Electroactive lens with multiple depth diffractive structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329309-B2
Application number	US-201213504721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2012
Priority date	Feb 27, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, switch a diffractive first electro-active lens from a first power state corresponding to a first optical power to a second power state corresponding to a second optical power that differs from said first optical power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a diffractive first electro-active lens comprising a Fresnel structure comprising:
a first zone defined by a first plurality of concentric rings, each ring from said first plurality of rings having a first radial cross-section height; and
a second zone defined by a second plurality of concentric rings, each ring from said second plurality of rings having a second radial cross section height,
wherein the first zone is closer to a center of the Fresnel structure than the second zone,
wherein said first radial cross-section height is smaller than said second radial cross-section height.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said first radial cross-section height is substantially equal to a first integer multiple of predetermined wavelength of light.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said first radial cross-section height is substantially equal to a first integer multiple of a quotient corresponding to a predetermined wavelength of light divided into a difference in refractive index, the difference in refractive index being between the diffractive first electro-active lens and an electro-active material in optical communication with the Fresnel structure; and
said second radial cross-section height is substantially equal to a second integer multiple of said quotient.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said first radial cross-section height is substantially equal to a first integer multiple of a quotient corresponding to a predetermined wavelength of light divided into a difference of a first refractive index of the diffractive first electro-active lens that corresponds to when said lens is electrically powered and a second refractive index of said lens that corresponds to when said lens is not electrically powered, and
said second radial cross-section height is substantially equal to a second integer multiple of said quotient.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said Fresnel structure is formed in a first substrate.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said Fresnel structure is optically coupled to a liquid crystal.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said Fresnel structure is formed in a first substrate that is flooded with a liquid crystal.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said Fresnel structure is formed in a first substrate that, in cooperation with a second substrate, sandwiches a liquid crystal.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said first zone is located adjacent to said second zone.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said first electro-active lens is an ophthalmic lens.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said system is a camera.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said system is a projector.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said system is a solar concentrator.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said system comprises a second electro-active lens.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said system comprises a refractive electro-active lens.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said system comprises a fluidic lens.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
said system comprises a conventional refractive lens.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of said first plurality of concentric rings has a rounded outer corner.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of said first plurality of concentric rings has a rounded inner corner.

20. A method comprising:
in a system comprising:
a diffractive first electro-active lens comprising a Fresnel structure comprising:
a first zone defined by a first plurality of concentric rings, each ring from said first plurality of rings having a first radial cross-section height substantially equal to a first integer multiple of a predetermined wavelength of light; and
a second zone defined by a second plurality of concentric rings, each ring from said second plurality of rings having a second radial cross-section height substantially equal to a second integer multiple of the predetermined wavelength of light;
said first integer multiple differing from said second integer multiple;

switching said diffractive first electro-active lens from a first power state corresponding to a first optical power to a second power state corresponding to a second optical power that differs from said first optical power.

21. An electro-active lens system having a variable optical power, the electro-active lens system comprising:
an electro-active material having a variable refractive index to change the variable optical power of the electro-active lens system; and
a substrate, in optical communication with the electro-active material, having a refractive index, the substrate defining a diffractive structure comprising:
a first plurality of rings, each ring in the first plurality of rings having a first height approximately equal to a first integer multiple of a ratio of a predetermined wavelength of light to a difference in refractive index, the difference in refractive index being between the substrate and the electro-active material when it is electrically powered;
a plurality of rings, concentric to the first ring, each ring in the second plurality of rings having a second height approximately equal to a second integer multiple of the ratio.

22. The electro-active lens system of claim 21 , wherein the first plurality of rings defines a first peak in a first plane and the second plurality of rings defines a second peak in the first plane.

Assignees

• Van Heugten Anthony
• E Vision Smart Optics Inc

Inventors

• Van Heugten Anthony

Classifications

• G02B5/1876 Primary

  Diffractive Fresnel lenses; Zone plates; Kinoforms (G02B5/1842, G02B5/1847 take precedence; optical systems having diffractive correction means G02B27/0037; Fresnel lenses operating by refraction G02B3/08) · CPC title

• G02B3/14 Primary

  of variable focal length · CPC title

• G02F1/291

  Two-dimensional analogue deflection · CPC title

• G02F1/294

  Variable focal length devices · CPC title

• G02B3/08 Primary

  with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens {(diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876)} · CPC title