Patents Assigned to poLight AS
  • Publication number: 20240061236
    Abstract: A MEMS optical device including: a semiconductor body; a main cavity, which extends within the semiconductor body; a membrane suspended over the main cavity; a piezoelectric actuator, which is mechanically coupled to the membrane and can be electronically controlled so as to deform the membrane; a micro-lens, mechanically coupled to the membrane so as to undergo deformation following the deformation of the membrane; and a rigid optical element, which contacts the micro-lens and is arranged so that the micro-lens is interposed between the rigid optical element and the membrane. The micro-lens and the main cavity are arranged on opposite sides of the membrane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicant: poLight ASA
    Inventors: Enri DUQI, Dario PACI, Lorenzo BALDO, Domenico GIUSTI
  • Patent number: 11870371
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an actuator system for determining and applying a voltage to a piezoelectric actuator (PEA) to achieve a given setpoint displacement. The method involves determining a relation dcal(V) between a PEA displacement measure (d) and voltage (V) and a relation ttcal(V) between transition time (tt) and voltage and combining the determined relations to calculate a relation d(tt) between the displacement measure and transition time during an initial calibration procedure. This relation is characteristic for the PEA, and by determining a new relation ttnew(V) after repeated biasing of the PEA, a compensated relation dc(V) can be calculated by substituting ttnew(V) in the calculated d(tt). The compensated relation dc(V) compensates for piezo creep effects due to the wear and can be used to determine the voltage to be applied directly, or be used in other compensation algorithms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Polight ASA
    Inventors: Lars Henriksen, Tore Svortdal, Euan Barron, Muhammad Asif Raza Azhar, Thi Kim Trinh Tran, Nicolas Tallaron, Pierre Craen
  • Patent number: 11693159
    Abstract: The invention relates to a tunable lens where the optical power can be adjusted. The lens consists of a deformable, non-fluid lens body sandwiched between a thin, flexible membrane and transparent back window, and an actuator system serving to change the overall shape of the membrane and lens body. The membrane is pre-shaped to have a Sag or Sagittal of at least 10 ?m so that the lens has a non-zero optical power when the actuator system is not activated. In order to achieve a large optical power range for the lens, the membrane should preferably be made of a material having a Young's modulus in the range 2-1.000 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: poLight ASA
    Inventors: Pierre Craen, Vladimir Kartashov, Nicolas Tallaron
  • Patent number: 11448849
    Abstract: There is presented an optical element 100, such as a tuneable lens, wherein there is provided means 128 to mitigate problems with stress concentration in a bendable cover member 102 at a border of a supporting structure 101, which in the absence of said means would entail a stress singularity issue due to an abrupt change in mechanical properties around the bendable cover member 102.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: poLight ASA
    Inventors: Lars Henriksen, Vladimir Kartashov, Janne Tapani Kilpinen
  • Patent number: 11231528
    Abstract: The invention relates to an adjustable or tuneable lens assembly where a deformable, non-fluid lens body is sandwiched between a bendable lens cover and a back window to form a lens. The lens assembly has an actuator system with a plurality of individually addressable actuators for applying force to the lens cover in direction along the optical axis to change an overall shape of the lens. The actuator system has a focus adjustment mode to adjust the optical power of the lens and an optical image stabilisation mode, which are configured to operate simultaneously by addressing each actuator to apply a force being at least substantially a sum of the forces that would be applied in these modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: poLight ASA
    Inventors: Pierre Craen, Vladimir Kartashov, Janne Tapani Kilpinen, Nicolas Tallaron, Lars Henriksen
  • Patent number: 11029511
    Abstract: There is presented an optical element (100, 500, 600, 700) comprising a support structure (101, 501) with a sidewall (112, 512), a bendable cover member (102, 502, 702) attached to the sidewall (112, 512), one or more piezoelectric actuators (103, 104, 105) arranged for shaping said bendable cover member (102, 502, 702) into a desired shape, wherein said optical element (100, 500, 600, 700) comprises an optically active area (111, 511) with an optical axis (110, 510), wherein an outer edge (215A-E) of the one or more piezoelectric actuators (103, 104, 105) as observed in a direction being parallel with the optical axis (110, 510) defines a first line, and an inner edge (109) of the support structure (101, 501) at the interface between the support structure (101, 501) and the bendable cover member (102, 502, 702) as observed in the direction being parallel with the optical axis (110, 510) defines a second line, wherein the first line and the second line as observed in the direction being parallel with the opti
