Segmented Ground Plane for Liquid Crystal Lens Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid crystal lenses in active optical elements and apparatuses suffer from high power consumption due to capacitance formed across the entire ground plane, which is inefficient for battery-operated devices that require specific optical power in specific areas.
Innovation Solution
An active optical element comprising optically transparent substrates with an active material between them, where optically transparent electrodes are used to divide the element into segments, allowing selective connection to ground only where optical power is needed, reducing unnecessary power consumption and enabling spatially-variable optical power production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the entirety of the ground plane is connected to electrical ground, then the liquid crystal lens can be driven uniformly, but capacitance is formed across the entire lens causing excessive power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The ground plane is divided into multiple discrete ground electrodes instead of a continuous ground plane. Each ground electrode can be independently connected to ground or left floating, allowing selective activation of liquid crystal segments. This segmentation eliminates capacitance formation in unused areas while maintaining the ability to drive the lens uniformly when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the liquid crystal lens are assigned different electrical characteristics - some regions have ground electrodes connected to ground (active regions) while others have floating ground electrodes (inactive regions). This creates local quality differences that enable selective optical power generation in specific areas, reducing overall power consumption.
2Device complexity
If the entirety of the ground plane is connected to electrical ground, then the liquid crystal lens structure is simple, but electrical power is wasted due to capacitance formation
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous ground plane is segmented into multiple discrete electrodes, increasing structural complexity slightly but enabling selective grounding. This segmentation allows the system to ground only the portions of the liquid crystal lens where optical power is needed, eliminating energy waste in unused regions while maintaining manageable structural complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If different voltages are applied to driving electrodes, then optical power is generated in specific areas, but capacitance is formed across the entire lens
Solution Approach 1:
The ground plane is segmented into multiple independently controllable electrodes that correspond to different regions of the liquid crystal lens. By selectively connecting specific segments to ground while leaving others floating, the system can apply voltages to create optical power only in the desired spatial regions, preventing capacitance formation throughout the entire lens.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground electrode connections are made dynamic and reconfigurable rather than fixed. The system can adaptively connect or disconnect ground electrodes based on the required optical power distribution, allowing the liquid crystal lens to transition between different operational states and optimize power consumption for specific applications.
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 significantly reduces power requirements while allowing precise optical power production where needed, enhancing efficiency and adaptability in applications like adaptive eyeglasses and other optical devices.
Implementation Method 1
Liquid crystal lenses are often employed in active optical elements and optical apparatuses
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
An active optical element (200, 402) comprises an active material (101) encased between a first substrate (102) and a second substrate (103), first electrode(s) (105, 204), and second electrodes (106, 302, 408a-g) employed as a ground plane. The second electrodes divide the active optical element into segments (202, 404, 406a-f). The first electrode(s) are driven at given voltage(s). At least one of the second electrodes corresponding to at least one of the segments is selectively connected to an electrical ground, whilst a remainder of the second electrodes are disconnected from the electrical ground. The active material in the at least one of the plurality of segments is controlled by a potential difference generated between the given voltage(s) and the electrical ground to produce a given optical power thereat.