CN211718555U

CN211718555U - Liquid lens, imaging system and electronic device

Info

Publication number: CN211718555U
Application number: CN202020462623.1U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王志; 毛信贤
Original assignee: Nanchang OFilm Biometric Identification Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Ofilm Microelectronics Technology Co ltd; Jiangxi OMS Microelectronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-01
Filing date: 2020-04-01
Publication date: 2020-10-20
Anticipated expiration: 2030-04-01

Abstract

The utility model relates to a liquid lens, include: a deformable cavity, said convex cavity having an inner cavity that can be filled with a liquid; at least one flexible liquid guide pipe, wherein one end of the liquid guide pipe is connected with the cavity and is communicated with the inner cavity of the cavity; wherein, the cavity and the catheter are both filled with transparent liquid, so that the transparent liquid in the cavity forms a lens shape. When the liquid lens compresses the liquid guide tube, the liquid in the liquid guide tube can flow into the inner cavity, so that the shape of the inner cavity is changed, and further the change of the focal length of the liquid lens is realized, thereby being capable of adapting to the zooming requirement of the projector. An imaging system with the liquid lens and an electronic device with the imaging system are also provided.

Description

Liquid lens, imaging system and electronic device

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an optical imaging technical field especially relates to a liquid lens, still relates to an imaging system who has this liquid lens, still relates to an electronic equipment who has this kind of imaging system.

Background

One development trend in mobile electronic devices is to use multiple cameras, each having a specific function, typically multiple cameras including a normal RGB camera, a super wide angle RGB camera, an IR (infrared) camera, and the like. The IR camera is used for TOF (TIme Of Flight) 3D imaging, an infrared projector is required to be used by the IR camera to obtain depth information Of a target, and the depth information is fitted with an image shot by a common RGB camera or an ultra-wide angle RGB camera to obtain a 3D image Of the target. When the ordinary RGB camera and the ultra-wide angle RGB camera take a picture, the sizes of shooting areas (visual fields) covered by the ordinary RGB camera and the ultra-wide angle RGB camera are different, and the visual field angle (FOV) of the existing infrared projector is fixed and unchanged, so that the infrared projector can only carry out 3D imaging with one of the ordinary RGB camera and the ultra-wide angle RGB camera.

To solve the above technical problem, it is proposed in the art to use a liquid lens to change the FOV of a projector. It is common practice to use electrodes to control the curvature of the charged liquid in the liquid lens, and thus to change the curvature of the liquid surface. When the arc of the liquid surface changes, the focal length of the liquid lens changes, thereby effecting a change in the FOV.

However, there is a significant feature of the infrared projector itself, namely that it operates at relatively high temperatures, up to 60 degrees. When the radian of the charged liquid in the liquid lens is controlled by the electrodes, the charged liquid is not physically bound on the lens and is only bound by electric potential, and when the generated high temperature causes the movement of liquid molecules, the integrity of the radian of the liquid level can be damaged, so that the liquid lens cannot meet the use requirement of the projector.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Therefore, the liquid lens needs to be used for solving the problem that the liquid lens cannot meet the use requirement of the projector, and the liquid lens capable of meeting the zooming requirement of the projector is provided.

A liquid lens comprising:

a deformable cavity having an inner cavity that can be filled with a liquid;

at least one flexible liquid guide pipe, wherein one end of the liquid guide pipe is connected with the cavity and is communicated with the inner cavity of the cavity;

wherein, the cavity and the catheter are both filled with transparent liquid, so that the transparent liquid in the cavity forms a lens shape.

When the liquid lens compresses the liquid guide tube, the liquid in the liquid guide tube can flow into the inner cavity, so that the shape of the inner cavity is changed, and further the change of the focal length of the liquid lens is realized, thereby being capable of adapting to the zooming requirement of the projector.

In one embodiment, the liquid lens is a convex lens or a concave lens. When the shape of the inner cavity of the convex lens or the concave lens is changed, the focal length is changed, so that the zoom requirement of the projector can be met.

