Experimental Characterization of High-Performance Miniature Auto-Focusing VCM Actuator

When designing an auto-focusing actuator for use in cell phone cameras, it is important to maximize the positioning repeatability while simultaneously minimizing the device size, the power consumption, the response time, and the dynamic tilt angle. In a previous study (Liu and Lin, Opt. Express, vol. 17, pp. 9754-9763, 2009), the current group designed a miniature auto-focusing voice coil motor (VCM) actuator in which the lens was held in position using a magnetoconductive plate and a closed-loop control mechanism. The aim of this study is to characterize the performance of this device using an experimental approach. The results show that the proposed actuator has a high positioning repeatability, a low dynamic tilt angle, a rapid response, and a low power consumption.