Electro-optic lens with integrated components for varying refractive properties

• US 20060098164A1
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E-Vision Optics LLC
• Original Assignee: e-Vision, LLC (New Smart Optics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Duston, Dwight P., Blum, Ronnald D., Kokonasld, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,517,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/177
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/16 Laminated or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/18 Cellular lens surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/20 Diffractive and Fresnel lenses or lens portions
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/22 Correction of higher order and chromatic aberrations, wave front measurement and calculation
• 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

A lens system for dynamically correcting refractive error is disclosed, the lens system comprising: a lens having at least one electro-active element having a refractive property that is alterable, the lens being capable of being shaped to fit a housing without hindering performance of the electro-active element, a controller in communication with each of the at least one electro-active element thereto, and an input generator adapted for generating an input signal and transmitting the input signal to the controller, the input signal being generated based at least in part on an input parameter.

Claims

1. A lens system for dynamically correcting refractive error, the lens system comprising:

a lens having at least one electro-active element having a refractive property that is alterable, the lens being capable of being shaped to fit a housing without hindering performance of the electro-active element;

a controller in communication with each of the at least one electro-active element thereto; and

an input generator adapted for generating an input signal and transmitting the input signal to the controller, the input signal being generated based at least in part on an input parameter.

2. A lens system according to claim 1 wherein the input parameter is one of the set consisting of:

an orientation or position of an eye of a user of the lens system, a velocity of the eye, an acceleration of the eye, a viewing distance, a rate of change of the viewing distance, an orientation or position of the head of a user of the lens system, a change in orientation or position of the head, a velocity of the head, an acceleration of the head, an input from a manual switch, a lead time, a lag time, a time constant other than lead time or lag time, and an ambient temperature.

3. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the input generator comprises means for determining a viewing distance based at least in part on the relative position and orientation of two eyes of a user.

4. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens system is capable of determining a viewing distance based at least in part on the orientation of at least one of a user'"'"'s eyes with respect to a 180 degree meridian of the lens, and wherein an orientation above the 180 degree meridian is associated with a far viewing distance.

5. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the input generator comprises a manual switch capable of generating an input signal associated with at least two discrete viewing distances.

6. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the input generator comprises a manual switch capable of generating an input signal associated with a continuously variable viewing distance.

7. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens is capable of providing a far vision refractive property when no communication is sent to the at least one electro-active element.

8. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the input generator is adapted to determine a viewing distance in response to a change in orientation or position of the head.

9. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens has a plurality of electro-active elements and the controller is capable of changing the refractive properties of the electro-active elements in a time lapsed sequence to create at least one mid-range or at least one near-range refractive property as the system changes from a far-range focusing refractive property to a near-range focusing refractive property, or as the system changes from a near-range focusing refractive property to a far-range focusing refractive property.

10. The lens system of claim 9, wherein the controller is capable of changing the refractive properties of the electro-active elements in a time lapsed sequence to create multiple mid-range refractive properties and is capable of adjusting an amount of time that each electro-active element remains at each mid-range refractive property.

11. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens has a plurality of electro-active elements at least two of which are adjacent one another, and wherein the controller is adapted to maintain a refractive index differential between the adjacent electro-active elements of not more than 0.05 units of refractive index.

12. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens comprises a non-electro-active optic with an index of refraction that is approximately equal to the index of refraction of the at least one electro-active element in an un-activated state.

13. The lens system of claim 11, wherein the non-electro-active optic and the at least one electro-active element are bonded together by an adhesive layer to form a laminate.

14. The lens system of claim 1, further comprising at least one anti-reflective coating.

15. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens has a plurality of electro-active elements and the controller is capable of activating a partial field set comprising less than all of the electro-active elements.

16. The lens system of claim 1, wherein:

the lens has a plurality of electro-active elements;

the input generator is capable of generating an input signal associated with an eye orientation; and

the controller is capable of receiving the input signal, determining a line of sight at least partially based on the eye orientation, and selectively activating at least one electro-active elements that intersects the line of sight.

17. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the controller and the at least one electro-active element are adapted to at least partially correct for at least one non-conventional refractive error based at least in part on an input signal from the input generator.

18. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the controller and the at least one electro-active element are adapted to at least partially correct for at least one non-conventional refractive error based at least in part on a first input signal associated with a first input parameter and a second input signal associated with a second input parameter.

19. The refractive error of claim 1, wherein the refractive error is conventional refractive error.

20. The refractive error of claim 1, wherein the refractive error is a non-conventional refractive error.

21. The refractive error of claim 1, wherein the refractive error is that of prespbyopia.

22. The refractive error of claim 1, wherein the refractive error is an aberration of the eye other than myopia, hyperopia, regular astigmatism and presbyopia.

23. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens system is that of an eyeglass lens.

24. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens system is associated with that of a refractor or phoropter.

25. The lens system of claim 1, wherein the lens system is associated with that of a wavefront device or auto-refractor.

26. The lens of claim 1, wherein the lens is an ophthalmic lens.

27. A method for varying refractive properties of a lens system, wherein the lens system comprises:

a lens having at least one electro-active element having a refractive property that is alterable, the lens being capable of being shaped to fit a housing without hindering performance of the electro-active element;

a controller in communication with each of the at least one electro-active element thereto; and

an input generator adapted for generating an input signal and transmitting the input signal to the controller, the input signal being generated based at least in part on an input parameter, and wherein the method comprises;

generating an input signal by an input generator;

receiving an input signal by the controller; and

controlling the refractive property of the at least one electro-active element.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the input parameter is one of the set consisting of:

an orientation or position of an eye of a user of the lens system, a velocity of the eye, an acceleration of the eye, a viewing distance, a rate of change of the viewing distance, an orientation or position of the head of a user of the lens system, a change in orientation or position of the head, a velocity of the head, an acceleration of the head, an input from a manual switch, a lead time, a lag time, a time constant other than lead time or lag time, and an ambient temperature.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the input parameter is associated with a viewing distance, and the viewing distance is determined based at least partly on triangulation based on the orientation of two eyes.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the input parameter is associated with a viewing distance, and the viewing distance is determined based at least partly on the orientation of at least one eye with respect to a 180 degree meridian of the lens, and wherein an orientation above the 180 degree meridian is associated with a far viewing distance.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the input parameter is associated with a manual switch, and the manual switch is associated with at least two discrete viewing distances.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the input parameter is associated with a manual switch, and the manual switch is associated with a continuously variable viewing distance.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the lens system provides far vision refractive properties when the controller is not operating.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the viewing distance is determined at least partly based on a change in the orientation or movement of the head.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the controller changes a refractive property of an electro-active element in a time lapsed sequence to create at least one mid-range or at least one near-range refractive property as the system changes from a far-range focusing refractive property to a near-range focusing refractive property, or to create at least one mid-range or at least one near-range refractive property as the system changes from a near-range focusing refractive property to a far-range refractive property.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the controller changes a refractive property of the electro-active element in a time lapsed sequence to create multiple mid-range refractive properties, and adjusts the amount of time that the electro-active element remains at each mid-range refractive property.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the refractive index differential of adjacent electro-active elements is not permitted to exceed 0.05 units of refractive index.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the controller activates a partial field set comprising less than all of the electro-active elements.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein the input signal is associated with an eye orientation, and the controller is generates a line of sight at least partially based on the eye orientation, and the controller activates electro-active elements that intersect the line of sight, and the controller simultaneously does not activate electro-active elements that do not intersect the line of sight.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein the controller receives at least one input signal associated with the eye orientation, or at least one input signal associated with the viewing distance, and the controller uses one of said signals to at least partially correct for at least one non-conventional refractive error.

41. The method of claim 27, wherein the controller receives at least two input signals, and wherein a first input signal is associated with the eye orientation, and a second input signal is associated with the viewing distance, and wherein the controller uses both input signals to at least partially correct for at least one non-conventional refractive error.

42. The method for varying refractive properties of a lens system of claim 27, wherein the lens system is that of an eyeglass lens.

43. The method for varying refractive properties of a lens system of claim 27, wherein the lens system is associated with that of a refractor or phoropter.

44. The method for varying refractive properties of a lens system of claim 27, wherein the lens system is associated with that of a wavefront device or auto-refractor.

45. The method for varying refractive properties of a lens system of claim 27, wherein the lens is an ophthalmic lens.