Liquid crystal lens, liquid crystal lens array, electronic product and manufacturing method

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of liquid crystal optics, and particularly relates to a liquid crystal lens, a liquid crystal lens array, an electronic product and a manufacturing method. The liquid crystal lens comprises a first transparent substrate, a first electrode layer, a first orientation layer, a liquid crystal layer, a second orientation layer, a second electrode layer and a second transparent substrate which are sequentially stacked; the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer each comprise an electrode unit; the electrode unit comprises a conductive wire and a plurality of lead-out wires; the conductive wire between a first position and a second position comprises a first connecting section, a second connecting section and a plurality of extension sections arranged along a first direction; the extension sections extend from a starting position to a position connected with the first connecting section; and the preset direction of the electrode unit of the first electrode layer is perpendicular to the preset direction of the electrode unit of the second electrode layer. The application can improve the utilization rate of liquid crystal materials.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of liquid crystal optical technology, specifically a liquid crystal lens, a liquid crystal lens array, an electronic product, and a manufacturing method. Background Technology

[0002] Liquid crystal lenses (LCDs) are increasingly widely used due to their electrically controlled focusing capabilities. To apply LCDs to different scenarios, precise control of the potential distribution of the liquid crystal layer is often required. Since the phase of the liquid crystal material responds linearly to the applied voltage within a certain voltage range, this range is called the linear response range or the linear operating range of the liquid crystal. To facilitate precise control of the potential distribution of the liquid crystal layer, existing technologies have proposed controlling the driving voltage of the LCD lens based on the range of the linear response range. For example, in patent CN114185222A, the minimum and maximum voltages driving the liquid crystal device are set within the linear operating range of the liquid crystal to drive the device. Figure 1 As shown in the response curve of the liquid crystal material, although selecting the driving voltage within the linear response range can conveniently and accurately drive the liquid crystal lens, the voltage range of the linear response range is small, which results in insufficient optical power of the designed liquid crystal device and greatly limits the application range of the liquid crystal lens. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a liquid crystal lens to solve the technical problem that the optical power of existing liquid crystal lenses is insufficient due to the small linear response range of the liquid crystal material.

[0004] The technical solution adopted in this invention is:

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a liquid crystal lens, comprising a first transparent substrate, a first electrode layer, a first alignment layer, a liquid crystal layer, a second alignment layer, a second electrode layer, and a second transparent substrate, which are sequentially stacked.

[0006] Both the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer include electrode units;

[0007] The electrode unit includes a conductive wire and multiple lead-out wires. The conductive wire has a first position and a second position, which are different from each other. The portion of the conductive wire between the first and second positions has the same width. One end of each lead-out wire is connected to the conductive wire, and the other end is suspended. The lead-out wire extends from the position between the first and second positions of the conductive wire. The position where the lead-out wire connects to the conductive wire is the lead-out position. Each lead-out position is arranged at equal intervals along a preset direction of the electrode unit. In at least one preset region, each lead-out wire is parallel to each other and is arranged at equal intervals along the preset direction of the electrode unit.

[0008] The conductive line between the first position and the second position includes a first connecting segment, a second connecting segment, and a plurality of extension segments arranged along a preset direction of the electrode unit. The extension segments extend from the starting position to the position connected to the first connecting segment. The lead-out position is set at the position where the extension segment is connected to the first connecting segment. The starting position of the extension segment is connected to the second connecting segment.

[0009] For any electrode unit, let x be the distance between the lead-out position of each extension of the conductive line in the preset direction of the electrode unit and the first position, then the length of the extension line is g(x), where C is a constant. This represents the rate of change of the phase of a liquid crystal material with respect to voltage.

[0010] The preset direction of the electrode unit of the first electrode layer is perpendicular to the preset direction of the electrode unit of the second electrode layer; the first position of the conductive line in the first electrode layer is used to receive the first driving voltage, and the second position is used to receive the second driving voltage; the first position of the conductive line in the second electrode layer is used to receive the third driving voltage, and the second position is used to receive the fourth driving voltage.

[0011] Preferably, the lead wire includes a first portion and a second portion located on opposite sides of a first reference plane, wherein the first reference plane is a plane passing through a first position and perpendicular to a preset direction of the electrode unit.

[0012] Preferably, the conductive wire further includes a third position, the first position being located between the third position and the second position, the third position of the conductive wire being used to receive a second driving voltage or a fourth driving voltage, the portion of the conductive wire located between the first position and the second position having the same width, and the lead wire also being led out from the position between the first position and the third position of the conductive wire.

[0013] Preferably, the conductive line is located outside the functional area of ​​the liquid crystal lens.

