CN1662172A - Electro-active multi-focal spectacle lens - Google Patents

Abstract

Electro-active multi-focal spectacles are disclosed. The spectacles have a stack of at least two electro-active regions (5560), (5565) and (5570). 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.

Description

Electro-active multifocal lens

field of invention

The present invention relates to the field of optics. More specifically, the present invention relates to vision correction utilizing multifocal electro-active ophthalmic lenses.

Summary of the invention

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a multi-focal distance electro-active glasses are disclosed. The eyewear includes an electro-active lens comprising a stack of at least two electro-active regions to create a plurality of zones with different viewing corrections, and a controller for independently energizing each electro-active region. Regions to create multiple regions with different viewing corrections.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a multi-focus electro-active glasses are disclosed. The electro-active eyewear includes an electro-active lens comprising at least one electro-active zone to produce a plurality of zones with different viewing corrections, and at least one blend zone between the plurality of vision correction zones, the eyewear further comprising a controller, It is used to activate each electro-active zone independently to produce multiple zones for vision correction and at least one hybrid zone.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, an electro-active lens is disclosed. The lens comprises two stacked electro-active regions, the first of which when activated produces near and near-intermediate viewing correction zones and the second of which produces far-intermediate viewing correction when energized . The lens also includes a controller for energizing each electro-active zone independently.

Brief description of the drawings

A more complete understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active phoropter/refractor system 100 .

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another electro-active phoropter/refractor system 200 embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a conventional dispensing operation sequence 300 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 400 of dispensing.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of electro-active eyewear 500 .

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a prescription method 600 .

FIG. 7 is a front view of an embodiment of a hybrid electro-active spectacle lens 700 .

8 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a hybrid electro-active spectacle lens 700 taken along section line A-A of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 900 taken along section line Z-Z of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens system 1000 .

11 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a diffractive electro-active lens 1100 taken along section line Z-Z of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 12 is a front view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 1200 .

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 1200 taken along section line Q-Q of FIG. 12 .

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a tracking system 1400 .

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens system 1500 .

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens system 1600 .

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 1700 .

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 1800 .

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active refractive matrix (1900).

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2000 .

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an embodiment of electro-active eyewear 2100 .

FIG. 22 is a front view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2200 .

FIG. 23 is a front view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2300 .

FIG. 24 is a front view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2400 .

25 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2500 taken along section line Z-Z of FIG. 5 .

26 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2600 taken along section line Z-Z of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 2700 of dispensing.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2800 .

Figure 29 is a perspective view of an optical lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 30 is a perspective view of an optical lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 31 is a perspective view of an optical lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 32 is a perspective view of an optical lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 33 is an exploded perspective view of an optical lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 34 is an exploded perspective view of an optical lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 35a-35e illustrate an assembly process that may be accomplished according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 36a-36e illustrate an assembly process that may be accomplished according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 37a-37e illustrate an assembly process that may be accomplished according to yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 38 is an exploded perspective view of an integrated chip rangefinder and an integrated controller according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 39 is an exploded perspective view of an integrated control battery and integrated controller according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 40 is an exploded perspective view of an integrated controller rangefinder according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 41 is a perspective view of an optical lens system according to yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 42 is a perspective view of an optical lens system according to yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 43 is a perspective view of an optical lens system according to yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 44a is an exploded perspective view of an integrated power supply, controller and rangefinder according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 44b is a side cross-sectional view along the Z-Z' direction of the integrated power supply, controller and range finder in Fig. 44a according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 45 is a side cross-sectional view of the ranging transmitter of Figure 44b according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 46 is a side cross-sectional view of the ranging receiver of Figure 44b according to one embodiment of the present invention.

47a-47c are side views of a wearer of an optical lens system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 48 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 49 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 50 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 51 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 52 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 53a is a front view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 53b is a side view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 53c is a side view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 53d is a side view of electro-active glasses according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 54 is a front view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 55 is a front view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 55a is a side view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 55b is a side view of electro-active glasses according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 55c is a side view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 56 is a side view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 57 is a front view of electro-active eyewear according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment

In 1998, approximately 92 million eye exams were performed in the United States alone. Most of these examinations include a general examination of the inner and outer eye, analysis of muscular balance and eyes, determination of the cornea and, in most cases, the pupil, and finally a refraction examination, which is both objective and subjective .

A refraction test is performed to understand/diagnose the degree and type of refractive abnormalities in the patient's eye. The types of refractive errors that can currently be diagnosed and measured are nearsightedness, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. Current refractors (refractometers) attempt to correct patients to 20/20 distance and near vision and, in some cases, 20/15 distance vision; however, this is very exceptional Condition.

It should be noted that the theoretical limit of vision that the retina of the human eye can process and resolve is approximately 20/10. This is far better than the level of vision currently achieved with existing refractors (phoropters) and conventional spectacle lenses. What is missing from these conventional devices is the ability to measure, quantify and correct for non-conventional refractive abnormalities such as aberrations, irregular astigmatism or irregularities in the optic layer. These aberrations, irregular astigmatism, and/or visual layer irregularities may be caused by aberrations induced by the patient's visual system, conventional eyeglasses, or both.

Therefore, it would be highly advantageous to have a method of detecting, quantifying and correcting a patient's vision to as close to 20/10 or better as possible. Furthermore, it would also be advantageous if the above could be done in a very efficient and user-friendly manner.

The present invention uses a novel method to detect, quantify and correct a patient's vision. The method includes various innovative embodiments employing electro-active lenses. Furthermore, the present invention employs a novel method of selecting, formulating, activating and programming the electro-active eyewear.

For example, in one inventive embodiment, a novel electro-active phoropter/refractor is used. The electro-active phoropter/refractor employs substantially fewer lens assemblies than existing phoropters and is a fraction of the overall size and/or weight of existing phoropters. In fact, this exemplary embodiment of the invention includes only a pair of electro-active lenses housed in a frame that provides, by its own structural design and/or by a network of wires, the proper operation of the electro-active lenses. required electrical power.

To facilitate an understanding of certain embodiments of the invention, an explanation of various terms is now provided. In some cases, these descriptions are not intended to be limiting, but should be understood from a reading of the examples, specification and claims herein.

An "electro-active region" may comprise or be included in an electro-active structure, layer and/or region. An "electro-active region" may be part and/or all of an electro-active layer. One electro-active region may be adjacent to another electro-active region. An electro-active region may directly adjoin another electro-active region, or be indirectly connected to another electro-active region, such as with an insulator between each electro-active region. An "electro-active refractive matrix" may be an electro-active region and region, and may be directly attached to another electro-active region or indirectly connected to another electro-active layer, such as with an insulator between the electro-active layers. "Attach" may include soldering, deposition, bonding, and other known methods of attachment. A "controller" may include or be included in a processor, microprocessor, integrated circuit, IC, computer chip and/or chip. A "refractor" can contain a controller. An "autorefractor" may contain a wavefront analyzer. "Near refractive error" may encompass presbyopia and any other refractive error that requires correction for the patient to see clearly at near distances. "Intermediate distance refractive error" may encompass the degree of presbyopia requiring correction at intermediate distances and any other refractive error requiring correction for the patient to see clearly at intermediate distances. "Distant refractive error" may encompass any refractive error that requires correction in order for the patient to see clearly at a distance. "Short distance" may be from about 6 inches to about 22 inches, and more preferably from about 14 inches to about 18 inches. "Near-intermediate distance" can be from about 22 inches to about 5 feet. "Far-intermediate distance" can be from about 5 feet to about 15 feet. "Far distance" can be any distance between 15 feet and infinity, and more preferably infinity. "Regular refractive error" may include myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and/or presbyopia. "Unconventional refractive abnormalities" may include irregular astigmatism, aberrations of the visual system, and any other refractive abnormalities not included in conventional refractive abnormalities. "Optical refractive error" includes any aberration of any kind associated with the optics of a lens.

In some embodiments, "glasses" may comprise a lens. In other embodiments, "glasses" may contain more than one lens. "Multifocal" lenses may include bifocals, trifocals, quadrifocals, and/or progressive focus lenses. A "finished" lens blank may comprise a lens blank having finished optical surfaces on both sides thereof. A "semi-finished" lens blank may include a lens blank that has a finished optical surface on one side only and an unoptical surface on the other, and that requires further modification, such as grinding and/or polishing, to making it a usable lens. "Surface modification" may include grinding and/or polishing away excess material to process the raw surface of the semi-formed lens blank.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active phoropter/refractor system 100 . The frame 110 contains an electro-active lens 120 which is connected to an electro-active lens controller 140 and a power source 150 via a wire network 130 .

In some embodiments, the temples (not shown in FIG. 1 ) of the frame 110 contain a battery or power source, such as a micro fuel cell. In other inventive embodiments, one or more temples of the frame 110 have the electronics required to plug the power cord directly into the power outlet and/or the controller/encoder 160 of the power actuated refractor.

In other inventive embodiments, the electro-active lens 120 is also mounted in a suspended frame assembly, whereby the patient can simply and properly position his face for viewing through the electro-active lens during refraction.

Although the first inventive embodiment uses only one pair of electro-active lenses, in other inventive embodiments multiple electro-active lenses may be used. Also in other embodiments, a combination of conventional lenses and electro-active lenses may be used.

2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an electro-active refractor system 200 comprising a frame assembly 210 containing within the frame assembly at least one electro-active lens 220 and a plurality of conventional lenses, specifically a diffractive lens 230, a prismatic lens 240 , an astigmatism lens 250 and a spherical lens 260 . A network of wires 270 connects the electro-active lens 220 to a power source 275 and to a controller 280 provided with a prescription display 290 .

In each inventive embodiment using multiple electro-active lenses and/or a combination of conventional lenses and electro-active lenses, the lenses may be used to test a patient's vision one at a time in a random and/or non-random sequence. In other inventive embodiments, two or more lenses may also be stacked together in front of each eye to produce a total corrected optical power, as desired.

The electro-active lenses used in the above-mentioned electro-active phoropters and electro-active glasses include hybrid structures and/or non-hybrid structures. In a hybrid configuration, a conventional lens optic is combined with an electro-active zone. In non-hybrid constructions, conventional lens optics are not used.

As noted above, the present invention differs from the actual procedure 300 of the current conventional dispensing shown in the flowchart in FIG. 3 . As shown in steps 310 and 320, conventionally, following an eye examination involving conventional refractors, the patient's prescription is obtained and given to the optician. Then, as shown in steps 330 and 340, the patient's frames and lenses are selected at the optician. As shown in steps 350 and 360, the lenses are machined, edged and mounted into frames. Finally, at step 370, the new prescription eyeglasses are filled and received.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 , in an exemplary embodiment of an innovative eyewear method 400 , at step 410 the electro-active eyewear is selected by or for the wearer. At step 420, the frame is fitted to the wearer. At step 430, the electro-active glasses are donned to the wearer, and the electronics are controlled by an electro-active phoropter/refractor control system, which in most cases is controlled by an ophthalmologist and/or Technician to operate. However, in some inventive embodiments, the patient or wearer can also actually operate the control system, thereby being able to control their own electro-active lens prescription. In other inventive embodiments, the patient/wearer and the ophthalmologist and/or technician work together to co-operate the controller.

In step 440, the control system is used to objectively or subjectively select the best corrective prescription for the patient/wearer, whether operated by an ophthalmologist, a technician, and/or the patient/wearer. The ophthalmologist or technician programs the patient/wearer's electro-active eyewear upon selection of the correct prescription to correct the patient/wearer's vision to its optimal degree of correction.

In one inventive embodiment, the selected prescription is programmed into the electro-active eyewear controller and/or a or multiple controller components. In other inventive embodiments, the prescription is not programmed into selected electro-active eyewear until later.

In either case, the electro-active eyewear is selected, fitted and programmed, and fitted at step 450, in a completely different sequence than conventional eyeglasses of today. This sequence allows for improved efficiencies in manufacturing, refraction and dispensing.

With the method of the present invention, the patient/wearer is fully able to select their glasses, wear them while testing their vision, and then program them with the correct prescription. In most but not all cases, this is done before the patient/wearer leaves the examination chair, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the entire production and programming of the patient's final prescription, as well as the accuracy of the eye refraction itself . Finally, in an embodiment of the invention, when the patient stands up from the exam chair and walks out of the eye specialist's office, the patient is fully able to put on their electro-active eyewear.

