Rotary Sliding Movement Mechanism Using a Hinge with Out-of-Plane Deformation for Parallel Mobile Optical Devices

Rapidly improving demand for small, flat optical sensor systems that require not only the miniaturization of lenses but also the miniaturization and integration of the optical system. Currently, special actuators are needed to drive the lenses, which is an obstacle to miniaturization and simplification of the sensor system implementation. Therefore, a simple and efficient planar drive strategy for thin lenses is required to utilize the variable focus property of the lens fully. This study proposes a new lens-to-drive approach based on kirigami that takes advantage of paper-like flat lenses. This drive structure is designed to form three regions: a beam, a hinge, and a device. The beam is subjected to a stretching force, which causes an out-of-plane deformation of the hinge, thereby rotating the lens support surface connected to the hinge. In doing so, the face slides slightly with the rotational motion, and this sliding mechanism is used to realize the sliding mechanism of the Alvarez lens pair. This kirigami structure has the potential to customize the shape of the device area to achieve more functionality.