[0014] Preferably, the segmentation includes a first connecting segment and a second connecting segment extending from the direction of the curved segment toward the center position of the liquid crystal lens. The first connecting segment and the second connecting segment are respectively connected to two adjacent curved segments. One end of the third connecting segment is connected to the end of the first connecting segment away from the curved segment, and the other end is connected to the end of the second connecting segment away from the curved segment. The lead-out position is located at the position where the third connecting segment connects to the first connecting segment or at the position where the third connecting segment connects to the second connecting segment.

[0015] Preferably, a high-resistivity film or a high-dielectric-constant layer is disposed between the second electrode layer and the second alignment layer or between the second electrode layer and the second transparent substrate.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a liquid crystal lens array, the liquid crystal lens array including the liquid crystal lens described in the first aspect, at least one of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer including at least two electrode units, the projection of the lead wires in the first electrode layer and the lead wires in the second electrode layer onto a second reference plane forms a plurality of intersecting regions arranged in an array, the second reference plane being a plane parallel to both the lead wires of the first electrode unit and the lead wires of the second electrode unit.

[0017] Thirdly, the present invention provides a liquid crystal lens array, the liquid crystal lens array including the liquid crystal lens described in the first aspect, wherein the lead wires of the electrode units in at least one of the first electrode layers and the second electrode layer extend to form multiple extension segments, and the projections of the extension segments of the electrode units in the first electrode layer and the extension segments of the electrode units in the second electrode layer onto a second reference plane form multiple intersection regions arranged in an array; in the same intersection region, each lead wire of the same electrode unit is parallel to each other and is equally spaced along a predetermined direction of the electrode unit, and the second reference plane is a plane parallel to both the lead wires of the first electrode unit and the lead wires of the second electrode unit.

[0018] Fourthly, the present invention provides an electronic product, including a control circuit and a liquid crystal lens as described in the first aspect, or a liquid crystal lens array as described in the second aspect, or a liquid crystal lens array as described in the third aspect, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens or the liquid crystal lens array.

[0019] Fifthly, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal lens or a liquid crystal lens array, used to manufacture the liquid crystal lens described in the first aspect, the liquid crystal lens array described in the second aspect, or the liquid crystal lens array described in the third aspect, the method comprising the following steps:

[0020] Obtain the relationship between the phase of the liquid crystal material and the driving voltage in a liquid crystal lens or liquid crystal lens array;

[0021] The first driving voltage V1, the second driving voltage V2, the third driving voltage V3, and the fourth driving voltage V4 are determined according to the correspondence.

[0022] The shape of each curve segment on the conductive line in the first electrode layer is determined according to the first driving voltage V1, the second driving voltage V2, and the corresponding relationship.

[0023] The shape of each curve segment on the conductive line in the second electrode layer is determined according to the third driving voltage V3 and the fourth driving voltage V4 and the corresponding relationship;

[0024] Liquid crystal lenses or liquid crystal lens arrays are fabricated based on the shapes of the curve segments on the conductive lines in the first and second electrode layers.

[0025] Beneficial Effects: The liquid crystal lens, liquid crystal lens array, electronic product, and manufacturing method of the present invention utilize a conductive line capable of applying two driving voltages to generate potentials of varying magnitudes depending on the position of the conductive line. Multiple leads are drawn from different positions on a non-conductive line. Since one end of each lead is connected to the conductive line and the other end is suspended, the lead can diffuse the potential at the lead-out position on the conductive line to the area where the lead extends. Based on the aforementioned structure, the present invention arranges the lead-out positions at equal intervals along a first direction; in a predetermined region of the second electrode layer, each lead is parallel to each other and equally spaced along the first direction. Furthermore, if the distance between the lead-out position of each extension of the conductive line in the predetermined direction of the electrode unit and the first position is x, then the length g(x) of the extension satisfies... C is a constant. This represents the rate of change of the phase of the liquid crystal material with voltage. Thus, even if the first driving voltage V1 applied at the first position and the second driving voltage V2 applied at the second position are not within the linear response region of the liquid crystal material, this invention can still accurately achieve a parabolic phase distribution in the liquid crystal material of the first and second electrode layers. This invention, by setting the first and second electrode layers on both sides of the liquid crystal layer and making the preset directions of the electrode units in the two electrode layers perpendicular to each other, allows the potentials generated by the electrode units in the two electrode layers to be superimposed to form a precisely parabolic potential distribution. With this invention, the application of liquid crystal materials is no longer limited by the linear response range of the liquid crystal material, thereby improving the phase distribution accuracy and significantly increasing the optical power of the liquid crystal lens, thus significantly increasing the utilization rate of the liquid crystal material. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, and these are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 1 The response curve of the liquid crystal material;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal lens of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electrode units of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer in this invention projected onto the second reference plane;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first type of electrode unit in this invention;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of electrode unit in this invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the conductive wire in the first type of electrode unit in this invention;

[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the conductive wire structure in the second type of electrode unit in this invention;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the conductive wire in this invention;

[0035] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure for extracting curve segments from curves that meet certain conditions in this invention.