It should be noted that other inventive embodiments also enable the electro-active phoropter/refractor to simply display or print out the patient's or wearer's best corrective prescription, which is then given in much the same way as in the past filled out. The process currently involves sending a written prescription to a dispensary who sells and dispenses electro-active eyewear (frames and lenses).

In other inventive embodiments, the prescription is also sent electronically, for example via the Internet, to a dispensary who sells electro-active eyeglasses (frames and lenses).

If a prescription is not filled at the site where the eye is refracted, then in certain inventive embodiments, the electro-active eyewear controller and/or one or more controller components are programmed and incorporated into the electro-active eyewear, or After optometry, it is programmed directly while being installed into the electro-active eyewear. If no other components are added in the electro-active glasses, the controller and/or one or more controller components of the electro-active glasses are complex built-in parts of the electro-active glasses and do not need to be added later.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of another inventive dispensing method 2700 embodiment. In step 2710, the patient's vision is refracted using any method. In step 2720, the patient's prescription is obtained. In step 2730, electro-active eyewear is selected. At step 2740, the electro-active eyewear is programmed with the wearer's prescription. At step 2750, the electro-active eyewear is dispensed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another inventive embodiment of the electro-active eyewear 500 . In the depicted example, frame 510 contains conventional electro-active lenses 520 and 522 that are electrically connected to electro-active eyewear controller 540 and power source 550 via connecting wires 530 . The general electro-active lens 520 is divided by section line Z-Z.

Controller 540 acts as the "brain" of the electro-active eyewear 500 and may contain at least one processor component, at least one memory component for storing prescription-specific instructions and/or data, and at least one input/output component (eg port). Controller 540 may perform computational tasks such as reading and writing to memory, calculating voltages to be applied to individual grid elements based on the desired refractive index, and/or acting as a refractor for the patient/user glasses and associated /Partial interface between phoropter devices.

In one inventive embodiment, the controller 540 is preprogrammed by an ophthalmologist or technician to meet the patient's focusing and accommodation needs. In this embodiment, this preprogramming is done on the controller 540 while the controller 540 is out of the patient's glasses, and then inserted into the glasses after the exam. In one inventive embodiment, the controller 540 is of the "read only" type, applying voltages to the grid elements to obtain the desired array of refractive indices to effect vision correction for a particular distance. When a patient's prescription changes, a new controller 540 must be programmed and inserted into the glasses by a specialist. Such a controller has an ASIC (or Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and its memory and process commands permanently stored thereon.

In another embodiment of the invention, the controller of the electro-active eyewear can be programmed initially by an ophthalmologist or technician at the time of the first fitting, and then the same controller or its Components are reprogrammed to provide different corrections. The controller for such electro-active eyewear can be removed from the eyewear, placed in the refractor controller/programmer (shown in Figures 1 and 2) and reprogrammed during inspection, or not removed from the eyewear. The electro-active glasses are removed and reprogrammed in situ by the refractor. In this case, the controller of the electro-active glasses may have, for example, an FPGA (or Field Programmable Gate Array) architecture. In this inventive embodiment, the electro-active eyewear controller can be permanently built into the eyewear and only needs to interface with the refractor that issues reprogramming instructions to the FPGA. Such connected components may include external AC power for the electro-active eyewear controller provided by an AC adapter embedded in the refractor/phoropter, or embedded in its controller/programming unit.

In another inventive embodiment, the electro-active eyewear acts as a refractor, and the external device operated by the ophthalmologist or technician comprises only a digital and/or analog interface to the electro-active eyewear controller. In this way, the controller of the electro-active eyewear can also be used as the controller of the refractor/phoropter. In this embodiment, processing electronics are available as needed to vary the voltages applied to the grid array on the electro-active eyewear after empirically determining the best correction for the user and using these data to The electro-active glasses are reprogrammed. In this case, the patient can view the eye chart again through his/her own electro-active glasses during the examination, and the patient may not be aware that when he/she is choosing the best corrective prescription, their electro-active glasses The controller in the machine is electronically reprogrammed at the same time.

Another innovative embodiment employs an electronic autorefractor that can be used as a first step and/or in combination with the electro-active refractor (shown in Figures 1 and 2), Examples of such autorefractors include, but are not limited to, Humphrey autorefractors and Nikon autorefractors, which have been developed or modified to provide compatible and already available electro-active lenses for use in the present invention. Programming feedback. The inventive embodiment described can be used to measure a person's refractive error while the patient or wearer is wearing his or her electro-active eyeglasses. This feedback is automatically or manually fed into a controller and/or programming device which then corrects, programs or reprograms the user/wearer's electro-active eyewear. In the inventive embodiment, a patient's electro-active glasses can be re-corrected as needed without a comprehensive eye exam or refractometry of the eye.

In certain other inventive embodiments, a patient's vision may be corrected to 20/20 through an electro-active lens. In most cases, this is accomplished by correcting the person's normal refractive error (nearsightedness, longsightedness, astigmatism, and/or presbyopia). In certain other inventive embodiments, in addition to conventional refractive abnormalities (nearsightedness, hyperopia, astigmatism, and/or presbyopia), non-conventional refractive abnormalities, such as aberrations of the eye, irregular astigmatism , and/or irregularities in the opacity layer. In this embodiment of the invention, in addition to conventional refractive errors, the patient's vision can be corrected in most cases to better than 20/20 good, as corrected to 20/15, or better than 20/15, to 20/10, and/or better than 20/10.

This beneficial anomaly correction is achieved using the electro-active lens in the glasses, which actually acts as an adaptive optic. Adaptive optics have been demonstrated and have been used for many years to correct atmospheric distortion in ground-based astronomical telescopes, as well as to correct laser transmission through the atmosphere for communications and military applications. In these cases, a segmented mirror or a "rubber" mirror is often used to make small corrections to the image's wavefront or laser light wave. In most cases, these mirrors are operated by mechanical transmissions.

When adaptive optics is used for vision, it is based on active probing of the ocular system with a light beam, such as a laser that is not harmful to the eye, and measures the reflection of the retina or the wavefront distortion of the image produced on the retina. This form of wavefront analysis assumes a planar or spherical probe wave and measures the distortion produced by the ocular system on this wavefront. By comparing the original wavefront with the distorted wavefront, a skilled examiner can determine what abnormalities exist in the ocular system and prescribe appropriate correction. There are several competing designs for the wavefront analyzer, but the invention also encompasses the use of the electro-active lenses described herein as transmissive or reflective spatial light modulators for such wavefront analysis. Some examples of wavefront analyzers are provided in the following two US Patents: US Patent Nos. 5,777,719 (Williams) and 5,949,521 (Williams), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

However, in some embodiments of the present invention, minor corrections and adjustments are made to the electro-active lens so that image light waves are produced by an electrically driven pixel grid array whose refractive index can be changed by Changing the refractive index can speed up or slow down the light passing through these grids. In this way, the electro-active lens becomes an adaptive optics device that compensates for some of the inherent spatial imperfections of the eye's own optics in order to obtain a nearly aberration-free image on the retina.

In some inventive embodiments, because the electro-active lens is completely two-dimensional, it can be compensated for by the eye's optical system by introducing small refractive index corrections on top of the patient/user's overall vision correction prescription needs. The resulting fixed spatial aberration. In this way, vision can be corrected to a level better than that achievable with ordinary focusing and accommodation, and in most cases better than 20/20 vision can be achieved.

To achieve better than 20/20 vision correction, the aberrations in the patient's eye can be measured, for example, with a modified autorefractor that uses a wavefront sensor designed specifically for measuring ocular aberrations or analyzer. Once the eye's aberrations and other types of unconventional refractive anomalies have been determined in magnitude and space, the controller in the glasses can be programmed to introduce two-dimensionally dependent refractive index variations to compensate for these Aberrations and other types of unconventional refractive errors other than total nearsightedness, hyperopia, presbyopia, and/or astigmatism correction. Thus, this embodiment of the electro-active lens of the present invention electro-actively corrects aberrations in the patient's eye system or aberrations produced by the lens optic.

Thus, for example, a certain -3.50 diopter power correction may be required in an electro-active diverging lens in order to correct the wearer's myopia. In this case, an array of different voltages V ₁ ... V _N is applied to the M elements in the grid array to produce an array of different refractive indices N ₁ .... N _M , which makes the The electro-active lens has an optical power of -3.50 diopters. However, certain elements in the grid array require their refractive indices _N1 ... _NM to vary by ±0.50 units in order to correct for eye aberrations and/or unusual refractive errors. In addition to this myopia-correcting base voltage, small voltage deviations corresponding to the aforementioned variations are applied to the appropriate grid elements.

To detect, quantify, and/or correct as much as possible, irregular refractive abnormalities such as irregular astigmatism, refractive irregularities of the eye such as a tear layer in the front of the cornea, irregularities in the water content in front or back of the cornea, or in front of the lens or subsequent transparency inhomogeneity, or other aberrations caused by the eye's refractive system itself, the electro-active refractor/phoropter can be used in accordance with the embodiment of the prescription method 600 of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 .

At step 610, either a conventional refractor, an electro-active refractor with conventional and electro-active lenses, an electro-active refractor with only an electro-active lens, or an autorefractor may be used to measure the patient's refractive error when needed. Conventional lens powers, such as negative power (for nearsightedness), plus power (for hyperopia), cylindrical lens power and axis orientation (for astigmatism), can also be used For), and the focal power of the prism, etc. Using this method, the patient will learn what is currently considered the patient's BVA (best visual acuity) with routine correction of the refractive error. Certain embodiments of the present invention, however, can improve a patient's vision beyond what is currently achievable with conventional refractor/phoropters.

Thus, step 610 provides a further improvement in patient prescribing in an unconventional inventive manner. At step 610, a recipe for achieving the objective is programmed into the electro-active refractor. Properly positioning the patient to view through the electro-active lens having a multi-grid electro-active structure into an improved and compatible autorefractor or wavefront analyzer allows automatic and accurate measurement of the refractive error. This method of measuring refractive anomalies detects and quantifies unconventional refractive anomalies as much as possible. This measurement is made through a small, approximately 4.29 mm alignment target area of each electro-active lens, and the required prescription is automatically calculated to When viewing, optimal focus is obtained on the fovea in the center of the retina in the direction of the line of sight. Once the measurements are made, the unconventional corrections are stored in the memory of the controller/programmer for future use, or programmed into the controller that controls the electro-active lens. Of course, this process is repeated for both eyes.

At step 620, the patient or wearer can now select a control unit according to their opinion, which can allow them to further improve conventional refractive error correction, non-conventional refractive error correction, or a combination of the two, thereby improving the final result. prescription until they are satisfied. Alternatively, or in addition, the ophthalmologist may refine the correction until no further improvements can be made. At this point, an improved BVA will be obtained for the patient that is better than anything achievable by conventional techniques.

At step 630, any further refined prescriptions are then programmed into the controller which controls the electro-active lens prescription. At step 640, the programmed electro-active eyewear is dispensed.

While the foregoing steps 610 through 640 describe one embodiment of the method of the present invention, many different but similar methods may be used to detect, quantify, and/or correct a patient's vision, depending on the judgment or approach of an ophthalmologist. , and only electro-active refractors/refractometers or a combination with wavefront analyzers are used in this process. Any method of detecting, quantifying, and/or correcting a person's vision using an electro-active refractor/phoropter, in any order, whether or not combined with a wavefront analyzer, is considered part of this invention. For example, in some inventive embodiments, steps 610 to 640 may be performed in a modified manner or even in a different order. Furthermore, in some other embodiments of the inventive method, the diameter of the alignment target area of the lens mentioned in step 610 is in the range of about 3.0 mm to about 8.0 mm. Yet in other inventive embodiments, the diameter of the alignment target area is anywhere from about 2.0 mm to the entire area of the lens.

While the discussion thus far has focused on the use of various forms of electro-active lenses alone or in combination with their wavefront analyzers for refraction for future examinations of the eye, another possibility exists, namely A new technique may emerge that simply provides an objective measure, thus potentially eliminating the need for a communicative response or dialogue with the patient. Many of the inventive embodiments described and claimed herein contemplate working with any type of measurement system, whether objective, subjective, or both.

