An optical system for augmented reality with electrically tunable optical zoom function and image registration exploiting liquid crystal lenses

Wang, Yu-Jen; Lin, Yi‐Hsin

doi:10.1364/oe.27.021163

Cited by 27 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Optical elements with polarization-dependent focal lengths can offer the same features as the systems comprising polarization-dependent optical distances, yet usually with a compact size. Figure 9 illustrates the optical behavior of several special optical lenses with polarization-dependent focal length, including anisotropic crystal lenses [72], LC Fresnel lenses [73][74][75][76], Pancharatnam-Berry phase lenses (PBLs) [77][78][79][80] and CLC lenses [81]. Even though only part of them has been implemented to enable a multifocal display, the others also hold great potential for this application.…”

Section: Polarization-dependent Lensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multifocal displays: review and prospect

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conventional stereoscopic three-dimensional displays suffer from vergenceaccommodation conflict because the stimulus to accommodation is fixed by the display panel and viewing optics, but that to vergence changes with image contents. With the recent rapid development of head-mounted displays, several methods have been proposed to offer the accommodation cues, among which multifocal display technology is an effective and practical solution. The first two decades of this century has witnessed the fast growth of multifocal displays from basic concept to mature implementations. This review systematically presents the state-of-the-art multifocal display design and development. Firstly, a comprehensive classification of numerous potential optical architectures to provide the multiplanar functionality is introduced, based on how the information is multiplexed and how the focal planes are generated. Next, the strengths and obstacles of reported or potential designs in each category are analyzed and compared with each other. In addition to enabling optics, the image rendering approaches for the multifocal planes are also described. This review presents a sufficient collection of past designs and is expected to offer a roadmap for future research and development of multifocal displays.

show abstract

Section: Polarization-dependent Lensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multifocal displays: review and prospect

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…18−21 Another way to achieve tunability is to use liquid crystal lenses, which can adjust the optical properties of these systems by controlling the direction of the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules. 22,23 Additionally, electrowetting may be used to realize the tunability of MLAs by varying the contact angle of the liquid microlens. 24,25 Moreover, the curvature of the microlens can be deformed using inhomogeneous acoustic waves to achieve tunable liquid MLAs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel Optofluidic Imaging System Integrated with Tunable Microlens Arrays

Zhong

Wen

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Optofluidic tunable microlens arrays (MLAs) can manipulate and control light propagation using fluids. Lately, their applicability to miniature lab-on-a-chip systems is being extensively researched. However, it is difficult to incorporate 3D MLAs directly in a narrow microfluidic channel using common techniques. This has resulted in limited research on variable focal length imaging with optofluidic 3D MLAs. In this paper, we propose a method for fabricating MLAs in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microchannels via electrohydrodynamic jet (E-jet) printing to achieve optofluidic tunable MLAs. Using this method, MLAs of diameters 15 to 80 μm can be fabricated in microfluidic channels with widths of 200 and 300 μm. By alternately using solutions with different refractive indices in the microchannel, the optofluidic microlenses exhibit reversible modulation properties while retaining the morphologies and refractive indices of the microlenses. The focal length of the resulting optofluidic chip can have threefold tunability, thereby achieving an imaging depth of approximately 450 μm. This outstanding advantage is useful in observing microspheres and cells flowing in the microfluidic system. Thus, the proposed optofluidic chip exhibits great potential for cell counting and imaging applications.

show abstract

“…), whose push toward miniaturization and autonomy extension is going to challenge even their cameras, in terms of size, weight, speed and energy efficiency, not only for robotic inspection and monitoring tasks, but also for embodied telepresence as first-person-view flights and explorations ( Jablonowski, 2020 ). Another example is wearable tunable optics for virtual/augmented-reality systems, which also need compact, light-weight, fast and low power consuming, as well as silent, lenses for zooming and focusing ( Stevens et al, 2017 ; Wang and Lin, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrically Tunable Lenses: A Review

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Optical lenses with electrically controllable focal length are of growing interest, in order to reduce the complexity, size, weight, response time and power consumption of conventional focusing/zooming systems, based on glass lenses displaced by motors. They might become especially relevant for diverse robotic and machine vision-based devices, including cameras not only for portable consumer electronics (e.g. smart phones) and advanced optical instrumentation (e.g. microscopes, endoscopes, etc.), but also for emerging applications like small/micro-payload drones and wearable virtual/augmented-reality systems. This paper reviews the most widely studied strategies to obtain such varifocal “smart lenses”, which can electrically be tuned, either directly or via electro-mechanical or electro-thermal coupling. Only technologies that ensure controllable focusing of multi-chromatic light, with spatial continuity (i.e. continuous tunability) in wavefronts and focal lengths, as required for visible-range imaging, are considered. Both encapsulated fluid-based lenses and fully elastomeric lenses are reviewed, ranging from proof-of-concept prototypes to commercially available products. They are classified according to the focus-changing principles of operation, and they are described and compared in terms of advantages and drawbacks. This systematic overview should help to stimulate further developments in the field.

show abstract

An optical system for augmented reality with electrically tunable optical zoom function and image registration exploiting liquid crystal lenses

Cited by 27 publications

References 22 publications

Multifocal displays: review and prospect

Multifocal displays: review and prospect

Novel Optofluidic Imaging System Integrated with Tunable Microlens Arrays

Electrically Tunable Lenses: A Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About