[0036] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the extension segment and the two adjacent curved segments in this invention;

[0037] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one form of the liquid crystal lens array of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of another form of the liquid crystal lens array of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 13 This is a schematic flowchart of the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal lens or liquid crystal lens array according to the present invention.

[0040] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0041] First transparent substrate 10, first electrode layer 20, first alignment layer 30, liquid crystal layer 40, second alignment layer 50, second electrode layer 60, conductive line 61, first position 611, second position 612, third position 613, first connecting segment 614, second connecting segment 615, extension segment 616, lead-out line 62, extension segment 621, second transparent substrate 70, first reference plane 80, functional area 90, electrode unit 101, and junction area 110. Detailed Implementation

[0042] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. Moreover, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, the element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element. Where there is no conflict, embodiments of the present invention and the various features thereof can be combined with each other, all of which are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0043] Example 1

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a liquid crystal lens, which includes a first transparent substrate 10, a first electrode layer 20, a first alignment layer 30, a liquid crystal layer 40, a second alignment layer 50, a second electrode layer 60, and a second transparent substrate stacked sequentially.

[0045] The liquid crystal optical device in this embodiment can adopt a layered structure. The aforementioned liquid crystal layer 40, first alignment layer 30, second alignment layer 50, first electrode layer 20, second electrode layer 60, first transparent substrate 10, and second transparent substrate are located in different layers, and the aforementioned layers are stacked along the light transmission direction of the liquid crystal optical device, i.e., the normal direction of each layer. The arrangement can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2 As shown, in Figure 2 Along the light transmission direction of the liquid crystal optical device, from bottom to top, are a first transparent substrate 10, a first electrode layer 20, a first alignment layer 30, a liquid crystal layer 40, a second alignment layer 50, a second electrode layer 60, and a second transparent substrate. Specifically, the first alignment layer 30 and the second alignment layer 50 are located on opposite sides of the liquid crystal layer 40; the first electrode layer 20 is located on the side of the first alignment layer 30 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 40; the second electrode layer 60 is located on the side of the second alignment layer 50 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 40; the first transparent substrate 10 is located on the side of the first electrode layer 20 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 40; and the second transparent substrate is located on the side of the second electrode layer 60 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 40.

[0046] The first transparent substrate 10 and the second transparent substrate can be made of transparent materials with certain strength and rigidity, such as glass substrates or plastic substrates. The first substrate serves to support the liquid crystal optical device. The first transparent substrate 10 can serve as a carrier for the first electrode layer 20, which can be deposited on the first substrate. The second substrate also serves a supporting function and can also serve as a carrier for the second electrode layer 60, which can be deposited on the second transparent substrate.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, electrode units 101 are provided in both the first electrode layer 20 and the second electrode layer 60. The potential generated by the electrode units 101 in the two electrode layers is superimposed to form a potential distribution that can affect the deflection of liquid crystal molecules.

[0048] The electrode unit 101 in the first electrode layer 20 and the electrode unit 101 in the second electrode layer 60 can have the same structure. For example... Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the electrode units 101 in the first electrode layer 20 and the second electrode layer both include conductive lines 61 and multiple lead-out lines 62, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the conductive line 61 includes a first position 611 and a second position 612. The first position 611 and the second position 612 are different. The portion of the conductive line 61 located between the first position 611 and the second position 612 has the same width. One end of the lead-out line 62 is connected to the conductive line 61, and the other end is suspended.

[0049] The lead wire 62 is drawn out from the position between the first position 611 and the second position 612 of the conductive wire 61. The position where the lead wire 62 is connected to the conductive wire 61 is the lead-out position. Each of the lead-out positions is arranged at equal intervals along the preset direction of the electrode unit 101. In at least one preset region, each lead wire 62 is parallel to each other and is arranged at equal intervals along the preset direction of the electrode unit 101.

[0050] The aforementioned preset direction can be arbitrarily specified as needed. For example, if the electrode unit 101 is needed to control the potential distribution at various positions in a certain direction within the space where the liquid crystal lens is located, then that direction can be specified as the preset direction. The aforementioned preset area can be the functional area 90 of the liquid crystal lens. The functional area 90 of the liquid crystal lens refers to the area within the liquid crystal lens where light can be modulated as needed. The spacing between two adjacent leads 62 can be the same as or different from the spacing between two adjacent lead positions; this is not limited here. When the spacing between two adjacent leads 62 is not the same as the spacing between two adjacent lead positions, the spacing between the leads 62 can be proportionally enlarged or reduced based on the spacing between the lead positions; this is not limited here.