Returning now to the electro-active lens itself, as noted above, one embodiment of the present invention relates to an electro-active refractor/phoropter having a novel electro-active lens that It can be a hybrid structure or a non-hybrid structure. Hybrid construction refers to the combination of a conventional single vision or multifocal lens optic with at least one electro-active zone located on the front surface, on the rear surface, and/or between the front and rear surfaces, the The zone includes an electro-active material that changes the focal point electronically in the necessary electro-active manner. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the electro-active zone is disposed specifically within the lens or on the concave back surface of the lens so as to protect it from scratches and other wear and tear in general. In embodiments that include an electro-active zone as part of the convex surface, it is in most cases coated with a scratch-resistant coating. The combination of a conventional single vision lens or a conventional multifocal lens with the electro-active zone produces the total lens power of the hybrid lens solution. A non-hybrid structure refers to a lens that is electro-active, so 100% of its refractive power is usually generated only by its electro-active properties.

Figure 7 is a front view of an embodiment of an exemplary hybrid electro-active spectacle lens 700, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A. In this illustration, lens 700 includes lens optic 710 . Attached to the lens optic 710 is an electro-active refractive matrix 720 which may have one or more electro-active regions occupying all or part of the electro-active refractive matrix 720 . Also attached to lens optic 710 and at least partially surrounding electro-active refractive matrix 720 is bezel layer 730 . Lens optic 710 includes an astigmatic power correcting region 740 having an astigmatism axis A-A which, in this particular embodiment only, is rotated clockwise by approximately 45° from horizontal. Covering the electro-active refractive matrix 720 and the bezel layer 730 is an optional cover layer 750 .

As will be discussed further, electro-active refractive matrix 720 may comprise liquid crystals and/or polymer gels. The electro-active refractive matrix 720 may also include alignment layers, metal layers, conductive layers, and/or insulating layers.

In an alternative embodiment, the astigmatism correction zone 740 is removed so that the lens optic 710 only corrects for spherical power. In another alternative embodiment, the lens optic 710 can correct distance vision, near vision, and/or both, and any type of conventional refractive error, including spherical, cylindrical, prismatic , and/or aspheric refractive errors. The electro-active refractive matrix 720 can also correct near vision and/or non-conventional refractive abnormalities (eg, aberrations). In other embodiments, the electro-active refractive matrix 720 can correct any type of regular or irregular refractive error, while the lens optic 710 can correct the regular refractive error.

It has been found that electro-active lenses having hybrid structures have certain distinct advantages over electro-active lenses having non-hybrid structures. These advantages are: lower electrical power requirements, smaller battery size, longer battery life expectancy, less complex circuitry, fewer conductors, fewer insulators, lower manufacturing costs, increased optical transparency, and structural integrity Sexual enhancement. But it must be pointed out that non-hybrid electro-active lenses also have some advantages of their own, including thin thickness and mass production.

It has also been found that non-hybrid and in some embodiments full field hybrid and partial field hybrid approaches allow very limited Quantity of SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) for mass production. In this case, in order to adapt to the anatomy of the wearer during mass production, it is only necessary to focus primarily on a limited number of distinguishing features, such as curvature and size.

In order to understand the significance of this improvement, one must understand the number of conventional lens blanks required to fill most prescriptions. Approximately 95% of corrective prescriptions include spherical power correction in the -6.00 to +6.00 diopter range, with 0.25 diopter increments. From this range, there are approximately 49 commonly specified spherical powers. For those prescriptions that included astigmatism correction, approximately 95% were in the -4.00 to +4.00 diopter range, in 0.25 diopter increments. From this range, there are about 33 commonly prescribed astigmatic (or cylindrical) optical powers. However, since astigmatism has an on-axis component, there are about 360 degrees of orientation of the astigmatism axis if increments of 1° are typically specified. In this way, there are 360 different astigmatism axis prescriptions.

Also, to correct presbyopia, many prescriptions include bifocal components. About 95% of those prescribed to correct presbyopia are in the +1.00 to +3.00 diopter range in 0.25 diopter increments, resulting in about 9 commonly prescribed presbyopic powers.

Since some embodiments of the present invention can provide spherical, cylindrical, axial and presbyopic corrections, a non-hybrid electro-active lens can provide 5,239,080 (=49×33×360×−9) different prescriptions. In this way, a non-hybrid electro-active lens would eliminate the need to batch manufacture and/or stock many SKUs of lens blanks and, perhaps more importantly, eliminate the need to grind and grind each lens blank to a specific patient prescription. polishing.

Various lens curvatures need to be considered to accommodate physiological issues such as face shape, eyelash length, etc. Non-hybrid electro-active lenses can be mass-produced and/or stocked in slightly more than one SKU. However, the number of SKUs can be reduced from a few million to about 5 or less.

In the case of hybrid electro-active lenses, it was found that by correcting the normal refractive error of the lens optic and using a mostly central electro-active layer, the number of SKUs required could also be reduced. Referring to FIG. 7, the lens 700 can be rotated as desired to place the axis of astigmatism A-A in a desired position. In this way, the number of hybrid lens blanks required can be reduced by a factor of 360. In addition, the electro-active zone of the hybrid lens can also provide presbyopia correction, thereby again reducing the number of lens blanks required by a factor of 9. Thus, the hybrid electro-active lens embodiment reduces the number of lens blanks required from over 5 million to 1619 (=49*33). Since this number of hybrid lens blank SKUs can be reasonably mass-produced and/or stocked, grinding and polishing are not required.

Nevertheless, it is still possible to grind and polish the semi-finished hybrid lens blank into a finished lens blank. FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a semi-finished lens blank 2800 . In this embodiment, a semi-finished lens blank 2800 has a lens optic 2810 with a machined surface 2820 and an unmachined surface 2830 , and a partial field electro-active refractive matrix 2840 . In another embodiment, semi-finished lens blank 2800 may have a full field electro-active layer. Furthermore, the electro-active structure of semi-finished lens blank 2800 may be multi-grid or single-interconnect. Additionally, semi-finished lens blank 2800 may also have refractive and/or diffractive properties.

In hybrid or non-hybrid embodiments of the electro-active lens, a large number of required corrective prescriptions can be generated and customized by the electro-active lens that can be adjusted and controlled by a controller that has customized Prescription needs to be customized and/or programmed too. Thus, the need for millions of prescriptions and many lens types, single vision lens blanks, and many multifocal semi-finished lens blanks is eliminated. In fact, the manufacture and distribution of most lenses and frames as we know them will be revolutionized.

It should be noted that the present invention encompasses both non-hybrid electro-active lenses, as well as full-field and partial-field specific hybrid electro-active lenses, the latter being prefabricated electronic eyeglasses (frames and/or lenses) or delivered Customized electronic glasses for patients or clients. Where the spectacles are prefabricated and assembled, the frames and lenses are prefabricated, the lenses already edged and fitted into the spectacle frames. The programmable and reprogrammable controller, as well as the mass production of frames and lenses with the necessary electronics, which can be prefabricated and sent to an ophthalmologist or some other location, are also considered part of the invention To install components such as a programmable controller and/or one or more controllers as prescribed by the patient.

In some cases, the controller and/or one or more controller components may be part of the pre-manufactured frame and electro-active lens assembly and then programmed at the ophthalmologist's office or some other location. The controller and/or one or more controller components may be in the form of, for example, a chip or a film, and may be incorporated into, on the frame, in, or on the lens of the eyeglasses . Depending on the business strategy to be implemented, the controller and/or one or more controller components may or may not be reprogrammable. Where the controller and/or one or more controller components are reprogrammable, it will allow repeated updates to the patient's prescription until the patient or customer is satisfied with his or her spectacle frame and trim look and the electro-actuated The function of the lens is satisfactory.

In the latter case, the non-hybrid and hybrid electro-active lens embodiments just discussed, the lens must be structurally strong and safe enough to protect the eye from foreign objects. In the United States, most spectacle lenses must pass the impact test required by the FDA. In order to meet these requirements, it is extremely important to establish support structures within or on the lens. In the hybrid case, for example, this is done using prescription or non-prescription single vision or multifocal lens optics as the structural basis. For example, the structural base of the hybrid can be made of polycarbonate. In the case of non-hybrid lenses, in some embodiments, the electro-active materials and thicknesses are chosen to take into account the needs of this structure. In other embodiments, the over-the-counter carrier base or substrate on which the electro-active material is disposed also allows for this required protection.

When using electro-active zones in spectacle lenses of certain hybrid configurations, it is important that correct distance correction be maintained in the event of a power interruption to the lens. In the event of a power or wire failure, this could be catastrophic in some cases if the wearer is driving a car or flying an airplane and loses their distance correction capabilities. In order to avoid this situation, when the electro-active area is in the OFF state (non-energized or power-off state), the design of the electro-active spectacle lens of the present invention can keep providing distance correction. In embodiments of the present invention, this is accomplished by utilizing a conventional fixed focal length optic, whether it is a refractive hybrid or a diffractive hybrid, to provide this distance correction. Thus, any additional increased optical power is provided by the electro-active zone. Thus, a fail-safe electro-active system arises, since conventional lenticular optics will retain the wearer's distance correction.

FIG. 9 is a side view of another exemplary embodiment of an electro-active lens 900 having a lens optic 910 having a refractive index matched to an electro-active refractive matrix 920 . In the illustrated embodiment, the diverging lens optic 910 has a refractive index _ni , which provides distance correction. Attached to the lens optic 910 is an electro-active refractive matrix 920 that can have an inactive state and a number of activated states. When the electro-active refractive matrix 920 is in its inactive state, it has a refractive index _n2 that approximately matches the refractive index _n1 of the lens optic 910. More precisely, _n2 is within 0.05 index units of _n1 when not activated. Surrounding the electro-active refractive matrix 920 is a bezel layer 930 having a refractive index _n3 that also approximately matches the refractive index _n1 of the lens optic 910 and is within 0.05 index units of _n1 .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of an electro-active lens system 1000 . In the illustrated embodiment, electro-active lens 1010 includes lens optic 1040 and electro-active refractive matrix 1050 . The transmitter 1020 of the rangefinder is placed on an electro-active refractive substrate 1050 . Furthermore, the detector/receiver 1030 of the rangefinder is also placed on top of the electro-active refractive matrix 1050 . In an alternative embodiment, either the transmitter 1020 or the receiver 1030 may be placed in the electro-active refractive matrix 1050 . In other alternative embodiments, either the transmitter 1020 or the receiver 1030 may be placed in or on the lens optic 1040 . In other embodiments, either the transmitter 1020 or the receiver 1030 may be placed on the outer cover 1060 . In addition, in other embodiments, 1020 and 1030 can also be placed on any combination of the foregoing.

FIG. 11 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a diffractive electro-active lens 1100 . In the illustrated embodiment, the lens optic 1110 provides distance correction. Etched on one surface of the lens optic 1110 is a diffractive pattern 1120, having a refractive index n.sub.1. Attached to the lens optic 1110 and overlying the diffractive pattern 1120 is an electro-active refractive matrix 1130 having a refractive index n.sub.2 which is approximately n.sub.2 when the electro-active refractive matrix 1130 is in its inactive state. .sub.1. Also attached to the lens optic 1110 is a bezel layer 1140 that is composed of substantially the same material as the lens optic 1110 and at least partially surrounds the electro-active refractive matrix 1120 . A cover layer 1150 is attached to the electro-active refractive matrix 1130 and the frame layer 1140 . The frame layer 1140 may also be an extension of the lens optic 1110, where no actual layer need be added, yet the lens optic 1110 is made to frame or confine the electro-active refractive matrix 1130.

FIG. 12 is a front view and FIG. 13 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an electro-active lens 1200 having a multifocal optic 1210 attached to an electro-active bezel layer 1220 . In the illustrated embodiment, the multifocal lens 1210 has a progressive lens structure. Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment, the multifocal lens 1210 includes a first optical refractive focal zone 1212 and a second progressively increasing optical refractive focal zone 1214 . Attached to the multifocal optic 1210 is an electro-active bezel layer 1220 having an electro-active zone 1222 positioned over a second optical refractive focus zone 1214 . A cover layer 1230 is attached to the electro-active frame layer 1220 . It should be noted that the bezel layer can be electrically active or non-electrically active. When the frame layer is electrically active, an insulating material is used to insulate the active region from the inactive region.

