Smart UI/UX Device Research Section, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon, South Korea.
Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany.
Soft Robot. 2018 Dec;5(6):777-782. doi: 10.1089/soro.2017.0146. Epub 2018 Aug 29.
Developing tunable lenses, an expansion-based mechanism for dynamic focus adjustment can provide a larger focal length tuning range than a contraction-based mechanism. Here, we develop an expansion-tunable soft lens module using a disk-type dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) that creates axially symmetric pulling forces on a soft lens. Adopted from a biological accommodation mechanism in human eyes, a soft lens at the annular center of a disk-type DEA pair is efficiently stretched to change the focal length in a highly reliable manner. A soft lens with a diameter of 3 mm shows a 65.7% change in the focal length (14.3-23.7 mm) under a dynamic driving voltage signal control. We confirm a quadratic relation between lens expansion and focal length that leads to large focal length tunability obtainable in the proposed approach. The fabricated tunable lens module can be used for soft, lightweight, and compact vision components in robots, drones, vehicles, and so on.
开发调谐透镜，基于扩展的动态焦点调节机制可以提供比基于收缩的机制更大的焦距调节范围。在这里，我们使用盘型介电弹性体致动器（DEA）开发了一种可扩展的软透镜模块，该致动器在软透镜上产生轴对称的拉力。从人眼的生物调节机制中得到启发，盘型 DEA 对中环形软透镜被有效地拉伸，以可靠的方式改变焦距。在动态驱动电压信号控制下，直径为 3mm 的软透镜的焦距变化率达到 65.7%（14.3-23.7mm）。我们确认了透镜扩展与焦距之间的二次关系，这使得所提出的方法可以实现大的焦距调节能力。所制造的调谐透镜模块可用于机器人、无人机、车辆等中的软、轻、紧凑的视觉组件。
