Double-layer electrode for electro-optic liquid crystal lens

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10955707-B2
Application number	US-201916444607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, apparatus, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a process, method, and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, generating a gradient in an index of refraction of a material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electro-optic device comprising:
a first liquid crystal lens to impart a first phase profile on incident light with a first set of electrodes formed in a first pattern, the first set of electrodes including a first number of electrodes; and
a second liquid crystal lens, in optical series with the first liquid crystal lens, to further impart a second phase profile on the incident light with a second set of electrodes formed in a second pattern different than the first pattern, the second set of electrodes including a second number of electrodes,
wherein, when viewed along an optical axis of the electro-optic device, the first liquid crystal lens and the second liquid crystal lens together impart an aggregate phase profile equal to a sum of the first phase profile and the second phase profile, the aggregate phase profile having a number of steps greater than the first number of electrodes and greater than the second number of electrodes.

2. The electro-optic device of claim 1 , wherein the first phase profile is different than the second phase profile.

3. The electro-optic device of claim 2 , wherein the first phase profile is a first discretized parabola and the second phase profile is a second discretized parabola different than the first discretized parabola.

4. The electro-optic device of claim 1 , wherein the first phase profile is the same as the second phase profile and a centerline of the first liquid crystal lens is offset with respect to a centerline of the second liquid crystal lens.

5. The electro-optic device of claim 1 , wherein the first liquid crystal lens comprises a first liquid crystal layer and the second liquid crystal lens comprises a second liquid crystal layer aligned anti-parallel to the second liquid crystal to compensate misalignment of the first liquid crystal lens with respect to the second liquid crystal lens.

6. The electro-optic device of claim 1 , wherein the first phase profile compensates a phase error in the second phase profile.

7. A method of operating an electro-optic device comprising a first liquid crystal lens in optical series with a second liquid crystal lens, the method comprising:
imparting a first phase profile on incident light with a first set of electrodes formed in a first pattern in the first liquid crystal lens, the first set of electrodes having a first number of electrodes; and
imparting a second phase profile on the incident light with a second set of electrodes formed in a second pattern different than the first pattern in the second liquid crystal lens, the second set of electrodes having a second number of electrodes,
wherein, when viewed along an optical axis of the electro-optic device, the first liquid crystal lens and the second liquid crystal lens together impart an aggregate phase profile equal to a sum of the first phase profile and the second phase profile, and
wherein the first phase profile has a first number of steps, the second phase profile has a second number of steps, and the aggregate phase profile has an aggregate number of steps greater than the first number of electrodes and greater than the second number of electrodes.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first phase profile is different than the second phase profile.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first phase profile is a first discretized parabola and the second phase profile is a second discretized parabola different than the first discretized parabola.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first phase profile is the same as the second phase profile and a centerline of the first liquid crystal lens is offset with respect to a centerline of the second liquid crystal lens.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first liquid crystal lens comprises a first liquid crystal layer and the second liquid crystal lens comprises a second liquid crystal layer aligned anti-parallel to the second liquid crystal, and further comprising:
compensating misalignment of the first liquid crystal lens with respect to the second liquid crystal lens.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
compensating a phase error in the second phase profile with the first phase profile.

13. An electro-optic device comprising:
a first liquid crystal lens having a first liquid crystal layer and a first number of ring electrodes arranged concentrically about a rotational axis to impart a first discretized parabolic phase profile on incident light; and
a second liquid crystal lens, in optical series with the first liquid crystal lens, having a second liquid crystal layer and a second number of ring electrodes arranged concentrically about the rotational axis to further impart a second discretized parabolic phase profile on the incident light,
wherein, when viewed along an optical axis of the electro-optic device, the first liquid crystal lens and the second liquid crystal lens together impart an aggregate phase profile equal to a sum of the first discretized parabolic phase profile and the second discretized parabolic phase profile, the aggregate phase profile having an aggregate number of steps greater than the first number of electrodes and greater than the second number of electrodes.

14. The electro-optic device of claim 13 , wherein the aggregate number of steps is equal to a sum of the first number of electrodes and the second number of electrodes.

15. The electro-optic device of claim 13 , wherein the first liquid crystal layer is aligned anti-parallel to the second liquid crystal to compensate misalignment of the first liquid crystal lens with respect to the second liquid crystal lens.

16. The electro-optic device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of electrodes includes a first number of electrodes, the second set of electrodes includes a second number of electrodes, and the aggregate phase profile has a number of steps greater than the first number of electrodes and greater than the second number of electrodes.

17. The electro-optic device of claim 1 , wherein the first phase profile has a first aberration, the second phase profile has a second aberration opposite to the first aberration, and the aggregate phase profile has an aberration lower than the first aberration and lower than the second aberration.

Assignees

• E Vision Smart Optics Inc

Inventors

• Li Liwei
• Heugten Anthony Van
• Duston Dwight P
• Bos Phil
• Bryant Douglas

Classifications

• G02B30/00

  Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images (in microscopes G02B21/22) · CPC title

• G02F1/29 Primary

  for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection · CPC title

• G02F1/134309 Primary

  characterised by their geometrical arrangement · CPC title

• G02F1/133345

  Insulating layers (G02F1/1335, G02F1/1337, G02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/294

  Variable focal length devices · CPC title