In most, but not all instances of the invention, in order to program the electro-active eyewear to optimally correct the patient's vision, correction of unconventional refractive errors must be achieved by tracking the movement of the patient's or wearer's eyes. Movement to track the gaze of each eye.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a tracking system 1400 . The frame 1410 contains an electro-active lens 1420 . Attached to the back of the electro-active lens 1420 (the side closest to the wearer's eye, also referred to as the closest side) is a tracking signal source 1430, such as a light emitting diode. Also attached to the back of the electro-active lens 1420 is a tracking signal receiver 1440, such as a light reflective sensor. Both receiver 1440 and possibly signal source 1430 are connected to a controller (not shown) which contains in its memory instructions to enable tracking. Using this method, eye movements up, down, right, left, and any changes in eye movement can be very precisely localized. When some, but not all, types of irregular refractive errors need to be corrected and these irregular refractive errors need to be limited to the patient's field of vision (for example, in the case of a This corneal unevenness or bump moves as the eye moves), and that's what is needed.

In various alternative embodiments, the signal source 1430 and/or the receiver 1440 can be attached to the back of the frame 1410 , mounted on the back of the frame 1410 and/or mounted on the back of the lens 1420 .

An important part of any spectacle lens, including this electro-active spectacle lens, is the part used to produce the sharpest image quality in the user's field of view. Although a healthy person can see objects within approximately 90° to either side, the sharpest visual resolution is limited to a small field of view corresponding to the portion of the retina with the best visual resolution. This area of the retina is called the fovea, and it is approximately a circular area with a diameter of 0.40mm measured on the retina. In addition, the eye images the scene through the entire diameter of the pupil, so the diameter of the pupil will also affect the size of the most critical part of the spectacle lens. The resulting critical area of the spectacle lens is simply the sum of the diameter of the spectacle pupil and the projection of the fovea field of view onto the spectacle lens.

A typical range of pupil diameter for this eye is 3.0 to 5.5 mm, with 4.0 mm being the most common value. The average fovea diameter is approximately 0.4mm.

A typical range of projected dimensions of the fovea on the spectacle lens is influenced by parameters such as the length of the eye, the distance from the eye to the spectacle lens, and the like.

Thus, the tracking system of this particular inventive embodiment can locate the region of the electro-active lens that correlates with movement of the eye relative to the fovea region of the patient's retina. This is important when the software of the present invention is programmed to always correct unconventional refractive errors that are correctable when the eye moves. Thus, in most, but not all embodiments of the invention, the unconventional refractive error must be corrected to electro-actively alter the area of the lens through which the line of sight passes when the eye fixates on its target or gazes. . In other words, in the particular inventive embodiment described, the vast majority of electro-active lenses are corrected for conventional refractive errors, and as the eye moves, the focus of the targeted electro-active zone is passed through the tracking system And the software also moves to correct for this unusual refractive error, taking into account the angle at which the line of sight intersects different parts of the lens and factoring this into the final prescription for that particular area.

In most, but not all inventive embodiments, the tracking system and activation software are used to correct the patient's vision to its optimum state when viewing or gazing at distant objects. When viewing near, the tracking system, if used, is used to calculate the range of near focus in order to correct for the accommodation and convergence one would need for near or mid-range focus. Of course, this is programmed into the controller of the electro-active eyewear, and/or one or more controller components, as part of the patient's or wearer's prescription. Likewise, range finders and/or tracking systems are also incorporated into the lens and/or frame in other inventive embodiments.

It should be noted that in other inventive embodiments, such as those that correct for certain types of unconventional refractive errors such as irregular astigmatism, in most, but not all cases, the electro-active lens There is no need to track the patient's or optician's eyes. In this case, the entire electro-active lens is programmed to correct for this unconventional refractive error as well as the patient's other conventional refractive errors.

Also, since the aberration is directly related to the viewing distance, it has been found that the aberration can be corrected relative to the viewing distance. That is, once an aberration or aberrations have been determined, these aberrations within the electro-active refractive matrix can be corrected for specific distances such as distance vision, distance- Electro-active correction of intermediate vision, near-intermediate vision and/or near vision aberrations. For example, the electro-active lens can be divided into correction areas for distance vision, distance-intermediate vision, near-intermediate vision, and near vision. Each software controls each area so that the area can affect the corresponding vision. Those aberrations of distance are corrected. Thus, in this particular embodiment of the invention, the electro-active refractive matrix is separated by different distances, whereby each separated region can correct for a specific aberration at a specific distance, so that it can be used without a tracking mechanism. Correction of unconventional refractive errors.

Finally, it should be noted that in another inventive embodiment, the correction of such unusual refractive errors as those produced by aberrations can also be achieved without physical separation of the electro-active regions and without tracking. In this embodiment, when using the viewing distance as an input, the software adjusts the focus of a given electro-active region to achieve the desired correction for aberrations that would otherwise affect the given electro-active region. Vision at a fixed distance.

In addition, it has been found that both hybrid and non-hybrid electro-active lenses can be designed to have full-field or partial-field effects. The full-field effect means that the electro-active refractive matrix or electro-active layer covers most of the lens area in the spectacle frame. In full-field situations, the entire electro-active field can be adjusted to the desired optical power. Furthermore, the full field electro-active lens can also be tuned to provide a partial field. However, the specific lens configuration for partial field electro-activation cannot be tuned to full field due to the circuitry required to make it a specific partial field. In the case of adjusting a full-field lens to a partial-field lens, a partial area of the electro-active lens can be adjusted to the required optical power.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of an electro-active lens system 1500 . Frame 1510 contains electro-active lens 1520 with partial field 1530 .

For comparison, FIG. 16 is a perspective view of yet another exemplary embodiment of an electro-active lens system 1600 . In the illustrated embodiment, the frame 1610 contains an electro-active lens 1620 having a full field 1630 .

In some inventive embodiments, the multifocal electro-active lenses are pre-fabricated, and in some cases, the multifocal electro-active lenses are even used as off-the-shelf multifocal electro-active lenses due to a significant reduction in the number of SKUs required. Lens blanks are kept in stock at optician locations. This inventive embodiment allows a dispensary to simply edge and fit the inventory of multifocal electro-active lens blanks into the electronically activated frame. While in most cases the invention may have a particular type of partial field electro-active lens, it should be understood that this is equally valid for full field electro-active lenses.

In a hybrid embodiment of the present invention, conventional single vision lens optics are used to provide the desired distance power, wherein the conventional single vision lens optics have an aspheric or non-aspheric structure with features for Toric and spherical surfaces to correct astigmatism. If correction of astigmatism is required, a single vision lens of appropriate power should be selected and rotated to the appropriate axis of astigmatism. Once this is done, the single vision lens optic can be edged to the wireframe type and size of the eye. The electro-active refractive matrix is then applied to the single vision lens optic, or the electro-active refractive matrix can be applied prior to edging and the entire lens unit is subsequently edged. It should be noted that electro-active materials such as polymer gels may be more effective than liquid crystal materials for the edging process of attaching the electro-active refractive matrix to the lens optic prior to edging, whether single vision or multifocal electro-active lenses. Be superior.

The electro-active refractive matrix can be applied to compatible lens optics by a number of different processes known in the art. A compatible lens optic is one whose curvature and surface are properly receptive to the electro-active refractive matrix in terms of welding, aesthetics, and/or proper final lens power. For example, an adhesive can be used, which is applied directly to the lens optic, and then the electro-active layer is applied. In addition, the electroactive refractive matrix can also be made such that it is attached to a release film, in which case it can be removed and reattached to the lens optic. Furthermore, it can also be attached to a double-sided film carrier which is itself adhered to the lens optic. Furthermore, the release film can also be applied using surface casting techniques, in which case the electroactive refractive matrix is formed in situ.

In the aforementioned hybrid embodiment, shown in FIG. 12 , using a combination of static and non-static approaches to meet the patient's midpoint and near point vision needs, the multifocal progressive lens 1210 has the appropriate required distance correction and With a full near distance add power of eg +1.00 diopters, such multifocal progressive lenses are used to replace single vision lens optics. When utilizing this embodiment, the electro-active refractive matrix 1220 can be positioned on either side of the multifocal progressive lens optic, or can be buried within the lens optic. This electro-active refractive matrix is used to provide additional added optical power.

When the add power used in the lens optic is smaller than required for the entire multifocal lens, the final add power is the low multifocal add power generated by the electro-active layer and the additional near distance required of total add power. As just one example; if a multifocal progressive lens optic has an add power of +1.00 and an electro-active refractive matrix produces a near power of +1.00, then the total near distance of the hybrid electro-active lens The optical power will then be +2.00D. Using this approach, unwanted visual distortion from multifocal lenses, especially progressive addition lenses, can be significantly reduced.

In certain hybrid electro-active embodiments using a multifocal progressive lens, the electro-active refractive matrix is used to remove unwanted astigmatism. This is accomplished by counteracting or significantly reducing unwanted astigmatism by electro-actively generated counteracting power compensation only in the lens region where the unwanted astigmatism is present.

In some inventive embodiments it is desirable to shift the center of this portion of the field away from the geometric center. When an off-center partial field electro-active refractive matrix is applied, it is necessary to adjust the electro-active refractive matrix in such a way as to accommodate the proper astigmatism axis position of the single vision lens optic in order to be able to correct the patient's astigmatism, if present, also The electronic variable power field should be positioned in place on the patient's eye. In addition, it is necessary for the design of the partial field to adjust the position of the partial field to provide an appropriate off-center position according to the needs of the patient's pupil. It is also found that in conventional lenses, static bifocal lengths, multi-focal lengths, or gradient areas are always set at places that do not meet the requirements of people's long-distance observation and staring. Unlike this conventional lens, the use of electro-active lenses provides certain Manufacturing freedom, which is not provided by conventional multifocal lenses. Thus, in some inventive embodiments, the electro-active zones are positioned where one would typically find the distance, intermediate and near vision zones of a conventional non-electro-active multifocal lens. For example, the electro-active zone can be positioned above the 180 degree meridian of the lens optic, thereby sometimes providing a multifocal near vision zone above the 180 degree meridian of the lens optic. For those wearers who work very close to objects in front of them or above their head, such as working in front of a computer monitor, or have a picture frame pinned above their head, the 180° of the lens lens It is especially useful to provide a near vision zone above the meridian.

In the case of a non-hybrid electro-active lens, or a hybrid full-field lens with, for example, a 35 mm diameter hybrid partial-field lens, it is possible to directly The electro-active layer is applied to the single vision lens optic, or to a prefabricated blank from the lens optic to form an electro-active finished multifocal lens, or to a multifocal progressive lens optic. This allows pre-assembly of electro-active lens blanks as well as stockpiling of finished, but unedged, electro-active lens blanks, thus making eyeglasses ready for just-in-time manufacture at any distribution channel, These channels include a doctor's or optician's office. This will allow all dispensaries to provide fast service while also minimizing the need for expensive manufacturing equipment. This benefits manufacturers, retailers, and their patients and customers.

Considering the size of the partial field, such as shown in one inventive embodiment, certain areas of the partial field may be a centered or off-centre circular design of 35mm diameter. It should be noted that the size of this diameter can vary as desired. Circumferential diameters of 22mm, 28mm, 30mm and 36mm are also used in certain inventive embodiments.

The size of the partial field depends on the structure of the electroactive refractive matrix and/or the electroactive field. At least two such structures are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, namely, single interconnect electro-active structures and multi-grid electro-active structures.

17 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 1700 having a single interconnected electro-active structure. Lens 1700 includes lens optic 1710 and electro-active refractive matrix 1720 . An insulator 1730 within the electro-active refractive matrix 1720 separates the active partial field 1740 from the inactive field (or region) 1750 of the frame construction. A single wire or conductive ribbon interconnect 1760 connects the activation field to a power source and/or controller. Note that in most but not all embodiments, the single wire interconnect structure has a single pair of electrical conductors that connect the structure to a power source.

18 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 1800 having a multi-grid structure. Lens 1800 includes lens optic 1810 and electro-active refractive matrix 1820 . Within the electro-active refractive matrix 1820, an insulator 1830 separates the active partial field 1840 from the non-active field (or region) 1850 of the frame construction. A plurality of interconnects 1860 connects the activation field to a power source and/or controller.

When using smaller diameter partial fields it has been found that the difference in thickness of the electro-active layer from the edge to the center of a particular region of the partial field can be minimized when using a single interconnected electro-active structure. This has the positive effect of minimizing the need for power supplies and the need for the number of electro-active layers, especially for the single interconnect structure. This is not always the case for certain regions of the partial field using multi-grid electro-active structures. When single interconnected electro-active structures are used, in many, but not all inventive embodiments, multiple single interconnected electro-active structures are layered within or on the lens to allow multiple electro-active layers This results in a total combined electro-active optical power of eg +2.50D. Only in the present invention embodiment are five +0.50D single interconnect layers stacked on top of each other, in most cases separating them with an insulating layer. In this way, by minimizing the electrical requirements of a thick single interconnect layer, the appropriate electrical power can be used to produce the desired refractive index change for each layer, which in some cases cannot always be achieved for that thickness. A single interconnect layer for proper excitation.

