Active optical filter for spectacle lenses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10725322-B2
Application number	US-201615753726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2016
Priority date	Aug 21, 2015
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

An active optical filter adapted for a spectacle lens, the active optical filter configured to filter light radiations over at least one predetermined range of wavelengths, wherein the full width at half maximum of the filtering function of the optical filter is smaller than or equal to 100 nm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An active optical filter adapted for a spectacle lens the active optical filter being configured to filter light radiations over at least one predetermined range of wavelengths, wherein the full width at half maximum of the filtering function of the optical filter is smaller than or equal to 100 nm,
wherein the active filter comprises at least one cell comprising a transparent material between two transparent supports and at last two transparent electrodes, wherein at least one optical property of the transparent material, over the predetermined range of wavelengths, changes upon application of an electrical field between the transparent supports using the at least two transporent electrodes.

2. The active filter according to claim 1 , wherein the central wavelength of the filtering function is greater than or equal to 400 nm and smaller than or equal to 500 nm.

3. The active filter according to claim 2 , wherein the central wavelength of the filtering function is greater than or equal to 410 nm and smaller than or equal to 460 nm.

4. The active filter according to claim 1 , configured to filter light radiations over at least a second predetermined range of wavelengths, wherein the full width at half maximum of the filtering function of the optical filter is smaller than or equal to 100 nm.

5. The active filter according to claim 1 , wherein the active filter is further configured to allow shifting the central wavelength of the filtering function between a first value, to a second value, in a range of 540 nm to 590 nm.

6. The active filter according to claim 1 , wherein the active filter is further configured to allow shifting the filtering function between a first range of wavelengths to a second range of wavelengths.

7. The active filter according to claim 1 , wherein the optical property of the transparent material that changes upon application of an electrical field is one of reflectivity and absorption over the predetermined range of wavelengths.

8. The active filter according to claim 1 , comprising at least one cell comprising a transparent material between two transparent supports and at least two transparent electrodes, the cell further comprises at least a first holographic grating on one of inner surfaces of the transparent support, the first holographic grating being configured to reflect the light radiations in the predetermined range of wavelengths,
wherein the refractive index of the transparent material changes upon application of an electrical field between the transparent supports using the at least two transparent electrodes form a first value substantially equal to the refractive index of the material used for the holographic grating to a second value different from the refractive index of the material used for the first holographic grating.

9. The active filter according to claim 8 , wherein the transparent material comprises a liquid crystal material formulation whose refractive index changes upon application of an electrical field.

10. The active filter according to claim 8 , wherein the cell further comprises a second holographic grating on the inner surface of the transparent support opposite to the inner surface comprising the first holographic grating, the second holographic grating being configured to reflect light radiations in a range of wavelengths different from the one of the first holographic grating.

11. The active filter according to claim 8 , wherein the cell further comprises a second holographic grating on an inner surface of the transparent support opposite to the inner surface comprising the first holographic grating, the second holographic grating being made of a material having a refractive index different from a material used for the first holographic grating.

12. The active filter according to claim 1 , wherein the active filter comprises at least one cell comprising a transparent liquid crystal formulation between two transparent supports and at least two transparent electrodes, the transparent liquid crystal formulation having a cholesteric phase with a pitch in the predetermined range of wavelengths to be filtered, the pitch of the cholesteric phase being controlled by the electrical field between the transparent supports using the at least two transparent electrodes.

13. The active filter according to claim 1 , comprising at least one cell comprising a transparent liquid crystal formulation between two transparent supports and at least two transparent electrodes, the transparent liquid crystal formulation in a blue phase organization with a size of the cubic mesh in the predetermined range of wavelengths to be filtered, the cubic mesh of the blue phase being controlled by the electrical field between the transparent supports using the at least two transparent electrodes.

14. The active filter according to claim 1 , comprising at least one cell comprising an transparent material between two transparent supports, at least one of the transparent supports comprises a transparent electrode, the transparent material comprising at least a liquid crystal matrix whose orientation changes upon application of an electrical field and at least one dichroic dye having its absorption range in the predetermined range of wavelengths to be filtered.

15. The active filter according to claim 1 , comprising at least one cell comprising a transparent material between two transparent supports and at least two transparent electrodes, the transparent material comprising a transparent electrolyte with at least two dyes whose color changes with their oxidation states.

16. A pair of spectacles comprising:
at least a pair of spectacle lenses mounted on a spectacle frame,
wherein at least one of the spectacles lenses comprises an active filter according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Essilor Int

Inventors

• Barrau Coralie
• Villette Thierry
• Cano Jean-Paul
• Archambeau Samuel
• Biver Claudine

Classifications

• G02F1/13793

  Blue phases · CPC title

• G02F1/13718

  based on a change of the texture state of a cholesteric liquid crystal · CPC title

• G03H1/0244

  Surface relief holograms (replicating hologram without interference recording G03H1/0276) · CPC title

• G02C7/101

  having an electro-optical light valve (electro-optical elements per se G02F) · CPC title

• G02F1/13725

  based on guest-host interaction (G02F1/13762, G02F1/13737, take precedence) · CPC title