Hybrid electro-active lens

• US 20050073739A1
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E-Vision Optics LLC
• Original Assignee: e-Vision, LLC (New Smart Optics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kippelen, Bernard, Meredith, Gerald, Mathine, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,019,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/319
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00009 Production of simple or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/0073 Optical laminates
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00817 Producing electro-active lenses or lenses with energy receptors, e.g. batteries or antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/048 Means for stabilising the orientation of lenses in the eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/083 Electrooptic lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/101 having an electro-optical light valve electro-optical elements per se G02F
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133371 Cells with varying thickness of the liquid crystal layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133553 Reflecting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13415 Drop filling process
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/29 for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/294 Variable focal length devices

Abstract

An electro-active lens is disclosed. The lens includes at least one electro-active cell to provide a lens having at least two focal lengths, the electro-active cell capable of adjusting its focal length based on voltages applied to the electro-active cell. The voltage is supplied by an alternating current source, including a flying capacitor circuit. The electro-active lenses reduce birefringence through the use of a single cholesteric liquid crystal electro-active cell.

Claims

1. An electro-active lens comprising:

a first electro-active cell;

a second electro-active cell; and

a flying capacitor circuit connected to the electro-active cells to supply voltage having only alternating current in an activated state,

wherein the first and second electro-active cells are adjacent to each other and aligned orthogonal to each other in an unactivated state.

2. The electro-active lens of claim 1, wherein the flying capacitor circuit further comprises at least six CMOS transistors.

3. The electro-active lens of claim 2, wherein the flying capacitor circuit further comprises at least two capacitors, wherein the flying capacitor circuit is capable of providing a two-phase signal output.

4. An electro-active lens comprising at least one electro-active cell comprising phase-wrapped zones, wherein wrapping spacing from fixed focal length values expands as the radius of the phase-wrapped zones increases.

5. An electro-active lens comprising at least one electro-active cell, the electro-active cell further comprising subzones, each subzone defined by at least one electrode, wherein each subzone of the electro-active cell is of equal area.

6. The electro-active lens of claim 5, wherein the step of phase retardation is 2π

divided by the total number of zones.

7. The electro-active lens of claim 5, further comprising at least one electrical bus, wherein the electrodes of one subzone are ganged with the electrodes with at least one other subzone.

8. The electro-active lens of claim 7, wherein multiple buses are shunted together.

9. The electro-active lens of claim 8, wherein the shunted buses are capable of re-establishing a wrapping point to create a new number of zones.

10. The electro-active lens of claim 8, wherein the multiple buses are shunted together according to integer factors.

11. An electro-active lens comprising at least one electro-active cell, wherein the electro-active cell comprises a cholesteric liquid crystal having a minimum twist angle of π

radians.

12. The electro-active lens of claim 11 further comprising a pitch of less than or equal to about 20 micrometers.

13. The electro-active cell of claim 11, wherein the electro-active cell is connected to a source of alternating current, wherein the alternating current is phase and frequency synchronized at a voltage of less than about 10 V and at a frequency of less than about 10 KHz.