RANDOMLY PIXELLATED OPTICAL COMPONENT, ITS FABRICATION METHOD AND ITS USE IN THE FABRICATION OF A TRANSPARENT OPTICAL ELEMENT

• US 20090115962A1
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Essilor International SA (EssilorLuxottica SA)
• Original Assignee: Essilor International SA (EssilorLuxottica SA)
• Inventors: Bovet, Christian, Cano, Jean-Paul, Mathieu, Gilles
• Granted Patent: US 8,052,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/159
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00009 Production of simple or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00634 Production of filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/18 Cellular lens surfaces
• 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: G02C 7/102 Photochromic filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/12 Polarisers

Abstract

An optical component (10) comprises at least one transparent set of cells (15) juxtaposed parallel to a surface of the component, each cell having a size and a geometry that are different from those of its neighbours forming a network of cells with random distribution and random geometry, parallel to the surface of the component. Each cell is hermetically sealed and contains at least one substance with optical property. The invention also comprises a method of producing such an optical component and its use in the fabrication of an optical element. The optical element can in particular be a spectacle lens.

Claims

1. Optical component comprising at least one transparent set of cells juxtaposed parallel to a surface of the component, each cell having a size and a geometry that are different from those of its neighbours forming a network of cells with random distribution and random geometry, parallel to the surface of the component.

2. Optical component according to claim 1, comprising at least one transparent set of cells as described previously, in which each cell is hermetically sealed and contains at least one substance with optical property.

3. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the cells have any finite geometrical shape comprising segments and/or arcs of circle, each segment or arc of circle being identical or different within each cell, and a distribution over the whole of the surface of said optical component having no short distance order of translation.

4. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the network of cells with random distribution and random geometry represents a macro-mesh pattern, said macro-mesh being able to cover the whole of the surface of the optical component.

5. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the network of cells with random distribution and random geometry represents a macro-mesh pattern, said macro-mesh being periodically replicated over the whole of the surface of the optical component.

6. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the network of cells with random distribution and random geometry represents a macro-mesh pattern, said macro-mesh being replicated aperiodically over the whole of the surface of the optical component.

7. Optical component according to claim 5, in which the macro-mesh replicated according to a periodic or aperiodic distribution is identical or different over the whole of the surface of the optical component.

8. Optical component according to claim 4, in which the macro-mesh has a surface area at least identical to the surface area of said optical component.

9. Optical component according to claim 5, in which the replication of the macro-mesh over the whole of the surface of the optical component consists of a periodic or aperiodic distribution of said macro-mesh, said distribution not leaving any free space unoccupied by at least one macro-mesh on said surface of the optical component.

10. Optical component according to claim 5, in which the periodicity of the distribution of the macro-mesh represents a quadratic mesh, having four sides of identical or different lengths and two axes of translation.

11. Optical component according to claim 5, in which the macro-mesh has a geometry chosen from square and hexagonal.

12. Optical component according to claim 6, in which the aperiodicity of the distribution of the macro-mesh is produced without short-distance or long-distance order of translation.

13. Optical component according to claim 6, in which the aperiodic replication of the macro-mesh comprises a Penrose tiling.

14. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the cells are separated by walls of thickness (e) in a range between 0.10 μ

m to 5 μ

m.

15. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the set of cells advantageously forms a layer of height (h) in a range between 1 μ

m to 50 μ

m inclusive.

16. Optical component according to claim 1, in which, parallel to the surface of said component, the cells have, between two opposite walls, a maximum distance (D) of 500 μ

m.

17. Optical component according to claim 16, in which the distance (D) is in a range between 1 μ

m to 200 μ

m.

18. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the surface area of each cell within a macro-mesh represents a surface area between an identical value and a value to within ±

70%.

19. Optical component according to claim 18, in which the surface area of each cell within a macro-mesh represents a surface area between an identical value and a value to within ±

50%.

20. Optical component according to claim 18, in which the surface area of each cell within a macro-mesh represents a surface area between an identical value and a value to within ±

10%.

21. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the fill factor is in a range between 90% to 99.5% inclusive.

22. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the straight-line segment on one side of a wall forming the network of cells is broken down into unaligned continuous subsegments and/or into curvilinear segments.

23. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the arc of circle on one side of a wall forming the network of cells is broken down into unaligned continuous subsegments and/or into curvilinear segments.

24. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the set of cells is formed directly on a rigid transparent support, or within a flexible transparent film which is then transferred onto a rigid transparent support.

25. Optical component according to claim 24, in which said rigid transparent support can be convex, concave or flat on the side receiving the set of cells.

26. Optical component according to claim 1, in which the substance with optical property contained in at least some of the cells of said optical component is in liquid or gel form.

27. Optical component according to claim 26, in which said substance has at least one of the optical properties chosen from coloration, photochromism, polarization and refraction index.

28. Method for producing an optical component according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps:

forming on a substrate a network of cells parallel to said surface of the component, said network of cells having a random distribution and a random geometry;

the collective or individual filling of the cells with the substance with optical property in liquid or gel form;

and sealing the cells on their side opposite to the substrate.

29. Method according to claim 28, in which the network of cells with random distribution and random geometry is determined by digital simulation and/or digital optimization based on a network of cells with geometrical and periodic distribution, said simulation and/or optimization comprising in particular the following steps:

defining a network of cells with polygonal mesh repeated periodically, displacing the nodes of the polygonal meshes in a plane according to one or more methods chosen from any displacement limited in the space, which represents preferentially a displacement around a point, a displacement around a circle and a displacement around a square;

optionally, adding new points, as mesh nodes, which themselves can be displaced according to the methods described previously;

producing a histogram of the segments and straight lines able to link the mesh nodes by digital simulation and/or optimization;

and stopping the iteration of the simulation and/or the optimization until all the directions are obtained, that is, until a representation is obtained of all the diffraction propagation directions in order to obtain a spread diffraction.

30. Method according to claim 28, in which the determination of the meshing of cells with random distribution and geometry is performed by digital simulation and/or optimization based on a matrix comprising a periodically repeated polygonal mesh of hexagonal or square geometry.

31. Method according to claim 28, in which the digital simulation and/or optimization based on a meshing of cells with periodic distribution and regular geometry generates a meshing of cells with random distribution and random geometry in which:

the transmission of the wall is minimized to eliminate the modulation term as a function of the phase;

the geometry of the cells is modified so as to break the diffraction lines emitted by the nodes of the meshes of the walls, the modification of the geometry being obtained by the displacement of each node in a bidirectional plane (x, y) according to two centred random variables;

the diffracted energy of the spurious orders is distributed in space by scrambling according to the directions corresponding to the diffraction image of a meshing of cells with periodic distribution and regular geometry.

32. Method according to claim 28, in which the digital simulation results in the definition of a random meshing of cells in which:

the preferred diffraction directions are broken up;

the sum of the wall lengths is increased by controlled manner compared to the reference meshing, that is, the meshing of cells with periodic distribution and regular geometry;

the average surface area of the meshes and their footprint is controlled between the reference meshing and the random meshing.

33. Method according to claim 29, in which the step for determining a network of cells with random distribution and random geometry is performed by digital simulation of points in a two-dimensional plane.

34. Method according to claim 29, in which the step for determining a network of cells with random distribution and random geometry is performed by digital optimization of points in a two-dimensional plane

35. Method according to claim 28, in which the production of the optical component comprises the formation of the set of cells on a rigid transparent support.

36. Method according to claim 35, in which the production of the optical component comprises the formation of the set of cells within a flexible transparent film followed by the transfer of said film onto a rigid transparent support.

37. Method according to claim 28, in which the rigid transparent support is convex, concave or flat on the side receiving the set of cells.

38. Method of producing a transparent optical element, comprising the following steps:

producing a transparent optical component according to claim 28;

and at least one step for cutting said optical component along a contour defined on said surface, corresponding to a shape determined for the optical element.

39. Production method according to claim 38, additionally comprising a step for drilling through said optical component to fix the optical element onto its securing support.

40. Use of an optical component according to claim 1 in the fabrication of a transparent optical element chosen from ophthalmic lenses, contact lenses, ocular implants, lenses for optical instruments, filters, optical sighting lenses, ocular visors and optics for lighting devices.

41. Spectacle lens, produced by cutting an optical component according to claim 1.

42. Spectacle lens according to claim 41, in which at least one hole is drilled through the component to fix the lens to a frame.