Controllable light turning image acquisition system and application method thereof
By setting a light optimization unit and an image steering unit in the image capture module, the optical properties of the liquid crystal layer are controlled by using hollow electrodes to realize image rotation, which solves the inconvenience and space occupation problems of multi-angle image capture in the prior art, and provides a more flexible, high-definition image effect and compact device design.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202410149641.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-02
- Publication Date
- 2025-08-05
AI Technical Summary
It is difficult for existing image capture devices to realize multi-angle image capture in fixed locations, and traditional methods have inconvenient use and space occupancy problems.
The controllable light steering image capture system is adopted. By setting a light optimization unit and an image steering unit in the image capture module, the optical properties of the liquid crystal layer are controlled by using the hollow electrode to achieve the image rotation effect, so that the camera can capture images from different angles at a fixed position.
Provides more flexible and high-quality image capture methods, significantly improves image clarity and authenticity, is suitable for multiple application fields, and achieves thinner devices and space savings.
Smart Images
Figure CN120428467A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of image capture, and particularly to a controllable light steering image capture system and its application method. Background Art
[0002] Image capture mainly obtains digital images from entities through electronic technology for subsequent processing, analysis, measurement, and application. Common image capture devices include digital cameras, digital video cameras, scanners, and infrared thermal imagers, etc.
[0003] Among them, the CMOS (Complementary Metal - Oxide - Semiconductor) image sensor is a commonly used technology. Its structure includes a photosensitive pixel array, an optical lens, a color filter, and a series of readout circuits, and is widely used in digital cameras, mobile phone cameras, and other imaging devices.
[0004] In the CMOS image sensor, there is a microlens array, which is composed of many tiny lenses arranged and distributed on a plane. Its structure can be used to enhance optical performance, capture and guide light to enhance the sensitivity of the sensor to light, and effectively improve the resolution and contrast of the image. There have been many innovations in the part of enhancing light in the image capture display technology.
[0005] However, in fact, in image capture applications, in addition to enhancing supplementary light, there is also a need to achieve clear and accurate measurement or analysis of the distance between objects, such as computer vision, image processing, machine vision, etc. The straight - line distance between points can provide important information about the position and size of objects in the image. But currently, the relevant technologies for the "point - to - point" straight - line distance are still lacking and insufficient in this part of the design.
[0006] As a result, when traditional imaging equipment captures images, it can only use a single lens or sensor to capture images at a fixed - direction angle. If you want to capture images at different angles, you can only change the imaging angle by mechanical rotation methods, or use multiple cameras set at different angles to capture simultaneously, which causes inconvenience in use and indeed needs to be improved. Summary of the Invention
[0007] In view of this, the main object of the present invention is to provide a controllable light steering image capture system and its application method, including:
[0008] An image capture module, having a camera, a display, and a photosensitive element to capture images;
[0009] At the same time, a light optimization unit is provided in the image capture module to make the imaging have relatively bright light, and;
[0010] An image steering unit is composed of an upper glass layer, an upper electrode layer, an upper alignment layer, a liquid crystal layer, a lower alignment layer, a lower electrode layer, and a lower glass layer. The rotation of the liquid crystal is controlled by a hollow electrode to capture images at different angles.
[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the image capture module is a CMOS image sensor, which at least includes: an optical lens, a color filter, a photosensitive pixel array, and a readout circuit; the light optimization unit is a microlens array, which is arranged by many tiny lenses and is set in front of the color filter to capture and guide light to improve the sensitivity of the sensor to light and the resolution of the image.
[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the image steering unit is arranged in front of the light optimization unit, so that the upper and lower electrode layers form a hollow electrode correspondingly, realizing a more uniform electric field distribution, reducing distortion, and at the same time improving the response speed of the liquid crystal.
[0013] Compared with the existing known technologies, the controllable light steering image capture system and its application method of the present invention have the advantages that: by changing the voltages applied on the upper and lower electrode layers and the upper and lower alignment layers, the optical properties of the liquid crystal layer are controlled by the hollow electrode, and then the polarization direction or phase of light is controlled to achieve the image rotation effect, so that the camera can capture images at different angles by rotating the liquid crystal at a fixed position. The greatest feature and emphasis of the present invention is to combine the point-to-point straight-line distance technology and the liquid crystal rotation technology, providing a more flexible and high-quality image capture method, which can significantly improve the image effect, present a clearer and more real image, and can be widely applied in the fields of digital cameras, mobile phone cameras, medical diagnosis, security monitoring, vehicle-mounted cameras, etc., and even bring richer visual effects in the application fields such as virtual reality and panoramic photography. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of the system of the present invention.