It should also be noted that certain embodiments of the present invention having multiple single interconnected electro-active layers can be activated in a pre-programmed sequence to allow the patient to focus over a range of distances. For example, two +0.50D single-interconnected electro-active layers can be activated to produce a +1.00D intermediate focus to allow +2.00D presbyopia to see clearly at close distances, and then the other two + 0.50D single interconnect electro-active layer activation enables +2.00D presbyopia reading at distances as close as 16 inches. It should be understood that the exact number of electro-active layers, as well as the optical power of each layer, may vary depending on the optical design and total optical power required to cover the particular near and intermediate distance ranges of a particular presbyopic eye.

Furthermore, in certain other inventive embodiments, a combination of one or more single interconnected electro-active layers is present in the lens in combination with a multi-grid electro-active layer structure. Again, this enables the patient to focus on the intermediate and near ranges, assuming proper programming. Finally, in other inventive embodiments, only multi-grid electro-active structures are used in hybrid or non-hybrid lenses. In either case, the multi-grid electro-active architecture in combination with a suitably programmed electro-active eyewear controller and/or one or more controller components provides focusing over a wide range of intermediate and near distances Ability.

Furthermore, semi-finished electro-active lens blanks that can be surface treated also fall within the scope of the present invention. In this case, either an off-center, centered partial field electro-active refractive matrix, or a full-field electro-active refractive matrix is bonded to the blank and then surface treated to meet the prescription requirements.

In some embodiments, the variable power electro-active range is positioned over the entire lens and adjusts with a constant spherical power change over the entire surface of the lens to accommodate near vision for human work The need to focus. In other embodiments, the variable power range can be adjusted across the lens with a constant spherical power change while also producing aspheric peripheral power effects to reduce distortion and aberrations. In some of the embodiments described above, the distance power is corrected by a single vision, multifocal finished lens blank or multifocal progressive lens optic. The electro-active optical layer is mainly corrected for the focusing requirement of the working distance. It should be noted that this is not always the case. In some cases, it is possible to use only single vision, multifocal length finished lens optics or multifocal length progressive lens optics to achieve spherical power at distance, and to correct near vision working power and astigmatism with an electro-active refractive matrix, Or just use a single vision or multifocal lens optic to correct for astigmatism, and through this electro-active layer to correct for spherical power and near vision working power. Also, planar, single vision, multifocal finished lens optics or progressive multifocal lens optics can be utilized with the electro-active layer for correction of distance spherical and astigmatism.

It should be noted that, in accordance with the present invention, the required power correction, whether prismatic, spherical or aspheric power, and the total distance power requirement, intermediate distance power requirement and near Any optical power requirement can be fulfilled by any number of optical add power components. This includes the use of single vision or off-the-shelf multifocal lens optics which, when combined with the electro-active layer, satisfy: all distance spherical power needs, some distance spherical power power needs, all astigmatic power needs, some astigmatic power needs, all prismatic power needs, some prismatic power needs, or any combination of the Focus is needed.

It has been found that the electro-active refractive matrix allows the use of techniques like adaptive optics correction, so that his or her vision can be optimized through his or her electro-active lens, either before or after final fabrication. This can be accomplished by having the patient or intended wearer look through the electro-active lens or lenses and adjust them manually, or by a specially designed auto-refractor that switches off almost immediately Regular and/or irregular refractive errors are measured, and any remaining spherical aberration, astigmatism, aberrations, etc., can be corrected for. In many cases, this technology enables the wearer to achieve 20/10 or better vision.

Additionally, it should be noted that in certain embodiments, a Fresnel power lens layer is used with the single vision or multifocal or multifocal lens blank or optic and the electro-active layer. For example: the Fresnel layer is used to provide spherical power and thereby reduce lens thickness, the single vision lens optic is used to correct astigmatism, and the electro-active refractive matrix is used to correct intermediate distance and near Focusing needs of the distance.

As noted above, in another embodiment, a diffractive optic is used with the single vision lens optic and the electro-active layer. In this approach, additional focus-correcting diffractive optics are provided, and the need for power supplies, circuitry, and electro-active layer thickness is reduced. Furthermore, a combination of any two or more of the following components may also be used in an additional manner to provide the total additional optical power required by the patient's eyeglasses to correct the optical power. These components are Fresnel layers, conventional or non-conventional single vision or multifocal lens optics, diffractive optic layers, and electro-active refractive substrates or layers. Furthermore, the shape and/or effect of the diffractive or Fresnel layer can also be imparted to the electro-active material by etching methods in order to produce non-hybrid or hybrid electro-active lenses with diffractive or Fresnel components. Moreover, not only conventional lens powers but also prism powers can be produced using the electro-active lens.

It has also been found that certain electro-active lens designs using a circular centered hybrid partial field with a diameter of approximately 22 mm or 35 mm, or an adjustable off-center hybrid electro-active partial field with a diameter of approximately 30 mm, are Power circuit requirements, battery life, battery size can be minimized thereby reducing manufacturing costs and improving the optical clarity of the final electro-active eyeglass lenses.

In one inventive embodiment, the particular electro-active lens of the off-center partial field is positioned such that the optical center of the field is located approximately 5 mm below the optical center of the single vision lens, while also positioning the near working distance electro-active partial field. Off-centre toward the nasal bone or toward the temple to accommodate the pupillary distance for the patient's corrected mesio-media and near-media to far-media working distance ranges. It should be noted that this design method is not limited to a circular design, but can actually be any shape with a suitable electro-active visual field area that can meet the visual needs of the patient. For example, the design can be oval, rectangular, square, octagonal, partially curved, and the like. The proper setting of the field of view is important for a specific design of a hybrid partial field or a hybrid full field design capable of achieving a partial field, as well as a non-hybrid full field design also capable of a partial field.

In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Figure 53a, the electro-active zone may be off-centered in the vertical direction such that the pupil 5310 is located above or approximately above the near vision zone 5320 when the patient wears the glasses . An advantage of this configuration of lenses is that only slight eye or head movement is required to view objects through this zone 5330, which can provide near-intermediate or far-intermediate distance vision correction, or both. Patients can also use near vision to read with no or little downward movement of the eyes.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, as shown in Figure 53b, the electro-active zone may be off-centered in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the near vision zone 5320 and the intermediate vision zone 5330 (which may be near-intermediate or far-intermediate) are off-centered toward the nasal bone, as seen in the patient's right eye as viewed facing the patient. The eccentricity toward the nasal bone allows for the natural inward rotation of the eyes that occurs during reading work. In this embodiment, the eccentricity toward the nasal bone is approximately 2mm, although this distance is obviously only exemplary and may vary from patient to patient.

In yet another exemplary embodiment of an eccentric electro-active zone, as shown in Figure 53c, the electro-active zones 5320 and 5330 may be off-centered in the vertical and horizontal directions. This exemplary embodiment can provide the use of near-intermediate and far-intermediate vision without significant or any movement of the head or eyes, while simultaneously addressing the natural inward rotation of the eyes during reading tasks.

Figure 53d shows yet another exemplary embodiment. This embodiment illustrates decentering electro-active zones 5320 and 5330 to place pupil 5310 outside the boundaries of near vision zone 5320 and within zone 5330 . This embodiment provides the use of near-intermediate or far-intermediate vision without any head or eye movement when viewing an object directly in front of the pupil, such as viewing a computer monitor. A patient utilizing the lens of this embodiment can also use the near vision zone for reading with slight movements of the eyes or head.

It should be understood that these examples are clearly exemplary only and may vary according to eg patient habits or observational needs. Other positions of the electro-active zone relative to the patient's pupil are readily generated and are within the scope of the invention. Likewise, the electro-active zones can be independently decentered by different amounts. During near-intermediate and far-intermediate work, the near zone can also be completely closed, so the position of the pupil with respect to intermediate vision is less critical, because the entire area of zones 5330 and 5320 can only have near-intermediate or Far-intermediate distance optical power. However, in embodiments where it is desired to have both near and near-intermediate or far-intermediate vision available, careful selection of the position of the pupil in the electro-active zone is required in accordance with the factors previously described so that the glasses performance optimization.

It has been found that in many, but not all cases, an electro-active refractive matrix having a non-uniform thickness is used. That is, the metallic and conductive surrounding layers are not parallel, and the thickness of the gel polymer is varied so that converging or diverging lens shapes can be formed. Such a non-uniform thickness electro-active refractive matrix may be used in non-hybrid embodiments or hybrid embodiments with single vision or multifocal lens optics. A variety of adjustable lens powers are presented through various combinations of these fixed and electrically adjustable lenses. In some inventive embodiments, the single interconnected electro-active refractive matrix uses non-parallel faces to create a non-uniform thickness of the electro-active structure. However, in most but not all inventive embodiments, the multi-grid electro-active structure uses parallel structures that form a uniform thickness of the electro-active structure.

To illustrate some of the possibilities, a converging single vision lens optic may be bonded to a converging electro-active lens to form a hybrid lens assembly. Depending on the electro-active lens material used, this voltage can either increase or decrease the refractive index. As shown in the first row of Table 1 for different combinations of fixed and electro-active lens powers, turning the voltage up to reduce the refractive index changes the power of the final lens assembly to produce less Large positive optical power. As the applied voltage is increased to increase the refractive index of the electro-active lens optic, the optical power of the final hybrid lens assembly will change, as with respect to fixed and electro-active lens power differences combination as shown in Table 2. It should be noted that in this embodiment of the invention, only a single voltage difference across the electro-active layer is required.

Table 1 SV or MF lens lenses (distance vision) Electro-active lens power voltage change Refractive index change Optical Power of Final Hybrid Lens Assembly + + - - Less positive power (Less Plus) + - - - Larger positive optical power (More Plus) - + - - Larger negative power (More Minus) - - - - Less negative power (Less Minus)

Table 2 SV or MF lens lenses (distance vision) Electro-active lens power voltage change Refractive index change Optical Power of Final Hybrid Lens Assembly + + - - Larger positive optical power (More Plus) + - - - Less positive power (Less Plus) - + - - Less negative power (Less Minus) - - - - Larger negative power (More Minus)

A possible manufacturing process for such a hybrid module is as follows. In one embodiment, the electro-active polymer gel layer can be injection molded, cast, embossed, machined, diamond turned and/or polished into a pure lens optic shape. The thin metal layer is deposited on both sides of the injection molded or cast polymer gel layer by eg sputtering or vacuum deposition. In another exemplary embodiment, the deposited thin metal layer is placed both on the lens optic and on the other side of the injection molded or cast electro-active material layer. A conductive layer is not necessary, but if the conductive layer is necessary, it is also vacuum deposited or sputtered onto the metal layer.

Unlike conventional bifocal, multifocal or progressive lenses, where the myopic power portion needs to be positioned differently for different multifocal designs, the present invention can always be placed in a common location. Unlike the different static power zones used in conventional methods where eye movement and head tilt are required to utilize one or more of these zones, the present invention allows the patient to go straight forward or slightly upward or toward Looking down, a portion or full field of this overall electrical excitation can be adjusted to correct for the desired near working distance. This reduces eye strain and head and eye movement. Additionally, when the patient needs to see at a distance, the adjustable electro-active refractive matrix can be adjusted to correct the optical power needed to clearly see distant objects. In most cases, this causes the electro-active adjustable near working distance field to be flat power, which converts or adjusts the hybrid electro-active lens back to the far Vision correction lenses or low power multifocal progressive lenses. But that's not always the case.

In some cases, it may be beneficial to reduce the thickness of the single vision lens optic. For example, the central thickness of a positive lens or the peripheral thickness of a negative lens can be reduced by some appropriate distance power compensation in the electro-active tunable layer. This applies in the case of full field or most full field hybrid electro-active spectacle lenses, or all non-hybrid electro-active spectacle lenses.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the adjustable electro-active refractive matrix does not have to be positioned in a limited area but can cover the entire single vision or multifocal lens optic, regardless of the desired shape or shape of the single vision or multifocal lens optic. No matter what the area is. The precise overall size, shape and position of the electro-active refractive matrix is limited solely for reasons of performance and aesthetics.