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Polight ASA
    Inventors: Vladimir Kartashov, Pierre Craen
  • Patent number: 10720857
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electronic circuit (100) for controlling charging of a piezoelectric load (190). The electronic circuit comprises a charge pump (111) configured to supply a charging current to the piezoelectric load dependent on a charge control signal (131), a measurement circuit (113) configured to obtain a load voltage corresponding to a terminal voltage at a load terminal of the piezoelectric load, a comparator circuit (114) configured to compare an adjustable reference voltage with the load voltage. The electronic circuit is configured to determine the charge control signal dependent on the comparison so that the control signal controls delivery of the charging current dependent on the comparison. The electronic circuit is further configured to set the adjustable reference voltage to a target voltage (VT) and to set the adjustable reference voltage to a low limit voltage (Vlow), being lower than the target voltage, when the load voltage reaches the target voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Polight ASA
    Inventor: Tore Svortdal
  • Patent number: 10473900
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a transparent optical device element comprising a microlens and a method of providing stress and thermal compensation and tuning mechanical strength and curvature of a tunable microlens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: POLIGHT ASA
    Inventors: John Phair, Thomas Spatscheck, Vladimir Kartashov
  • Patent number: 10288777
    Abstract: The present invention relates to transparent optical device elements comprising a deformable lens body and to a method for changing the refractive index (RI) of a deformable lens body. The deformable lens body of the invention has an improved mechanical stability, a high refractive index, an optimal degree of stiffness and sheer modulus for use as optical lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: poLight ASA
    Inventor: Lars Henriksen
  • Patent number: 10154241
    Abstract: The invention relates to post-processing of a digital photo to correct perspective distortion in the photo. The correction applies a digital photo of a scene and a depth map associated with the photo and comprising, for each pixel in the photo, a depth being a distance between a part of the scene in that pixel and a position of the camera at the time of acquisition. The correction is performed locally, so that the correction of any pixel in the photo depends on the depth of that pixel. The correction can be implemented as a transformation of each pixel in the original photo into a new position in a corrected photo. Afterwards, pixel values has to be calculated for the pixels in the corrected photo using the original pixel values and their new positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Polight AS
    Inventors: Tore Svortdal, Pierre Craen, Nicolas Tallaron, Jacques Dumarest
  • Patent number: 10001629
    Abstract: There is presented a transparent optical device element (700) comprising an optical lens (744), comprising one or more piezoelectric actuators (206, 208, 210), wherein said optical lens (744) comprises an optical aperture (632), and wherein the optical device element furthermore comprises a passivation layer (312, 314, 742, 628) placed on said optical lens, said passivation layer comprising a barrier layer (312) forming a humidity barrier, and being located on at least a portion of said cover member, where said portion of said cover member is intersected by the optical axis, and on said piezoelectric actuators, and wherein the passivation layer furthermore comprises one or more further layers (628) located on at least said portion of said cover member being intersected by the optical axis, wherein said passivation layer forms an anti-reflection coating for said optical lens (744) at least along the optical axis (634).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: POLIGHT AS
    Inventors: Pierre Craen, John Phair, Nicolas Tallaron
  • Patent number: 9964672
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a system and a method thereof for identifying a specific Interdigitated Electrode pattern arrangement for piezoelectric actuators located around an aperture of a flexible lens body, wherein the Interdigitated Electrode configuration is configurable, when activated, to provide a specific definable bending force distribution, thereby providing a specific definable shaping of the flexible lens body, thereby providing specific definable optical characteristics of the flexible lens body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Polight AS
    Inventors: John Phair, Paul Muralt
  • Patent number: 9581737
