This paper is to employ liquid lens elements to design a lens with zoom function by using the genetic algorithm (GA) optimization. The liquid lens elements used in the proposal can apply voltage adjustment to generate the electrical field that induces the liquid with electric conductivity to vary the surface curvature between two different kinds of liquids. According to the voltage level, the liquid lens element makes the discrete variation of the curvature and thickness realize the zoom function without moving the lens groups so that the overall length can be reduced. However, it is difficult to design the zoom lens under the discrete variation of the curvature and thickness in the liquid lens elements and the mechanical space that is constantly limited. The GA offers a flexible way for lens optimization. We regarded the spot size as the fitness function to look for the optimum curvatures, thickness, and the corresponding statuses of liquid lens elements for the zoom lens. As a result, the zoom lens with constant space can be realized by running the selection, crossover, and mutation operation in the GA optimization.
展开▼
