Apparatus for forming variable fluid meniscus configurations
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsStein Kuiper, Gerjan Van De Walle, Edwin Wolterink, Mark Mertens, Bokke Feenstra
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Abstract
Apparatus for providing a fluid meniscus with variable configurations by means of electrowetting. A fluid chamber (5) holds two different fluids (A, B) separated by a meniscus (14) of which the edge, having different sides, is constrained by the fluid chamber. A first electrowetting electrode (2a) is arranged to act on a first side of the meniscus edge and a second electrowetting electrode (2a′) is arranged to act separately on a second side of the meniscus edge. Selected meniscus configurations can be formed by providing selected voltages to the first and second electrowetting electrodes respectively.
Claims26
Apparatus for providing a fluid meniscus with variable configurations by means of electrowetting, the apparatus comprising:
- a fluid chamber (5;
- 105);
- two different fluids (A;
- B) separated by a meniscus (14;
- 80;
- 88;
- 94;
- 98;
- 514) of which an edge, having different sides, is constrained by the fluid chamber;
- a first electrowetting electrode (2a;
- 41;
- 141;
- 241;
- 341;
- 441;
- 502a) and a second electrowetting electrode (2a′;
- 43;
- 143;
- 243;
- 343;
- 443;
- 502a′), the first electrowetting electrode being arranged to act on a first side of the meniscus edge and the second electrowetting electrode arranged to act separately on a second side of the meniscus edge;
- and
- a voltage control system for providing a different voltage to said first and second electrowetting electrodes respectively to form a selected meniscus configuration.
Apparatus comprising an image sensor for the recording of an image scene (20), a variable fluid meniscus (514) and a controller adapted to alter the shape of the meniscus to provide at least:
- a first configuration of the variable fluid meniscus, said first configuration directing a first region (22) of the image scene to be recorded towards said sensor;
- and
- a second configuration of the variable fluid meniscus, said second configuration directing a second, different, region (24;
- 26;
- 28) of the image scene to be recorded towards said sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.