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.

Introduction / Your Business Concept an 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 of technology would be applicable to cell phone cameras and other devices requiring a small camera. Two companies (Philips and Varioptic) have already developed products that use a liquid lens 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 clients presently for liquid lens are miniature camera phones, in which power consumption is a major concern. The process involved in their technology requires between 10s to 100 volts. On the other hand, Hirsas invention requires a couple of millivolts. Hirsa has already proven the inventions camera capabilities. In tests, his camera was able to take 250 images per second, at varying focal lengths. He envisions a camera that could instantly capture tens of images with different focal lengths, and then use simple image-analysis software 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 Cost Robustness Power Consumption Speed Comments Inexpensive as the lens is made up of a drop of liquid More resistant to accidental damage as there is nothing to break High efficiency, Requires a few milliVolts 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. Samsung has already demonstrated interest in this fast focusing liquid lens. This approach is exciting compared to others because of its decreased focusing time through an inexpensive oscillating source. 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 light through the liquid medium and the low resolution.

Body of Report 1. Data The claims of the IP and inventor for novelty and key attributes of the technology

Claims of Invention and Key Attributes of the Technology

1) A key feature of this new technique is that the water stays in constant, unchanging contact with the surface, thus requiring less energy to manipulate. 2) There is no need for high voltages or other exotic activation mechanisms. This means that this new lens may be used and integrated into any number of different applications and devices, making many applications feasible. 3) The great benefit of this new device is that you can create a new optical system from a liquid lens and a small speaker, which along with its driving circuit can be easily manufactured in a small and lightweight package. 4) With small enough apertures and properly selected liquid volumes, it is able to create a lens that oscillates as fast as 100,000 times per second and still be able to effectively capture those images. 5) The liquid lens that captures 250 pictures per second and requires considerably less energy to operate than competing technologies. 6) The lens is simpler than earlier liquid lens designs that use a combination of water (or some other fluid capable of conducting electricity) and oil as well as an electric charge. By using water, sound and surface tension to adjust the focus.

Reasons for claims/attributes being benefits and who would value this benefit.
Presently, cell phones consume a lot of power while shooting a video or clicking a picture. Most of the power is consumed during focusing the object. Low voltage requirement is attributed to the method of creating oscillating through sound. Potential applications including cell phones, web cams and satellite imaging will be the ones the most benefited. Presently most of the cell phone camera packaging is primitive and creates a bulky look. The tiny camera can fit in a few square mm area on a cell phone. Fast focusing lens is very important in shooting different frames and then integrating them to make a video or panoramic picture. For example: in the movie Matrix some of the shots were shot at 108 frames/sec speed. The contraction and expansion of the liquid take considerably less energy than moving a mechanical lens. Cell phone user can greatly be benefited from it. The technology enables the lens to be packaged in a tiny space, takes only fraction of energy needed in competitive lens and simple mechanism 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.

2.

Analysis a) Possible Applications of Fast Focusing Via Oscillating Liquid Lens Cell phone cameras One-third of the world population is expected to own a camera phone and the global camera phone handset revenues are expected to grow over $120 Billion by 2011. Cameras in phone presently have lower speed and relatively high cost. The oscillating liquid lens technology can solve these problems though resolution in low in the present state however inventors are working on it and are very optimistic about devising a solution to the problem. Web cameras - stand-alone and integrated to laptops WebCam 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 revenues and margins. This oscillating liquid lens can provide great cost advantage to firms such as Logitech to help them fend off competition. Machine vision Machine 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/or repeatability 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 systems use digital cameras, smart cameras and image processing software to perform inspections similar to human beings however many times lacks the speed and 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 imaging A 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.

Other applications The 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 Necessary In terms of commercialization, some technical uncertainties can be identified. These include: Freezing issues the 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, notes that the researchers' ideas seem original, but he sees drawbacks to the approach. Since the lens is continuously moving, this means that "a significant amount of light is lost, as most of the time the object is out of focus." Additionally, these early results are not high resolution, notes Yuhwa Lo, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, San Diego. "Even the low-end cameras have a pretty strict resolution requirement," he says. However, he says that at this 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.

c) Categorization and Prioritization of the Applications

Application
Commercial Cameras

Category
Cell Phone Industry

Comments
Miniature Camera Phonesexpected to hit the mark of 1 billion by 2010. WebCam markets at $1.2 billion in 2006 are anticipated to reach $6.2 billion by 2013. Require high-speed, highmagnification, 24-hour operation, and/or repeatability of measurements.
Needs very high speed, high resolution and wide focus cameras.

Web cameras

Machine Vision

Real Time Satellite Imaging

Table Three: Categorization and Prioritization of Applications The cell phone camera is the number one priority because this industry is expected to have high revenues in the new few years. As previously noted, one-third of the world population is expected to own a camera phone and the global camera phone handset revenues are expected to grow 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 a conventional 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

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 power efficient and takes pictures faster. These features make it suitable for fast photography applications which work at very low powers. However, not until certain adjustments have been made. 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.

 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.

Appendix One:
A call report of your interviews Questions 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?

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 springlike 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 faster response 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.

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

References Greene, K. (2008, October 1). Low-Power Liquid Lens. Retrieved November 22, 2008, from Technology Review: http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/21449/page2/ Greenemeier, L. (2008, September 29). Liquid Lenses Promise Picture-Perfect Phone Cam Photos. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from Scientific America: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=liquid-lens Malik, H. (2008, March 15). Varioptic and Seiko to Bring Liquid Lenses to Cellphones, Finally. Retrieved November 22, 2008, from Gizmodo: http://gizmodo.com/368309/varioptic-and-seikoto-bring-liquid-lenses-to-cellphones-finally Reuveni, N. (2005, August 30). Scientists in Singapore Create Liquid Lens that Zooms Without Electricity. Retrieved November 22, 2008, from Digital Camera Info: http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Scientists-in-Singapore-Create-Liquid-Lens-thatZooms-Without-Electricity-.htm Unknown, A. (2008). Bringing the Digital Camera Feel to Mobile Phones . Retrieved November 25, 2008, from Samsung Electro-Mechanics: http://www.sem.samsung.com/cms/_work/en/company/news/newsView.jsp?seq=262&pg=3 Unknown, A. (2008, April 3). COMMERCIAL SATELLITE IMAGING FOR HOMELAND SECURITY: EMERGING MARKET. Retrieved November 26, 2008, from Homeland Security Research: http://www.homelandsecurityresearch.net/2008/04/03/commercial-satellite-imagingfor-homeland-security-emerging-market/ Unknown, A. (2008, September 22). Controlling Light With Sound: New Liquid Camera Lens as Simple As Water and Vibration. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from RPI: 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: http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/LOGI/475676879x0x216178/706503D5-C4F0-4A5FB58D-5442B34A39B3/FY0810-KLOGI.PDF 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

Won, R. (2008, October). Always In Focus. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from Nature: http://www. Nature.com/naturephotonics