Granted Patent B2

US 12,332,425 · App. 17/753,967 · Granted Jun 17, 2025

Inventor: Chang Wook Kim (Seoul, KR)

Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.

G02B26/004G02B3/14

Abstract

Claims (69)

1. A lens curvature variation apparatus comprising:

a liquid lens including a common electrode and a plurality of individual electrodes;

a lens driver configured to apply a voltage to the common electrode and the plurality of individual electrodes;

a sensor unit

connected to at least one individual electrode among the plurality of individual electrodes and configured to output a sensing signal for sensing an interface of the liquid lens; and

a controller configured to control the lens driver based the sensing signal of the sensor unit,

wherein a number of the sensor unit is less than a number of the plurality of individual electrodes,

wherein the plurality of individual electrodes includes a first individual electrode connected to the sensor unit and a second individual electrode not connected to the sensor unit, and

wherein the controller is configured to obtain a sensing signal of the second individual electrode by using a sensing signal of the first individual electrode sensed through the sensor unit.

2. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:

a gyro sensor configured to obtain gyro data;

wherein the controller is configured to calculate a vibration angle using the gyro data obtained through the gyro sensor, and group the plurality of individual electrodes into first and second groups based on the calculated vibration angle.

3. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the individual electrodes having a symmetrical relationship with each other are changed according to the vibration angle, and

wherein the controller is configured to group individual electrodes having a symmetrical relationship with each other into a same group based on the vibration angle.

4. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit is configured to sense a capacitance corresponding to a size or change of an area of a boundary region between an insulating layer on the plurality of individual electrodes in the liquid lens and a conductive liquid.

5. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the sensor unit is configured to sense a capacitance corresponding to the first individual electrode among the plurality of individual electrodes; and

wherein the controller is configured to sense a capacitance corresponding to the second individual electrode by using the capacitance corresponding to the first individual electrode sensed through the sensor unit.

6. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain the sensing signal of the second individual electrode by using the sensing signal sensed in a state in which the sensor unit and the second individual electrode are not connected.

7. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of individual electrodes includes:

first and second individual electrodes of a first group; and

first and second individual electrodes of a second group; and

wherein the sensor unit includes:

a first sensor unit connected to the first individual electrode of the first group; and

a second sensor unit connected to the first individual electrode of the second group.

8. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 7 , comprising:

an AD converter connected to the first and second sensor units;

wherein the AD converter is configured to output a first digital signal corresponding to a sensing signal of the first individual electrode of the first group, and output a second digital signal corresponding to a sensing signal of the first individual electrode of the second group.

9. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the AD converter includes:

a first AD converter connected to the first sensor unit and configured to output a first digital signal corresponding to the sensing signal of the first individual electrode of the first group; and

a second AD converter connected to the second sensor unit and configured to output a second digital signal corresponding to the sensing signal of the first individual electrode of the second group.

10. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 8 , comprising:

a multiplexer (MUX) sequentially connected to the first and second sensor units, and

wherein the AD converter is configured to sequentially receive the sensing signal of the first individual electrode of the first group and the sensing signal of the first individual electrode of the second group through the mux, and sequentially output the first and second digital signals corresponding to the received sensing signals.

11. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain a third digital signal of the second individual electrode of the first group by using the first digital signal of the first individual electrode of the first group, and obtain a fourth digital signal of the second individual electrode of the second group by using the second digital signal of the first individual electrode of the second group.

12. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first digital signal has a symmetric relationship with the third digital signal; and

wherein the controller is configured to receive the first digital signal and obtain the third digital signal symmetrical with the first digital signal.

13. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second digital signal has a symmetric relationship with the fourth digital signal; and

wherein the controller is configured to receive the second digital signal and obtain the fourth digital signal symmetrical with the second digital signal.

14. The lens curvature variation apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first and second individual electrodes included in each of the first group and the second group change based on a vibration state.

15. A camera module comprising:

a lens assembly;

an image sensor aligned with the lens assembly in an optical axis; and

a control circuit configured to control the lens assembly;

wherein the lens assembly includes a liquid lens including a common electrode and a plurality of individual electrodes;

wherein the control circuit includes:

a lens driver configured to apply a voltage to the common electrode and the plurality of individual electrodes;

a sensor unit connected to at least one individual electrode among the plurality of individual electrodes and outputting a sensing signal for sensing an interface of the liquid lens; and;

a controller configured to control the lens driver based on the sensing signal of the sensor unit,

wherein a number of the sensor unit is less than a number of the plurality of individual electrodes,

wherein the plurality of individual electrodes includes a first individual electrode connected to the sensor unit and a second individual electrode not connected to the sensor unit, and

wherein the controller is configured to obtain a sensing signal of the second individual electrode by using a sensing signal of the first individual electrode sensed through the sensor unit.

16. The camera module of claim 15 , wherein the control circuit comprises:

an AD converter connected to the sensor unit;

wherein the plurality of individual electrodes includes:

first and second individual electrodes of a first group; and

first and second individual electrodes of a second group; and

wherein the sensor unit includes:

a first sensor unit connected to the first individual electrode of the first group; and

a second sensor unit connected to the first individual electrode of the second group, and

wherein the AD converter is configured to output a first digital signal corresponding to a sensing signal of the first individual electrode of the first group, and output a second digital signal corresponding to a sensing signal of the first individual electrode of the second group.

17. The camera module of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain a third digital signal of the second individual electrode of the first group by using the first digital signal of the first individual electrode of the first group, and obtain a fourth digital signal of the second individual electrode of the second group by using the second digital signal of the first individual electrode of the second group.

18. The camera module of claim 17 , wherein the first digital signal has a symmetric relationship with the third digital signal;

wherein the second digital signal has a symmetric relationship with the fourth digital signal; and

wherein the controller is configured to obtain the third digital signal symmetrical to the first digital signal by using the first digital signal and obtain the fourth digital signal symmetrical with the second digital signal by using the second digital signal.

19. The camera module of claim 16 , wherein the first and second individual electrodes included in each of the first group and the second group change based on a vibration state, and

wherein the controller is configured to group the plurality of individual electrodes into the first and second groups based on the vibration state.

20. The camera module of claim 16 , wherein the control circuit comprises:

a gyro sensor configured to obtain gyro data;

wherein the controller is configured to calculate a vibration angle using the gyro data obtained through the gyro sensor, and group the plurality of individual electrodes into the first and second groups based on the calculated vibration angle.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (13)