Variable-Cylinder Lens Actuator With Rotated Layer Stack
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of prescriptive lenses is inefficient and costly due to the multiple processing steps involved, particularly in ophthalmic lenses, where a significant amount of material is lost during subtractive manufacturing, and existing lenses do not allow for real-time adjustments to correct various optical aberrations for multiple users.
Innovation Solution
The development of multilayer optical elements with electroactive materials and conductive electrodes that can create variable spherical and cylindrical curvatures, enabling dynamic actuation to form high-quality prescriptive lenses with adjustable optical properties, such as antireflection and transparency, suitable for augmented and virtual reality devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional subtractive manufacturing is used to create prescriptive lenses, then manufacturing precision can be achieved, but material loss is significant and production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical subtractive manufacturing processes with a direct additive成型 process using electroactive polymer materials. The lenses are formed directly in their final shape through controlled polymerization and actuation, eliminating the need for material removal and subsequent polishing steps, thereby achieving high manufacturing precision while minimizing material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in the physical and chemical parameters of electroactive polymer materials during the manufacturing process. By controlling parameters such as monomer concentration, polymerization conditions, and applied electric fields, the lens curvature and optical properties are directly tuned during fabrication, achieving precise prescriptions without material loss.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional fixed-prescription lenses are manufactured, then production cost per lens is reduced, but adaptability for multiple users and real-time adjustments is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates electroactive polymer materials that can dynamically change their physical state and optical properties in response to applied electric fields. This allows the lenses to transition between different prescription states, enabling a single manufactured lens to adapt to multiple users and real-time adjustment needs while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multi-functional lenses that can serve multiple prescription requirements and user needs through a single manufacturing process. The electroactive polymer material provides both the structural lens function and the adaptive adjustment function, eliminating the need for multiple specialized lenses and improving overall versatility.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple processing steps are used for lens manufacturing, then optical quality can be improved, but productivity decreases and production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple traditional manufacturing steps into a single integrated process. The molding, actuation, and optical property tuning are combined into one continuous manufacturing operation using electroactive polymer materials, thereby maintaining high optical quality while significantly improving productivity and reducing production time.
4Adaptability or versatility
If electroactive materials and stacked actuator architecture are used, then adaptability and optical quality are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin-film electroactive polymer materials as both the lens substrate and the actuator material. This integration eliminates the need for separate complex actuator mechanisms, reducing device complexity while maintaining high adaptability and optical quality through the inherent properties of the electroactive polymer layers.
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
This solution allows for the creation of adjustable lenses that can be tuned in real-time to correct multiple prescriptions, reducing material waste and production costs while providing high-quality, customizable optical elements with improved actuation characteristics and optical clarity.
Implementation Method 1
The electroactive material may include a polymer and the actuator may include a stacked architecture including plural independently-electroded electromechanical layers
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator may be integrated into an optical element such as a liquid lens and configured to create spherical curvature as well as a variable cylinder radius and axis in a surface of the optical element. An example actuator may include a stack of electromechanical layers, and electrodes configured to apply an electric field independently across each of the electromechanical layers. Within the stack, an orientation of neighboring electromechanical layers may differ, e.g., stepwise, by at least approximately 10°.