Guided Autofocus Assembly
AssigneeHutchinson Technology Incorporated
InventorMark A. Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Autofocus assembly and related methods are described. One example of an autofocus assembly includes a housing element. The housing element including a hall housing wall configured to secure a hall sensor. The autofocus assembly includes a lens carriage configured to secure a hall magnet and configured to be received within the housing element and configured to define a receiving space between the lens carriage and the housing element to receive one or more bearing elements. The autofocus assembly includes a magnetic element disposed at the hall housing wall and configured to magnetically attract the hall magnet and to secure the hall housing wall to the housing element and secure the one or more bearing elements between the hall housing wall and the lens carriage.
Claims23
An autofocus assembly comprising:
- a housing element including a hall housing wall configured to secure a hall sensor;
- a lens carriage configured to secure a hall magnet and configured to be received within the hall housing wall, and configured to define a receiving space between the lens carriage and the housing element to receive one or more bearing elements;
- a cover and a spring element, wherein the cover is configured to secure the spring element to the lens carriage;
- and
- a circuit comprising:
- a first SMA wire;
- a second SMA wire coupled to the first SMA wire;
- a first contact pad electrically connected to a power source and to the first SMA wire;
- wherein current flows along the first SMA wire into a first slide base connecting the first and second SMA wires, along the second SMA wire.
A lens carriage adapted for use in an autofocus assembly, comprising:
- a circular frame;
- a first lateral protruding element extending from the circular frame on a first side, the first lateral protruding element includes at least one engagement element;
- a second lateral protruding element extending from the circular frame on a second side, the second lateral protruding element includes at least one engagement element;
- and
- at least one receiving space formed on the circular frame configured to receive bearing elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.