In one embodiment, the wall thickness of the cavity increases from the optical axis to the peripheral edge in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the liquid lens. Through the means, the wall thickness of the cavity is thin in the middle, the peripheral edge is thick, when liquid is filled into the inner cavity from the liquid guide pipe, the tension borne by the cavity is gradually increased from the center to the peripheral edge, the curvature change of the center of the cavity is larger than that of the peripheral edge, namely the expansion speed of the center of the cavity is higher than that of the peripheral edge, and therefore the efficient change of the focal length is achieved.

In one embodiment, a motor is connected to one end of the catheter, the catheter is fixed to an output shaft of the motor, and the output shaft is used for driving the catheter to deform so as to change the shape of the light-transmitting liquid in the inner cavity. The liquid guide tube is directly connected with the motor, the liquid guide tube is flexible and bendable, the motor directly rotates and twists the whole liquid guide tube when working, secondary conduction mechanical force is avoided, and the motion transmission efficiency is high, so that the liquid guide tube is compressed at high efficiency, and liquid in the liquid guide tube can be quickly pressed into the inner cavity. In addition, the liquid guide tube is compressed by the movement of the motor, the degree of compression of the liquid guide tube can be accurately controlled by controlling the operation of the motor, and the accurate adjustment of the focal length of the liquid lens is realized.

In one embodiment, the catheter is provided with more than 2 strips. By compressing the plurality of liquid guide pipes simultaneously, more liquid flows into the inner cavity in a short time, so that the shape of the inner cavity is rapidly adjusted, and the efficient adjustment of the focal length is realized.

In one embodiment, each of the liquid guiding tubes is evenly distributed in a circumferential direction around an optical axis of the liquid lens. When the catheter is compressed, liquid symmetrically enters the inner cavity, so that the shape of the inner cavity is changed uniformly, and the expected new focal length can be accurately adjusted.

In one embodiment, the cavity includes a central optic portion, a rim portion surrounding the optic portion, and the catheter is attached to the rim portion. The liquid guide pipe is connected with the edge part, when the liquid guide pipe is compressed, liquid enters the inner cavity from the peripheral edge of the cavity, and by adopting the mode, the optical part for optical imaging has no liquid injection port, so that the normal imaging of the optical part is ensured.

In one embodiment, the cavity comprises an upper wall and a lower wall which are combined, the inner cavity is formed between the upper wall and the lower wall, a first optical microstructure and a second optical microstructure are respectively arranged on the outer surface of the upper wall and the outer surface of the lower wall, the second optical microstructure is used for enabling light passing through the second optical microstructure to generate a first deflection, and the first optical microstructure is used for enabling light passing through the first optical microstructure to generate a second deflection opposite to the first deflection, so that deflection of light rays by the second optical microstructure is eliminated. When light rays irradiate to the liquid lens from one side of the outer surface of the lower wall, the light rays are deflected at the second optical microstructure and corrected to the original direction by the first optical microstructure. The light is deflected when it breaks the first surface, but is corrected back to the original direction at the second surface, without affecting the direction of propagation of the light.

In one embodiment, the light transmissive liquid is water. The water is liquid with higher light transmission and specific heat capacity, so as to meet the light transmission requirement, and meanwhile, the influence of the temperature change of the projector is reduced.

In one embodiment, the cavity is made of silicon gel. The silica gel has good transmittance, the light guide rate is more than 99%, the heat-resistant temperature reaches 200 ℃, and the silica gel has good flexibility and can well meet the requirement of repeated deformation.

An imaging system is also presented, comprising a liquid lens according to any of the preceding claims. The liquid lens is not matched with an infrared projector and an infrared camera for use, and the liquid lens has zooming capability, so that different imaging effects can be formed.

It is also presented an imaging system comprising:

the liquid lens of any one of the preceding claims;

an infrared projector disposed on an image side of the liquid lens for projecting light to an object on an object side of the liquid lens;

the infrared camera is used for receiving the light rays projected by the infrared projector reflected by the target object;

the first image capturing device is used for acquiring image information of the target object;

the second image capturing device is used for acquiring image information of the target object, and the field angle of the second image capturing device is different from that of the first image capturing device;

the first image capturing device is a long-focus imaging module, and the second image capturing device is a wide-angle imaging module.

