (also called a camera module), optical sensor  164  may capture still images or video. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the back of device  100 , opposite touch screen display  112  on the front of the device, so that the touch screen display may be used as a viewfinder for still and/or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, another optical sensor is located on the front of the device so that the user&#39;s image may be obtained for videoconferencing while the user views the other video conference participants on the touch screen display. 
     Device  100  may also include one or more proximity sensors  166 .  FIG. 2  shows proximity sensor  166  coupled to peripherals interface  118 . Alternately, proximity sensor  166  may be coupled to input controller  160  in I/O subsystem  106 . In some embodiments, the proximity sensor turns off and disables touch screen  112  when the multifunction device is placed near the user&#39;s ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call). 
     Device  100  includes one or more orientation sensors  168 . In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors 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 include one or more gyroscopes. In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors include one or more magnetometers. In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors include one or more of global positioning system (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), and/or other global navigation system receivers. The GPS, GLONASS, and/or other global navigation system receivers may be used for obtaining information concerning the location and orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape) of device  100 . In some embodiments, the one or more orientation sensors include any combination of orientation/rotation sensors.  FIG. 2  shows the one or more orientation sensors  168  coupled to peripherals interface  118 . Alternately, the one or more orientation sensors  168  may be coupled to an input controller  160  in I/O subsystem  106 . In some embodiments, information is displayed on the touch screen display in a portrait view or a landscape view based on an analysis of data received from the one or more orientation sensors. 
     In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory  102  include operating system  126 , communication module (or set of instructions)  128 , contact/motion module (or set of instructions)  130 , graphics module (or set of instructions)  132 , text input module (or set of instructions)  134 , Global Positioning System (GPS) module (or set of instructions)  135 , arbiter module  157  and applications (or sets of instructions)  136 . Furthermore, in some embodiments memory  102  stores device/global internal state  157 . Device/global internal state  157  includes one or more of: active application state, indicating which applications, if any, are currently active; display state, indicating what applications, views or other information occupy various regions of touch screen display  112 ; sensor state, including information obtained from the device&#39;s various sensors and input control devices  116 ; and location information concerning the device&#39;s location and/or attitude. 
     Operating system  126  (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. 
     Communication module  128  facilitates communication with other devices over one or more external ports  124  and also includes various software components for handling data received by RF circuitry  108  and/or external port  124 . External port  124  (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for coupling directly to other devices or indirectly over a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector. 
     Contact/motion module  130  may detect contact with touch screen  112  (in conjunction with display controller  156 ) and other touch sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). Contact/motion module  130  includes various software components for performing various operations related to detection of contact, such as determining if contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a finger-down event), determining if there is movement of the contact and tracking the movement across the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., detecting one or more finger-dragging events), and determining if the contact has ceased (e.g., detecting a finger-up event or a break in contact). Contact/motion module  130  receives contact data from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining movement of the point of contact, which is represented by a series of contact data, may include determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction), and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or direction) of the point of contact. These operations may be applied to single contacts (e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g., “multitouch”/multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, contact/motion module  130  and display controller  156  detect contact on a touchpad. 
     Contact/motion module  130  may detect a gesture input by a user. Different gestures on the touch-sensitive surface have different contact patterns. Thus, a gesture may be detected by detecting a particular contact pattern. For example, detecting a finger tap gesture includes detecting a finger-down event followed by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event at the same position (or substantially the same position) as the finger-down event (e.g., at the position of an icon). As another example, detecting a finger swipe gesture on the touch-sensitive surface includes detecting a finger-down event followed by detecting one or more finger-dragging events, and subsequently followed by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event. 
     Graphics module  132  includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on touch screen  112  or other display, including components for changing the intensity of graphics that are displayed. 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 and the like. 
     In some embodiments, graphics module  132  stores data representing graphics to be used. Each graphic may be assigned a corresponding code. Graphics module  132  receives, from applications etc., one or more codes specifying graphics to be displayed along with, if necessary, coordinate data and other graphic property data, and then generates screen image data to output to display controller  156 . 