It has also been found and is part of the present invention that the complexity of the electronics required by the present invention can be further reduced by utilizing appropriate convex and concave back surfaces for single vision or multifocal lens blanks or optics. The number of connecting electrodes required to activate the electro-active layer can be minimized by proper choice of the lordotic base curve of the single vision or multifocal lens blank or optic. In some embodiments, only two electrodes are required when regulating the entire electro-active range region with a set number of power sources.

This is due to the change in the refractive index of the electro-active material, which depending on where the electro-active layer is placed, can produce different optical powers of the front, back or middle electro-active layer. Thus, the proper curvature relationship of the front and back curves of each layer affects the required optical power adjustment of the electro-active hybrid or non-hybrid lens. In most, but not all, hybrid designs, especially those that do not use diffractive or Fresnel components, it is important that the electro-active refractive matrix does not have a The front and rear curved surfaces of the semi-finished blank or the single-view or multi-focus finished blank are parallel to the curved surface, and the electro-active layer is attached to the blank. An exception to this situation is a hybrid design using a multi-grid structure.

It should be noted that one embodiment with a hybrid electro-active lens uses a less than full field approach and a minimum of two electrodes. Other embodiments use a multi-grid electro-active refractive matrix approach to form the electro-active refractive matrix, in which case multiple electrodes and circuits are required. When using multi-grid electro-actuated structures, it has been found that for those grid boundaries to be electrically activated to be cosmetically acceptable (mostly invisible), it is necessary to generate 0-0.02 between adjacent grids. Refractive index difference in refractive index units. Depending on decorative requirements, this index difference can range from 0.01 to 0.05 index units, but in most inventive embodiments, the difference between adjacent regions is limited by a controller to a maximum of 0.02 or 0.03 refractive index units.

It is also possible to use one or more electro-active layers with different electro-active structures, such as single interconnect structures and/or multi-grid structures, which, once activated, function as desired to produce the desired final add power. As just one example, a patient may correct full-field distance power with the anterior (electro-active layer away from the wearer's eye) and utilize the posterior (i.e., nearer to the eye) electro-active refractive matrix for the benefit of using the electro-active layer from the posterior. The layers produce a partial field-specific approach to the near vision range of focus. It should be apparent that the increased flexibility of using this multiple electroactive refractive matrix approach can be achieved while keeping the layers very thin and reducing the complexity of the individual layers. In addition, this approach enables the sequencing of individual layers so that the patient can activate them all at the same time to produce simultaneously variable add power effects. This variable focus effect can be sequenced over time so that the focus needs of intermediate and near vision distances are corrected as the patient looks from far to near, and the opposite occurs when the person looks from near to far Effect.

The multiple electro-active refractive matrix approach can also provide faster response times for electro-active focus powers. This is due to a combination of factors, one being the reduced thickness of electro-active material required for each layer in a multi-electro-active layer lens. Moreover, also because multiple electroactive matrices allow for the decomposition of a complex primary electroactive refractive matrix into two or more less complex monolayers, requiring more to be done separately for these monolayers than for the primary electroactive layer less.

The following is an introduction to the material and structure of the electro-active lens and its electronic wiring circuit, power supply, electric switch technology, software required for focal length adjustment, and object distance measurement.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electro-active refractive matrix 1900 . Attached to both sides of the electro-active material 1910 is a metal layer 1920 . Attached to opposite sides of each metal layer 1920 is a conductive layer 1930 .

The above-mentioned electro-active refractive matrix is a multi-layer structure composed of polymer gel or liquid crystal as the electro-active material. However, in some inventive examples, both electroactive refractive substrates, polymer gel and liquid crystal, are used in the same lens. For example, the liquid crystal layer can be used to create the effect of electronic tint or sunglasses, while the polymer gel layer can be used to increase or decrease the optical power. Both polymer gels and liquid crystals have the property that the optical index of refraction can change with an applied voltage. The electro-active material is covered on each side by two almost transparent metal layers, and a conductive layer is deposited on each metal layer to provide good electrical connection to these layers. When a voltage is applied across the two conductive layers, an electric field is generated between them through the electro-active material, causing the refractive index to change. In most cases, liquid crystals, and in some cases gels, are contained in sealed envelopes made of materials ranging from silicon, polymethacrylate, styrene, proline, ceramic, Made of glass, nylon, polyester film and other materials.

20 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2000 having a multi-grid structure. Lens 2000 includes an electro-active material 2010 which, in some embodiments, defines a plurality of pixels, each of which may be separated by a material having electrically insulating properties. Thus, the electro-active material 2010 can define a plurality of adjacent regions, each region containing one or more pixels.

Attached to one side of the electro-active material 2010 is a metal layer 2020 having a grid array of metal electrodes 2030 separated by a material having electrically insulating properties (not shown). Attached to the other side (not shown) of the electro-active material 2010 is a symmetrical layer 2020 of the same metal. As such, each electro-active pixel is matched with a pair of electrodes 2030 to define pairs of grid elements.

Attached to the metal layer 2020 is a conductive layer 2040 having a plurality of interconnection paths 2050 thereon, each interconnection path being separated by a material (not shown) having electrically insulating properties. Each interconnection path 2050 electrically connects a pair of grid elements to a power source and/or a controller. In another embodiment, some and/or all interconnection vias 2050 may connect more than one grid element pair to a power source and/or controller.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, metal layer 2020 is omitted. In some other embodiments, the metal layer 2020 is replaced by an alignment layer.

In certain inventive embodiments, the front (distal) surface, intermediate surface and/or rear surface are all made of materials comprising conventional color photographic components. The color photographic composition may or may not be used as part of the electro-active lens with or without associated electronically generated tonal characteristics. If used, it will provide additional tone in a compensating manner. It should be noted, however, that in many inventive embodiments, the chromatographic material is used only for electro-active lenses without electronic tint components. The color photographic material may be included in the electro-active lens layer as a constituent of the layer, or added later to the electro-active refractive matrix, or added as part of an outer layer on the front or back of the lens. In addition, the front or back of the electro-active lens of the present invention is coated with a hard film, and both the front and the back can also be coated with an anti-reflection film as required.

This configuration is called a subassembly and can be electronically controlled to produce prismatic power, spherical power, astigmatic power correction, aspheric power correction, or aberration correction to the wearer. Additionally, this subassembly can be manipulated to mimic the effects of Fresnel or diffractive surfaces. In one embodiment, two or more subassemblies separated by an electrically insulating layer may be juxtaposed if more than one type of remediation is desired. The insulating layer may consist of silicon oxide. In another embodiment, the same subassembly is used to produce multiple optical power corrections. Both of the subassembly embodiments just described can be made in two different configurations. Embodiments of this first structure allow each of the aforementioned layers, the electro-active layer, the conductive layer and the metal layer, to be contiguous, that is, the layers of material are contiguous, thereby forming a single interconnect structure. An embodiment of the second structure (shown in FIG. 20) uses metal layers in the form of a grid or array, with each sub-array region electrically isolated from its adjacent sub-array regions. In this embodiment, a multi-grid electro-active structure is shown, the conductive layer is etched to provide separate electrical contacts or electrodes for each sub-array or grid element. In this way, independent and different voltages can be applied to each pair of grid elements within the layer, thereby creating regions of different refractive indices in the layer of electro-active material. The details of the design, including layer thickness, refractive index, voltage, candidate electro-active materials, layer structure, number of layers or components, arrangement of layers or components, curvature of each layer or component, etc., are left to the optical designer to decide.

It should be noted that either a multi-grid electro-active structure or a single interconnect electro-active structure can be used as part of the lens field or as the entire lens field. However, when partial-field specific electro-active refractive substrates are used, in most cases an electro-active material with a closely matched refractive index is used to serve as part-field specific electro-active and unactuated layer (frame layer) material, the layer laterally adjoining the specific electro-active region of the partial field and separated from the specific electro-active region of the partial field by an insulator. This is done to enhance the cosmeticity of the electro-active lens by maintaining the appearance of the entire electro-active refractive matrix as a unit when in the unactuated state. Additionally, it should be noted that, in some embodiments, the frame layer is formed of a non-electroactive material.

The polymeric material may be a wide variety of polymers in which the electro-active component is at least 30% by weight. Such electroactive polymer materials are well known and commercially available. Examples of such materials include liquid crystal polymers such as polyester, polyether, polyamide, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) (penta cyano biphenyl), and the like. The polymer gel may also contain a thermoset matrix material to enhance the processability of the gel, improve its adhesion to the encapsulating conductive layer, and enhance the optical clarity of the gel. To name a few examples, this matrix can be cross-linked acrylate, methacrylate, polyurethane cross-linked with bifunctional or multifunctional derivatives of acrylate, methacrylate or polyethylene Vinyl polymer (vinyl polymer) and so on.

For example, the thickness of the gel layer may be between about 3 microns and about 100 microns, but may be as thick as 1 mm, or, as another embodiment, may be between about 4 microns and about 20 microns. For example, the gel layer may have a coefficient of about 100 psi to about 800 psi, or, as another embodiment, about 200 to 600 psi. The metal layer may have a thickness, for example, from about 10 ^-4 microns to about 10 ^-2 microns, and as another embodiment, from about 0.8 x 10 ^-3 microns to about 1.2 x 10 ^-3 microns. The conductive layer may have a thickness, for example, on the order of 0.05 microns to about 0.2 microns, and as another embodiment, from about 0.8 microns to about 0.12 microns, and as yet another embodiment, about 0.1 microns .

The metal layer is used to form good contact between the conductive layer and the electro-active material. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize suitable metallic materials that may be used. For example, one can use gold or silver for the metal layer.

In one embodiment, the refractive index of the electro-active material can vary, for example, between about 1.2 units and about 1.9 units, and as another embodiment, between about 1.45 units and about 1.75 units , while the change in refractive index is at least 0.02 units/volt. The rate of change of refractive index with voltage, the actual refractive index of the electroactive material and its compatibility with the matrix material will determine the percent composition of the electroactive polymer in the matrix material, and at a base voltage of approximately 2.5 volts but not greater than 25 volts will result in a change in the refractive index of the final composition of not less than 0.02 units/volt.

As previously discussed, for embodiments of the invention using a hybrid design, the various parts of the electro-active refractive matrix assembly are attached to the conventional lens optic using a suitable adhesive or gluing technique, such adhesive Or the glued layer is transparent to visible light. This gluing assembly can be done with a release paper or film to which the electro-active refractive substrate has been pre-assembled and attached in advance in order to glue the electro-active refractive substrate to the conventional lens optic. . It can be generated in place and applied to the surface of the lens optic to be used. Furthermore, it can also be pre-applied to the surface of the lens sheet before gluing the lens sheet to the ready-to-use lens optic. It can also be applied to a semi-finished lens blank which is then surfaced or edged to the proper size, shape and total optical power. Finally, it can be cast onto preformed lens optics using surface casting techniques. This produces the electrically adjustable optical power of the present invention. The electro-active refractive matrix can occupy the entire lens area, or only a part thereof.

The refractive index of the electro-active layer is only changed precisely for the area that needs to be focused. For example, in the aforementioned hybrid partial field design, the area of the partial field is always excited and changed within this area. Thus, in this embodiment, the refractive index changes only in a certain partial area of the lens. In another embodiment of a hybrid full-field design, the refractive index is varied across the surface. Also, in the non-hybrid design, the index of refraction is varied over the entire area. As mentioned earlier, it has been found that in order to maintain an acceptable visually decorative appearance, the difference in refractive index between adjacent regions of an electro-active lens should be limited to a maximum of 0.02-0.05 refractive index units, preferably 0.02-0.03 unit.

It is conceivable within the scope of the invention that in some cases the user will use a partial field and then want to switch the electro-active refractive matrix to a full field. In this case, the embodiment should be structured as a full-field embodiment; however, the controller should be programmed to accommodate the need to switch power from full-field to partial-field and back, and vice versa. The same is true.