In the imaging system, the infrared camera and the first image capturing device are used in a matched manner, and 3D imaging can be performed; the infrared camera and the second image capturing device are matched for use, and 3D imaging can be performed. Therefore, under the condition that the field angle of the infrared projector is fixed and unchanged, the liquid lens can meet the zooming requirement of the infrared projector. The first image capturing device is a long-focus imaging module, and the second image capturing device is a wide-angle imaging module. When the conventional distance is shot, the wide-angle imaging module, namely the second image capturing device, is used for shooting, and the depth information acquired by the infrared camera is fitted, so that 3D imaging is realized. When a distant view target needs to be shot and 3D imaging is performed, for example, a distant tree is closed up, and the distance tree can be switched to a telephoto imaging module, i.e., a first image capturing device. The image shot by the first image capturing device is fitted with the depth information acquired by the infrared camera, so that 3D imaging is realized. In this way, the imaging system has 3D imaging functionality in wide and tele modes.

An electronic device is also presented, comprising the imaging system of the aforementioned embodiment. The electronic equipment of this embodiment, liquid lens can satisfy the demand that zooms of infrared projector, therefore infrared camera can get for instance the device cooperation with first or second, realizes 3D formation of image respectively to electronic equipment's 3D imaging function has been enriched.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid lens according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a variation law of a wall thickness of a liquid lens cavity according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid lens according to another embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of another liquid lens according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the direction of torque applied to the catheter by the motor.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of an imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the above objects, features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, as those skilled in the art will be able to make similar modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "formed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid lens 100 for optical imaging. Specifically, as shown in fig. 6, the liquid lens 100 may be applied to an imaging system 1, the imaging system 1 includes the liquid lens 100, an infrared projector 200, a first image capturing device 300, a second image capturing device 400, and an infrared camera 500, wherein the liquid lens 100 has a zooming capability, and the liquid lens 100, the infrared projector 200, and the infrared camera 500 are used in combination to obtain depth information of an object, and then are used in combination with the first image capturing device 300 or the second image capturing device 400, respectively, so as to implement 3D imaging under different angles of view.

In the art, the radian of the charged liquid in the liquid lens is controlled by using the electrodes to change the radian of the liquid surface, and when the radian of the liquid surface is changed, the focal length of the liquid lens is changed to change the angle of field, so that the liquid lens can be used with image capturing devices with different angles of field to realize 3D imaging. However, when the liquid molecules move due to the high temperature generated by the projector, the integrity of the liquid level radian of the liquid lens can be damaged, so that the liquid lens cannot meet the use requirement of the projector.

The present embodiment improves the liquid lens against the above-described problems. As shown in fig. 1, the liquid lens 100 includes a light-permeable and deformable cavity 10 and at least one flexible catheter 20, wherein the cavity 10 has an inner cavity 110 that can be filled with a light-permeable liquid 30, one end of the catheter 20 is connected to the cavity 10 and is in communication with the inner cavity 110 of the cavity 10, and both the inner cavity 110 and the catheter 20 are filled with the light-permeable liquid 30. Both the cavity 10 and the light-transmissive liquid 30 filled therein have light-transmissive properties, which together form an optical lens useful for optical imaging. Further, the liquid lens 100 may be a convex lens or a concave-convex lens.

When an acting force such as a torque force is applied to the catheter 20, the volume of the catheter 20 is compressed, the transparent liquid 30 in the catheter 20 flows into the inner cavity 110 of the cavity 10, the shape of the inner cavity 110 changes, and the focal length of the liquid lens 100 changes accordingly, so that the liquid lens 100 can be respectively paired with the first image capturing device 300 or the second image capturing device 400 for use, so as to respectively realize 3D imaging, and meet the zoom requirement of an infrared projector.

The material of the cavity 10 is not limited, and preferably, a material with a light guiding rate of 99% or more and a heat resistant temperature of 200 ℃ is used to meet the requirements of light transmission and change of the field angle. The light transmissive liquid 30 filled in the cavity 110 preferably has a relatively high light transmission and specific heat capacity to meet the light transmissive requirement while being less affected by the temperature change of the projector.