    Abstract: The present invention relates to transparent optical device elements comprising a deformable lens body and to a method for changing the refractive index (RI) of a deformable lens body. The deformable lens body of the invention has an improved mechanical stability, a high refractive index, an optimal degree of stiffness and sheer modulus for use as optical lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: POLIGHT AS
    Inventor: Lars Henriksen
  • Patent number: 8883019
    Abstract: The present invention provides method steps for manufacturing an assembly of adjustable lenses on a wafer. The method steps provide an easy manufacturing of such lenses, minimizing the cost of assembly, and at the same time provide a solution for mass production of compact adjustable lenses for use in mobile phones, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Polight AS
    Inventors: Lars Henriksen, Morten Eliassen, Vladimir Kartashov, Jon Herman Ulvensøen, Ib-Rune Johansen, Karl Henrik Haugholt, Dag Torstein Wang, Frode Tyholdt, Wilfred Booij
  • Patent number: 8724198
    Abstract: The present invention is generally related to the field of optical systems and/or lens attachments, and more specific to an optical system and/or lens attachment providing a switchable Optical Power Switch (OPS) controllably switchable between different states. A soft transparent material (12), for example silicone-gel is disposed onto a surface of a glass plate (10). The glass plate (10) can be moved with actuators towards a surface of a lens body (10). When the soft material element (12) is in contact with the surface of the lens body (12), this surface changes its optical feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Polight AS
    Inventors: Thomas Spatscheck, Vladimir Kartashov, Jon Herman Ulvensoen, Lars Henriksen
  • Patent number: 8390939
    Abstract: The present invention is related to a lens assembly comprising a flexible lens body (10) inside a cavity bounded by a sidewall (11) and a first transparent cover (13), and a second transparent cover (14), wherein both covers (13,14) are in contact with respective surfaces of the lens body (10). Piezo electric elements (12) shapes the lens body (10) when activated, thereby adjusting the focal length of the lens assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: poLight AS
    Inventors: Lars Henriksen, Morten Eliassen, Vladimir Kartashov, Jon Herman Ulvensoen, Ib-Rune Johansen, Karl Henrik Haugholt, Dag Torstein Wang, Frode Tyholdt, Wilfred Booij
  • Patent number: 8310772
    Abstract: The present invention provides thermal compensation for a lens assembly comprising a polymer lens body. Polymers do have different thermal expansion coefficients which makes it necessary to compensate for thermal expansions to keep optical characteristics of such lenses within specifications when used under different environmental conditions. Also, it is necessary to provide thermal compensation during manufacturing of such lenses due to high temperatures during manufacturing steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Polight AS
    Inventors: Lars Henriksen, Thomas Spatscheck, Vladimir Kartashov, Jon Herman Ulvensøen
  • Patent number: 8199410
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical element having adjustable focal length, and a method for producing an optical element. The optical element comprising a first transparent layer and a transparent soft polymer having a chosen refractive index situated thereon, said layer being made from a material having a chosen flexibility, e.g. a thin glass layer, the optical element also being provided with an actuator for applying a force upon said flexible layer, said force being essentially symmetric relative to said axis thus bending the layer providing a lens surface and providing a curved refractive surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: poLight AS
    Inventors: Karl H. Haugholt, Dag Thorstein Wang, Frode Tyholdt, Wilfred E. Booij, Ib-Rune Johansen
  • Patent number: 8045280
    Abstract: The present invention provides a solution for designing a compact adjustable lens assembly, wherein a circular shaped piezoelectric crystal is bending a thin glass cover, thereby providing a shift of focal length of the lens assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: poLight AS
    Inventors: Lars Henriksen, Morten Eliassen, Vladimir Kartashov, Jon Herman Ulvensøen, Ib-Rune Johansen, Karl Henrik Haugholt, Dag Torstein Wang, Frode Tyholdt, Wilfred Booij
  • Publication number: 20110164330
    Abstract: The present invention provides thermal compensation for a lens assembly comprising a polymer lens body. Polymers do have different thermal expansion coefficients which makes it necessary to compensate for thermal expansions to keep optical characteristics of such lenses within specifications when used under different environmental conditions. Also, it is necessary to provide thermal compensation during manufacturing of such lenses due to high temperatures during manufacturing steps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2009
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: POLIGHT AS
    Inventors: Lars Henriksen, Thomas Spatscheck, Vladimir Kartashov, Jon Herman Ulvensøen