Impact analysis on automatic focusing actuator for mobile electronic devices

Mobile electronic devices are required to pass the drop test which simulates the impact of a fall when a device slips out of a user’s hand during handling. This paper studies the impact analysis for an automatic focusing (AF) actuator of a camera module in a mobile electronic device using finite element analysis. The primary focus of the analysis is on the behaviour of the leaf springs because they are the most fragile parts. With this model, the concentrated stress and permanent deformation in the clamped and the curved parts of the springs were examined. Damage to these features can result in unwanted motion of the AF actuator, which then may be detrimental to the image quality of the camera. This analysis is helpful not only to develop AF actuators without fabricating the real product, but also to save lead time and cost during the development of new products.