To generate the electric field required to actuate the electro-active lens, a voltage is applied to the optical assembly. This is accomplished by bundles of small diameter wires that are contained around the rim of the spectacle frame. These wires lead from the power source described below to the controller of the electro-active eyewear, and/or to one or more controller components, and to the rim surrounding each eyeglass lens, here, used in semiconductor manufacturing Existing wire bonding techniques are used to connect these wires to each grid element in the optical assembly. In the embodiment of a single wire interconnect structure, ie one wire per conductive layer, only one voltage is required per mirror lens, and only two wires are required for each lens. A voltage is applied to one conductive layer, while the mating conductive layer on the opposite side of the gel layer is maintained at ground potential. In another embodiment, an alternating current (AC) voltage is applied to the opposing conductive layers. These two connections are easily accomplished at or near the rim of each spectacle lens.

If a grid array voltage is used, each grid subarea in the array is addressed with a different voltage, and some electrical conductor connects each wire introduced into the frame to a grid element on the lens . Optically transparent conductive materials, such as indium oxide, tin oxide, or indium tin oxide (ITO), can be used to form the conductive layer of the electro-active component to connect the wires on the frame edge to each of the electro-active lenses. grid element. This method is applicable regardless of whether the electro-active region occupies the entire lens region or only occupies a part of the lens region.

One of the techniques used to achieve pixelation in multi-grid array designs is to fabricate individual small volumes of electro-active material, each with its own pair of drive electrodes to establish an electric field across the small volume of material. Another technique for achieving pixelation is to use patterned electrodes in the conductive or metallic layer, which are photolithographically formed on the substrate. In this way, the electro-active material can be contained within a continuous volume, and the regions of distinct electric fields that generate the pixelation are completely defined by the patterned electrodes.

To provide power to the optical assembly, a power source such as a battery is included in the design. The voltages used to generate this electric field are small, so the legs of the spectacle frames are designed to allow the insertion and removal of the tiny batteries that provide this power. The batteries are connected to the wiring harness by multiplex connections also contained within the frame legs. In another embodiment, uniform thin film batteries are adhered to the surface of the frame legs with an adhesive so that they can be removed and replaced when the batteries are depleted. Another option is to provide an AC adapter connected to the battery mounted on the frame so that the battery or a consistent thin film battery can be recharged in situ when not in use.

An alternative power source could also be tiny fuel cells contained in eyeglass frames to provide a larger energy reserve than batteries. The fuel cell is charged by filling the reservoir of the spectacle frame with fuel from a small fuel canister.

It has been found that the power supply requirements can be minimized by using the method of the present invention in a hybrid multi-grid structure which in most but not all cases includes specific areas of a partial field. It should be noted that while one can use a hybrid partial field multi-grid structure, one can also use a hybrid full field multi-grid structure.

In another inventive method of correcting unconventional refractive anomalies such as aberrations, as described above, a tracking system may be built into the glasses and provided with appropriate operable software and programming installed in the electro-active glasses The electro-active glasses controller and/or one or more controller components. This embodiment of the invention not only tracks a person's line of sight by tracking their eyes, but also applies the required electrical energy to the specific area of the electro-active lens through which the line of sight is passing. In other words, as the eye moves, the directed electro-active zone moves across the lens corresponding to the line of sight of a person directly passing through the electro-active lens. This will be demonstrated in a number of different lens designs. For example, to correct for conventional (spherical, cylindrical, and prismatic) refractive errors, the user may have fixed power lenses, electro-active lenses, or a mixture of both types of lenses. In this example, the unconventional refractive error will be corrected by an electro-active refractive matrix with a multi-grid structure, whereby when the eye moves, the active area of the corresponding electro-active lens moves with the eye. In other words, the line of sight of the eye corresponds to the movement of the eye, and when the line of sight intersects the lens, it moves on the lens in relation to the movement of the eye.

In the embodiments of the invention described above, it should be noted that the multi-grid electro-active structure introduced into or on the hybrid electro-active lens may have a partial field or full field design.

It should be noted that when using this embodiment of the invention, the need for electricity can be minimized by electrically energizing only the limited area directly through which the line of sight passes. Thus, for a given prescription, the smaller the area being energized at any one time, the less power is consumed. In most but not all cases, areas of indirect viewing are not activated or stimulated, so conventional refractive errors such as nearsightedness, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia will always be corrected to bring the patient to 20/20 vision correction. In an embodiment of the invention, the targeted and tracked areas always correct as much as possible of the non-conventional refractive errors, which are irregular astigmatism, aberrations, and irregularities in the surface or layers of the eye. In other inventive embodiments, the targeted or tracked regions may also be corrected for some general anomaly. In the foregoing several embodiments, the area to be aimed and tracked can be controlled by means of a controller and/or one or more controller components, and by means of a rangefinder placed in the glasses to track the movement of the eyes (range finder), and an eye tracking system placed in the glasses, or by both a tracking system and a rangefinder system for automatic positioning.

Although only part of the electro-active area is used in some designs, the entire surface is covered with electro-active material to prevent the user from seeing circular lines in the lens in the non-energized state. In some inventive embodiments, a transparent insulator is used to confine the electro-actuation to the central region being actuated, while an unactuated peripheral electro-active material is used to make the edges of the actuated region invisible.

In another embodiment, a thin-film solar cell group is attached on the surface of the mirror frame, and a voltage is applied to the wires and the optical grid by using the photoelectric effect generated by sunlight and ambient light. In one embodiment, a solar battery pack is used as the main power source, and the aforementioned microbattery is included as the backup power source. In this embodiment the battery is charged by the solar cell during the time when the power source is not needed. Another option also provides an AC adapter for this design and connects to these batteries.

In order to provide the user with a variable focal length, the electro-active lens is switchable. At least two switching positions are provided, but more switching positions may be provided if desired. In the simplest embodiment, the electro-active lens is either open or closed. When in the closed position, no current flows through the wires, no voltage is applied to the grid assembly, and only fixed lens power is used. This is always the case when the user requires distance correction, for example, assuming of course that the hybrid electro-active lens uses a single vision or multifocal lens blank or optic for correcting distance vision as part of its construction. To provide the near vision correction required for reading, a switch would be open, thereby supplying the lens with a predetermined voltage or array of voltages to produce a positive add power in the electro-active assembly. If intermediate vision correction is desired, a third switching position may be included. This switching can be controlled by the microprocessor, or manually by the user. In fact, multiple additional locations may be included. In another embodiment, the switch is analog rather than digital, and a knob or joystick can be adjusted to provide continuously varying lens focus, much like the volume control on a radio.

It may be the case that there is no fixed lens power in the components of the structure and the entire vision correction is accomplished through the electro-active lens. In this embodiment, the lens is supplied with a voltage or voltage array at all times if the user requires both distance and near vision correction. If the user only needs distance vision correction or accommodation for reading, the electro-active lens will be turned on when correction is needed and turned off when correction is not needed. However, this is not always the case. In some embodiments, depending on the lens design, turning off or reducing the voltage automatically increases the optical power in the distance and or near vision zones.

In an exemplary embodiment, the switch itself is placed on the frame of the spectacle lens and is connected to a controller, eg, an application specific integrated circuit contained in the spectacle frame. The controller responds to different positions of the switch by regulating the voltage supplied by the power supply. Such a controller thus forms the above-mentioned multiplexer, which distributes the different voltages to the connecting lines. The controller can also be an advanced design in the form of a thin film and mounted along the surface of the frame like a battery or solar cell.

In an exemplary embodiment, the controller and/or one or more controller components can be fabricated and/or programmed according to the known vision correction requirements of the patient and allow the user to easily switch between different predetermined voltages arrays, these voltage series are tailored to his or her individual vision needs. The controller and/or one or more controller components of such electro-active eyewear can be easily removed and/or programmed by an ophthalmologist or technician, and can be adjusted according to a new "prescription" as the user's vision correction needs change. controller to be replaced and/or reprogrammed.

One approach to a controller-based switch is its ability to change the voltage applied to an electro-active lens in less than a microsecond. If the electro-active refractive matrix is made of a fast switching material, the rapid transition of the focal length of the lens can disrupt the vision of the wearer. Gradient transitions from one focal length to another are required. As an additional feature of the present invention, a "delay" can be programmed into the controller to slow down the transition of focus. Conversely, "look ahead" can also be programmed into the controller to speed up the focal length transition. Again, this shift can be predicted with the help of forecasting algorithms.

In general, the time constant of this transition can be set to be proportional to and/or responsive to the change in refractive index required to accommodate the wearer's vision. For example, small changes in focus power can be quickly shifted, while large changes in focus power, such as when the wearer quickly moves his gaze from a distant target to a printed material to be read, can be set to Occurs over a longer period of time, say 10-100 milliseconds. This time constant is adjustable according to the comfort of the wearer.

In short, there is no need to place the switch on the glasses themselves. In another exemplary embodiment, the switch is in a separate module that can be placed in a user's clothing pocket and manually actuated. The switch can be connected to the glasses with thin wires or optical fibers. Another type of switch consists of a small microwave or radio frequency short-range transmitter that transmits a signal about the switch's position to a tiny receiving antenna coherently placed on the spectacle frame. In both switch configurations, the user has direct and careful control over the focal length of his or her glasses.

In various exemplary embodiments, the switch is automatically controlled by a field of view detector, such as a distance measuring device, which is placed, for example, in the frame of the eyeglasses, on the frame, in the lens and/or on the lens, And point forward to the target to be observed.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of another inventive embodiment of electro-active eyewear 2100 . In the illustrated embodiment, the frame 2110 contains an electro-active lens 2120 that is connected to a controller 2140 (integrated circuit) and a power source 2150 by connecting wires 2130 . The transmitter 2160 of the rangefinder is attached to the electro-active lens 2120 and the receiver 2170 of the rangefinder is attached to the other electro-active lens 2120 . In various alternative embodiments, transmitter 2160 and/or receiver 2170 may be attached to either electro-active lens 2120, attached to frame 2110, embedded in lens 2120, and/or embedded in frame 2110 . Also, the transmitter 2160 and/or receiver 2170 of the range finder may be controlled by the controller 2140 and/or a separate controller (not shown). Likewise, signals received by receiver 2170 may be processed by controller 2140 and/or a separate controller (not shown).

In short, this range finder is an active detector that can use various light sources: such as lasers, light-emitting diodes, radio frequency waves, microwaves or ultrasonic pulses to locate a target and determine the distance to that target. In one embodiment, a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) is used as the light emitter. The small size and flat profile of these devices make them very attractive for this application. In another embodiment, an organic light emitting diode (or OLED) is used as the light source for the rangefinder. An advantage of such devices is that OLEDs can usually be made transparent in most cases. As such, OLED may be the preferred rangefinder design if cosmetic considerations are concerned, as it can be incorporated into the lens or frame without being seen.

Appropriate sensors for receiving reflected signals from the target are located at one or more locations in front of the lens mount and are connected to a tiny controller to calculate distance ranges. In another embodiment, a single device can be fabricated to function as both an emitter and a detector, and interfaced with the distance range calculator. This distance range is sent by wire or fiber optic to a switch controller located in the lens holder or to a wireless remote control itself and analyzed to determine the exact switch setting for the distance to the target. In some cases, the distance range controller and switch controller can be integrated.

It should be appreciated that in some cases it may be difficult for the distance measuring device to switch the focal length of the electro-active lens when the wearer wants to move from the focus of one object to the focus of another object. For example, the transmitter and receiver of the rangefinder require additional head movement by the wearer of the lens before the lens can be switched from one vision correction to another. Additionally, "false switching" occurs when the lens switches from vision correction that is actually desired by the wearer to vision correction that is not appropriate. For example, when the lens switches from distance vision correction to distance-intermediate or near-intermediate or near vision correction, rather than switching to the distance correction that the wearer actually needs.

Thus, in another exemplary embodiment, additional lenses may be selectively placed over the rangefinder's transmit beam width in order to control the width of the transmit beam produced by the transmitter, and the cone of received light received by the receiver. on the transmitter and receiver.

Figure 44a is an exploded cross-sectional view of an integrated power supply, controller and rangefinder according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 44 a , the system 4400 includes a ranging device 4420 connected to a controller 4440 which in turn is connected to a power source 4460 . Figure 44b is a side cross-sectional view along the Z-Z' direction of the system 4400 of Figure 44a according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 44b , the range finding device 4420 includes a range finder transmitter 4424 and a range finder receiver 4428 . In this exemplary embodiment, rangefinder transmitter 4424 and rangefinder receiver 4428 are transmitting and receiving diodes, respectively, which may be in the form of, for example, IR laser diodes, LEDs, or other sources of non-visible radiation. In this exemplary embodiment, emitter 4424 has selectively covered emitter lens 4426 in order to control the width of the emitted beam produced by emitter 4424 . Likewise, the receiver 4428 may be optionally covered with a receiver lens 4430 in order to control the cone of received light received by the receiver 4428 . It should be understood that the receiving area or cone of light of the receiver 4428 contains the solid angle beyond which light rays approaching the distance measuring device will reach the receiver once passing through a receiving lens, aperture or other device covering the receiver 4428 4428 on. The protective window can shield the internal components of the ranging device 4420, more specifically, the transmitter and the receiver can be shielded from the user's surrounding environment without affecting the function of the internal components.