     Text input module  134 , which may be a component of graphics module  132 , provides soft keyboards for entering text in various applications (e.g., contacts  137 , e-mail  140 , IM  141 , browser  147 , and any other application that needs text input). 
     GPS module  135  determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to telephone  138  for use in location-based dialing, to camera  143  as picture/video metadata, and to applications that provide location-based services such as weather widgets, local yellow page widgets, and map/navigation widgets). 
     Applications  136  may include the following modules (or sets of instructions), or a subset or superset thereof:
         contacts module  137  (sometimes called an address book or contact list);   telephone module  138 ;   video conferencing module  139 ;   e-mail client module  140 ;   instant messaging (IM) module  141 ;   workout support module  142 ;   camera module  143  for still and/or video images;   image management module  144 ;   browser module  147 ;   calendar module  148 ;   widget modules  149 , which may include one or more of: weather widget  149 - 1 , stocks widget  149 - 2 , calculator widget  149 - 3 , alarm clock widget  149 - 4 , dictionary widget  149 - 5 , and other widgets obtained by the user, as well as user-created widgets  149 - 6 ;   widget creator module  150  for making user-created widgets  149 - 6 ;   search module  151 ;   video and music player module  152 , which may be made up of a video player   module and a music player module;   notes module  153 ;   map module  154 ; and/or   online video module  155 .       

     Examples of other applications  136  that may be stored in memory  102  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. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , contacts module  137  may be used to manage an address book or contact list (e.g., stored in application internal state  192  of contacts module  137  in memory  102  or memory  370 ), including: adding name(s) to the address book; deleting name(s) from the address book; associating telephone number(s), e-mail address(es), physical address(es) or other information with a name; associating an image with a name; categorizing and sorting names; providing telephone numbers or e-mail addresses to initiate and/or facilitate communications by telephone  138 , video conference  139 , e-mail  140 , or IM  141 ; and so forth. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , telephone module  138  may be used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more telephone numbers in address book  137 , modify a telephone number that has been entered, dial a respective telephone number, conduct a conversation and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is completed. As noted above, the wireless communication may use any of a variety of communications standards, protocols and technologies. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , optical sensor  164 , optical sensor controller  158 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , contact list  137 , and telephone module  138 , videoconferencing module  139  includes executable instructions to initiate, conduct, and terminate a video conference between a user and one or more other participants in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140  includes executable instructions to create, send, receive, and manage e-mail in response to user instructions. In conjunction with image management module  144 , e-mail client module  140  makes it very easy to create and send e-mails with still or video images taken with camera module  143 . 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the instant messaging module  141  includes executable instructions to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to an instant message, to modify previously entered characters, to transmit a respective instant message (for example, using a Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) protocol for telephony-based instant messages or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messages), to receive instant messages and to view received instant messages. In some embodiments, transmitted and/or received instant messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video files and/or other attachments as are supported in a MMS and/or an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). As used herein, “instant messaging” refers to both telephony-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , GPS module  135 , map module  154 , and music player module  146 , workout support module  142  includes executable instructions to create workouts (e.g., with time, distance, and/or calorie burning goals); communicate with workout sensors (sports devices); receive workout sensor data; calibrate sensors used to monitor a workout; select and play music for a workout; and display, store and transmit workout data. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , optical sensor(s)  164 , optical sensor controller  158 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and image management module  144 , camera module  143  includes executable instructions to capture still images or video (including a video stream) and store them into memory  102 , modify characteristics of a still image or video, or delete a still image or video from memory  102 . 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and camera module  143 , image management module  144  includes executable instructions to arrange, modify (e.g., edit), or otherwise manipulate, label, delete, present (e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and store still and/or video images. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , browser module  147  includes executable instructions to browse the Internet in accordance with user instructions, including searching, linking to, receiving, and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140 , and browser module  147 , calendar module  148  includes executable instructions to create, display, modify, and store calendars and data associated with calendars (e.g., calendar entries, to do lists, etc.) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and browser module  147 , widget modules  149  are mini-applications that may be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather widget  149 - 1 , stocks widget  149 - 2 , calculator widget  1493 , alarm clock widget  149 - 4 , and dictionary widget  149 - 5 ) or created by the user (e.g., user-created widget  149 - 6 ). In some embodiments, a widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file. In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! Widgets). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and browser module  147 , the widget creator module  150  may be used by a user to create widgets (e.g., turning a user-specified portion of a web page into a widget). 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , search module  151  includes executable instructions to search for text, music, sound, image, video, and/or other files in memory  102  that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , RF circuitry  108 , and browser module  147 , video and music player module  152  includes executable instructions that allow the 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, and executable instructions to display, present or otherwise play back videos (e.g., on touch screen  112  or on an external, connected display via external port  124 ). In some embodiments, device  100  may include the functionality of an MP3 player. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , notes module  153  includes executable instructions to create and manage notes, to do lists, and the like in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , GPS module  135 , and browser module  147 , map module  154  may be used to receive, display, modify, and store maps and data associated with maps (e.g., driving directions; data on stores and other points of interest at or near a particular location; and other location-based data) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , RF circuitry  108 , text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140 , and browser module  147 , online video module  155  includes instructions that allow the user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and/or download), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external, connected display via external port  124 ), send an e-mail with a link to a particular online video, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more file formats, such as H.264. In some embodiments, instant messaging module  141 , rather than e-mail client module  140 , is used to send a link to a particular online video. 