[0015] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the image steering unit of the present invention.
[0016] Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 3C It is a schematic diagram of the hollow electrode of the present invention.
[0017] Figure 4 It is a first embodiment diagram of the present invention arranged on a CMOS image sensor.
[0018] Figure 5This is the second embodiment diagram of the present invention provided in a CMOS image sensor.
[0019] Figure 6 This is the flowchart of the method of the present invention.
[0020] Figure 7A , Figure 7B , Figure 7C This is the application example diagram of the liquid crystal image rotation of the present invention.
[0021] Symbol description:
[0022] 100: Controllable light steering image capture system
[0023] 1: Image capture module
[0024] 10: CMOS image sensor
[0025] 101: Optical lens
[0026] 102: Color filter
[0027] 103: Photosensitive pixel array
[0028] 104: Readout circuit
[0029] 11: Camera
[0030] 12: Display
[0031] 13: Sensing element
[0032] 2: Light optimization unit
[0033] 3: Image steering unit
[0034] 311: Upper glass layer
[0035] 312: Lower glass layer
[0036] 32: Hollow electrode
[0037] 321: Upper electrode layer
[0038] 322: Lower electrode layer
[0039] 331: Upper alignment layer
[0040] 332: Lower alignment layer
[0041] 34: Liquid crystal layer
[0042] S101, S102, S103, S104: Steps. Detailed implementation manners
[0043] For the convenience of understanding the content of the present invention and the achievable effects, specific embodiments are listed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and are described in detail as follows: Please refer to Figures 1 to 5 A controllable light-steering image capture system 100 provided by the present invention includes:
[0044] An image capture module 1 having a camera 11, a display 12, and a photosensitive element 13 for capturing an image of the content on the display 12;
[0045] A light optimization unit 2 disposed in the image capture module 1 to provide relatively bright light during image capture, and;
[0046] An image steering unit 3 disposed in the image capture module 1 having a liquid crystal layer 34 controlled by a hollow electrode 32, enabling the camera 11 to capture images at different angles through liquid crystal rotation at a fixed position.
[0047] In a preferred embodiment, the image capture module 1 is a CMOS image sensor 10, and the image steering unit 3 further includes: an upper glass layer 311, an upper electrode layer 321, an upper alignment layer 331, a liquid crystal layer 34, a lower alignment layer 332, a lower electrode layer 322, and a lower glass layer 312, which are combined and disposed in the CMOS image sensor 10.
[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the CMOS image sensor 10 at least includes: an optical lens 101, a color filter 102, a photosensitive pixel array 103, and a readout circuit 104;
[0049] The optical lens 101 is located in front of the sensor and is responsible for guiding external light to the photosensitive element 13;
[0050] The color filter 102 is located behind the optical lens 101 and selectively filters out light of specific wavelengths, enabling the sensor to receive only light of a specific color, thereby generating a color image:
[0051] The photosensitive pixel array 103 is located behind the color filter 102 to capture the light entering the sensor and form the basic unit of the image, and;
[0052] The readout circuit 104 is electrically connected to the photosensitive pixel array 103 and is responsible for converting the optical signal collected by the photosensitive element 13 into a digital image.
[0053] In a preferred embodiment, the light optimization unit 2 is a microlens array (Microlens Arrays), which is composed of many tiny lenses and is arranged in front of the color filter 102 to capture and guide light, thereby improving the sensitivity of the sensor to light and the resolution of the image.
[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the image steering unit 3 is arranged in front of the light optimization unit 2, as shown in Figure 4 ; or is arranged in the optical lens 101, as shown in Figure 5 , but it is not limited thereto in practice.
[0055] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 to FIG. 3, the upper and lower electrode layers 321 and 322 form a hollow electrode 32 (Hollow Electrode), which has the practical characteristics of uniform electric field distribution, reduced distortion, increased liquid crystal response speed, and flexible adjustment of optical effects.