In this embodiment, the inner cavity 110 and the catheter 20 are filled with the transparent liquid 30, and it is only required to ensure that the transparent liquid 30 in the catheter 20 can flow into the inner cavity 110 of the cavity 10 to change the shape of the inner cavity 110 when the torque is applied to the catheter 20. On the premise of this, the embodiment does not limit the specific implementation manner. In one possible embodiment, the lumen 110 and the catheter 20 are filled with the transparent liquid 30, and when the shape of the lumen 110 needs to be changed, sufficient torque is applied to the catheter 20 to enable the transparent liquid 30 in the catheter 20 to flow into the lumen 110 of the cavity 10, so that the shape of the lumen 110 changes. In another possible embodiment, the lumen 110 and the catheter 20 are not simultaneously filled with the optically transparent liquid 30 when the catheter 20 is not under force. When the liquid lens 100 is placed in the posture shown in fig. 1, the catheter 20 may be filled with the light-transmitting liquid 30, and the lumen 110 may be unfilled. At this point, sufficient torque is applied to catheter 20 to compress catheter 20, forcing enough of the optically transparent liquid 30 from catheter 20 into lumen 110 until the shape of lumen 110 can be changed, which can also change the focal length of lumen 10.

It should be noted that the total volume of the lumen 110 and the light-transmitting liquid 30 in the catheter 20 should be greater than the original volume of the lumen 110, i.e., greater than the volume of the lumen 110 when it is undeformed. So that when a torque force is applied to the catheter 20, after the transparent liquid 30 in the catheter 20 flows into the lumen 110 of the cavity 10, the volume of the transparent liquid 30 in the lumen 110 can be finally larger than the volume of the lumen 110 when the lumen 110 is not deformed, so that the shape of the lumen 110 can be changed.

The particular type of force applied to the catheter 20 is not limited in this embodiment. If the force is a torque force T as shown in figure 3, the torque force T may compress the catheter by rotating the catheter 20 about its own axis. As another example, the force may also be a squeezing force, such as squeezing the catheter 20 from both sides of the catheter 20 simultaneously. The force may also be a bending force that causes the catheter 20 to bend, i.e., by bending the catheter 20 to compress the volume of the catheter 20, the light transmissible liquid 30 flows from the catheter 20 into the lumen 110.

On the basis of the above embodiments, in order to efficiently realize the focal length conversion, the inventor has continued to improve the cavity 10, and the inventor firstly proposes to realize the control of the focal length change of the cavity 10 by controlling the wall thickness of the cavity 10. Wherein, the wall thickness of the cavity 10 is specifically set to be thin in the middle and thick at the edge.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the liquid lens 100 may be a convex lens or a concave-convex lens, and the liquid lens 100 is taken as the convex lens as an example to illustrate how to set the wall thickness of the cavity 10.

In specific implementation, as shown in fig. 1, the chamber 10 includes an upper wall 111 and a lower wall 112 that are abutted to each other, the inner cavity 110 is formed between the upper wall 111 and the lower wall 112, and the peripheral edge of the chamber 10 is formed at the position where the upper wall 111 and the lower wall 112 are abutted to each other. It will be appreciated that the peripheral edge surrounds the optical axis Z. Upper wall 111 and lower wall 112 are each generally configured in an arc shape as a whole so that chamber 10 has a central, convex optic 101, where optic 101 is used for optical imaging, and a rim portion 102 surrounding optic 101 where rim portion 102 may be used to mate with other components to fit chamber 10.

Taking the thickness d of the upper wall 111 as an example, as shown in fig. 2, the thickness d of the upper wall 11 of the cavity 10 gradually increases from the optical axis Z of the liquid lens 100 to the peripheral edge in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis Z of the liquid lens 100. In fig. 2, the optical axis Z is in the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to the optical axis Z is the horizontal direction. The change of the wall thickness d of the lower wall 112 is completely consistent with the change of the wall thickness of the upper wall 111, and will not be described again.

