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SamsungPatent applicationCameras & imagingInterest 4/10

Samsung patents camera lens design using rolling spheres to save space

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Samsung describes a camera module where the lens moves using small spheres instead of traditional sliding rails. This design allows the lens mechanism to fit into a tighter space by overlapping with the circuit board below it.

Why it mattersThis approach could help manufacturers build thinner phones by packing camera components more efficiently.

In the filing’s own words

A camera module may include: a housing; a lens assembly disposed so as to be movable with respect to the housing; a first driving unit that moves the lens assembly in a first direction with respect to the housing; an image sensor; and a printed circuit board on which the image sensor is disposed. The first driving unit may include: a first carrier that carries the lens assembly in the first direction; and at least one first sphere arranged to allow the first carrier to move in the first direction with respect to the housing. The first carrier may include at least one first guide portion that guides the at least one first sphere to move in the first direction. The housing may include a first portion disposed to at least partially overlap the printed circuit board in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction such that a recess for accommodating at least a portion of the at least one first guide portion of the first carrier is formed therein. At least one width of the printed circuit board in the direction in which the first portion and the printed circuit board overlap each other may be substantially the same as the width of the housing in the direction in which the first portion and the printed circuit board overlap each other. Various other embodiments identified through the specification are possible.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A camera module comprising: a housing; a lens assembly, of the camera module, configured to be movable with respect to the housing and including at least one lens; a first drive unit disposed at least partially in the housing and configured to move the lens assembly in a first direction with respect to the housing; an image sensor configured to convert light received through the at least one lens into an electrical signal; and a printed circuit board in which the image sensor is at least partially disposed and/or supported thereby, wherein the first drive unit includes a first carrier configured to carry the lens assembly in the first direction, and at least one first sphere disposed between at least the first carrier and the housing to allow the first carrier to move in the first direction relative to the housing, wherein the first carrier includes at least one first guide portion configured to guide the at least one first sphere to move in the first direction, wherein the housing includes a first portion configured to at least partially overlap the printed circuit board in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction to form a recess in the housing to accommodate at least a portion of the at least one first guide portion of the first carrier, wherein at least one width of the printed circuit board in a direction in which the first portion and the printed circuit board overlap each other is substantially the same as a width of the housing in the direction in which the first portion and the printed circuit board overlap each other.

Facts

Company
Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
Official title
CAMERA MODULE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE COMPRISING SAME
Publication number
US20260313215A1
Application number
19446008
Filed
Jan 12, 2026
Published
Oct 8, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
20

Classified under

H04N 23/55 Electricity & electronicsG03B 3/10 Physics & computingG03B 5/02 Physics & computingG03B 17/12 Physics & computingG03B 30/00 Physics & computingH04N 23/54 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.