Adaptive Spectacles with External Position Sensor for Focus Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrically-tunable lenses in adaptive spectacles face challenges in automatically adjusting focus and optical center to align with the user's line-of-sight, particularly when viewing close objects or using devices like mobile phones, which can lead to poor vision correction and increased eye strain for individuals with presbyopia.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising adaptive spectacles with electrically-tunable lenses and a mobile device that uses a sensor, controller, and interface to detect the relative position of the spectacles with respect to a display screen, calculating and adjusting the refractive power and optical center of the lenses to align with the user's line-of-sight, thereby improving vision correction and reducing eye strain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrically-tunable lenses are used in adaptive spectacles, then vision correction capability is improved, but the system complexity increases due to integration with external control devices
Solution Approach 1:
A mobile device serves as an intermediary between the sensor and the electrically-tunable lenses. The mobile device receives sensor data, calculates the required lens adjustments, and sends control commands to the spectacles, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining advanced vision correction capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: the adaptive spectacles containing the tunable lenses, a mobile device for processing and control, and a sensor for detection. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while reducing integration complexity
2Ease of operation
If the system automatically adjusts focus and optical center, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and control circuitry
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-adjustment by automatically detecting the user's viewing conditions through the sensor and adjusting the lens parameters without user intervention. The mobile device executes algorithms that calculate optimal lens settings based on detected position and orientation data
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device serves multiple functions: it acts as a controller for the lenses, a processor for calculating lens adjustments, and an interface for user interaction. This multi-functionality reduces the need for dedicated components in the spectacles themselves
3Reliability
If the optical center is aligned with the user's line-of-sight, then vision correction effectiveness is improved, but measurement precision requirements increase for detecting relative position
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the relative position between the spectacles and the display screen through the sensor and adjusts the lens optical center in real-time based on this feedback. This closed-loop control ensures accurate alignment even with moderate initial measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of the user's viewing position and pre-adjusts the lens parameters before the user actually needs clear vision. This anticipatory adjustment reduces the stringency of real-time measurement precision requirements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively adjusts the focus and optical center of the lenses to enhance vision correction for close objects, reducing eye strain and improving usability for individuals with presbyopia, and can be applied to various devices and environments, including vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
an electro-optical layer, having an effective local index of refraction at any given location within an active area of the electro-optical layer that is determined by a voltage waveform applied across the electro-optical layer at the location
Implementation Method 2
Liquid crystals are the electro-optical material that is most commonly used for this purpose (wherein the applied voltage rotates the molecules, which changes the axis of birefringence and thus changes the effective refractive index)
Data Source
AI summary
A system for controlling at least one focus aspect of adaptive spectacles (10) having at least one electrically-tunable lens (22), the system including a housing (14), which is physically separate from adaptive spectacles (10), a display screen (16) mounted in housing (14), a sensor (19) mounted in housing (14) and configured to detect a relative position of adaptive spectacles (10) with respect to display screen (16), an interface (17) configured to communicate with adaptive spectacles (10), and a controller (15) configured to receive an input signal from sensor (19), the input signal being indicative of the relative position of adaptive spectacles (10) with respect to display screen (16) and output, in response to the input signal, a command signal for sending to adaptive spectacles (10) via interface (17) to adjust the at least one focus aspect of the at least one electrically-tunable lens (22).