By the above means, the upper wall 111 and the lower wall 112 are thin in the middle and thick at the peripheral edges. Therefore, when the transparent liquid 30 is filled into the inner cavity 110 from the liquid guide tube 20, as shown in fig. 2, the tensile force applied to the cavity 10 gradually increases from the center (i.e., the upper wall 111 portion or the lower wall 112 portion intersecting the optical axis Z) to the peripheral edge, and the curvature change of the center of the cavity 10 is larger than that of the peripheral edge, that is, the expansion speed of the center of the cavity 10 is faster than that of the peripheral edge, thereby achieving efficient change of the focal length.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 2 and 6, when the infrared projector 200 projects light L toward the liquid lens 100, the light L is projected from the optically thinner medium (air) into the optically denser medium (cavity 10), and when the catheter 20 is compressed, the center of the cavity 10 expands faster than the edge, that is, the center of the cavity 10 expands faster, so the optical power of the center of the cavity 10 is rapidly increased, and the focal length of the liquid lens 100 is rapidly decreased. Therefore, the cavity 10 of the above embodiment can realize efficient control of the focal length change of the liquid lens 100 by controlling the wall thickness of the cavity 10. Thus, when the liquid lens 100 is selectively matched with the first image capturing device 300 or the second image capturing device 400, the switching can be rapidly completed.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, the liquid lens 100 is a concave lens, and the optical portion 101 is concave relative to the rim portion 102. The rim portion 102 is connected to a catheter 20. The tip of the catheter 20 is fixed to the output shaft 410 of the motor 40. In this case, the thickness of the cavity 10 is also thin in the middle and thick at the edge, and the specific implementation manner is exactly the same as the thickness of the cavity 10 when the liquid lens 100 is a convex lens. When the catheter 20 is compressed, the center of the cavity 10 expands faster than the edges, i.e., the center of the cavity 10 expands faster, so the optical power in the center of the cavity 10 is rapidly increased, so that the focal length of the liquid lens 100 is rapidly decreased. Therefore, the cavity 10 of the above embodiment can realize efficient control of the focal length change of the liquid lens 100 by controlling the wall thickness of the cavity 10. Thus, when the liquid lens 100 is selectively matched with the first image capturing device 300 or the second image capturing device 400, the switching can be rapidly completed.

In addition, when the liquid lens 100 is a convex lens, various arrangements are possible. As shown in fig. 1, the outer side surface of the chamber 10 is curved, specifically, the outer surface of the upper wall 111 is curved, and the outer surface of the lower wall 112 is curved, where the outer surface of the upper wall 111 refers to the surface of the upper wall 111 facing away from the lower wall 112, and the outer surface of the lower wall 112 refers to the surface of the lower wall 112 facing away from the upper wall 111. At this time, the outer shape of the entire liquid lens 100 is configured as a convex lens outer shape.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, the outer surface of the upper wall 111 and the outer surface of the lower wall 112 may be both arranged to be flat. When the catheter 20 is compressed, the center of the cavity 10 expands faster than the edges, i.e., the center of the cavity 10 expands faster, so the optical power in the center of the cavity 10 is rapidly increased, so that the focal length of the liquid lens 100 is rapidly decreased.

That is, when the liquid lens 100 is a convex lens, it is only necessary that the shape of the space surrounded by the inner cavity 110 is a convex lens shape, so that when the inner cavity 110 is filled with the translucent liquid 30, the entire shape of the translucent liquid 30 filled in the inner cavity 110 is a convex lens. And there is no limitation on the shape of the outer surface of the liquid lens 100.

Similarly, when the liquid lens 100 is a concave lens, the shape of the outer surface of the liquid lens 100 is not limited, and may be a curved surface or a flat surface, which is not described again. As already mentioned above, there are various ways of compressing the catheter 20. As shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, a motor 40 is connected to the other end of the catheter 20, wherein the catheter 20 is fixed to an output shaft 410 of the motor 40, and the output shaft 410 is used for driving the catheter 20 to deform so as to change the shape of the transparent liquid 30 in the inner cavity 110. In one embodiment, the axial direction of the catheter 20 is parallel to or coincident with the axial direction of the output shaft 410. The type of the motor 40 is not limited. In specific implementation, the motor 40 is a miniature motor with a small size, such as a miniature stepping motor. As shown in FIG. 5, when the motor 40 is operated, the output shaft 410 rotates to apply a torque T to the catheter 20 along the circumferential direction, thereby twisting the catheter 20 to achieve the purpose of compressing the volume of the catheter 20. In addition, when the motor 40 works, the catheter 20 with a certain length can be curled, so that the aim of compressing the volume of the catheter 20 is fulfilled.

