Apple has filed for a patent (number 20220191356) that shows it’s looking into making its own multi-camera mounting chassis for the iPhone and iPad.
About the patent filing
In the patent filling, Apple says the advent of small, mobile multipurpose devices such as iPhones and iPads has resulted in a need for high-resolution, small form factor cameras for integration in the devices. Some 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.
What’s more, some 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 AF mechanisms, the optical lens is moved as a single rigid body along the optical axis of the camera to refocus the camera.
For these reasons, Apple thinks a chassis for use with iPhone and iPads in conjunction with multiple cameras is a good idea.
Summary of the patent filing
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “Various embodiments include a chassis for a multi-camera system and techniques for forming such a chassis. The chassis may comprise multiple chassis portions that define cavities for mounting cameras.
“Some embodiments include a chassis portion comprising an integrated shield can-chassis that may be formed as a single component. According to some embodiments, subtractive manufacturing may be used to form one or more features of the chassis.”
