Adaptive milliseconds tracking and zooming optics based on a high-speed gaze controller and liquid lenses

Opt Express. 2024 Jan 15;32(2):2257-2270. doi: 10.1364/OE.512003.

Abstract

The high-speed gaze and high resolution are critical factors for actual monitoring systems. However, the conventional method cannot track and zoom as fast as expected due to the larger inertia and it results in a low resolution due to the digital zoom. In this paper, we proposed a high-speed tracking and zooming optics that is coaxial designed and with an active tracking unit and an optical zooming unit to overcome the above issues. The tracking unit always tracks the object in the center of view by a pan-tilt mirror controller and a visual feedback tracking algorithm within 4 milliseconds response order. The zooming unit can continuously change the magnification from 1X to 2X by three liquid lenses within milliseconds. Besides, the zooming unit provides a compensation algorithm to achieve accurate zoom and focus.