Electro-active multi-focal spectacle lens

• US 6,857,741 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: E-Vision Optics LLC
• Original Assignee: e-Vision, LLC (New Smart Optics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blum, Ronald D., Duston, Dwight P., Kokonaski, William
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, JORDAN MARC
• Application Number:
  US10/422,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20040027501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 351/159, 351/41, 351/44, 351/168, 351/161, 351163-165, 351/169, 351176-177
• US Class Current: 351/168
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0285 Phoropters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• 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

Electro-active multi-focal spectacles are disclosed. The spectacles have a stack of at least two electro-active regions. The electro-active regions produce a plurality of viewing correction zones. The spectacles also have a controller for independently activating the electro-active regions to produce viewing correction zones. An electro-active multi-focal spectacle having a blending zone is also disclosed. The blending zone provides a transition of optical power between viewing correction zones.

Claims

1. A multi-focal electro-active spectacle comprising:

an electro-active lens comprising a stack of at least two electro-active regions to produce a plurality of zones with different viewing corrections; and

a controller for independently activating each electro-active region to produce the plurality of zones with different viewing corrections.

2. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, further comprising a far viewing correction zone produced by a fixed distance optical.

3. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of zones for viewing correction is a far-intermediate zone for viewing correction.

4. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 3, wherein the viewing correction provided by the far-intermediate zone is about 0.25 diopter to about 2.0 diopter.

5. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 3, wherein the viewing correction provided by the far-intermediate zone is about 0.25 diopter to about 0.75 diopter.

6. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein the stack of at least two electro-active regions produce at least near and near-intermediate zones for viewing correction.

7. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein the stack of at least two electro-active regions produce at least near, near-intermediate and far-intermediate zones for viewing correction.

8. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein the lens has a stack of at least three electro-active regions.

9. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 8, wherein the at least three electro-active regions produce at least near, near-intermediate, and far-intermediate zones for viewing correction.

10. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 9, wherein the near zone for viewing correction is produced by activating all three electro-active regions.

11. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 9, wherein the viewing correction of the far-intermediate zone is additive to viewing correction of the near and near-intermediate zones.

12. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 8, wherein the at least three electro-active regions are all of the same area.

13. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 8, wherein one of the electro-active regions has a smaller area than the at least two other electro-active regions.

14. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 13, wherein the smaller electro-active region is the distal-most electro-active region with respect to a pupil when the lens is worn by a patient.

15. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 13, wherein the smaller electro-active region is the proximal-most electro-active region with respect to a pupil when the lens is worn by a patient.

16. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 13, wherein the smaller electro-active region is in between at least two other electro-active regions.

17. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of viewing correction zones are centered over a pupil.

18. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of viewing correction zones are vertically de-centered from a pupil.

19. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of viewing correction zones are horizontally de-centered from a pupil.

20. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of viewing correction zones are de-centered from a pupil outside of a near correction zone.

21. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, wherein the electro-active regions are substantially rectangular.

22. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 1, further comprising at least one electro-active blending zone between the plurality of viewing correction zones to provide a transition of optical power between the viewing correction zones.

23. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 22, wherein optical power in the blending zone decreases linearly from higher optical power to lower optical power, as the plurality of viewing correction zones transition from higher optical power to lower optical power.

24. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 22, wherein optical power in the blending zone decreases exponentially from higher optical power to lower optical power, as the plurality of viewing correction zones transition from higher optical power to lower optical power.

25. The multi-focal electro-active spectacle of claim 22, wherein optical power in the blending zone decreases by a polynomial function from higher optical power to lower optical power, as the plurality of viewing correction zones transition from higher optical power to lower optical power.

26. An electro-active lens comprising:

two stacked electro-active regions, in which a first region produces a near and near-intermediate viewing correction zone when activated and in which a second region produces a far-intermediate viewing correction zone when activated, only one electro-active region activated at any one time; and

a controller for independently activating each electro-active region to produce the plurality of zones with different viewing corrections.

27. An electro-active lens comprising:

three stacked electro-active regions which produce a near viewing correction zone when three electro-active regions are activated and which produce a near-intermediate viewing correction zone when two electro-active regions are activated and which produce a far-intermediate viewing correction zone when only one electro-active region is activated; and

a controller for independently activating each electro-active region to produce the plurality of zones with different viewing corrections.

28. The electro-active lens of claim 27 wherein the three electro-active regions are all of the same area.

29. The electro-active lens of claim 27 wherein one of the three electro-active regions is smaller in area than the remaining two electro-active regions.

30. The electro-active lens of claim 29 wherein the electro-active region of smaller area provides about 50 percent of the optical power for near viewing correction.

31. The electro-active lens of claim 30 wherein the remaining two electro-active regions each provide about 25 percent of the optical power for near viewing correction.