In addition, the motor 40 is adopted to compress the catheter 40, the rotating motion of the motor 40 is utilized to compress the catheter, the degree of compression of the catheter 20 can be accurately controlled by controlling the operation of the motor, and the accurate adjustment of the focal length of the cavity 10 is realized.

In the above embodiment, the application of pressure to the catheter 20 is achieved by torque provided by the motor 40. Because the catheter 20 is directly connected with the motor 40, and the catheter 20 is flexible and bendable, the motor 40 directly rotates and twists the whole catheter 20 when working, no secondary conduction mechanical force is generated, the motion transmission efficiency is high, the efficiency of compressing the catheter 20 is extremely high, and the transparent liquid 30 in the catheter 20 can be quickly pressed into the inner cavity 110.

There are many possibilities for the direction of extension of the catheter 20. As shown in fig. 1, the catheter 20 is provided to extend in the optical axis Z direction of the liquid lens 100. As shown in FIG. 7, in the imaging system 1, the infrared projector 200 and the liquid lens 100 are arranged at intervals along the optical axis Z direction of the liquid lens 100, and the catheter 20 extends along the optical axis Z direction to utilize the space size of the cavity 10 in the existing optical axis Z direction, so as to reduce the size in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis Z. Moreover, the liquid lens 100 can be adapted to the first image capturing device 300 and the second image capturing device 400, the catheter 20 extends along the direction of the optical axis Z of the liquid lens 100, and is perpendicular to the direction of the optical axis Z, the first image capturing device 300 and the second image capturing device 400 can be respectively disposed on the same side of the liquid lens 100, and the three devices are arranged along a straight line. Thus, when the optical imaging system shown in fig. 6 is applied to an electronic device, such as a mobile phone, as shown in fig. 7, the three are linearly arranged on the rear shell of the mobile phone, and a camera area can be intensively arranged on the rear shell of the mobile phone, which is beneficial to the arrangement design of elements on a control mainboard in the mobile phone. Of course, the first image capturing device 300 and the second image capturing device 400 may be disposed on two sides of the liquid lens 100, respectively.

In other embodiments, the catheter 20 may be arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the liquid lens 100. In this case, when the optical imaging system is formed by combining, the first image capturing device 300 and the second image capturing device 400 can be disposed on the same side of the liquid lens 100 and can avoid the catheter 20. The first image capturing device 300, the liquid lens 100 and the second image capturing device 400 can be arranged along a straight line, and a camera area can be intensively arranged on the rear shell of the mobile phone, so that the arrangement design of elements on a control mainboard in the mobile phone is facilitated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the number of the liquid guiding tubes 20 is not limited. In a preferred embodiment, 2 catheters are provided. One motor 40 is provided for each catheter 20. When the shape of the lumen 110 needs to be adjusted, the two motors 40 rotate together to respectively compress the corresponding catheters 20, so that more transparent liquid 30 flows into the lumen 110 in a short time, thereby realizing the rapid adjustment of the shape of the lumen 110 and the adjustment of the focal length. Meanwhile, the number of the motors 40 is controlled to be 2, and on the basis of ensuring the focal length adjustment efficiency, the structure of the liquid lens 100 is relatively simple and the cost is low.

In practice, the catheters 20 are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction around the optical axis of the liquid lens 100. When the catheter 20 is compressed, the transparent liquid 30 enters the lumen 110 symmetrically, so that the shape of the lumen 100 changes more uniformly and can be adjusted to the desired new focal length accurately.

More specifically, the catheter 20 is connected to the rim portion 102. When the catheter 20 is compressed, the light-transmitting liquid 30 enters the lumen 110 from the peripheral edge of the cavity 10. By adopting the mode, the optical part 101 for optical imaging has no liquid injection port, so that the normal imaging of the optical part 101 is ensured.