[0056] During application, when no electric field is applied to the composed liquid crystal lens, the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in a preset direction, resulting in a lower refractive index. At this time, light passing through the liquid crystal lens is less affected and has a lower refractive index.
[0057] When an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal lens, the electric field affects the arrangement direction of the liquid crystal molecules, resulting in a change in the refractive index, causing the speed and direction of light propagation in the liquid crystal lens to change. The refractive index of the liquid crystal lens can be increased, and the influence on light is also correspondingly increased.
[0058] Due to the controllability of the refractive index, it can be applied to various optical devices, including variable-focus lenses, liquid crystal displays, and optical adjustment devices. By simply changing the strength of the electric field, different refractive index states can be achieved, thereby adjusting the performance of the optical system.
[0059] For the overall combination and specific implementation, as shown in Figure 1 to FIG. 3 and Figure 6 , an application method of a controllable light steering image capturing system 100 according to the present invention includes:
[0060] Construct an image capturing module 1, which has a camera 11, a display 12, and a photosensitive element 13, to capture an image of the content on the display 12; a light optimization unit 2, which is arranged in the image capturing module 1 to make the captured image have relatively bright light, and; an image steering unit 3, which is arranged in the image capturing module 1, and the method is as follows:
[0061] Step S101: Sandwich a liquid crystal layer 34 between two glass substrates to form a basic liquid crystal display structure;
[0062] Step S102: Coat a transparent conductive layer on the inner sides of the two glass substrates respectively to form upper and lower electrode layers 321 and 322, and then etch them so that the upper and lower electrode layers 321 and 322 correspondingly form a hollow electrode 32;
[0063] Step S103: Provide a conductive optical thin film on the inner sides of the upper and lower electrode layers 321 and 322 respectively, with a controllable light pattern engraved thereon, to form upper and lower alignment layers 331 and 332. The liquid crystal layer 34 is sandwiched between the inner sides of the upper and lower alignment layers 331 and 332, and;
[0064] Step S104: By changing the voltages applied to the upper and lower electrode layers 321 and 322 and the upper and lower alignment layers 331 and 332, control the optical properties of the liquid crystal therein, and then control the polarization direction or phase of light to achieve an image rotation effect, so that the camera 11 can capture images at different angles by rotating the liquid crystal at a fixed position.
[0065] In a preferred embodiment, the controllable light pattern is composed of one or more linear or spiral patterns (not shown in the figure).
[0066] During application, as Figures 2 to 7C shown, the hollow electrode 32 can reduce distortion, while improving the liquid crystal response speed and enhancing the flexibility of optical adjustment. This enables the effective implementation of liquid crystal rotation technology and provides a more flexible image display ability to rotate images on the display surface. The integrated effective technology provides a more flexible and high-quality image capture method, which can not only affect brightness and contrast, but also change the images seen at different angles, providing more shooting angles and a more natural visual experience. The product can be applied to object measurement, object positioning, feature recognition, shape analysis, and medical imaging, etc.
[0067] Compared with the existing known technologies, the advantages of the controllable light steering image capture system 100 and its application method of the present invention are as follows: By changing the voltages applied to the upper and lower electrode layers 321 and 322 and the upper and lower alignment layers 331 and 332, the optical properties of the liquid crystal layer 34 are controlled by the hollow electrode 32, and then the polarization direction or phase of light is controlled to achieve an image rotation effect, as Figures 7A to 7C shown, so that the camera 11 can capture images at different angles by rotating the liquid crystal at a fixed position. The greatest feature and highlight lie in the combination of the point-to-point straight-line distance technology and the liquid crystal rotation technology, providing a more flexible and high-quality image capture method, which can significantly improve the image effect, making it clearer and more realistic, and can be widely applied to fields such as digital cameras, mobile phone cameras, medical diagnosis, security monitoring, vehicle-mounted cameras, etc., and even bring richer visual effects in application fields such as virtual reality and panoramic photography.
[0068] In addition, since the present invention can achieve the function of zoom steering, different focal lengths and rotation directions can be achieved by manipulating the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules, without the use of a traditional lens array with a fixed focal length. This enables a single liquid crystal lens to replace the original multiple traditional lenses with fixed focal lengths, thus significantly saving space. Moreover, since multiple fixed lens elements are not required, a thin design can be effectively achieved, making future devices more compact in volume and capable of functioning in scenarios with limited space dimensions.
