Variable total internal reflection electrowetting lens assembly for a detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10928623-B2
Application number	US-201815974740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2018
Priority date	Jun 21, 2016
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed are examples of optical/electrical devices including a variable TIR lens assembly having a transducer, an optical lens and an electrowetting cell coupled to an exterior wall of the lens. The electrowetting cell contains two immiscible liquids having different optical and electrical properties. One liquid has a high index of refraction, and the other liquid has a low index of refraction. At least one liquid is electrically conductive. A signal causes the high index of refraction and the low index of refraction liquids to assume various positions within the electrowetting cell along the exterior wall. The properties of the optical lens, e.g. its total internal reflectivity, change depending upon the position of the respective liquids along the exterior wall. The light detection characteristics of the assembly change to receive an input light beam over a range of inputs or over a range of fields of view.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A detection device, comprising:
a transducer configured to detect light and generate signals in response to the detected light;
a signal interface coupled to the transducer to:
receive the generated signals from the transducer and configured to output detection signals based on the received generated signals, and
output electrowetting signals;

a lens of a transparent material having a first index of refraction, the transparent lens comprising:
a lens interface to provide light to the transducer,
an optical lens aperture, opposite the lens interface, configured to receive light from a field of view for direction through the transparent lens toward the transducer, and
a transparent exterior lens wall extending from the lens interface to the optical lens aperture; and

a controllable electrowetting assembly surrounding the transparent lens, the controllable electrowetting assembly being coupled to the signal interface and configured to respond to the electrowetting signals output from the signal interface, the controllable electrowetting assembly comprising:
a high index of refraction liquid and a low index of refraction liquid, one of the liquids being conductive and the other of the liquids being an insulator,
an electrowetting optical aperture extending outward from the optical lens aperture and configured to receive light from the field of view, and
electrodes coupled to the signal interface and electrically coupled with at least one of the liquids, wherein:
the low index of refraction liquid is responsive to the electrowetting signals output from the signal interface, to vary an amount of the transparent exterior wall of the transparent lens covered by the low index of refraction liquid and cause total internal reflection of light within the transparent lens to thereby vary a direction or shape of light received by the transducer from the field of view.

2. The detection device of claim 1 , wherein:
an index of refraction of the high index of refraction liquid is higher than the first index of refraction of the transparent lens, and
an index of refraction of the low index of refraction liquid is lower than the first index of refraction of the transparent lens.

3. The detection device of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is a photo-detector, a light detecting diode, a photoconductive cell, a photo-emissive cell, or a photo-voltaic cell.

4. The detection device of claim 1 , wherein the transparent material of the transparent lens is a glass or plastic having the first index of refraction.

5. The detection device of claim 1 , wherein the electrodes of the controllable electrowetting assembly extend at predetermined positions in a direction from the lens interface to the optical lens aperture.

6. The detection device of claim 1 , wherein:
a narrow field of view through the optical lens aperture is provided in response to the low index of refraction liquid extending over a larger amount of the transparent lens wall than the high index of refraction index liquid.

7. The detection device of claim 1 , wherein:
a wide field of view through the optical lens aperture and the electrowetting optical aperture is provided in response to the high index of refraction liquid extending over a larger amount of the transparent lens wall than the low index of refraction index liquid.

8. A device, comprising:
a transducer that converts optical energy into a signal; and
a lens assembly, coupled to deliver light to the transducer, comprising:
(a) a lens formed of a transparent material having a first index of refraction in a shape, including:
a lens interface at a proximal end of the shape to provide light to the transducer;
an optical aperture at a distal end of the shape opposite the proximal end to receive light from an environment in which the device is located; and
an exterior wall that extends from a portion of the lens interface to a portion of the optical aperture; and

(b) a controllable electrowetting cell coupled to the exterior wall of the transparent lens, comprising:
an electrode associated to receive a control signal;
a high index of refraction liquid; and
an electrically conductive low index of refraction liquid, wherein:
the high index of refraction liquid and the low index of refraction liquid are immiscible, and
in response to a change of the control signal, the high index of refraction liquid and the low index of refraction liquid change positions within the electrowetting cell thereby varying a field of view of the received light from the environment by the transducer.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the lens assembly has predetermined optical characteristics based on a configuration of the transparent lens, positions of the high index of refraction liquid and the low index of refraction liquid within the electrowetting cell, and a configuration of the transducer.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein an extent of change in positions of the high index and low index of refraction liquids relative to one another is based upon a value of the control signal applied to the electrode.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein:
the high index of refraction liquid has a first volume;
the low index of refraction liquid has a second volume; and
a ratio of the first volume of the high index of refraction liquid to the second volume of the low index of refraction liquid contributes to the varying the field of view of the received light from the environment by the transducer when the control signal is changed.

12. The device of claim 8 , further configured to:
receive the light from a narrower field of view through the optical lens aperture in response to the low index of refraction liquid extending over a larger area of the exterior wall of the transparent lens than an area of the exterior wall of the transparent lens covered by the high index of refraction liquid.

13. The device of claim 12 , further comprising:
a coupling to a signal interface,
wherein the transducer is further configured to in response to the received light, output via the coupling the signal to the signal interface.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein:
the electrowetting cell further comprises:
an electrowetting optical aperture that receives the light from the environment and that is substantially co-planar with the optical aperture of the transparent lens; and
the device is further configured to:
receive the light from a wider field of view through the optical lens aperture and the electrowetting optical aperture of the electrowetting cell in response to the high index of refraction liquid extending over a larger area of the exterior wall of the transparent lens than an area of the exterior wall of the transparent lens covered by the low index of refraction liquid.

15. The device of claim 14 , further comprising:
a coupling to a signal interface,
wherein the transducer is further configured to:
in response to the received light, output via the coupling a signal to the signal interface.

16. A variable optical detection device, comprising:
a light detector that converts detected light into a signal;
a variable lens assembly coupled to the light detector that directs input light toward the light detector, the variable lens assembly including:
a transparent total internal reflection lens; and
an electrowetting cell, including:
a high index of refraction liquid and a low index of refraction liquid contained in the variable electrowetting cell, one of the liquids being conductive and the other of the liquids being an insulator, and
electrodes couple

Assignees

• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Ramer David P
• Mao An
• Rains Jr Jack C

Classifications

• G02B3/14

  of variable focal length · CPC title

• G02B26/005 Primary

  based on electrowetting · CPC title

• G01J1/0266

  Field-of-view determination; Aiming or pointing of a photometer; Adjusting alignment; Encoding angular position; Size of the measurement area; Position tracking; Photodetection involving different fields of view for a single detector · CPC title

• G02B17/006

  Systems in which light light is reflected on a plurality of parallel surfaces, e.g. louvre mirrors, total internal reflection [TIR] lenses (Fresnel mirrors G02B5/09, Fresnel lenses G02B3/08) · CPC title

• G01J1/0437

  using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators, spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters · CPC title