[0051] The conductive lines 61 in the aforementioned electrode unit 101 include, but are not limited to, wires with a certain resistance, and thin lines plated on the second substrate that have a certain resistance and can conduct electricity. In order to improve the lens effect, the conductive lines 61 in this embodiment can all be made of transparent conductive materials, including but not limited to ITO electrode materials, IZO electrode materials, FTO electrode materials, AZO electrode materials, IGZO electrode materials, etc.

[0052] The leads 62 in the electrode unit 101 can be made entirely of transparent material, or at least a portion of them can be made of transparent material. For example, the portion of the leads 62 located in the liquid crystal lens functional area 90 can be made of transparent material. The number of leads 62 can be greater than or equal to two.

[0053] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, driving voltages can be applied to the electrode units 101 in the first electrode layer 20 and the electrode units 101 in the second electrode layer 60 to drive the liquid crystal lens to work. The first position 611 of the conductive line 61 in the first electrode layer 20 is used to receive the first driving voltage, and the second position 612 is used to receive the second driving voltage. The first position 611 of the conductive line 61 in the second electrode layer 60 is used to receive the third driving voltage, and the second position 612 is used to receive the fourth driving voltage.

[0054] For the electrode unit 101 in the first electrode layer 20 or the second electrode layer 60, when the aforementioned two driving voltages are applied to the first position 611 and the second position 612 on the conductive line 61, a potential with a magnitude distributed according to the position of the conductive line 61 can be formed on the conductive line 61 between the two positions. Furthermore, since the lead-out line 62 in this embodiment is connected to the conductive line 61 at one end and left suspended at the other end, the potential at each position on the same lead-out line 62 is equal and equal to the potential of the conductive line 61 at the connection point between the lead-out line 62 and the conductive line 61. Also, since the portion of the conductive line 61 between the first position 611 and the second position 612 has the same width in this embodiment, the potential at each lead-out position on the conductive line 61 is linearly related to the length of the conductive line 61 between that position and the first position 611.

[0055] like Figure 10 As shown, the conductive line between the first position and the second position includes a first connecting segment 614, a second connecting segment 615, and a plurality of extension segments 616 arranged along a first direction. The extension segments 616 extend from the starting position to the position connected to the first connecting segment 614. The lead-out position is set at the position where the extension segment is connected to the first connecting segment 614. The starting position of the extension segment is connected to the second connecting segment 615.

[0056] For any electrode unit, let x be the distance between the lead-out position of each extension line 616 of the conductive line in the preset direction of the electrode unit and the first position, then the length of the extension line is g(x), where C is a constant. This represents the rate of change of the phase of a liquid crystal material with respect to voltage.

[0057] In this embodiment, the length L of the extension segment 616 is set to be related to the distance between the starting position of the extension segment 616 and the first position of the electrode unit in a preset direction. Specifically, the length of the extension segment and the distance x between the starting position and the first position in the preset direction can satisfy a certain functional relationship. For ease of description, the functional relationship satisfied by the distance x between the starting position and the first position in the preset direction is denoted as g(x). For easier understanding, the relationship between the length L of the extension segment 616 and the distance x between the starting position and the first position of the electrode unit in the preset direction can also be represented by a rectangular coordinate system. Let's take the distance between the starting position and the first position of the electrode unit in the preset direction as the x-axis of the rectangular coordinate system, and the length L of the extension segment 616 as the y-axis to establish a rectangular coordinate system. In this rectangular coordinate system, y = g(x) is satisfied. C is a constant. This represents the rate of change of the phase of a liquid crystal material with respect to voltage.

[0058] like Figure 9 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, the second connecting segment 614 is a curve segment. These curve segments are obtained by sequentially cutting curves that meet certain requirements. These curve segments are part of a curve that meets certain conditions, and the extension segment is perpendicular to the first direction. For ease of description, the equation of the aforementioned curve is set as g(x), and the aforementioned conditions are... Let the first driving voltage applied at the first position 611 be V1, and the second driving voltage applied at the second position 612 be V2. Then the rate of change of phase along the x-direction is:

[0059]

[0060] because

[0061]

[0062] so

[0063]

[0064] but

[0065]

[0066] The phase distribution is then as follows

[0067]

[0068] When the phase is parabolically distributed along the x-axis...

[0069]

[0070] therefore

[0071]

[0072] That is, when the condition is met

[0073] In this embodiment, the phase distribution of the liquid crystal material satisfies a parabolic distribution.

[0074] in This represents the rate of change of the liquid crystal phase with voltage, reflected in Figure 1 The slope of the response curve shown is represented by the slope of the response curve. It can also be seen from the aforementioned relationship that the slope of curve g(x) is proportional to the reciprocal of the slope of the response curve.

