Imaging device, control method for imaging device, electronic apparatus and non-transitory readable medium comprising first and second voltage signals applied to a liquid crystal lens assembly to adjust the focal position of a first and second linearly polarized light

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11310404-B2
Application number	US-202017263878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2020
Priority date	Jun 20, 2019
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

An imaging device, an imaging control method, an electronic apparatus, and a readable medium. The imaging device comprises: an image sensing assembly; a liquid crystal lens assembly provided with light control components corresponding to an image sensing component, wherein each of the light control components comprises a first liquid crystal component and a second liquid crystal component, which are arranged opposite each other, and the orientation of liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal component is perpendicular to the orientation of liquid crystal molecules in the second liquid crystal component; and a processing assembly, wherein the processing assembly is respectively electrically connected to the image sensing assembly and the liquid crystal lens assembly, and is configured to adjust, according to a light receiving amount measured by the image sensing assembly, the voltage applied to the light control component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging device, comprising:
an image sensor assembly, comprising a plurality of image sensor components distributed in an array;
an liquid crystal lens assembly, located on a light incident side of the image sensor assembly, and provided with light control components corresponding to the image sensor components;
wherein each of the light control components comprises: a first liquid crystal component and a second liquid crystal component which are disposed oppositely with each other, and the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal component and the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the second liquid crystal component are perpendicular to each other; and
a processing assembly, electrically connected with both the image sensor assembly and the liquid crystal lens assembly and configured to obtain an amount of light received by the image sensor components, adjust a voltage applied to the light control components according to the amount of light so that the light control components adjust a focal position of emitted light to change a distance between the focal position and the image sensor components;
wherein the processing assembly is further configured to:
determine whether the total amount of light received within a threshold time period is less than a threshold value;
generate a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal in the condition that it is determined that the total amount of light received is less than the threshold value; and
apply the first voltage signal to the first liquid crystal components to adjust the focal position of a first light to the photosensitive parts, and apply the second voltage signal to the second liquid crystal components to adjust the focal position of a second light to the photosensitive parts, wherein the first light and the second light are two linearly polarized lights which are converted from external ambient light passing through the liquid crystal molecules and the polarization direction of the first light and polarization direction of the second light are perpendicular to each other.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first liquid crystal component comprises: a first substrate, a second substrate opposite to the first substrate, a first control electrode located on a side of the first substrate facing the second substrate, and a first common electrode located on a side of the second substrate facing the first substrate; and
the second liquid crystal component comprises: a third substrate, a fourth substrate opposite to the third substrate, a second control electrode located on a side of the third substrate facing the fourth substrate, and a second common electrode located on a side of the fourth substrate facing the third substrate.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein an orthographic projection of the first control electrode on the first substrate coincides with an orthographic projection of the second control electrode on the first substrate.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein each of the image sensor components comprises a fifth substrate, a photosensitive part located on the fifth substrate, and a peripheral part surrounding the photosensitive part; and
the orthographic projection of the first control electrode on the first substrate covers an orthographic projection of the photosensitive part on the first substrate.

5. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein the processing assembly is a central processing unit, a field programmable logic array, a digital signal processor, or a single-chip microcomputer.

6. The imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the processing assembly is a central processing unit, a field programmable logic array, a digital signal processor, or a single-chip microcomputer.

7. The imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein the processing assembly is a central processing unit, a field programmable logic array, a digital signal processor, or a single-chip microcomputer.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing assembly is a central processing unit, a field programmable logic array, a digital signal processor, or a single-chip microcomputer.

9. An electronic apparatus, comprising the imaging device according to claim 1 .

10. A control method for an imaging device, wherein the imaging device comprises: an image sensor assembly, comprising a plurality of image sensor components distributed in an array; an liquid crystal lens assembly, located on a light incident side of the image sensor assembly, and provided with light control components corresponding to the image sensor components; wherein each of the light control components comprises: a first liquid crystal component and a second liquid crystal component which are disposed oppositely with each other, and the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal component and the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the second liquid crystal component are perpendicular to each other; and a processing assembly, electrically connected with both the image sensor assembly and the liquid crystal lens assembly;
wherein the control method comprises:
obtaining, by the processing assembly, an amount of light received by image sensor components; and
adjusting, by the processing assembly, a voltage applied to the light control components according to the amount of light so that the light control components adjust a focal position of emitted light to change a distance between the focal position and the image sensor components;
the adjusting, by the processing assembly, the voltage applied to the light control components according to the amount of light so that the light control components adjust the focal position of the emitted light further comprises:
determining, by the processing assembly, whether the total amount of light received within a threshold time period is less than a threshold value;
generating, by the processing assembly, a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal in the condition that it is determined that the total amount of light received is less than the threshold value; and
applying, by the processing assembly, the first voltage signal to the first liquid crystal components to adjust the focal position of a first light to the photosensitive parts, and applying, by the processing assembly, the second voltage signal to the second liquid crystal components to adjust the focal position of a second light to the photosensitive parts, wherein the first light and the second light are two linearly polarized lights which are converted from external ambient light passing through the liquid crystal molecules and the polarization direction of the first light and polarization direction of the second light are perpendicular to each other.

11. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing assembly is further configured to:
generate a third voltage signal in the condition that it is determined that the total amount of light received is greater or equal to the threshold value; and
apply the third voltage signal to the first liquid crystal components so that the focal position of the first light is at a first set position, wherein a distance between the first set position and the liquid crystal lens assembly is greater than or less than a distance between the liquid crystal lens assembly and the image sensor assembly.

12. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing assembly is further configured to:
generate a fourth voltage signal in the condition that it is determined that the total amount of light received is gr

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd
• Univ Electronic Sci & Tech China

Inventors

• Zhu Xuehui
• Chen Xiaoxi
• Zhang Junrui
• Ye Mao
• Zhou Lijia
• Wang Zhidong
• Du Shuang

Classifications

• H04N23/55 Primary

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/67

  Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• H04N23/54 Primary

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/741

  by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/60

  Control of cameras or camera modules · CPC title