     Each of the above identified modules and applications correspond to a set of executable instructions for performing one or more functions described above and the methods described in this application (e.g., the computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory  102  may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory  102  may store additional modules and data structures not described above. 
     In some embodiments, device  100  is a device where operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad. By using a touch screen and/or a touchpad as the primary input control device for operation of device  100 , the number of physical input control devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like) on device  100  may be reduced. 
     The predefined set of functions that may be performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad include navigation between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touchpad, when touched by the user, navigates device  100  to a main, home, or root menu from any user interface that may be displayed on device  100 . 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 instead of a touchpad. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a portable multifunction device  100  having a touch screen  112  in accordance with some embodiments. The touch screen may display one or more graphics within user interface (UI)  200 . In this embodiment, as well as others described below, a user may select one or more of the graphics by making a gesture on the graphics, for example, with one or more fingers  202  (not drawn to scale in the figure) or one or more styluses  203  (not drawn to scale in the figure). 
     Device  100  may also include one or more physical buttons, such as “home” or menu button  204 . As described previously, menu button  204  may be used to navigate to any application  136  in a set of applications that may be executed on device  100 . Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI displayed on touch screen  112 . 
     In one embodiment, device  100  includes touch screen  112 , menu button  204 , push button  206  for powering the device on/off and locking the device, volume adjustment button(s)  208 , Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card slot  210 , head set jack  212 , and docking/charging external port  124 . Push button  206  may be used to turn the power on/off on the device by depressing the button and holding the button in the depressed state for a predefined time interval; to lock the device by depressing the button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval has elapsed; and/or to unlock the device or initiate an unlock process. In an alternative embodiment, device  100  also may accept verbal input for activation or deactivation of some functions through microphone  113 . 
     It should be noted that, although many of the examples herein are given with reference to optical sensor/camera  164  (on the front of a device), a rear-facing camera or optical sensor that is pointed opposite from the display may be used instead of or in addition to an optical sensor/camera  164  on the front of a device. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates embodiments of an example actuator assembly in which embodiments as described herein may be applied. As one of skill in the art will readily ascertain in light of having read the included disclosure, a wide variety of configurations of position sensors and magnets fulfill differing design goals in different embodiments without departing from the scope and intent of the present disclosure. As one of skill in the art will readily ascertain in light of having read the included disclosure, a wide variety of configurations of actuator fulfill differing design goals in different embodiments without departing from the scope and intent of the present disclosure. For example, while the embodiments shown herein reflect voice coil motor actuators, one of skill in the art will readily understand that different actuators, including non-magnetic motorized actuators such as rotary motors or piezo-electric actuators, can be used with embodiments without departing from the scope and intent of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 4  depicts a side view of an example embodiment of an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide autofocus with vibration dampening or impact absorption in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. 
