Electrowetting Camera Lens for Wide FOV Without Resolution Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automotive cameras face challenges in achieving wide fields of view while maintaining high resolution, as they are typically lower resolution than consumer products due to reliability requirements, and current digital HD cameras require expensive components like serializer/deserializer pairs and connectors.
Innovation Solution
The use of an electrowetting lens with an analog HD camera, which changes its shape in response to electrical stimuli to adjust the field of view and focal length, allowing for dynamic field adjustments without reducing image resolution, and can be used in various vehicle camera applications such as rear and forward vision systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If digital HD cameras are used to achieve high resolution, then image resolution is improved, but system cost increases due to expensive serializer/deserializer pairs and connectors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces digital HD camera systems with expensive serializer/deserializer pairs and connectors with an analog camera system combined with a variable focus lens. The variable focus lens optically adjusts the field of view to maintain effective resolution without requiring costly digital processing components, thereby substituting a mechanical/optical system for an expensive electronic system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a variable focus lens that dynamically changes its focal length parameter to adjust the field of view. By changing the focus parameter, the system can maintain high effective resolution across different viewing angles without requiring multiple fixed-resolution sensors or expensive digital processing hardware.
2Area of stationary object
If the field of view is widened to cover more area, then coverage area is improved, but resolution per degree of field of view decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a variable focus lens that can dynamically adjust its focal length in real-time. When a wider coverage area is needed, the lens adjusts to provide a broader field of view, and when higher resolution is required, the lens focuses to maintain pixel density per degree. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize both coverage area and resolution per degree based on operational requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables the use of lower-cost twisted pair cables and conventional connectors, provides flexible field of view adjustments for different vehicle applications, and maintains high pixel count per degree of field of view, enhancing detection accuracy and reducing the need for multiple cameras or mechanical zoom lenses.
Implementation Method 1
The use of an electrowetting lens with an analog HD camera, which changes its shape in response to electrical stimuli to adjust the field of view and focal length
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An imaging system is provided having an HD image sensor, a variable focus lens positioned in front of the image sensor and configured to change at least one optical characteristic in response to an electrical stimulus so as to change a field of view of the image sensor. The imaging system further includes a controller coupled to the variable focus lens and configured to select a field of view of the image sensor by selecting the electrical stimulus to be applied to the variable focus lens.