Eyeglasses and other lenses of variable focal length and means and method for varying such focal length
First Claim
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1. A variable focal length lens assembly comprising:
- a lens having two lens surfaces and a circumferential marginal portion, said lens consisting of a unitary body of resiliently deformable light conducting material so that the curvature of said two lens surfaces may be varied by varying a pressure applied to said lens along said marginal portion,a holder substantially surrounding said lens and engaging said marginal portion thereof so as to apply such a pressure to said lens,means for adjusting said holder to vary said pressure which it applies to said lens, anda range finder attached to said lens holder, said range finder includinga signal emitter for projecting a distance sensing signal generally along a line toward an object to be brought into focus,a signal receiver for receiving a portion of said projected signal reflected from said object,a detector associated with said signal emitter and said signal receiver for producing a distance signal related to the distance between them and said object, andmeans for adjusting said holder to vary said pressure which it applies to said lens in response to said distance signal.
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Abstract
An eyeglass apparatus having a variable focal length lens and an associated method for varying the focal length of the lens uses a lens having a focal length which is variable as pressure along the lens is varied. Focal length adjusting mechanisms carried by the eyeglass frames provide for manual or automatic adjustment of the lens focal length.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A variable focal length lens assembly comprising:
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a lens having two lens surfaces and a circumferential marginal portion, said lens consisting of a unitary body of resiliently deformable light conducting material so that the curvature of said two lens surfaces may be varied by varying a pressure applied to said lens along said marginal portion, a holder substantially surrounding said lens and engaging said marginal portion thereof so as to apply such a pressure to said lens, means for adjusting said holder to vary said pressure which it applies to said lens, and a range finder attached to said lens holder, said range finder including a signal emitter for projecting a distance sensing signal generally along a line toward an object to be brought into focus, a signal receiver for receiving a portion of said projected signal reflected from said object, a detector associated with said signal emitter and said signal receiver for producing a distance signal related to the distance between them and said object, and means for adjusting said holder to vary said pressure which it applies to said lens in response to said distance signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An eyeglass apparatus comprising:
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a frame to be worn by a user, a lens supported by said frame so that said lens is in the line of vision of the user, said lens having a variable focal length, a distance sensing signal emitter carried by said frame for projecting a distance sensing signal generally along said line of vision toward an object viewed by the user, a signal receiver supported by said frame for receiving a portion of said projected signal reflected from said viewed object, a detector associated with said signal emitter and said signal receiver for producing a distance signal related to the distance between said frame and said viewed object from which said signal is reflected, and focal length adjusting means responsive to said distance signal for adjusting said focal length of said lens. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for automatically adjusting a pair of eyeglasses to the distance between them and an object being viewed, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a pair of eyeglasses having lenses of variable focal length and an adjustment means for adjusting said focal length, sending signals toward an object to be viewed, receiving a portion of said signals reflected from said object, generating from said sent and received signals a distance signal representative of the distance between said eyeglasses and said viewed object, and using said distance signal to control adjustment of said adjustment means.
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Specification