When the cavity 10 is manufactured, the cavity 10 is made of silica gel. The silica gel has good transmittance, the light guide rate is more than 99%, the heat-resistant temperature reaches 200 ℃, and the silica gel has good flexibility and can well meet the requirement of repeated deformation. In addition, the material of the cavity 10 may also be other materials with good light conductivity and good flexibility, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

The light-transmissive liquid 30 in the interior chamber 110 is preferably water. The water herein includes municipal tap water, purified water, distilled water, etc., as long as the light transmittance and specific heat capacity are high. Generally speaking, water resources are widely available, easy to obtain or prepare and low in cost.

As shown in fig. 1, the upper wall 111 and the lower wall 112 have a certain thickness, so as to avoid refraction when light passes through, the outer surface of the upper wall 111 and the outer surface of the lower wall 112 are respectively subjected to optical microstructure processing, when light is emitted from the outer surface side of the lower wall 112 to the liquid lens 100, the light is deflected when breaking through the first surface (the outer surface of the lower wall 112), but when the second surface (the outer surface of the upper wall 111) is corrected to the original direction, that is, the direction of the light emitted back to the first surface is corrected, and the propagation direction of the light is not affected.

In specific implementation, schematically, in fig. 1, only the first optical microstructure 1111 and the second optical microstructure 1121 are respectively illustrated on the upper wall 111 and the lower wall 112 at one position, where the outer surface of the upper wall 111 refers to a surface of the upper wall 111 facing away from the lower wall 112, and the outer surface of the lower wall 112 refers to a surface of the lower wall 112 facing away from the upper wall 111. The second optical microstructures 1121 is used to make the light passing through the second optical microstructures 1121 generate a first deflection, and the first optical microstructures 1111 are used to make the light passing through the first optical microstructures 1111 generate a second deflection opposite to the first deflection, so as to eliminate the deflection of the second optical microstructures 1121 on the light. Thus, when light is emitted from the outer surface side of the lower wall 112 toward the liquid lens 100, the light is deflected at the second optical microstructure 1121, but is corrected in direction by the first optical microstructure 1111, so that the influence of the wall thickness of the upper wall 111 and the lower wall 112 is eliminated, and the propagation direction of the light is not affected. As shown in fig. 6, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an imaging system 1, which includes the liquid lens 100, the infrared projector 200, the first image capturing device 300, the second image capturing device 400, and the infrared camera (i.e. the TOF light receiving and phase processor) 500 of the foregoing embodiments. Wherein the liquid lens 100, the infrared projector 200 and the infrared camera 500 work in cooperation for acquiring depth information of the target object 900.

The infrared projector 200 and the liquid lens 100 are arranged in the optical axis Z direction, and the infrared projector 200 is disposed on the image side of the liquid lens 100, and projects the light L toward the object 900 on the object side of the liquid lens 100. In the embodiment of the present invention, the object side refers to a side of the liquid lens 100 close to the target 900 when in use. The image side refers to the side of the liquid lens 100 that is away from the object 900 when in use. The infrared camera 500 and the liquid lens 100 are arranged side by side, wherein the infrared camera 500 is configured to receive the light L projected by the infrared projector 500 reflected by the object 900, so as to obtain the depth information of the object 900.

The first image capturing device 300 and the second image capturing device 400 may be disposed on the same side of the liquid lens 100, and the three devices are arranged along a straight line in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis Z. The first image capturing device 300 and the second image capturing device are used for receiving the light L projected by the infrared projector reflected by the object 900, wherein the angle of view of the second image capturing device 300 is different from the angle of view of the first image capturing device 400.

The focal length of the liquid lens 100 can be changed and is configured to be able to adapt the field angle of the second image capturing device 300 and the field angle of the first image capturing device 400 respectively. Therefore, the infrared camera 500 and the first image capturing device 300 are used in cooperation, so that 3D imaging can be performed; the infrared camera 500 and the second image capturing device 300 are used in cooperation, so that 3D imaging can be performed. Accordingly, the liquid lens 100 can satisfy the zoom requirement of the infrared projector 200 with the angle of view of the infrared projector 200 fixed.