     In some embodiments, each position control magnet array  4006  is poled so as to generate a magnetic field, the useful component of which for the autofocus function is orthogonal to the optical axis of the camera/lens, and orthogonal to the plane of each magnet  4006  proximate to the autofocus coil  4004 , and where the fields for all four magnets  4006  are all either directed towards the autofocus coil  4004 , or away from it, so that the Lorentz forces from all four magnets  4006  act in the same direction along the optical axis  4080 . Impact absorption members  4018  and spacers  4042  as described herein are shown. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , an actuator module  4000  may include a base assembly or substrate  4008 , an optics assembly  4002 , and a cover  4012 . Base assembly  4008  may include one or more of, but is not limited to, a base  4008  supporting one or more position sensors  4010  (e.g., Hall sensors, TMR/GMR sensors, etc.), optical image stabilization coils  4092 , and suspension wires  4020 . 
     In at least some embodiments, there are four suspension wires  4020 . An optics assembly  4002  may be suspended on the base assembly  4008  by suspension of the upper springs  4040  on the suspension wires  4020 . Actuator module  4000  may include one or more of, but is not limited to, optics assembly  4002 , optics holder (autofocus coil)  4004 , magnet(s)  4006 , upper spring(s)  4040 , and lower spring(s)  4042 . The upper and lower spring(s) may be collectively referred to herein as optics springs. In optics assembly  4002 , an optics component (e.g., a lens or lens assembly) may be screwed, mounted or otherwise held in or by a lens carrier (and/or autofocus coil)  4004 . In at least some embodiments, the optics assembly  4002 /lens carrier (and/or autofocus coil)  4004  assembly may be suspended from or attached to the position control magnets  4006  by upper spring(s)  4040  and/or lower spring(s)  4044 , and the position control magnet arrays  4006  may be rigidly mounted to base  4008 . Note that upper spring(s)  4040  and lower spring(s)  4044  are flexible to allow the optics assembly  4002  a range of motion along the Z (optical) axis  4080  for optical focusing, and wires  4020  are flexible to allow a range of motion on the XY plane orthogonal to the optical axis  4080  for optical image stabilization. 
     Note that, in some embodiments, an optics assembly  4002  or an actuator module may not include position control magnets  4006 , but may include a yoke or other structure  4006  that may be used to help support the optics assembly  4002  on suspension wires  4020  via upper springs  4040 . However in some embodiments, actuator module  4000  may not include elements  4006 . In general, other embodiments of an actuator module  4000  may include fewer or more components than the example actuator module  4000  shown in  FIG. 4 . Also note that, while embodiments show the optics assembly  4002  suspended on wires  4020 , other mechanisms may be used to suspend an optics assembly  4002  in other embodiments. 
     The autofocus yoke (e.g., magnets or holder(s)  4006 ) acts as the support chassis structure for the autofocus mechanism of actuator module  4000 . The lens carrier (and/or autofocus coil)  4004  is suspended on the autofocus yoke by an upper autofocus (AF) spring  4040  and a lower optics spring  4044 . In this way when an electric current is applied to the autofocus coil, Lorentz forces are developed due to the presence of the four magnets, and a force substantially parallel to the optical axis is generated to move the lens carrier  4004 , and hence lens, along the optical axis  4080 , relative to the support structure of the autofocus mechanism of the actuator module  4000 , so as to focus the lens. In addition to suspending the lens carrier  4004  and substantially eliminating parasitic motions, the upper spring  4040  and lower spring  4044  also resist the Lorentz forces, and hence convert the forces to a displacement of the lens. This basic architecture shown in  FIG. 4  is typical of some embodiments, in which optical image stabilization function includes moving the entire autofocus mechanism of the actuator module  4000  (supported by the autofocus yoke) in linear directions orthogonal to the optical axis  4080 , e.g., in response to user handshake, as detected by some means, such as a two or three axis gyroscope, which senses angular velocity. The handshake of interest is the changing angular tilt of the camera in ‘pitch and yaw directions’, which can be compensated by said linear movements of the lens relative to the image sensor  4050 . 
