Liquid Technology

7/30/2019 Liquid Technology

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Fast Focusing Via An Oscillating Liquid Lens

Group Members:Sujal Desai

Sheng Luo

Atif Abdul Majeed

Saralise Ming

The development of the liquid lens has been known for about a decade but

the fast focusing of water droplets by use of sound waves is the novel idea

presented by Hirsa. This technology is very small and lightweight as compared

with the existing plastic/glass lens and it has a lower demand for power as

compared with other liquid lens products currently available on the market.

Hirsa has already proven its capabilities in camera applications and the

invention is already attracting attention by the cell phone camera industry; mainly

from Samsung. This is potentially the biggest application of the liquid lens

technology. However, there are two major disadvantages of this technology are the

loss of light through the liquid medium and the low resolution. At this point, the

technology needs to be fine tuned before commercialization should begin. Hirsa

has already acknowledged these disadvantages and expects to devise methods of

coping with them.


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Introduction / Your Business Conceptan elevator pitch

Introduction of Business Concept and Problem It Addresses

The development of the liquid lens has been known for a while but the fast focusing of

water droplets by use of sound waves is the novel idea presented by Hirsa. This type oftechnology would be applicable to cell phone cameras and other devices requiring a smallcamera.

Two companies (Philips and Varioptic) have already developed products that use a liquidlens concept. Varioptic, a French company has invested on this technology for the past ten years.As a result, it is able to manufacture liquid lens for commercial use. In collaboration with Seiko,half million lens per month are being produced since September, 2008. The main clientspresently for liquid lens are miniature camera phones, in which power consumption is a majorconcern. The process involved in their technology requires between 10s to 100 volts. On theother hand, Hirsas invention requires a couple of millivolts.

Hirsa has already proven the inventions camera capabilities. In tests, his camera wasable to take 250 images per second, at varying focal lengths. He envisions a camera that couldinstantly capture tens of images with different focal lengths, and then use simple image-analysissoftware to determine the sharpest image.

Strategic Drivers, Market Attractiveness and Potential Economic Value:

In short, the novelty of this technique lies in the creation of a high speed, adjustable lens

using a liquid lens and an oscillating device. Its main advantages over its existing competing

technologies are high speed and low power requirements.

Features Comments

Cost Inexpensive as the lens is made up of a drop of liquidRobustness More resistant to accidental damage as there is nothing to breakPower Consumption High efficiency, Requires a few milliVolts

Speed Very fast, claimed to be able to capture 100,000 frames per second

Table One: Key Features of Technology and Comments

Cell phone companies and other imaging companies may value this technology. Samsunghas already demonstrated interest in this fast focusing liquid lens. This approach is exciting

compared to others because of its decreasedfocusing time through an inexpensive oscillatingsource.

The competition would be primarily similar liquid lens products and glass/plastic lens.

However, Hirsas technology has a significant advantage since it focuses faster than glass/plastic

lens and requires less power than other liquid lens. The two major disadvantages of this

technology are the loss of lightthrough the liquid medium and the low resolution.


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Body of Report

1. DataThe claims of the IP and inventor for novelty and key attributes of the technology

Claims of Invention and Key Attributes of the

Technology

Reasons for claims/attributes

being benefits and who would

value this benefit.

1) A key feature of this new technique is that the waterstays in constant, unchanging contact with the surface,thus requiring less energy to manipulate.

Presently, cell phones consume a lot ofpower while shooting a video orclicking a picture. Most of the power isconsumed during focusing the object.

2) There is no need for high voltages or other exoticactivation mechanisms. This means that this new lensmay be used and integrated into any number ofdifferent applications and devices, making manyapplications feasible.

Low voltage requirement is attributedto the method of creating oscillatingthrough sound. Potential applicationsincluding cell phones, web cams and

satellite imaging will be the ones themost benefited.

3) The great benefit of this new device is that you cancreate a new optical system from a liquid lens and asmall speaker, which along with its driving circuit canbe easily manufactured in a small and lightweightpackage.

Presently most of the cell phonecamera packaging is primitive andcreates a bulky look. The tiny cameracan fit in a few square mm area on acell phone.

