Continuous zoom compound eye imaging system based on liquid lenses.

In this paper, a continuous zoom compound eye imaging system based on liquid lenses is proposed. The main imaging part of the system consists of a liquid compound eye, two liquid lenses and a planar image sensor. By adjusting the liquid injection volumes of the liquid compound eye and liquid lenses, the system can realize continuous zoom imaging without any mechanical movement of imaging components. According to the results of experiments, the paraxial magnification of the target can range from ∼0.019× to ∼0.037× at a fixed working distance. Moreover, the system can realize continuous focusing at a fixed paraxial magnification when the working distance ranges from ∼200mm to ∼300mm. Compared with the traditional artificial compound eye imaging systems, the proposed system increases the adjustability and matches the variable image surfaces of the liquid compound eye to a planar image sensor. The aspherical effects of the liquid compound eye and liquid lenses are also considered in the design of the system. The system is expected to be used for imaging in various scenes, such as continuous zoom panoramic imaging, 3D scanning measurement and so on.