Multielectrode Balloon-type Dielectric Elastomer Actuator for 3-Degrees-of-Freedom Lens Actuation

Abstract

The use of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) in the development of compact and flexible tunable lens systems for microscopic imaging applications is appealing. However, there are still challenges with imaging system functionality and fabrication process easiness. In this paper, we proposed a multielectrode balloon-type DEA which is capable of tuning both the focus and optical axis of a lens system using 3-degrees-of-freedom movement of the DEA. We first investigated the DEA’s fundamental characteristics and found that effective microscale tangential and axial displacements were obtained up to approximately 10 Hz, and the displacements increased with applied voltage and air pressure. Assuming microscopic imaging application scenarios, we then conducted two-dimensional tracking and focus adjustment tests with a DEA-driven lens system. The result suggested that the position of the optical axis was successfully controlled using the captured image, and target images at different distances were successfully focused and defocused by the axial movement of the DEA.