Apple has filed for a patent for “Fluid-Filled Camera Modules” that at future iPhones that use liquids to keep the smartphones running cooler when you’re doing some serious photography.
About the patent filing
The patent filing involves camera modules for portable electronic devices and, in particular, to camera modules including a sealed liquid volume. A conventional camera module includes an image sensor aligned with a focal plane defined by a lens group. In many cases, one or more lenses of the lens group and/or the image sensor itself may be movable to adjust focus and/or for optical image stabilization.
However, Apple says that image sensors, actuators, processing circuitry, and other electronic components within a camera module can generate significant waste heat. As a result, many camera modules are artificially performance limited.
For example, high speed autofocus operations and/or high framerate modes may only be usable for limited period before a thermal shutoff threshold is reached. Apple’s idea is for such drawbacks of conventional camera modules to be overcome by including a fluid volume within the camera module itself.
Summary of the patent filing
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “A camera module for an electronic device includes a module housing that encloses an actuator structure for positioning an element of the camera module, such as an image sensor or a lens element. A flexible seal subdivides an internal volume of the camera module housing into two separate sub-volumes. A first fluid is retained within a first sub-volume between the image sensor and the lens element, and a second fluid is retained within a second sub-volume of the module housing. In one construction the first fluid is air, and the second fluid is a dielectric liquid.”
I hope you’ll help support Apple World Today by becoming a patron. Patreon pricing ranges from $2 to $10 a month. Thanks in advance for your support.
