Patent ID: 7339649
Filing Date: 2008-03-04
Classification: G02F,H04N

Abstract:
1. A lens barrel comprising: an optical system having an optical axis and guiding an image of an object; an imaging element which includes a rectangular imaging area having longer sides and shorter sides, and is disposed in the optical axis of the optical system; and a liquid-crystal light control element which is disposed in the optical axis between the optical system and the imaging element, and comprises: a pair of transparent electrodes which are disposed in parallel to each other with spacing therebetween in a direction along the optical axis; a pair of alignment layers formed on respective opposing surfaces of the transparent electrodes; and a liquid crystal layer which is sealed in between the alignment layers and contains liquid crystal molecules each rod-like shaped, the liquid-crystal light control element adjusting an amount of light passing therethrough by changing a tilt angle of axes of the liquid crystal molecules with respect to a direction of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, by application of a voltage to the transparent electrodes, with the axes of the respective liquid crystal molecules parallel to an orientational direction which is determined by the alignment layers, said optical system including an optical lens structure being of such size within said lens barrel to cause an ever increasing diverging light ray pattern relative to said optical axis at said imaging element, wherein the orientational direction is substantially parallel to the shorter sides of the imaging area, and light rays guided from the optical system to the imaging element diverge away from the optical axis as the light rays travel toward the imaging element; and wherein when the vertical direction of an image taken on the imaging area is substantially parallel to the shorter sides of the imaging area, the orientational direction of the liquid-crystal light control element is set to monotonously decrease the amount of light passing through the liquid-crystal light control element in a direction from one of the vertically opposite sides of the image toward the other of the opposite sides.