[0075] In this embodiment, for both the electrode units 101 in the first electrode layer 20 and the electrode units 101 in the second electrode layer 60, the potential on each lead 62 and the position traversed by each lead 62 can be precisely controlled. When the lead positions are evenly spaced along a preset direction, and when each lead 62 is parallel to each other and evenly spaced along the preset direction in a preset region, a precise potential distribution that makes the phase of the liquid crystal material parabolic can be obtained. Using the aforementioned structure, only the shape of the curve segment needs to be precisely controlled to obtain a high-precision potential distribution, simplifying the design. Since the preset direction of the electrode units 101 in the first electrode layer 20 is perpendicular to the preset direction of the electrode units 101 in the second electrode layer 60, the superposition of the potentials of the electrode units 101 in the two electrode layers can form a precise parabolic potential distribution.

[0076] Furthermore, this embodiment only requires four driving voltages—the first driving voltage, the second driving voltage, the third driving voltage, and the fourth driving voltage—to achieve precise control of the potential at various positions in the space where the liquid crystal lens is located. Therefore, this embodiment can obtain a better liquid crystal lens through a simple driving method.

[0077] Furthermore, since the electrode unit 101 of the liquid crystal lens in this embodiment adopts the aforementioned structure, even if the first driving voltage V1 applied at the first position 611 and the second driving voltage V2 applied at the second position 612 in the first electrode layer 20, as well as the third driving voltage V3 applied at the first position 611 and the fourth driving voltage V4 applied at the fourth position in the second electrode layer 60, are not within the linear response region of the liquid crystal material, this embodiment can still achieve an accurate parabolic phase distribution of the liquid crystal material. Thus, the application of the liquid crystal material is no longer limited by the linear response range of the liquid crystal material, thereby significantly improving the optical power of the liquid crystal cylindrical lens while improving the phase distribution accuracy, and also significantly increasing the utilization rate of the liquid crystal material.

[0078] According to an optional but advantageous implementation, in this embodiment, for an electrode unit 101, the lead wire 62 of the electrode unit 101 includes a first portion and a second portion located on opposite sides of a first reference plane 80, the first reference plane 80 being a plane passing through a first position 611 and perpendicular to a preset direction of the electrode unit 101.

[0079] like Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the space where the liquid crystal lens is located can be divided into two regions with the reference plane as the boundary, and the lead wire 62 can extend in both regions. Using the aforementioned structure, this embodiment allows the lead wire 62 to be drawn from only one region, thus controlling the potential distribution in both regions. This means that only two driving voltages need to be applied to control the potential distribution on both sides of the first position 611, and the length of the conductive line 61 can be shortened by half, significantly reducing the manufacturing cost and energy consumption of the liquid crystal lens. In this embodiment, the extension line can include only the first and second parts, or it can include other parts besides the first and second parts; there is no limitation here.

[0080] See Figure 5 and Figure 7 As an optional but advantageous implementation, the conductive wire 61 in the electrode unit 101 further includes a third position 613, the first position 611 being located between the third position 613 and the second position 612, the third position 613 of the conductive wire 61 being used to receive a second driving voltage or a fourth driving voltage, the portion of the conductive wire 61 located between the first position 611 and the second position 612 having the same width, and the lead wire 62 also being led out from the position between the first position 611 and the third position 613 of the conductive wire 61.

[0081] This embodiment adds a third position 613 for applying a second driving voltage to the aforementioned second position 612. This allows for the simultaneous application of a second driving voltage to both the second position 612 and the third position 613 of the conductive line 61 in the first electrode layer 20, or a fourth driving voltage to both positions 612 and 613 of the conductive line 61 in the second electrode layer 60. When the second or fourth driving voltage is applied simultaneously to the second position 612 and the third position 613 of the conductive line 61, a position-dependent potential is generated between the second position 612 and the first position 611, and between the third position 613 and the first position 611. Leads 62 can be drawn from both sides of the first position 611, meaning the lead-out positions can be located either between the second position 612 and the first position 611, or between the third position 613 and the first position 611. With this structure, the potential distribution on both sides of the first position 611 can be controlled using the leads 62, thereby enabling the liquid crystal material to form a symmetrical parabolic phase distribution.

[0082] According to an optional but advantageous implementation, in this embodiment, the conductive line 61 is located outside the functional region 90 of the liquid crystal lens. In the prior art, the element generating the potential distribution needs to be placed within the functional region 90 of the liquid crystal lens to form a potential that affects the phase of the liquid crystal material. However, this method limits the range of the element generating the potential distribution to the functional region 90, making it difficult to meet the needs of potential control. In this embodiment, the element generating the potential distribution (conductive line 61) and the element controlling the potential distribution (lead line 62) are separated, with the element generating the potential located outside the functional region 90, and at least a portion of the element controlling the potential located within the functional region 90 of the liquid crystal optics. This allows the element generating the potential distribution to be unrestricted by the functional region 90, facilitating precise design, and ensuring that the element generating the potential distribution and the functional region 90 do not interfere with each other.

