Webster Capital LLC

Commissariat &#xc0; L'&#xc9;nergie Atomique Et Aux &#xc9;nergies Alternatives

Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Apple Inc.

Sébastien Bolis

Fabrice Jacquet

Damien Saint-Patrice

Stephane Moreau

Arnaud Pouydebasque

Nachiappan Chidambaram

Jean-Charles Barbe

Miodrag Scepanovic

Igor Stamenov

Pierre-Louis Charvet

Milan Maksimovic

Marjorie Trzmiel

James E Pedder

Stéphane Moreau

Fabrice Jacuet

In some embodiments, the camera system comprises: an optical assembly to create an optical image from the optical wavefront; a deformable phase plate (DPP) to receive the optical image from the optical assembly and to adjust the optical image in accordance with a control signal, the DPP including a deformable surface suspended over a cavity filled with optical fluid, and electrical actuation elements configured to change a shape of the deformable surface based on the control signal, the electrical actuation elements arranged in a pattern in the cavity and, when activated, provide an electrostatic force on the deformable surface; an image sensor to convert the adjusted optical image into electrical signals; an image signal processor to generate a digital image from the electrical signals; and an estimator to estimate an aberration or tilt correction of the digital image and to generate the control signal based on the estimated aberration or tilt correction.

Miniaturized adaptive optics with deformable phase plate for digital tilt and aberration correction

A head-mounted device may have lenses. A user may view images through the lenses from eye boxes. The lenses may be tunable liquid lenses. Each lens may have a lens chamber. The lens chamber of the lens may have rigid and/or flexible walls that form optical lens surfaces. Actuators and/or pump and reservoir systems may deform the lens surfaces in response to control signals from a control circuit to tune the lens. Each liquid lens may have oil or other liquid in the lens chamber for that lens. Inorganic dielectric particles or other refractive-index-adjustment particles may be used to adjust the refractive index of the lens. The particles may be subwavelength in size.

Electronic devices with liquid lenses

An optical device includes first and second planar substrates having respective first and second faces and including first and second diffractive structure disposed respectively on the first and second faces. First and second planar electrodes are disposed respectively on the first and second faces. A mount holds the second planar substrate parallel to the first planar substrate, with the second face adjacent to the first face and with the first and second planar electrodes in mutual proximity, while permitting the second planar substrate to move transversely relative to the first planar substrate. A control circuit is coupled to apply an electrical potential between the first and second planar electrodes with a voltage sufficient to shift the second diffractive structure transversely relative to the first diffractive structure.

Electrostatic actuation for diffractive optical devices

An optical component includes a substrate and a piezoelectric film formed on the substrate and configured to deform in response to an actuation voltage applied thereto into a pattern of peaks and troughs configured to deflect optical radiation that is incident thereon. The pattern has an amplitude determined by the actuation voltage.

Tunable diffractive optics

Various embodiments disclosed herein include an optical module. The optical module may include a deformable lens and an actuator configured to be deflectable to cause a change in the shape of the deformable lens to alter light passing through the optical module. In various examples, the optical module may include a stop structure configured to mechanically stop the actuator from deflecting beyond a threshold deflection in at least one direction. In some cases, the stop structure may be used for calibration purposes. Additionally, or alternatively, the stop structure may be configured to define an aperture stop that limits an amount of light that passes through the optical module. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the stop structure may be configured to hide the actuator when the optical module is viewed in plan.

Stop structure for optical module

Apparatus for deflection of a beam of light includes a case, which is configured to be positioned in a path of the beam, and a liquid, which is contained within the case. An array of plates is disposed across a surface of the liquid. The plates are configured to rotate on the surface about respective axes, which are mutually parallel and are spaced apart by a predefined pitch. An actuator is configured to drive a rotation of the plates about the respective axes so as deflect the beam that is incident on the plates.

Tunable blazed grating

An optical device for the stabilization of images, including a first deformable membrane and a second deformable membranes, a support to which a respective peripheral anchoring area of each of said membranes is connected, and a constant volume of fluid enclosed between the first and the second membrane, said fluid producing mechanical coupling of said first and second membranes. The optical device also includes: a first actuation device of a region of the first membrane located between the peripheral anchoring area and a central part of the first membrane; and a second actuation device of a region of the second membrane located between the peripheral anchoring area and a central part of the second membrane. A control means of the first and second actuation devices is configured, from a rest position where the first and second actuation devices are inactive, to have multiple operating modes to apply respective actuation voltage to the first actuation device or the second actuation device.

