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Pejman Rasti, Henry Hous, Helmut F Schlaak

|February 3, 2016

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This study introduces a novel adaptive liquid lens using a dielectric elastomer stack actuator (DESA) to enable autofocus in compact cameras. The new design significantly reduces the required driving voltage, overcoming a major challenge in liquid lens technology.

Area of Science:

Optics and Photonics
Materials Science
Mechanical Engineering

Background:

Compact cameras require autofocus capabilities but face space limitations for traditional rigid lenses.
Adaptive liquid lenses offer a compact solution for variable focal lengths, but high driving voltages are a significant drawback.
Existing liquid lenses often require driving voltages of at least 1.8 kV, limiting their practical application.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose and demonstrate a novel liquid lens design utilizing a dielectric elastomer stack actuator (DESA).
To overcome the high driving voltage requirement of conventional adaptive liquid lenses.
To enable efficient and compact autofocus in small camera systems.

Main Methods:

A liquid lens was designed using a frame composed of a thin DESA membrane with a central aperture.

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The lens incorporated silicon oil and water, with voltage applied to the DESA membrane to alter the aperture size.

The change in the meniscus shape, driven by aperture modification, was used to adjust the lens's focal length.

Main Results:

The proposed DESA-based liquid lens successfully achieved variable focal lengths by altering the aperture dimension.
Experimental results showed that the driving voltage range was significantly reduced to 50-750 V.
The active area of the DESA membrane influenced the variation in the focal length, observed as a laser beam length change from 6 to 35 mm.

Conclusions:

The DESA-based liquid lens design effectively addresses the high driving voltage limitation of traditional adaptive lenses.
This innovation facilitates compact and efficient autofocus mechanisms for small electronic devices.
The demonstrated voltage reduction and performance flexibility highlight the potential of DESA technology in optical systems.