[0083] According to an optional but advantageous embodiment, a high-resistivity film or a high-dielectric-constant layer is provided between the second electrode layer 60 and the second alignment layer 50, or between the second electrode layer 60 and the second transparent substrate. This embodiment achieves a smoother potential between adjacent leads 62 by adding a high-resistivity film or a high-dielectric-constant layer.

[0084] Example 2

[0085] like Figure 11 As shown, this embodiment provides a liquid crystal lens array, including the liquid crystal lens described in Embodiment 1. At least one of the first electrode layer 20 and the second electrode layer 60 includes at least two electrode units 101. The projections of the leads 62 in the first electrode layer 20 and the leads 62 in the second electrode layer 60 onto a second reference plane form a plurality of intersecting regions 110 arranged in an array. The second reference plane is a plane that is parallel to both the leads 62 of the first electrode unit 101 and the leads 62 of the second electrode unit 101.

[0086] The aforementioned junction region 110 refers to the area where the projections of the leads 62 in the first electrode layer 20 and the leads 62 in the second electrode layer 60 overlap on the second reference plane. In this embodiment, one electrode unit 101 can be provided in one electrode layer, and two or more electrode units 101 can be provided in the other electrode layer, or two or more electrode units 101 can be provided in both electrode layers. Each electrode unit 101 in the two electrode layers can form multiple junction regions 110 arranged in an array. In these junction regions 110, the potentials of the two electrode layers are superimposed to form a parabolic potential distribution. The electric field generated by the potentials distributed in these regions can drive the liquid crystal molecules to deflect, thereby forming individual liquid crystal lenses. Furthermore, the aperture and spacing of the aforementioned liquid crystal lenses can be adjusted as needed.

[0087] By adopting the aforementioned structure in this embodiment, each junction region 110 can form a precisely parabolic potential distribution, thereby obtaining a better liquid crystal lens array. Furthermore, since the liquid crystal lens array in this embodiment uses the liquid crystal lens from Embodiment 1, the liquid crystal lens array in this embodiment not only has high phase distribution accuracy of the liquid crystal material but also high utilization rate of the liquid crystal material, resulting in higher optical power.

[0088] Example 3

[0089] like Figure 12 As shown, this embodiment provides another form of liquid crystal lens array. In this embodiment, the liquid crystal lens array includes the liquid crystal lens described in Embodiment 1. The lead-out lines 62 of at least one electrode layer 101 in the first electrode layer 20 and the second electrode layer 60 of the liquid crystal lens extend to form multiple extension segments 621. The projections of the extension segments 621 of the electrode unit 101 in the first electrode layer 20 and the extension segments 621 of the electrode unit 101 in the second electrode layer 60 onto the second reference plane form multiple arrayed junction regions 110. In the same junction region 110, each lead-out line 62 of the same electrode unit 101 is parallel to each other and is equally spaced along the preset direction of the electrode unit 101. The second reference plane is a plane that is parallel to both the lead-out lines 62 of the first electrode unit 101 and the lead-out lines 62 of the second electrode unit 101.

[0090] In this embodiment, the liquid crystal lens array can be formed by extending the lead-out lines 62 of the liquid crystal lenses to form multiple extension segments 621. Each extension segment 621 can control the potential distribution of its corresponding region, thereby driving the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 40 of its corresponding region to deflect. The projection of the extension segments 621 in the two electrode layers onto the second reference plane forms multiple overlapping regions, namely the aforementioned junction region 110, with each region corresponding to a liquid crystal lens. When the first electrode layer 20 is loaded with the first driving voltage and the second driving voltage, the potential distribution formed by the portion of each extension segment 621 in the junction region 110 can drive the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 40 to deflect and form a parabolic phase distribution. Similarly, when the second electrode layer 60 is loaded with the third driving voltage and the fourth driving voltage, the potential distribution formed by the portion of each extension segment 621 in the junction region 110 can drive the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 40 to deflect and form a parabolic phase distribution. The superposition of the potentials of the two electrode layers forms a parabolic potential distribution in the junction region 110. Since the junction areas 110 are arranged in an array, the liquid crystal lenses corresponding to each junction area 110 are also arranged in an array.

[0091] By adopting the aforementioned structure in this embodiment, each junction region 110 can form a precisely parabolic potential distribution, thereby obtaining a better liquid crystal lens array. Since the liquid crystal cylindrical lens array in this embodiment is formed by extending the lead-out lines 62 of the liquid crystal cylindrical lens in Embodiment 1, the liquid crystal cylindrical lens array in this embodiment not only has high phase distribution accuracy of the liquid crystal material, but also high utilization rate of the liquid crystal material, thus achieving higher optical power.