     At least some embodiments may achieve this two independent degree-of-freedom motion by using two pairs of optical image stabilization coils  4092 , each pair acting together to deliver controlled motion in one linear axis orthogonal to the optical axis  4080 , and each pair delivering controlled motion in a direction substantially orthogonal to the other pair. In at least some embodiments, these optical image stabilization coils  4092  may be fixed to the camera actuator support structure, and when current is appropriately applied, optical image stabilization coils  4092  may generate Lorentz forces on the entire autofocus mechanism of the actuator module  4000 , moving it as desired. The required magnetic fields for the Lorentz forces are produced by the same four magnets  4006  that enable the Lorentz forces for the autofocus function. However, since the directions of motion of the optical image stabilization movements are orthogonal to the autofocus movements, it is the fringing field of the four magnets  4006  that are employed, which have components of magnetic field in directions parallel to the optical axis  4080 . 
     In at least some embodiments, the suspension of the autofocus mechanism on the actuator module  4000  support structure may be achieved by the use of four corner wires  4020 , for example wires with a circular cross-section. Each wire  4020  acts as a flexure beam capable of bending with relatively low stiffness, thus allowing motion in both optical image stabilization degrees-of-freedom. However, wire  4020  is in some embodiments relatively stiff in directions parallel to the optical axis  4080 , as this would require the wire to stretch or buckle, thus substantially preventing parasitic motions in these directions. In addition, the presence of four such wires, appropriately separated allows them to be stiff in the parasitic tilt directions of pitch and yaw, thus substantially preventing relative dynamic tilt between the lens and image sensor  4050 . This may be seen by appreciating that each wire  4020  is stiff in directions that require it to change in length, and hence the fixed points at the ends of each wire (eight points in total) will substantially form the vertices of a parallelepiped for all operational positions of the optical image stabilization mechanism. 
     In some embodiments, a package of processors and memory  4090  or other computer-readable medium may, in some embodiments, be included in actuator module  4000 . In some embodiments, a package of processors and memory  4090  or other computer-readable medium as described herein may alternatively, in some embodiments, be omitted from actuator module  4000  and housed elsewhere in a device in which actuator module  4000  is installed. 
       FIG. 5A  depicts a use case for an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments.  FIG. 5A  shows translation along an optical axis  506  of an actuator  508  relative to a cover  504 , and prevention of impact between lens carrier  502  and cover  504  by vibration absorption member  500 . 
       FIG. 5B  illustrates an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments.  FIG. 5B  shows roll  516  of an actuator  514  relative to a cover  512 , and prevention of impact between lens carrier  518  and cover  512  by vibration absorption member  510 . 
       FIG. 6  depicts an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. A camera  600  includes an optical package  606 , a camera actuator  626  for moving the optical package  606 , a camera cover  628 , and an impact absorption member  610  placed within the camera cover  628  to prevent contact between the camera cover  628  and the lens carrier  608 . In some embodiments, the camera actuator  626  includes a lens carrier  608  moveably mounted to a camera cover  628 . 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier  608  is moveably mounted to the camera cover  628  by one or more leaf springs  614  connected to a spacer  612 , and the impact absorption member  610  is mounted to the camera cover  628  and/or the spacer  612 . 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier  608  is moveably mounted to the camera cover  628  by one or more leaf springs  614  connected to a spacer  612 , and the impact absorption member  610  is mounted to the camera cover  628  and/or the spacer  612  in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier  608  by the leaf springs  614 . 
     In some embodiments, the lens carrier  608  is moveably mounted to the camera cover  628  by one or more leaf springs  614  connected to a spacer  612 , and the impact absorption member  610  is of a first thickness at points at which it is mounted to the camera cover  628  and/or the spacer  612 , and a second thickness at points in a path of motion allowed to the lens carrier  608  by the leaf springs  614 . In some embodiments, the second thickness is greater than the first thickness. A substrate  622 , an actuator base  620  and an image sensor  624  are also shown. A second impact absorption member  640  is placed to reduce impact between base  620  and the lens carrier  608 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an exploded view of an example embodiment of a camera having an actuator module or assembly that may, for example, be used to provide vibration damping for autofocus mechanisms in small form factor cameras, according to at least some embodiments. Camera  700  includes a lens  702  or optics package, a shield can  704  or cover, a shim  706  or impact absorption member, a spacer  718 , a base  714 , a substrate with image sensor  716 , and an actuator  726  including a magnet  708 , coil  710 , and lens carrier  712 . Leaf springs, which connect to spacer  718 , are not shown in this view. 
