Three-dimensional imaging based on electronically adaptive liquid crystal lens

In this paper, we present a relatively simple method to acquire a 3D image based on an electrically controlled liquid crystal (LC) lens. Its advantage is that this proposed method does not need any mechanical movements to acquire a 3D image. The tunable-focus LC lens combined with a high-resistance layer (PEDOT) is applied by an overdrive method to become a key optical component for use in a 3D imaging system. Multiple 2D images of slightly different perspectives are recorded, respectively, and 3D images, according to a proposed mapping and projection method, can be reconstructed. This is the first report, to the best of our knowledge, on using an LC lens to reconstruct 3D images. The proposed 3D imaging system is novel for its compact and smart features, so it is attractive for some compact 3D imaging systems.