[0092] Example 4

[0093] like Figure 13 As shown, this embodiment provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal lens or a liquid crystal lens array. This method is used to manufacture the liquid crystal lens described in Embodiment 1 or the liquid crystal lens array described in Embodiment 2 or Embodiment 3. The method includes the following steps:

[0094] S1: Obtain the relationship between the phase of the liquid crystal material in the liquid crystal lens or liquid crystal lens array and the driving voltage;

[0095] The relationship between the phase of a liquid crystal material and its driving voltage refers to the magnitude of the phase of the liquid crystal material when a certain voltage is applied. This relationship can also be represented by the liquid crystal material's response curve. Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The horizontal axis of the curve represents the magnitude of the applied voltage, and the vertical axis represents the phase of the corresponding liquid crystal material. Therefore, the relationship between the phase of the liquid crystal material and the driving voltage can also be obtained through the liquid crystal material response curve.

[0096] S2: Determine the first driving voltage V1, the second driving voltage V2, the third driving voltage V1, and the fourth driving voltage V2 according to the correspondence;

[0097] This step selects the first driving voltage V1 and the second driving voltage V2, as well as the third driving voltage V3 and the fourth driving voltage V4, for driving the electrode units 101 in the first electrode layer 20, based on the aforementioned correspondence between driving voltage and phase, so that the magnitude of the selected driving voltage meets the requirements of the phase distribution range of the liquid crystal material. To meet the optical power requirements, this step can also determine the first driving voltage V1, the second driving voltage V2, the third driving voltage V1, and the fourth driving voltage V2 based on the optical properties of the optical power and the phase distribution of the liquid crystal material.

[0098] S3: Determine the shape of each curve segment 6141 on the conductive line 61 in the first electrode layer 20 according to the first driving voltage V1, the second driving voltage V2 and the corresponding relationship;

[0099] Once the first driving voltage V1, the second driving voltage V2, and the relationship between the phase of the liquid crystal material and the driving voltage are determined, the rate of change of the phase of the liquid crystal molecules with voltage can be obtained. Then, based on the relation... The equation of curve g(x) is obtained. Finally, each curve segment 6141 in the second part 615 is extracted from curve g(x) in turn as the standard for making each curve segment 6141 in the first electrode layer 20.

[0100] S4: Determine the shape of each curve segment 6141 on the conductive line 61 in the second electrode layer 60 according to the third driving voltage V3, the fourth driving voltage V4 and the corresponding relationship;

[0101] Similarly, once the third driving voltage V3, the fourth driving voltage V4, and the relationship between the phase of the liquid crystal material and the driving voltage are determined, the rate of change of the phase of the liquid crystal molecules with voltage can be obtained. Then, based on the relation... The equation of curve g(x) is obtained. Finally, each curve segment 6141 in the second part 615 is extracted sequentially from curve g(x) as the standard for making each curve segment 6141 in the second electrode layer 60.

[0102] S5: Fabricate a liquid crystal lens or liquid crystal lens array according to the shape of each curve segment 6141 on the conductive line 61 in the first electrode layer 20 and the second electrode layer 60.

[0103] This step fabricates the electrodes in the first electrode layer 20 according to the shapes of the curve segments 6141 obtained in S3, and fabricates the electrodes in the second electrode layer 60 according to the shapes of the curve segments 6141 obtained in S4. The fabrication of the remaining parts of the liquid crystal lens or liquid crystal lens array can be carried out using existing methods, and will not be elaborated here. The liquid crystal lens or liquid crystal lens array fabricated using the aforementioned method can significantly improve its optical power and significantly increase the utilization rate of the liquid crystal material.

[0104] Example 5

[0105] This embodiment provides an electronic product, which includes a control circuit and the liquid crystal optical device described in Embodiment 1. The control circuit is electrically connected to the liquid crystal optical device or an array of liquid crystal optical devices. The electronic product includes, but is not limited to, imaging devices, display devices, mobile phones, AR devices, VR devices, glasses-free 3D products, wearable devices, etc.

[0106] The above is a detailed description of the liquid crystal lens, liquid crystal lens array, electronic product, and driving method provided in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0107] It should be clarified that the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations and processes described above and shown in the figures. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of known methods are omitted here. In the above embodiments, several specific steps are described and shown as examples. However, the method process of the present invention is not limited to the specific steps described and shown. Those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, and additions, or change the order of steps, after understanding the spirit of the present invention.

[0108] The functional blocks shown in the above-described structural diagram can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. When implemented in hardware, they can be, for example, electronic circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), appropriate firmware, plug-ins, function cards, etc. When implemented in software, the elements of this invention are programs or code segments used to perform the required tasks. The programs or code segments can be stored on a machine-readable medium or transmitted over a transmission medium or communication link via data signals carried in a carrier wave. "Machine-readable medium" can include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information. Examples of machine-readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory devices, ROM, flash memory, erasable ROM (EROM), floppy disks, CD-ROMs, optical disks, hard disks, fiber optic media, radio frequency (RF) links, etc. Code segments can be downloaded via computer networks such as the Internet, intranets, etc.