     In some embodiments, the shim  706  may be attached to the shield can  704  and/or the spacer  718 . For example, an adhesive (e.g., epoxy, glue, etc.) may be used to attach the shim  706  to an underside of the shield can  704 . In some cases, the shim  706  may be attached to the shield can  704  without being attached to the spacer  718 . Furthermore, in some embodiments, the spacer  718  may define one or more recesses  728  that accommodate one or more tabs  730  defined by the shim  706 . In some examples, one or more portions of the shim  706  may be located between the shield can  704  and the spacer  718 . For example, the tabs  730  of the shim  706  may extend radially to at least partially into the recesses of the spacer  718  such that the tabs  730  are at least partially located between the shield can  704  and the spacer  718 . In some examples, the recesses  728  of the spacer  718  may be formed/sized such that they at least partially encompass the tabs  730  of the shim  706  without contacting the shim  706  and/or without compressing the shim  706 . In such cases, the shim  706  may be attached to the shield can  704  without being attached to the spacer  718 . 
     Example Computer System 
       FIG. 8  illustrates an example computer system  800  that may be configured to execute any or all of the embodiments described above. In different embodiments, computer system  800  may be any of various types of devices, including, but not limited to, a personal computer system, desktop computer, laptop, notebook, tablet, slate, pad, or netbook computer, mainframe computer system, handheld computer, workstation, network computer, a camera, a set top box, a mobile device, a consumer device, video game console, handheld video game device, application server, storage device, a television, a video recording device, a peripheral device such as a switch, modem, router, or in general any type of computing or electronic device. 
     Various embodiments of a camera motion control system as described herein, as described herein may be executed in one or more computer systems  800 , which may interact with various other devices. Note that any component, action, or functionality described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-10  may be implemented on one or more computers configured as computer system  800  of  FIG. 8 , according to various embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, computer system  800  includes one or more processors  810  coupled to a system memory  820  via an input/output (I/O) interface  830 . Computer system  800  further includes a network interface  840  coupled to I/O interface  830 , and one or more input/output devices  850 , such as cursor control device  860 , keyboard  870 , and display(s)  880 . In some cases, it is contemplated that embodiments may be implemented using a single instance of computer system  800 , while in other embodiments multiple such systems, or multiple nodes making up computer system  800 , may be configured to host different portions or instances of embodiments. For example, in one embodiment some elements may be implemented via one or more nodes of computer system  800  that are distinct from those nodes implementing other elements. 
     In various embodiments, computer system  800  may be a uniprocessor system including one processor  810 , or a multiprocessor system including several processors  810  (e.g., two, four, eight, or another suitable number). Processors  810  may be any suitable processor capable of executing instructions. For example, in various embodiments processors  810  may be general-purpose or embedded processors implementing any of a variety of instruction set architectures (ISAs), such as the x86, PowerPC, SPARC, or MIPS ISAs, or any other suitable ISA. In multiprocessor systems, each of processors  810  may commonly, but not necessarily, implement the same ISA. 
     System memory  820  may be configured to store camera control program instructions  822  and/or camera control data accessible by processor  810 . In various embodiments, system memory  820  may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory. In the illustrated embodiment, program instructions  822  may be configured to implement a lens control application  824  incorporating any of the functionality described above. Additionally, existing camera control data  832  of memory  820  may include any of the information or data structures described above. In some embodiments, program instructions and/or data may be received, sent or stored upon different types of computer-accessible media or on similar media separate from system memory  820  or computer system  800 . While computer system  800  is described as implementing the functionality of functional blocks of previous Figures, any of the functionality described herein may be implemented via such a computer system. 