4) With small enough apertures and properly selectedliquid volumes, it is able to create a lens that oscillatesas fast as 100,000 times per secondand still be ableto effectively capture those images.

Fast focusing lens is very important inshooting different frames and thenintegrating them to make a video orpanoramic picture. For example: in themovie Matrix some of the shots wereshot at 108 frames/sec speed.

5) The liquid lens that captures 250 pictures per secondand requires considerably less energy to operate thancompeting technologies.

The contraction and expansion of theliquid take considerably less energythan moving a mechanical lens. Cellphone user can greatly be benefitedfrom it.

6) The lens is simpler than earlier liquid lens designs thatuse a combination of water (or some other fluidcapable of conducting electricity) and oil as well as anelectric charge. By using water, sound and surfacetension to adjust the focus.

The technology enables the lens to bepackaged in a tiny space, takes onlyfraction of energy needed incompetitive lens and simplemechanism will benefit cell phone

users and manufacturers the most.

Table Two: Claims of the Invention and Who Should Value Such Claims

A Computer Science team would be necessary to develop software thats more compatible with

this technology. The software that is currently being used is not specific to the technology.


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2. Analysisa) Possible Applications of Fast Focusing Via Oscillating Liquid LensCell phone camerasOne-third of the world population is expected to own a camera phone and the global cameraphone handset revenues are expected to grow over $120 Billion by 2011. Cameras in phonepresently have lower speed and relatively high cost. The oscillating liquid lens technologycan solve these problems though resolution in low in the present state however inventors areworking on it and are very optimistic about devising a solution to the problem.

Web cameras - stand-alone and integrated to laptopsWebCam markets at $1.2 billion in 2006 are anticipated to reach $6.2 billion by 2013.

NASDAQ-100 listed Logitech, one of the leading providers of computer peripherals

globally, in its March 2008 annual report filed with SEC asserted, Our competitors for PC

Web cameras include Microsoft, Creative Labs and Philips. We are encountering aggressive

pricing practices and promotions on a worldwide basis, which have impacted our revenuesand margins. This oscillating liquid lens can provide great cost advantage to firms such as

Logitech to help them fend off competition.

Machine visionMachine vision systems are programmed to perform narrowly defined tasks such as counting

objects on a conveyor, reading serial numbers, and searching for surface defects.

Manufacturers favor machine vision systems for visual inspections that require high-speed,

high-magnification, 24-hour operation, and/orrepeatability of measurements. Frequently

these tasks extend roles traditionally occupied by human beings whose degree of failure is

classically high through distraction, illness and circumstance. The Machine Vision systemsuse digital cameras, smart cameras and image processing software to perform inspections

similar to human beings however many times lacks the speedand resolution needed in

certain applications. The oscillating liquid lens already provides solution to the camera speed

problem. Once the resolutions criterion is met, Machine Vision systems camera can be one

of the potential applications.

Real time satellite imagingA report of Homeland Security Research Corporation 2007-2011 U.S. Homeland Security

(Government & Private) Market Outlook forecasts that the U.S. Homeland Security markets,

driven by the government and private sectors, will grow from about $24 Billion in 2006 to$35 Billion by 2011. The satellite imaging needs very high speed, high resolution and wide

focus cameras. The oscillating liquid lens technology provides high speed and when used

with other lenses in series can also achieve wide focus range. Again once low resolution

problem is solved; the oscillating liquid lens could tape this huge market.


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Other applicationsThe oscillating liquid lens cameras could be used in Automobiles, displays, computers,

photonic professional applications, high speed photography, autonomous robots, unmanned

and micro air vehicles used for defense, homeland security applications and medical imaging

applications.

b) Possible Changes That Could Be NecessaryIn terms of commercialization, some technical uncertainties can be identified. These include:

Freezing issuesthe water droplets may freeze. If an impurity is added to the water, this will

lower the freezing temperature. However, more research has to be done to determine the

impurity to prevent altering the effects of the main liquid.

