Tinted optical article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9958706-B2
Application number	US-201615095392-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2016
Priority date	Apr 23, 2015
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A tinted optical article includes an optical substrate providing with an optical filter wherein the optical filter is configured to selectively emit light in at least one selected range of wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum of 460 nm to 530 nm, allowing retinal exposure of a wearer eye to chronobiological blue-enriched light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tinted optical article comprising an optical substrate with an optical filter, wherein:
the optical article has a front and rear face, the rear face configured to be located proximate to a wearer eye,
the optical filter is configured to selectively emit light in at least one selected range of wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum of 460 nm to 530 nm, allowing retinal exposure of a wearer eye located proximate to the rear face of the optical article to said at least one selected range of wavelengths of light without impairing the tint of the optical article, and
the optical filter is configured to selectively and substantially reflect the selected range of wavelength of light that impinges the rear face of the optical article in the direction of said wearer eye such that the optical filter emits the selected range of wavelength of light to said wearer eye.

2. The tinted optical article according to claim 1 further configured to solar protection.

3. The tinted optical article according to claim 2 further configured as electrochromic, photochromic and/or polarized optical article.

4. The tinted optical article according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one selected range of wavelengths of light is centered on a wavelength within the range 480 nm to 510 nm, with a bandwidth in a range from 20 nm to 70 nm.

5. The tinted optical article according to claim 2 , wherein the optical filter comprises at least a luminescent agent which emits light within the at least one selected range of wavelengths of light.

6. The tinted optical article according to claim 1 further configured as electrochromic, photochromic and/or polarized optical article.

7. The tinted optical article according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one selected range of wavelengths of light is centered on a wavelength within the range 480 nm to 510 nm, with a bandwidth in a range from 20 nm to 70 nm.

8. The tinted optical article according to claim 1 , wherein the optical filter is configured to selectively emit light within the at least one selected range of wavelengths of light with an emission rate greater than or equal to 50%.

9. The tinted optical article according to claim 1 , wherein the optical filter comprises at least a luminescent agent which emits light within the at least one selected range of wavelengths of light.

10. The tinted optical article according to claim 9 , wherein the luminescence agent is a phosphorescent material or a fluorescent material which emits light respectively by phosphorescence and by fluorescence in the at least one selected range of wavelengths of light.

11. The tinted optical article according to claim 10 , wherein the fluorescent material comprises fluorescents nanoparticles such as quantum dots.

12. The tinted optical article according to claim 10 , wherein the fluorescent material is a fluorescent molecule which absorbs energy in the UV portion of the light spectrum and re-emits it in the selected range of wavelengths of light.

13. The tinted optical article according to claim 10 , wherein the fluorescent material is a fluorescent molecule which absorbs energy in the harmful blue light portion of the light spectrum and re-emits it in the selected range of wavelengths of light.

14. The tinted optical article according to claim 9 , wherein the fluorescent material is a fluorescent molecule which absorbs energy in the UV portion of the light spectrum and re-emits it in the selected range of wavelengths of light.

15. The tinted optical article according to claim 9 , wherein the fluorescent material is a fluorescent molecule which absorbs energy in the harmful blue light portion of the light spectrum and re-emits it in the selected range of wavelengths of light.

16. The tinted optical article according to claim 1 wherein the optical filter is an interferential filter.

17. The tinted optical article according to claim 16 wherein the interferential filter exhibits a reflectance spectral profile having:
an average reflectance over the selected range of wavelengths which is greater than or equal to 50%, and
a maximum reflectivity at a wavelength within the range of 480 nm to 510 nm included, with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) less than or equal to 70 nm.

18. The tinted optical article according to claim 16 wherein the optical filter is a photonic crystal optical filter.

19. A method of treating a subject suffering from chronobiological disorders, which comprises: providing the subject in need thereof with the tinted optical article of claim 1 , for the subject to wear.

Assignees

• Essilor Int

Inventors

• Baillet Gilles

Classifications

• G02C7/104 Primary

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

• G02B1/005

  made of photonic crystals or photonic band gap materials (photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices in integrated optics G02B6/1225; photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices in optical fibres G02B6/02295) · CPC title

• G02C7/10

  Filters, e.g. for facilitating adaptation of the eyes to the dark; Sunglasses · CPC title

• G02C7/12

  Polarisers · CPC title

• G02C7/108

  Colouring materials · CPC title