U of Central Florida Licenses Zoom Liquid Lens Patents

July 24, 2007 – The University of Central Florida this week announced it has signed a licensing agreement with Holochip Corp., a supplier of specialized lenses, for its liquid zoom lens technology, also known as adaptive lenses. The adaptive lens technology may allow lenses to be made at smaller sizes for the digital camera and camera phone industry without affecting quality, according to researchers.

Traditional zoom lenses use moving mechanical glass and plastic parts to adjust focus, zoom, and field of view. Adaptive lenses, on the other hand, do not require lens location adjustment to change focal lengths. Thus, it maintains a compact size without compromising clarity, according to a July 20th UCF news release.

"We have the ability to make these lenses from less than a millimeter to a couple of centimeters in size," said Dr. Shin-Tson Wu, Professor of Optics at the College of Optics and Photonics in the release.

The team of UCF researchers pursued adaptive lens technology using two methods, according to the release. The first, liquid crystal (LC) lenses use applied voltage to adjust focal lengths. The second method uses fluid lenses. Modeled after the way the human eye operates, this flexible lens adjusts focal lengths with applied compression.

With the new university-corporation agreement, Holochip will gain exclusive rights to the adaptive lens patents for global use.

'With the explosive growth of mobile imaging, and camera phone sales approaching one billion units worldwide, there is a critical need for high-quality, inexpensive and environmentally responsible adaptive lens solutions,' said Holochip CEO Robert Batchko. 'With this agreement and our relationship with Professor Wu and his team, Holochip has taken a significant step toward meeting this need.'

Image courtesy of the University of Central Florida.