Microsoft envisions a camera with liquid crystals in a latest patent

The Surface Duo announcement made Microsoft’s return to Mobile space official and while the entire tech industry is praising the concept of the Surface Duo, Microsoft still needs innovation in many areas, in order to provide a world-class experience to the Surface Duo users. One such area is the camera and the good news is the company is trying hard to make a world-class camera.

Microsoft’s camera efforts have now come to the light, thanks to a new Microsoft patent published by USPTO. Titled ‘CAMERA WITH TUNABLE FILTER AND ACTIVE ILLUMINATION,’ the patent talks about a camera that includes an optical filter, which includes liquid crystal layers.

A liquid crystal layer is configured to either block spectral light in reflection state or transmit spectral light in the transmission state.

A camera includes an optical filter for a sensor arrangement of the camera. The optical filter includes a plurality of liquid crystal layers which are switchable between a reflection state and a transmission state. Each liquid crystal layer is configured to block spectral light in another spectral light subband and to transmit spectral light outside the spectral light subband in the reflection state and transmit spectral light in the spectral light subband in the transmission state.

The concept can also be applied in creating infrared cameras.

A camera may include an optical filter to a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, an infrared (IR) camera may include an optical filter that is in the infrared or near-infrared (NIR) band or block light in the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is outside the IR or NIR band from reaching the image sensor of the IR camera.

A camera may include an optical filter to limit a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that reaches the camera’s image sensors. For example, an infrared (IR) camera may include an optical filter configured to transmit light in the IR or near-infrared (NIR) band, and light in the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is outside the IR spectrum. or NIR tape is to prevent it from reaching the image sensors of the IR camera.

While the concept is interesting, we don’t know whether or not Microsoft is going to launch a device with a liquid crystal camera.

via WindowsUnited