18361351. Magnetic Camera Brake simplified abstract (Apple Inc.)
Contents
Magnetic Camera Brake
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Zachary W. Birnbaum of Santa Clara CA (US)
Andrew S. Jozefov of San Francisco CA (US)
Scott W. Miller of Los Gatos CA (US)
Magnetic Camera Brake - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18361351 titled 'Magnetic Camera Brake
Simplified Explanation
The abstract of this patent application describes various embodiments of magnetic camera brakes that utilize magnetic forces to hold moving camera components at a desired focus position, even under high acceleration loads. The magnetic attraction or repulsion force between an iron and magnetic body is leveraged to achieve this.
- The magnetic camera brakes can withstand high amplitude acceleration loads and maintain the camera components at a desired focus position.
- The magnet attracts the camera to the desired focus position with enough force to overcome approximately 10 g's of external acceleration, ensuring high disturbance rejection.
- Ball bearings are used to provide constraints in up to 5 degrees of freedom, preventing rocking of the image sensor or lens barrel.
- An actuator mechanism can be configured to pull the image sensor out of the desired focus position and into the macro focus region for close-up photography.
Potential applications of this technology:
- Camera stabilization systems for professional photography and videography.
- Autonomous vehicles with camera systems that need to maintain focus under high acceleration.
- Drones with cameras that require stable focus during fast maneuvers.
- Medical imaging devices that need to maintain focus during patient movement.
Problems solved by this technology:
- Maintaining focus in cameras and imaging devices under high acceleration or disturbance.
- Eliminating rocking or movement of camera components during operation.
- Enabling precise macro focus adjustments without the need for manual adjustments.
Benefits of this technology:
- Improved image quality by maintaining focus under high acceleration or disturbance.
- Enhanced stability and precision in camera systems.
- Simplified macro focus adjustments without the need for additional manual controls.
- Increased versatility and usability in various applications requiring stable focus.
Original Abstract Submitted
Various magnetic camera brake embodiments are disclosed. According to some embodiments, the magnetic camera brakes leverage a magnetic attraction (or repulsion) force between an iron and magnetic body to hold the moving camera components at a desired focus position—even under high amplitude acceleration loads. When high disturbance rejection is desired, the magnet attracts the camera to the desired focus position (e.g., an infinity focus position) with enough force to overcome approximately 10 g's of external acceleration. In some embodiments, ball bearings may be used to provide constraints in up to 5 degrees of freedom (e.g., all but z-axial translation along the optical axis), so there is no rocking of the image sensor (or lens barrel). When “macro” photos are desired of subjects closer than the hyperfocal distance, an actuator mechanism may be configured to pull the image sensor out of the desired focus position and into the macro focus region.