     In one embodiment, I/O interface  830  may be configured to coordinate I/O traffic between processor  810 , system memory  820 , and any peripheral devices in the device, including network interface  840  or other peripheral interfaces, such as input/output devices  850 . In some embodiments, I/O interface  830  may perform any necessary protocol, timing or other data transformations to convert data signals from one component (e.g., system memory  820 ) into a format suitable for use by another component (e.g., processor  810 ). In some embodiments, I/O interface  830  may include support for devices attached through various types of peripheral buses, such as a variant of the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus standard or the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, for example. In some embodiments, the function of I/O interface  830  may be split into two or more separate components, such as a north bridge and a south bridge, for example. Also, in some embodiments some or all of the functionality of I/O interface  830 , such as an interface to system memory  820 , may be incorporated directly into processor  810 . 
     Network interface  840  may be configured to allow data to be exchanged between computer system  800  and other devices attached to a network  885  (e.g., carrier or agent devices) or between nodes of computer system  800 . Network  885  may in various embodiments include one or more networks including but not limited to Local Area Networks (LANs) (e.g., an Ethernet or corporate network), Wide Area Networks (WANs) (e.g., the Internet), wireless data networks, some other electronic data network, or some combination thereof. In various embodiments, network interface  840  may support communication via wired or wireless general data networks, such as any suitable type of Ethernet network, for example; via telecommunications/telephony networks such as analog voice networks or digital fiber communications networks; via storage area networks such as Fibre Channel SANs, or via any other suitable type of network and/or protocol. 
     Input/output devices  850  may, in some embodiments, include one or more display terminals, keyboards, keypads, touchpads, scanning devices, voice or optical recognition devices, or any other devices suitable for entering 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 on 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  through a wired or wireless connection, such as over network interface  840 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , memory  820  may include program instructions  822 , which may be processor-executable to implement any element or action described above. In one embodiment, the program instructions may implement the methods described above. In other embodiments, different elements and data may be included. Note that data may include any data or information described above. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer system  800  is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of embodiments. In particular, the computer system and devices may include any combination of hardware or software that can perform the indicated functions, including computers, network devices, Internet appliances, PDAs, wireless phones, pagers, etc. Computer system  800  may also be connected to other devices that are not illustrated, or instead may operate as a stand-alone system. In addition, the functionality provided by the illustrated components may in some embodiments be combined in fewer components or distributed in additional components. Similarly, in some embodiments, the functionality of some of the illustrated components may not be provided and/or other additional functionality may be available. 
     Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, while various items are illustrated as being stored in memory or on storage while being used, these items or portions of them may be transferred between memory and other storage devices for purposes of memory management and data integrity. Alternatively, in other embodiments some or all of the software components may execute in memory on another device and communicate with the illustrated computer system 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 a portable article to be read by an appropriate drive, various examples of which are described above. In some embodiments, instructions stored on a computer-accessible medium separate from computer system  800  may be transmitted to computer system  800  via transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a network and/or a wireless link. Various embodiments may further include receiving, sending or storing instructions and/or data implemented in accordance with the foregoing description upon a computer-accessible medium. Generally speaking, a computer-accessible medium may include a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium or memory medium such as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or DVD/CD-ROM, volatile or non-volatile media such as RAM (e.g. SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM, SRAM, etc.), ROM, etc. In some embodiments, a computer-accessible medium may include transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as network and/or a wireless link. 
     The methods described herein may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof, in different embodiments. In addition, the order of the blocks of the methods may be changed, and various elements may be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc. Various modifications and changes may be made as would be obvious to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. The various embodiments described herein are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Accordingly, plural instances may be provided for components described herein as a single instance. Boundaries between various components, operations and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within the scope of claims that follow. Finally, structures and functionality presented as discrete components in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of embodiments as defined in the claims that follow.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20170512
Publication Date: 20200922
Grant Date: 20200922
Priority Date: 20160516
Inventors: XU, BIN
YANG, QIANG
HUBERT, AURELIEN R.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04N23/57", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/57", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B7/08", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/67", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/687", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/687", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/67", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B7/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B3/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B2205/0069", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B5/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B2205/0007", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B7/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B2205/0069", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B7/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B3/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B5/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B2205/0007", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B7/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N5/2253", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B2205/0007", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N5/23287", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B5/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N5/23212", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B3/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N5/2257", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B2205/0069", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B7/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 60294962