[0069] In summary, the present invention is novel and practical and fully meets the patent requirements, and thus an invention patent application is filed. However, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and should not be used to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention; therefore, all equivalent changes and modifications made according to the content of the claims and the description of the present invention should fall within the scope covered by the invention patent of the present invention.
Claims
1. A controllable light steering image capture system, characterized in that: include: an image capture module having a camera, a display, and a photosensitive element for capturing images of the content on the display; a light optimization unit disposed in the image capture module to provide brighter light during image capture; and An image steering unit is configured in the image capture module and has a liquid crystal layer controlled by a hollow electrode, so that the camera can be fixed in a position and rotated by the liquid crystal to capture images at different angles.
2. The controllable light steering image capture system according to claim 1, wherein: The image capture module is a CMOS image sensor, and the image steering unit further includes: an upper glass layer, an upper electrode layer, an upper alignment layer, a liquid crystal layer, a lower alignment layer, a lower electrode layer, and a lower glass layer, which are combined and arranged in the CMOS image sensor.
3. The controllable light steering image capture system according to claim 2, wherein: The upper and lower electrode layers form a hollow electrode.
4. The controllable light steering image capture system according to claim 2, wherein: The CMOS sensor comprises at least: an optical lens, a color filter, a photosensitive pixel array, and a readout circuit; The optical lens is located in front of the sensor and is responsible for guiding external light to the photosensitive element; The color filter is located behind the optical lens and selectively filters out light of a specific wavelength, so that the sensor only receives light of a specific color, thereby producing a color image: The photosensitive pixel array is located behind the color filter to capture the light entering the camera and form the basic unit of the image, and; The readout circuit is electrically connected to the photosensitive pixel array and is responsible for converting the light signal collected by the photosensitive element into a digital image.
5. The controllable light steering image capture system according to claim 4, wherein: The light optimization unit is a microlens array composed of many tiny lenses arranged in an array. It is located in front of the color filter to capture and guide light to increase the sensor's sensitivity to light and improve image resolution. The image steering unit is configured in front of the light optimization unit.
6. The controllable light steering image capture system according to claim 4, wherein: The image steering unit is configured in the optical lens.
7. An application method of a controllable light steering image capture system, comprising: Constructing an image capture module having a camera, a display, and a photosensitive element to capture the content on the display; A light optimization unit is disposed in the image capture module to make the image to be captured have brighter light, and an image steering unit is disposed in the image capture module, and the method is as follows: Step S101: A liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between two glass substrates to form a basic liquid crystal display structure; Step S102: coating a transparent conductive layer on the inner side of each of the two glass substrates to form an upper electrode layer and a lower electrode layer, and etching the upper electrode layer and the lower electrode layer to form a hollow electrode; Step S103: disposing a conductive optical film on the inner side of each of the upper and lower electrode layers, each of which is engraved with a controllable light pattern to form an upper and lower alignment layer, wherein the liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the upper and lower alignment layers; and Step S104: By changing the voltage applied to the upper and lower electrode layers and the upper and lower alignment layers, the optical properties of the liquid crystal are controlled, and the polarization direction or phase of the light is controlled to achieve an image rotation effect, so that the camera can be fixed in a position and capture images at different angles through the rotation of the liquid crystal.
8. The application method of the controllable light steering image capture system according to claim 7, wherein: The image capture module is a CMOS image sensor, comprising at least an optical lens, a color filter, a photosensitive pixel array, and a readout circuit. The light optimization unit is a microlens array composed of numerous tiny lenses arranged in front of the color filter to capture and guide light, thereby increasing the sensor's sensitivity to light and improving image resolution. The image steering unit is disposed in front of the light optimization unit.
9. The application method of the controllable light steering image capture system according to claim 7, wherein: The image turning unit further includes an upper glass layer, an upper electrode layer, an upper alignment layer, a liquid crystal layer, a lower alignment layer, a lower electrode layer, and a lower glass layer, and the upper and lower electrode layers form a hollow electrode.
10. The application method of the controllable light steering image capture system according to claim 7, wherein: The controllable light pattern is composed of one or more linear or spiral patterns.