Limitations of the technology:

Stein Kuiper, the Philips researcher who developed the electrowetting technique, notesthat the researchers' ideas seem original, but he sees drawbacks to the approach. Since thelens is continuously moving, this means that "a significant amount of light is lost, as mostof the time the object is out of focus."

Additionally, these early results are not high resolution, notes Yuhwa Lo, a professor ofelectrical engineering at the University of California, San Diego. "Even the low-endcameras have a pretty strict resolution requirement," he says. However, he says that atthis stage, the lens could be good for other optical applications, such as simply focusing

beams of light instead of taking high-quality pictures.

This information suggests that more work still needs to be done on the invention. Improvements

may be possible if experiments are carried out using different liquid mediums to determine

which is the most effective.


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c) Categorization and Prioritization of the ApplicationsApplication Category Comments

Commercial Cameras Cell Phone Industry Miniature Camera Phones-expected to hit the mark of 1 billionby 2010.

Web cameras WebCam markets at $1.2 billion in2006 are anticipated to reach $6.2billion by 2013.

Machine Vision Require high-speed, high-magnification, 24-hour operation,and/or repeatability ofmeasurements.

Real Time Satellite Imaging Needs very high speed, high resolution

and wide focus cameras.

Table Three: Categorization and Prioritization of Applications

The cell phone camera is the number one priority because this industry is expected to have highrevenues in the new few years. As previously noted, one-third of the world population isexpected to own a camera phone and the global camera phone handset revenues are expected togrow over $120 Billion by 2011.

Samsung has already expressed its interest in Hirsas work. This technology aligns beautifully

with the vision of Samsung. SEM is hoping to make the cell phones camera equivalent to aconventional digital camera.

An excerpt from the Samsung website:

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEM) is a specialist in camera modules for mobile phones and

the company is now aggressively working to increase its world market share. SEM recently

completed a full lineup of advanced versions with high resolution, auto-focus, and optical zoom

options to accommodate various customer needs in a rapidly growing camera phone market.

SEM is particularly skilled at designing and producing lenses and ISPs for assembly in modular

packages. Thus, the company is able to proactively meet mobile phone manufacturers

requirements for diverse designs with new functions.

Discussion / Conclusion

Description of results


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The findings of this research paper showed that liquid lens technology has been around for at

least a decade. Hirsas invention has improved the original idea by reducing the power

consumption required for the functioning the liquid lens technology. Hirsas discovered that

most energy efficient way of oscillating the water droplets that provide the fast focusing would

be via the use of sound waves through a tiny speaker. This concept significantly decreases the

cost factor since the liquid medium is mainly composed of water and the power demand is vastly

reduced.

This Business Concept is a great idea and should be followed through because it is more powerefficient and takes pictures faster. These features make it suitable for fast photographyapplications which work at very low powers. However, not until certain adjustments have beenmade. These adjustments include the following setbacks:

Invention needs thorough testing and advancement before could be put into production. Packaging issues arise because it would require a shock proof anti-jitter mechanism. Evaporation issues arise because the liquid may evaporate at very high temperatures and

may freeze at low temperatures.

Micro production facilities not available at RPI.The first three issues can be resolved through further experimental testing. Experimental testing

should also be used to devise a way of improving the resolution of the pictures. Hirsa has already

acknowledged these issues and is willing to continue working on his invention in order to

improve its commercial quality.

Recommendations:

The recommendations would be: The inventor should continue working on improving the resolution of his invention. Commercialization setbacks need to be addressed such as packaging techniques for

robustness and freezing and evaporation issues. Ways to mass produce this technology needs to be addressed possibly through

collaboration with commercialization companies or other research institutes.

What Did We Learn:

From this research paper, we learned the following: Inventions are very time consuming to complete and theres always the possibility that revisions

have to be made. Not all inventions can be commercialized due to costs and other reasons. Inventors face many problems in terms of funding for both research and technological

advancements. Inventors do not possess the skills required for commercializing their technologies. Therefore,

they are faced with the issue of finding partners that are willing to handle commercializing tasks.


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RPI has a vast amount of technologies that need some more attention from business people. The incubator program has massive potential that is currently not being realized.


