US 12,326,579 B2
Lens curvature variation apparatus
Sung Ki Jung, Seoul (KR); and Young Seop Moon, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to LG INNOTEK CO., LTD., Seoul (KR); and CORNING INCORPORATED, Corning, NY (US)
Appl. No. 17/625,912
Filed by LG INNOTEK CO., LTD., Seoul (KR); and CORNING INCORPORATED, Corning, NY (US)
PCT Filed Jul. 9, 2020, PCT No. PCT/KR2020/009045
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 10, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/006675, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 14, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2019-0082858 (KR), filed on Jul. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0268972 A1, Aug. 25, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 3/14 (2006.01); G02B 26/00 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 3/14 (2013.01) [G02B 26/004 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A lens curvature variation apparatus comprising:
a liquid lens including a first electrode and a second electrode, and containing a first liquid and a second liquid forming an interface with each other;
a voltage booster including a first switching element, the voltage booster being configured to convert an input voltage into a voltage of a first level higher than the input voltage by a switching operation of the first switching element;
a lens driver configured to apply a driving pulse of the first level for adjusting the interface to the first electrode and the second electrode by using the voltage of the first level and to apply a sensing pulse of a second level lower than the first level for sensing the interface to the first electrode and the second electrode;
a sensor unit configured to sense the interface based on the sensing pulse applied from the lens driver; and
a control unit configured to control the lens driver so that the liquid lens forms a target interface based on information of the interface sensed by the sensor unit,
wherein the driving pulse of the first level includes a first driving pulse of the first level applied to the first electrode and a second driving pulse of the first level applied to the second electrode with a time difference from the first driving pulse,
wherein the sensing pulse includes a first sensing pulse of the second level provided to the first electrode and a second sensing pulse of the second level provided to the second electrode,
wherein the first sensing pulse and the second sensing pulse are applied at a time when the first driving pulse and the second driving pulse are not applied,
wherein times at which the first and second sensing pulses are provided do not overlap with each other,
wherein the voltage booster is deactivated during a sensing time at which the interface of the liquid lens is sensed by the sensor unit,
wherein the sensing time is greater than a time between a point in time when the second sensing pulse is supplied and a time when the supply of the second sensing pulse is stopped, and
wherein the sensing time starts after the first switching element is turned off and ends before the first switching element is turned on.