Alterable optical structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12554117-B2
Application number	US-202318188198-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2023
Priority date	Mar 22, 2023
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

Described herein are alterable optical structures. Also described herein are methods of altering same.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An alterable optical structure comprising:
a fluid reservoir comprising:
at least one fluid; and
at least one optical surface extending at least partially across an upper surface of the at least one fluid;
a porous structure, wherein the porous structure is rotatable to inertially manipulate the at least one fluid; and at least one valve configured to selectively control fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the porous structure; wherein when the at least one valve is open, the at least one fluid can move through the porous structure via capillary action.

2 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluid is oriented to receive at least one force sufficient to overcome the force of gravity, wherein the at least one force is at least one of a magnetic force, an inertial force, a capillary force, and combinations thereof.

3 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , further comprising a magnetic field source oriented to magnetically manipulate the at least one fluid.

4 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluid comprises a magnetically manipulable fluid.

5 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluid comprises a ferrofluid.

6 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the porous structure comprises pores having average diameters in a range of from about 1 nm to about 1 mm.

7 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the porous structure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metals, polymers, ceramics, metamaterials, hyperbolic metamaterials, hydrophobic materials, hydrophobic coatings, hydrophilic materials, hydrophilic coatings, and combinations thereof.

8 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the porous structure is produced by additive manufacturing.

9 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one optical surface comprises an optical surface selected from the group consisting of lenses, optical structures, photonic structures, mirrors, optical films, reflective optical films, metal liquid-like films (MELLFs), silver films, metamaterials, hyperbolic metamaterials, solar cells, and combinations thereof.

10 . The alterable optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one optical surface is shaped as at least one of a geometric shape, a non-geometric shape, a paraboloid, an ellipsoid, a sphere, and combinations thereof.

11 . A method of altering an alterable optical structure comprising:
a fluid reservoir comprising:
at least one fluid; and
at least one optical surface extending at least partially across an upper surface of the at least one fluid;
a porous structure; and at least one valve configured to selectively control fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the porous structure, the method comprising: opening the at least one valve to enable the at least one fluid to move through the porous structure via capillary action; and rotating the porous structure to inertially manipulate the at least one fluid.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising magnetically manipulating the at least one fluid with a magnetic field source, wherein the at least one fluid comprises a magnetically manipulable fluid.

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Ge Infrastructure Technology Llc

Inventors

• Mariappan Dhanushkodi Durai
• Dreifus Gregory Daniel
• Li Xiaopeng
• Bray James William
• Radighieri Greg Alan

Classifications

• G02F2202/36

  Micro- or nanomaterials · CPC title

• G02F1/0081

  Electric or magnetic properties · CPC title

• G02F1/0036

  Magneto-optical materials · CPC title

• G02F1/09 Primary

  based on magneto-optical elements, e.g. exhibiting Faraday effect · CPC title

• G02B2207/107

  Porous materials, e.g. for reducing the refractive index · CPC title