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Appendix One:

A call report of your interviewsQuestions

What inspired you to work on this project? Who provided your main sources of funding in this project? Did you find it hard to convince National Science Foundation about the viability of this

project?

What are the possible applications of this technology? What are the major technological issues that you are facing? What is the resolution at which you have been able to take the pictures? Do you think that at present state( resolution, quality, speed) this technology offers an edge

over competing technologies or does it offer to provide that edge in future?

What value does this novel technique add to the imaging industry? Have the funding agencies shown interest in future funding as well? Now that a new science has been discovered and technological questions need to be

addressed, how far do you want to get involved in this project?

Have you started looking for industrial partnerships? What facilities does RPI offer if you want to go ahead with this project within RPI. What

additional resources you require?

What major challenges do you foresee ahead? Which in your view are the competitor technologies for your technique?


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Appendix Two:A Description of Invention and How It Works

This technology demonstrate a harmonically driven liquid lens with an oscillating focal length,

which can capture any image plane in a given range by grabbing the image in sync with the

oscillations. The liquid lens is constructed by coupling two droplets through a cylindrical hole

with pinned contact lines against a hydrophobic substrate. The change in the curvature of the

droplets induces a change in focal length. The opposing curvature of droplets creates a spring-

like force that makes the system a natural oscillator, as it acts on its mass. By oscillating the lens,

the task of changing the focal length is effectively transformed from a mechanical manipulation

to the electronic timing of image capture, which can be achieved much more quickly. As image

capture timing is electronic, it can be achieved rapidly. However, the frequency response of the

lens is only limited by its resonant frequency. Theoretical predictions demonstrate that a fasterresponse is possible with smaller lenses. High-fidelity imaging is demonstrated at 100 Hz for a

millimeter-scale liquid lens, which is driven at resonance and features pinned contact lines. At

the resonant frequency, the motion can be sustained with very little energy input. The electronic

control is much faster than mechanical manipulation of a static droplet.

Picture Showing: Droplets Oscillating Through Cylindrical Holes.


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Appendix Three:A Description of Traditional Mechanical Lens and How They Adjust

A lens is an optical device which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the

beam. Traditionally lenses are made of glass or transparent plastic. It is the most important part

of the camera. Its main function in the camera is to focus/ redirect the incoming light in front of

the imaging film. Focal length is the distance from the center of the lens to the principal focal

points. It measures how strongly a lens converges or diverges light. Typically focal length has

been adjusted manually moving the lens in the camera to and forth and then taking the picture at

the desired focus, based upon the judgment of the photographer. Advances in technology have

also resulted in auto focusing technique. Autofocus is a feature of modern optical systems that

allows them to obtain (and in some systems to also continuously maintain) correct focus on a

subject, instead of requiring the operator to adjust focus manually. The speed and accuracy of

through-the-lens optical auto focusing is now often more precise than what can be achieved

manually with an ordinary viewfinder. Most multi-sensor autofocus cameras allow manual

selection of the active sensor, and many offer automatic selection of the sensor using algorithms

which attempt to discern the location of the subject. The data collected from autofocus sensors is

then used to control an electromechanical system that adjusts the focus of the optical system.

Picture Showing: Traditional Camera Lens


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References

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http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=liquid-lens

Malik, H. (2008, March 15). Varioptic and Seiko to Bring Liquid Lenses to Cellphones, Finally.

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to-bring-liquid-lenses-to-cellphones-finally

Reuveni, N. (2005, August 30). Scientists in Singapore Create Liquid Lens that Zooms Without

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http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=2494&setappvar=page(1)

Unknown, A. (2007, July 1). Global revenues of camera phones to increase to more than $120

million by 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2008, from Encyclopedia:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-167378590.html

Unknown, A. (2008, March 31).LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL S.A. Retrieved November 26,2008, from US SEC:

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Unknown, A. (2008).Low-Power Liquid Lens: An adjustable-focus lens made of two drops of

water could be used in small cameras. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from 4engr:

http://4engr.com/research/catalog/653/index.html


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Won, R. (2008, October).Always In Focus. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from Nature:

http://www. Nature.com/naturephotonics

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