Mechanical camera shutter mechanism
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorRichard Tsai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A camera shutter mechanism for covering and exposing an imaging sensor array is disclosed. The camera shutter mechanism includes a rotary motor, a crank mechanism, a cover, a guide, and a drive circuit. The rotary motor is coupled to the crank mechanism to rotate the crank mechanism about a central axis. The cover is coupled to the crank mechanism at a point away from the central axis. The drive circuit controls the rotary motor so that the cover moves back and forth repeatedly in a substantially linear motion along the guide between a shutter closed position and a shutter open position over the imaging sensor array. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
Claims20
A camera shutter mechanism, comprising:
- a first cover assembly having a first rotary motor, a first crank mechanism coupled to the first rotary motor to be rotated by the first rotary motor about a central axis of the first crank mechanism, and a first cover coupled to the first crank mechanism at a point away from the central axis of the first crank mechanism, the first cover having an area at least as large as an imaging sensor array so as to completely cover the imaging sensor array when the first cover is in a first shutter closed position;
- a second cover assembly having a second rotary motor, a second crank mechanism coupled to the second rotary motor to be rotated by the second rotary motor about a central axis of the second crank mechanism, and a second cover coupled to the second crank mechanism at a point away from the central axis of the second crank mechanism, the second cover having an area at least as large as the imaging sensor array so as to completely cover the imaging sensor array when the second cover is in a second shutter closed position;
- a guide to support the first cover and the second cover, the guide restricts the first cover and the second cover to a substantially linear motion;
- and
- a drive circuit to control the first rotary motor and the second rotary motor so that the first cover and the second cover move back and forth repeatedly to cover and expose the imaging sensor array.
A camera comprising:
- an imaging sensor array on which light from a scene being imaged by the camera is impinged;
- a cover assembly having a rotary motor, a crank mechanism coupled to the rotary motor to be rotated by the rotary motor about a central axis of the crank mechanism, and a single cover coupled to the crank mechanism at a point away from the central axis of the crank mechanism, the single cover having an area at least as large as an imaging sensor array so as to completely cover the imaging sensor array when the single cover is in a shutter closed position;
- a guide to support the single cover and restrict the single cover to a substantially linear motion;
- a drive circuit to control the rotary motor so that the single cover moves back and forth repeatedly to cover and expose the imaging sensor array;
- and
- a camera controller to synchronize readout of the imaging sensor array with the control of the rotary motor by the drive circuit to produce a video of the scene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.