In the specific configuration, the first image capturing device 300 is a telephoto imaging module, and the second image capturing device 400 is a wide-angle imaging module. The long-focus imaging module has the characteristics of small visual angle, low pixel and long focal length. The second imaging module 20 is a wide-angle imaging module, and has the characteristics of a large viewing angle, high pixels and a short focal length. The wide and tele are relatively speaking, and the concept itself is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described further herein.

Through the above means, when shooting at a conventional distance, the wide-angle imaging module, that is, the second image capturing device 400, is adopted for shooting, and the depth information acquired by the infrared camera 500 is fitted, so that 3D imaging is realized. When a distant view object needs to be photographed and 3D imaging is performed, for example, a distant tree is closed up, and the image may be switched to a telephoto imaging module, i.e., the first image capturing device 300. The image captured by the first image capturing device 300 is fitted with the depth information acquired by the infrared camera 500, so that 3D imaging is realized. In this way, the imaging system has 3D imaging functionality in wide and tele modes.

Another embodiment of the present invention further provides an imaging system, including the liquid lens 100 of the foregoing embodiment. In this embodiment, the liquid lens 100 is not used with the infrared projector 200 and the infrared camera 500, and the liquid lens 100 has a zoom capability, so that different imaging effects can be formed. An embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device 2, as shown in fig. 7, which includes a main body 201, and an imaging system installed in the main body 210. In the electronic apparatus of the present embodiment, the liquid lens 100 has a zoom capability, and thus different imaging effects can be formed. When the liquid lens 100 is used in conjunction with the infrared projector 200 and the infrared camera 500, the liquid lens 100 can meet the zooming requirement of the infrared projector 200, so that the infrared camera 500 can be matched with the first image capturing device 300 or the second image capturing device 400 to realize 3D imaging respectively, thereby enriching the 3D imaging function of the electronic device.

The electronic device 2 may be a mobile phone, a camera, a tablet computer, or the like.

The technical features of the above embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are not described, but should be considered as the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above examples only represent some embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, several variations and modifications can be made, which are within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A liquid lens, comprising:

a deformable cavity having an inner cavity that can be filled with a liquid;

2. The liquid lens of claim 1, wherein the liquid lens is a convex lens or a concave lens.

3. The liquid lens of claim 2, wherein the wall thickness of the cavity increases gradually from the optical axis to the peripheral edge in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the liquid lens.

4. The liquid lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein a motor is connected to the other end of the liquid guiding tube, and the liquid guiding tube is fixed to an output shaft of the motor, and the output shaft is used for driving the liquid guiding tube to deform so as to change the shape of the transparent liquid in the inner cavity.

5. The liquid lens according to claim 2, wherein the liquid guiding tube is provided with 2 or more liquid guiding tubes, each of which is uniformly distributed in a circumferential direction around an optical axis of the liquid lens.

6. The liquid lens of claim 1, wherein the cavity comprises a central optic portion, a rim portion surrounding the optic portion, and the catheter is attached to the rim portion.

7. The liquid lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cavity comprises an upper wall and a lower wall which are combined together, the inner cavity is formed between the upper wall and the lower wall, an outer surface of the upper wall and an outer surface of the lower wall are respectively provided with a first optical microstructure and a second optical microstructure, the second optical microstructure is used for generating a first deflection on light passing through the second optical microstructure, and the first optical microstructure is used for generating a second deflection on light passing through the first optical microstructure opposite to the first deflection so as to eliminate the deflection of light by the second optical microstructure.

8. The liquid lens according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is made of silicone.

9. An imaging system, comprising: the liquid lens as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An imaging system, comprising:

the liquid lens of any one of claims 1-8;

the second image capturing device is used for acquiring image information of the target object, and the field angle of the second image capturing device is different from that of the first image capturing device; the first image capturing device is a long-focus imaging module, and the second image capturing device is a wide-angle imaging module.

11. An electronic device comprising an imaging system as claimed in claim 9 or 10.