[0109] It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments mentioned in this invention describe methods or systems based on a series of steps or apparatus. However, this invention is not limited to the order of the steps described above; that is, the steps can be performed in the order mentioned in the embodiments, or in a different order, or several steps can be performed simultaneously.

[0110] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, modules, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal lens, characterized in that, It includes a first transparent substrate, a first electrode layer, a first alignment layer, a liquid crystal layer, a second alignment layer, a second electrode layer, and a second transparent substrate, which are stacked sequentially. Both the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer include electrode units; The electrode unit includes a conductive wire and multiple lead-out wires. The conductive wire has a first position and a second position, which are different from each other. The portion of the conductive wire between the first and second positions has the same width. One end of each lead-out wire is connected to the conductive wire, and the other end is suspended. The lead-out wire extends from the position between the first and second positions of the conductive wire. The position where the lead-out wire connects to the conductive wire is the lead-out position. Each lead-out position is arranged at equal intervals along a preset direction of the electrode unit. In at least one preset region, each lead-out wire is parallel to each other and is arranged at equal intervals along the preset direction of the electrode unit. The conductive line between the first position and the second position includes a first connecting segment, a second connecting segment, and a plurality of extension segments arranged along a preset direction of the electrode unit. The extension segments extend from the starting position to the position connected to the first connecting segment. The lead-out position is set at the position where the extension segment is connected to the first connecting segment. The starting position of the extension segment is connected to the second connecting segment. For any electrode unit, let x be the distance between the lead-out position of each extension of the conductive line in the preset direction of the electrode unit and the first position, then the length of the extension line is g(x), where C is a constant. This represents the rate of change of the phase of a liquid crystal material with respect to voltage. The preset direction of the electrode unit of the first electrode layer is perpendicular to the preset direction of the electrode unit of the second electrode layer; the first position of the conductive line in the first electrode layer is used to receive the first driving voltage, and the second position is used to receive the second driving voltage; the first position of the conductive line in the second electrode layer is used to receive the third driving voltage, and the second position is used to receive the fourth driving voltage.

2. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lead wire includes a first part and a second part located on opposite sides of a first reference plane, wherein the first reference plane is a plane passing through a first position and perpendicular to a preset direction of the electrode unit.

3. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conductive wire also includes a third position, with the first position located between the third position and the second position. The third position of the conductive wire is used to receive a second driving voltage or a fourth driving voltage. The portion of the conductive wire located between the first position and the second position has the same width. The lead wire also extends from the position between the first position and the third position of the conductive wire.

4. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conductive lines are located outside the functional area of ​​the liquid crystal lens.

5. The liquid crystal lens according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, A high-resistivity film or a high-dielectric-constant layer is disposed between the second electrode layer and the second alignment layer or between the second electrode layer and the second transparent substrate.

6. A liquid crystal lens array, characterized in that, The liquid crystal lens comprising any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer comprises at least two electrode units, and the projections of the leads in the first electrode layer and the leads in the second electrode layer onto a second reference plane form a plurality of intersecting regions arranged in an array, wherein the second reference plane is a plane parallel to both the leads of the first electrode unit and the leads of the second electrode unit.

7. A liquid crystal lens array, characterized in that, The liquid crystal lens comprising any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lead wires of the electrode units in at least one of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer extend to form a plurality of extension segments, and the projections of the extension segments of the electrode units in the first electrode layer and the extension segments of the electrode units in the second electrode layer onto a second reference plane form a plurality of arrayed junction regions; in the same junction region, each lead wire of the same electrode unit is parallel to each other and is equally spaced along a predetermined direction of the electrode unit, and the second reference plane is a plane parallel to both the lead wires of the first electrode unit and the lead wires of the second electrode unit.

8. An electronic product, characterized in that, It includes a control circuit and a liquid crystal lens according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or a liquid crystal lens array according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens or the liquid crystal lens array.

9. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal lens or a liquid crystal lens array, characterized in that, The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal lens according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or a liquid crystal lens array according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the second connecting segment is a curved segment, comprises the following steps: Obtain the relationship between the phase of the liquid crystal material and the driving voltage in a liquid crystal lens or liquid crystal lens array; The first driving voltage V1, the second driving voltage V2, the third driving voltage V3, and the fourth driving voltage V4 are determined according to the correspondence. The shape of each curve segment on the conductive line in the first electrode layer is determined according to the first driving voltage V1, the second driving voltage V2, and the corresponding relationship. The shape of each curve segment on the conductive line in the second electrode layer is determined according to the third driving voltage V3 and the fourth driving voltage V4 and the corresponding relationship; Liquid crystal lenses or liquid crystal lens arrays are fabricated based on the shapes of the curve segments on the conductive lines in the first and second electrode layers.

Images