Optical filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018239171-A1
Application number	US-201615754419-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 20, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Aug 23, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An optical filter including a polymeric multilayer optical film is provided. The optical film has a reflection band having a reflection band edge that is, independent of location, one of a short wavelength band edge at a short wavelength side of the reflection band and a long wavelength band edge at a long wavelength side of the reflection band. The reflection band edge has a normal incidence reflection band edge wavelength that varies with location and that is a first wavelength at a first location and a second wavelength at a second location different from the first location. The first wavelength may be higher than the second wavelength by at least 2 percent.

First claim

1 . An optical filter comprising a polymeric multilayer optical film, wherein the polymeric multilayer optical film has a reflection band having a first reflection band edge, the first reflection band edge having a location-dependent normal incidence first reflection band edge wavelength, wherein the first reflection band edge is, independent of location, one of a short wavelength band edge at a short wavelength side of the reflection band and a long wavelength band edge at a long wavelength side of the reflection band, and wherein the normal incidence first reflection band edge wavelength is a first wavelength at a first location and is a second wavelength at a second location different from the first location, the first wavelength higher than the second wavelength by at least 2 percent.

2 . The optical filter of claim 1 , wherein the reflection band has a normal incidence reflection band center wavelength that is higher at the first location than at the second location by at least 2 percent.

3 . The optical filter of claim 1 , wherein the normal incidence first reflection band edge wavelength substantially monotonically decreases in at least a portion of the polymeric multilayer optical film along an arc length from a first end of the portion closest to an edge of the lens to a second end of the portion opposite the first end.

4 . The optical filter of claim 1 , wherein for at least one portion of the film at normal incidence, the reflection band has a width (FWHM) of 60 nm or less, the polymeric multilayer optical film has an average internal transmission from 420-680 nm of at least 50%, and has an average internal transmission of 10% or less over a 10 nm wide wavelength range that includes 550 nm and is associated with the reflection band.

5 . The optical filter of claim 1 , wherein the first band edge is the long wavelength band edge, and wherein for at least some portions of the polymeric multilayer optical film at normal incidence, the long wavelength band edge is in a range from 420 to 440 nm, and the polymeric multilayer optical film has an average light transmission of less than 2% across the reflection band and transmits at least 80 percent of blue light at normal incidence having a wavelength that is 10 nm or greater than the long wavelength band edge.

6 . The optical filter of claim 1 , wherein the reflection band has a second band edge, the first band edge is the short wavelength band edge and the second band edge is the long wavelength band edge, and wherein for at least some portions of the polymeric multilayer optical film at normal incidence, the short wavelength band edge is at about 400 nm or less, the long wavelength band edge is in a range from 420 to 440 nm, and the polymeric multilayer optical film has an average light transmission of less than 2% across the reflection band and transmits at least 80 percent of blue light having a wavelength that is 10 nm or greater than the long wavelength band edge.

7 . The optical filter of claim 1 , wherein the reflection band has a second band edge, the first band edge is the short wavelength band edge and the second band edge is the long wavelength band edge, and wherein at least a portion of the polymeric multilayer optical film at normal incidence reflects at least 80 percent in a wavelength range from 440 nm to 480 nm and transmits greater than 50% of blue light at a wavelength of 10 nm longer than the long wavelength band edge and at a wavelength of 10 nm shorter than the short wavelength band edge.

8 . Eyewear comprising:
a first eyewear lens comprising a first optical filter according to claim 1 ; a second eyewear lens comprising a second optical filter according to claim 1 ; and a frame, the frame having a first lens mounting portion and a second lens mounting portion proximate the first lens mounting portion, the first eyewear lens mounted on the first lens mounting portion and the second eyewear lenses mounted on the second lens mounting portion.

9 . An optical filter comprising a polymeric multilayer optical film, the film having a reflection band,
wherein the film has a first reflection band edge wavelength for light incident on the lens at normal incidence at a first location, and has a second reflection band edge wavelength for light incident on the lens at a 25 degree incidence angle at the first location, the second reflection band edge wavelength differing from the first reflection band edge wavelength by a first percentage; wherein the film has a third reflection band edge wavelength for light incident on the lens at a 25 degree incidence angle at a second location different from the first location, the third reflection band edge wavelength differing from the first reflection band edge wavelength by a second percentage being less than one half of the first percentage; and wherein each of the first, second and third reflection band edge wavelengths are wavelengths of a short wavelength band edge at a short wavelength side of the reflection band or each of the first, second and third reflection band edge wavelengths are wavelengths of a long wavelength band edge at a long wavelength side of the reflection band.

10 . The optical filter of claim 9 ,
wherein the optical film has a first reflection band center wavelength for light incident on the lens at normal incidence at the first location, and has a second reflection band center wavelength for light incident on the lens at a 25 degree incidence angle at the first location, the second reflection band center wavelength differing from the first reflection band center wavelength by a third percentage, and wherein the optical film has a third reflection band center wavelength for light incident on the lens at a 25 degree incidence angle at the second location, the third reflection band center wavelength differing from the first reflection band center wavelength by a fourth percentage being less than one half of the third percentage.

11 . The optical filter of claim 10 , wherein an absolute value of a difference between the first and second reflection band center wavelengths is at least 12 nm and an absolute value of a difference between the first and third reflection band center wavelengths is less than 6 nm.

12 . The optical filter of claim 10 , wherein the optical film has a fourth reflection band center wavelength at a 30 degree incidence angle at the first location, the fourth reflection band center wavelength differing from the first reflection band center wavelength by a fifth percentage, and the optical film has a fifth reflection band center wavelength at a 30 degree incidence angle at a third location different from the first and second locations, the fifth reflection band center wavelength differing from the first reflection band center wavelength by a sixth percentage being less than one half of the fifth percentage.

13 . The optical filter of claim 9 , wherein when a first light ray is incident at the first location at normal incidence from an outer surface of the lens, it passes through a point proximate the lens opposite the outer surface; and when a second light ray is incident at the second location from the outer surface of the lens at a 25 degree incidence angle, it passes through the point.

14 . Eyewear comprising:
a first eyewear lens comprising a first optical filter according to claim 9 , a second eyewear lens comprising a second optical filter according to claim 9 , and a frame, the frame having a first lens mounting portion and a second lens mounting portion proximate the first lens mounting portion, the first eyewear lens mounted on the first lens mounting portion and the second eyewe

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Wold Chad R
• Weber Michael F
• Jordan Myron K

Classifications

• G02C7/105

  having inhomogeneously distributed colouring · CPC title

• G02C7/104

  having spectral characteristics for purposes other than sun-protection · CPC title

• G02B5/28

  Interference filters · CPC title

• G02B5/223

  containing organic substances, e.g. dyes, inks or pigments · CPC title

• G02C2202/16

  Laminated or compound lenses · CPC title