Patent Document ID: 9191568
Application ID: 14461263
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An automated camera system, comprising: a camera configured to capture an image of an object; at least one fluidic lens disposed between the camera and the object, the at least one fluidic lens having a chamber that receives a fluid therein; a fluid control system operatively coupled to the at least one fluidic lens, the fluid control system configured to insert an amount of the fluid into the chamber of the at least one fluidic lens, or remove an amount of the fluid from the chamber of the at least one fluidic lens, in order to change the shape of the at least one fluidic lens in accordance with the amount of fluid therein, the fluid control system comprising a pump and one or more fluid distribution lines, at least one of the one or more fluid distribution lines fluidly coupling the pump to the at least one fluidic lens so that the pump is capable of adjusting refractive power of the at least one fluidic lens; a Shack-Hartmann sensor assembly operatively coupled to the fluid control system, the Shack-Hartmann sensor assembly comprising a charge-coupled device (CCD) array and a lenslet array, the Shack-Hartmann sensor assembly by means of the fluid control system configured to automatically control the amount of the fluid in the chamber of the at least one fluidic lens, thereby automatically focusing the camera so that the image captured of the object is in focus, and wherein light is reflected back from the camera, and the lenslet array is disposed in a path of the reflected light entering the Shack-Hartmann sensor assembly; and a data processing device operatively coupled to the pump of the fluid control system, the charge-coupled device (CCD) array of the Shack-Hartmann sensor assembly, and the camera, the data processing device being configured to control an operation of the pump of the fluid control system based upon one or more output signals from the Shack-Hartmann sensor assembly, and wherein, when the Shack-Hartmann sensor assembly indicates to the data processing device that the object is in focus for the camera, the data processing device is configured to emit an initiation signal to the camera instructing the camera to capture the image of the object.