Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.

Sung Chan Kim

Young Ho Lee

Ha Yong Jung

Jin Hyuck Yang

Jae Young Bae

Disclosed herein is a liquid zoom lens. The liquid zoom lens comprises a cylindrical body including glass lenses respectively coupled at upper and lower openings to the body, an auto-focus lens part including a first liquid insulating layer and a first electrolyte layer stacked at a lower portion of the body to form an interface therebetween, and an optical zoom lens part including a second liquid insulating layer and a second electrolyte layer stacked on the first electrolyte layer to form an interface therebetween and a lens positioned in the second liquid insulating layer and fixed to the body with an outer peripheral surface of the lens closely contacting an inner peripheral surface of the body. The liquid zoom lens enables an auto-focus function and an optical zoom function to be performed simultaneously by means of a single liquid lens having a variable curvature.

Liquid zoom lens

A liquid lens comprises a cylindrical body having a pair of glass lenses which are coupled to upper and lower openings of the body, respectively; an aspheric transmitting partition lens inserted and fixed in the central portion of the body; an auto-focus lens section composed of a first insulating liquid layer and a first electrolyte layer which are filled under the transmitting partition lens so as to form an interface therebetween; an optical zoom lens section composed of a second insulating liquid layer and a second electrolyte layer which are filled above the transmitting partition lens so as to form an interface therebetween; and a minute auto-focus lens section composed of a third insulating liquid layer of which the upper surface comes in contact with the lower surface of the transmitting partition lens and of which the lower surface forms an interface with the first electrolyte layer such that the third insulating liquid layer is not mixed with the first electrolyte layer.

Liquid lens

A liquid zoom lens mounted on a portable terminal is provided. In the liquid zoom lens, a cylindrical body has upper and lower openings to which one pair of lenses is coupled. An auto-focus lens part includes a first insulating liquid layer, a first electrolyte layer, and a first lens. The first insulating layer and the first electrolyte layer are disposed to form an interface at a lower portion of the body. The first lens is disposed on the first electrolyte layer and has a periphery closely attached to a lower portion of an inner periphery of the body. An optical zoom lens part includes a second insulating liquid layer, a second electrolyte layer, and a second lens. The second insulating liquid layer and the second electrolyte layer are disposed to form an interface on the first lens. The second lens is fixed to be movable within the second insulating liquid layer, such that a periphery is closely attached to the inner periphery of the body. Accordingly, the auto-focus function and the optical zoom function can be simultaneously achieved through a single liquid lens whose curvature is varied by the difference of the inherent refractive index between the electrolyte and the insulating liquid.

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Seoul, South Korea

Sung Chan Kim