Optical device for stabilization of images

An optical device with variable aperture, including a deformable membrane having a central optical area, a support to which a peripheral anchoring area of said membrane is connected, a first cavity filled with a constant volume of a first transparent fluid in a determined range of wavelengths, said cavity being delimited at least in part by a first face of said membrane and a wall of the support. The optical device also includes at least one actuation device of a region of the membrane located between the peripheral anchoring area and the central optical area of the membrane, configured to bend said region of the membrane by application of electrical actuation voltage so as to displace some of the volume of the first fluid towards the center or towards the periphery of the first cavity, said displacement of fluid being intended to deform the central area of the membrane.

Optical device with variable aperture

An optical device with a deformable membrane () including an anchor area () on a support () entrapping a liquid or gas fluid, a central area () reversibly deformable from a rest position, actuating means for moving the fluid () biasing the membrane () into an intermediate area between the anchor area () and the central area (), the actuating means include a piezoelectric continuous crown accommodating several actuators (), this crown surrounding the central area (), the actuating means () being anchored to the membrane () in at least the intermediate area (), the actuating means () and the membrane () to which they are anchored, forming at least one piezoelectric bimorph (B), the actuating means () radially contracting or extending upon actuation so as to generate a movement of said fluid () from the intermediate area () to the central area () of the membrane () or vice versa, aiming at deforming the central area () with respect to its rest position.

Optical device with a piezoelectrically actuated deformable membrane shaped as a continuous crown

An optical device has a deformable membrane and a support to which a peripheral anchoring area of said membrane is connected. The optical device further includes a cavity filled with a constant volume of fluid, the cavity being delimited by the membrane, a base extending substantially parallel to the membrane and a wall of the support extending between the base and the membrane. The optical device further includes an actuation device of an area of the membrane located between the peripheral anchoring area and a central part of the membrane, configured to bend by application of electrical actuation voltage so as to move some of the volume of fluid located in a flow region located between the actuation area of the membrane and the base of the cavity. The optical device also includes a heating element adapted to locally heat the fluid in the flow region.

Optical device with deformable membrane having reduced response time

The invention relates to an autofocus camera () comprising: &#x2014;an image sensor (), &#x2014;an optical block () comprising a plurality of lenses with fixed focal length, &#x2014;an optical device () with variable focal length comprising: &#x2022;a deformable membrane (), &#x2022;a support () to which a peripheral anchoring area () of said membrane is connected, &#x2022;a cavity () filled with a constant volume of fluid, said cavity being delimited at least in part by said membrane () and a support wall (), &#x2022;an actuation device () of a region () of the membrane located between the peripheral anchoring area () and a central part () of the membrane, configured to bend by application of electrical actuation voltage so as to displace some of the fluid volume towards the center or towards the periphery of the cavity (), wherein at least one region distinct from the central part () and of the actuation region () of the membrane is stressed mechanically permanently so as to cause permanent deformation of the central part of the membrane by the fluid, the focal distance of the optical device () at rest under the effect of said mechanical stress being different from the focal distance of said optical device at rest prior to application of said stress.

Autofocus camera and optical device with variable focal length intended to be integrated into such a camera

An optical device having variable focal length may include a deformable membrane, a support to which a peripheral anchoring area of said membrane is connected, and a cavity filled with a constant volume of fluid. The cavity being delimited by the membrane, a base opposite the membrane and a wall of the support extending between the base and the membrane. The optical device further includes an actuation device of a region of the membrane located between the peripheral anchoring area and a central part of the membrane, configured to bend said membrane by application of electrical actuation voltage so as to displace some of the volume of fluid. The membrane comprises a stiffening structure comprising cells which delimit, in the central part of said membrane, at least two deformable regions each constituting a diopter of a respective elementary optical system, each elementary optical system comprising said respective deformable region of the membrane, the fluid and the base of the cavity.

Optical device with deformable membrane

An optical device with focal length variation including a first deformable membrane, a second deformable membrane, and a support to which a respective peripheral anchoring area of each of said membranes is connected. A constant volume of fluid is enclosed between the first and the second membrane, said fluid producing mechanical coupling of said first and second membranes. An actuation device of a region of the first membrane located between the anchoring area and a central part of the first membrane, configured to deform by application of electrical actuation voltage in a single direction of deflection to displace at least a portion of the fluid volume, said displacement of fluid being likely to cause deformation of the central part of the first membrane based on application of an electrical actuation voltage to the actuation device.

Growing community of inventors

Crolles, France

Sébastien Bolis