Optical lens with variable focal length

• US 7,864,440 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invenios France SAS (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Varioptic (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berge, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins; Darryl J
• Application Number:
  US12/515,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20100020285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 351159-176, 359665-667
• US Class Current: 359/666
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/004 based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/14 of variable focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/085 Fluid-filled lenses, e.g. electro-wetting lenses

Abstract

The invention concerns an optical lens comprising a cavity formed by two transparent windows and a peripheral frame positioned in between, said cavity containing first and second liquids, non miscible, forming an interface, said interface being movable by electrowetting on a wall of said peripheral frame by application of a voltage between first and second electrodes, wherein said wall has a non symmetrical revolution surface, the geometrical shape of which is calculated such that said interface is of a predetermined shape, for example substantially spherical, for at least one value of said voltage.

Claims

1. An optical lens comprising:

a cavity formed by two transparent windows and a peripheral frame positioned in between the two transparent windows, said cavity containing first and second liquids, non-miscible, forming an interface, said interface being movable by electrowetting on a wall of said peripheral frame by application of a voltage between first and second electrodes,

wherein said wall has a non-symmetrical revolution surface, the geometrical shape of which is calculated such that said interface is of a substantially spherical or elliptical shape for at least one value of said voltage.

2. The optical lens according to claim 1, wherein the geometrical shape of the wall is calculated using finite elements method calculation.

3. The optical lens according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the windows is a fixed lens.

4. The optical lens according to claim 1, wherein the cavity and the electrodes are made of transparent material.

5. A spectacles comprising at least one optical lens according to claim 1, and adjustment means to control the focal length of said optical lens.

6. The spectacles according to claim 5, wherein the adjustment means are manual.

7. The spectacles according to claim 5, wherein the adjustment means are automatic and comprise a distance measurement device to estimate the distance of an object to be viewed by an user of the spectacles.

8. The spectacles according to claim 5, wherein the adjustment means are automatic and comprise a device for measuring the convergence of an user'"'"'s eyes.

9. The spectacles according to claim 5, further comprising a power control for electrical alimentation of the adjustment means.

10. The spectacles according to claim 9, wherein the power control is an autonomous power supply arranged on the spectacles.

11. A method for forming an optical lens, comprising:

providing a cavity formed by two transparent windows and a peripheral frame positioned in between, said cavity containing first and second liquids being non-miscible and forming an interface, said interface being movable by electrowetting on a wall of said peripheral frame by application of a voltage between first and second electrodes, said wall having a non-symmetrical revolution surface; and

calculating the geometrical shape of said wall such that a substantially spherical or elliptical shape of the interface is generated for at least one value of said voltage.

12. The method for forming an optical lens according to claim 11, wherein the geometrical shape of said wall is calculated using finite elements method calculation.

13. The method for forming an optical lens according to claim 11, wherein the optical lens has a variable optical power.

14. The method for forming an optical lens according to claim 13, wherein the geometrical shape of said wall is calculated such that the interface is substantially spherical for n positions of the interface on said wall, n being greater than or equal to two.