DESIGN OF COMPACT ADJUSTABLE LENS

• US 20100091389A1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PoLight AS
• Original Assignee: PoLight AS
• Inventors: Ulvensoen, Jon Herman, Eliassen, Morten, Henriksen, Lars, Kartashov, Vladimir
• Granted Patent: US 8,045,280 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/811
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/001 Miniaturised objectives for electronic devices, e.g. portable telephones, webcams, PDAs, small digital cameras G02B23/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0875 by means of one or more refracting elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/14 of variable focal length

Abstract

The present invention provides a solution for designing a compact adjustable lens assembly, wherein a circular shaped piezoelectric crystal is bending a thin glass cover, thereby providing a shift of focal length of the lens assembly.

Claims

1. Adjustable lens comprising:

a transparent support substrate with a disposed gel or elastomer on a side of the support, wherein a thin glass cover is disposed on top of the gel or elastomer, wherein the thin glass cover is arranged with a circular shaped glass cut-out in the middle defining a glass island without any mechanical contact with the rest of the thin glass cover, wherein a piezo electric element is in contact with edges of the glass island.

2. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein at least one spacer member is arranged along one edge of the transparent support, wherein the at least one spacer member is supporting the thin glass cover.

3. Adjustable lens according to claim 2, wherein the at least one spacer element comprise electric conducting materials providing electric contacting of the adjustable lens with other components of an optical system.

4. Adjustable lens according to claim 2, wherein through holes are arranged in the transparent support substrate and the glass cover on top of the gel or elastomer at locations adjacent to the respective top and bottom sides of the spacer members, thereby providing a possibility for contacting the spacer members throughout a stack of components in an optical assembly.

5. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein the transparent support is provided by glass on silicon substrate, wherein an opening is arranged in the silicon substrate letting light pass through the adjustable lens.

6. Adjustable lens according to claim 5, wherein the silicon substrate comprise electronic components related to the piezo electric element or piezo electric elements in the adjustable lens.

7. Adjustable lens according to claim 6, wherein the electronic components are provided as separate circuits supported by the silicon substrate of the transparent support.

8. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein the gel or elastomer has uniform thickness throughout the entire adjustable lens.

9. Adjustable lens according to claim 2, wherein the gel or elastomer has a lower thickness in the area between the piezo electric element and the at least one spacer member.

10. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein an additional protective glass is arranged partly around the adjustable lens.

11. Adjustable lens according to claim 2, wherein the at least one spacer member is arranged as a wall around the perimeter of the adjustable lens.

12. Adjustable lens according to claim 2, wherein an image sensor is arranged as an integral part of the adjustable lens by arranging the at least one spacer member to support components of the adjustable lens such that the gel or elastomer is disposed on the one side of the transparent support with the glass island floating on top of the gel or elastomer, wherein the at least one spacer member provides a space in the lens assembly for attaching the image sensor on to the at least one spacer member at an end of the at least one spacer member opposite the side of the transparent support.

13. Adjustable lens according to claim 12, wherein a fixed micro lens is arranged in the space provided by the at least one spacer member for attaching the image sensor.

14. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein the piezo electric element is arranged as a plurality of independent piezo electric elements along edges of the glass island.

15. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein the glass cut-out has a shape adapted to the use of the adjustable lens.

16. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein the piezo electric element is disposed on top of the glass island on the side facing away from the gel or elastomer along the edges of the glass island.

17. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein the piezo electric element is disposed on the bottom side of the glass island facing towards the gel or elastomer along the edges of the glass island.

18. Adjustable lens according to claim 1, wherein the piezo electric element is disposed in contact with the glass island in a pattern that is adapted to the use of the adjustable lens.