Figure 45 is a side view of the rangefinder transmitter 4424 of Figure 44b according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 45, the emitting lens 4426 has a selected diverging optical power to diverge the beam B generated by the emitter 4424 to a given pattern width D over a given working distance L. Thus, the width of the light beam produced by emitter 4424 is optimal for a given working distance for reading and intermediate distance viewing, which minimizes the need for additional movement of the head, The excessive beam enlargement avoids false switching.

Figure 46 is a side view of the rangefinder receiver 4428 of Figure 44b according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 46, the receiver 4428 is optionally covered with a receiving lens 4430 in which a slotted hole 4432 is formed. Using a receiving lens 4430 with a slit aperture 4432 can reduce the received pattern to a substantially rectangular area rather than the full field of view detected when the receiving lens 4430 is not mounted on the receiver 4428 . In this embodiment, receiving lens 4430 is constructed of, for example, an opaque material that prevents receiver 4428 from receiving any reflected light other than through slit aperture 4432 .

It should be understood that the above-described embodiment with a transmit lens 4426 covering the emitter 4424 and a receive lens 4430 covering the receiver 4428 is exemplary only, and other uses of the transmit beam of the transmitter 4424 or the receive light cone of the receiver 4428 may be used. region to further reduce false switching or improve the optical performance of the optical system 4400. For example, other methods of limiting the receiving light cone or receiving pattern of the receiver include using other geometries of apertures, variable shutters, lenses or devices to limit the transmission of light onto the receiver 4428 . It should also be understood that placement of lenses on the transmitter and receiver is optional and that any combination of such lenses may be provided in accordance with the present invention. For example, in at least another embodiment, the receiving lens 4430 for selectively covering the receiver 4428 is optional. Also, in at least one further embodiment, the emitter lens 4426 for selectively covering the emitter 4424 is optional. In the exemplary inventive embodiments described above, the need for additional head movement and the occurrence of false switching both increases with the width of the transmitted beam produced by the rangefinder transmitter and optionally manipulates how the reflected beam appears at the rangefinder. to a minimum on the rangefinder receiver.

In another exemplary embodiment, the switch may be controlled by a small, rapid movement of the user's head. This would be done by another field-of-view detector, such as a tiny gyroscope or a tiny accelerometer, contained in the leg of the lens frame. A small, quick shake or twist of the head will trigger the micro gyroscope or micro accelerometer and cause the switch to rotate through some of its allowable position settings, thereby changing the focus of the electro-active lens to the desired corrected position . For example, based on the detection of movement by a micro gyroscope or a micro accelerometer, the controller can be programmed to provide optical power to the distance measuring device so that the area being viewed can be interrogated by the distance measuring device to determine if vision is required Corrective changes. Likewise, after a predetermined time interval or period in which no head movement is detected, the distance measuring device may be switched off. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, after movement detection and use of the distance measuring device, the distance measuring device may also be turned on.

In another exemplary embodiment, another vision detector, such as a tilt switch, may be used to determine whether the user's head is at a given angle above or below a posture representing someone looking straight into the distance. Lower or raise. For example, an exemplary inclination switch may include a mercury switch provided on the controller that turns off only when the patient looks up or down at a predetermined angle from the horizontal for rangefinder and/or A circuit that supplies power to the controller. Since the lens can be designed to perform distance correction without power, in at least one embodiment, when the user's head is tilted downward or upward at a predetermined angle from the horizontal, the ranging device can be configured to Electro-active lenses are steered and switched from distance correction to another state (eg near or intermediate distance correction). Additionally, the lens may employ the additional requirement that objects within near or intermediate distances be sensed for a predetermined period of time before switching begins. The slope switch can also be used to set a logic high level which is then passed through an AND gate (in positive logic) along with the logic level set by the rangefinder indicating whether the target is at close or intermediate range.

47a-47c are side views of a wearer of an optical lens system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 47a, the wearer of the optical lens system can adjust his head from horizontal to an upward head tilt angle (θ _up ), and from horizontal to a downward head tilt angle (θ _down ). Figure 47b shows the wearer tilting his head down at a head down tilt angle ( _θdown ). Figure 47c shows the wearer tilting his head upwards at an upward head tilt angle (θ _up ). In an exemplary embodiment, the incline switch may be closed (and provided for the measurement) when the wearer's head is moved approximately 5 to 15 degrees up or down from the horizontal position, and preferably approximately 10 degrees from the horizontal position. distance device or controller, or both). In another embodiment, the tilt switch may be closed when the wearer's head moves approximately 15 to 30 degrees upward or downward from the horizontal position, and preferably approximately 20 degrees from the horizontal position.

It should be understood that the embodiments described above employing an incline switch can be optimized according to the wishes and requirements of the wearer. For example, the wearer may choose to have the angle required to close the switch from a horizontal position differ in an upward or downward direction. In this way, the upward slope angle for closing the switch can be equal to the downward slope angle, or they can differ from each other by a few degrees. In addition, the inclination switch can also be used by only actuating the rangefinder (or rangefinder or controller) when the wearer tilts his head down, or alternatively, only when the wearer tilts his head up. , or both provide power) to optimize. The latter is unlikely since everyone reads with a slight downward tilt of their head.

In another inventive embodiment, the system uses a tilt switch to determine the tilt angle of the wearer's head. The angle of the tilt, whether upward or downward, can be sent to the controller to determine whether the tilt is greater than a predetermined angle. Accordingly, the controller may selectively power the rangefinder based on the incline across the incline threshold associated with the incline switch. Also, in yet another embodiment, micro-gyroscopes or micro-accelerators may be used in a similar manner. For example, tiny gyroscopes or tiny accelerometers could generate outputs from which a controller can determine the position of the wearer's head and adjust power to the ranging device accordingly.

Yet another exemplary embodiment uses a combination of a micro gyroscope and a manual switch. In this embodiment, the miniature gyroscope is typically used for reading and vision functions up to 180 degrees in order to respond to the tilt of a person's head. So when a person's head is tilted, the tiny gyroscope sends a signal to the controller indicating the tilt of the head, which is then translated into increased focus power as required by the tilt. For certain vision functions at or above 180 degrees, such as in the case of working in front of a computer, a remote-controlled manual switch is used in place of a miniature gyroscope.

In another embodiment, a combination of a rangefinder and a miniature gyroscope is used. The miniature gyroscope is used for myopia and other visual functions below 180 degrees, while the range finder is used for viewing distances above 180 degrees and viewing distances such as four inches or less. In yet another embodiment, a ranging device may be used in conjunction with an inclination switch, a microgyroscope, or a microaccelerator to determine whether the electro-active lens should be switched. In these embodiments, the controller can use logic levels for each integrated component, such as tilt switches, gyroscopes, or accelerometers, according to additional requirements, such as the requirement that the ranging device must acquire a new viewing distance before switching can begin .

As an alternative to a manual switch or rangefinder design, another exemplary embodiment for adjusting the focus power of an electro-active assembly uses an eye tracker to measure the distance between the pupils and detect the viewing distance. The distance changes as the pupils contract and diverge as the eyes focus on distant or near objects. At least two light emitting diodes and at least two adjacent photosensors are disposed in the frame near the bridge of the nose for detecting light emitted by the diodes reflected from the eyes. The system detects the position of the edge of the pupils of each eye and converts this position into the distance between the pupils in order to calculate the distance from the plane of the user's eyes to the target. In some embodiments, three or even four light emitting diodes and photosensors may be used to track eye movement.

It should be understood that in yet another embodiment, the combination of various devices described herein can be combined in any way as required to meet the needs of technicians and the wearer of the optical lens system, wherein the various devices described The combination of can reduce false switching and excessive movement of the wearer to the initial switching. In this way, either logic level or switching arrangement can be customized to meet the specific needs of a given user.

In addition to vision correction, the electro-active refractive matrix can also be used to produce an electronic tint in spectacle lenses. Lenses can be tinted or sunglass-like by applying the appropriate voltage across the appropriate gel polymer or liquid crystal layer, which in some way alters the transmission of light through the lens. This reduced light intensity gives the lenses a sort of "sunglass" effect, making the user comfortable in bright outdoor environments. Liquid crystal compositions and gel polymers with high polarizability to the applied electric field are very attractive for this application.

In some inventive embodiments, the invention may be used at locations where the temperature change is large enough to affect the refractive index of the electro-active layer. A correction factor must then be applied to all voltages supplied to the grid assembly to compensate for this effect. A miniature thermistor, thermocouple or other temperature sensor mounted in or on the lens and/or frame and connected to a power source can detect changes in temperature. The controller converts these readings into voltage changes required to compensate for changes in the electro-active material's refractive index.

However, in some embodiments, to increase the temperature of the electro-active refractive substrate or layer, electronic circuitry is actually embedded in the lens or placed on the surface of the lens. Doing so further reduces the refractive index of the electro-active layers, thereby maximizing the change in lens power. The increase in temperature can be utilized with or without increasing the voltage, which gives additional flexibility in controlling and varying the power of the lens through changes in the refractive index. When temperature is used, it is desirable to be able to measure, obtain feedback and control the intentionally applied temperature.

In grid arrays of individually addressable electro-active regions for partial or full fields, many wires may be required to multiplex specific voltages from the controller to each grid element. In order to facilitate the placement of these interconnections, the present invention locates the controller in the front part of the spectacle frame, for example, in the nose bridge area. In this way, the power source placed in the temple can be connected to the controller with only two wires passing through the frame hinge in front of the temple. The wires connecting the controller to the lens can all be contained within the front portion of the frame.

In some embodiments of the invention, the eyeglasses may have one or two eyeglass frame legs, the parts of which are easily detachable. Each temple consists of two parts: a short part that remains connected to the hinge and front frame part and a longer part that inserts into this part. Each detachable part from the temple contains the power cell (battery, fuel cell, etc.) and is easily detached from and reattached to the fixed part of the temple. The detachable legs are rechargeable, for example, by placing it in a portable A.C. charger that charges with direct current, magnetic induction, or any other general charging method. In this way, a fully charged replacement leg can be attached to the glasses to provide continuous, long-term activation of the lenses and the ranging system. In practice, the user may carry multiple replacement legs in his clothing pocket or pouch for this purpose.

In many cases, the wearer requires spherical correction for distance, near, and/or near or distance vision. This allows a fully interconnected grid array lens variation that takes advantage of the spherical symmetry of the optic requiring correction. In this case, a grid of specific geometries consisting of concentric rings of electro-active regions may comprise partial-field or full-field lenses. These rings can be circular or non-circular, such as ellipses. This configuration can be used to significantly reduce the number of electro-active regions required that must be individually addressed with wires carrying different voltages, thereby greatly simplifying the interconnection circuit. This design allows for the use of hybrid lens designs for astigmatism correction. In this case, conventional lenses may provide cylindrical and/or astigmatic correction, while the electro-active refractive matrix of concentric rings may provide spherical distance and/or near vision correction.

Embodiments of such concentric rings or annular regions provide great flexibility in tailoring the electro-active focus to the needs of the wearer. Due to the symmetry of the annular region, many thinner regions can be made without increasing the complexity of routing and interconnection. For example, an electro-active lens consisting of 4000 square pixels would require wiring to address all 4000 regions; the need to cover a circular partial area area with a diameter of 35 mm would result in a pixel pitch of about 0.5 mm. On the other hand, an adaptive optic constructed of the same 0.5 mm pitch (or ring thickness) pattern of concentric rings would require only 35 ring regions, thereby greatly reducing wiring complexity. Instead, the pixel pitch (and resolution) can be reduced to only 0.1 mm, and only the number of fields (and interconnect lines) increased to 175. Greater resolution in this zone translates into greater comfort for the wearer because the radial change in refractive index from one zone to another is smoother and more gradual. Of course, this design limits people to what is essentially only spherical vision correction.

It has also been found that the concentric ring design allows the thickness of the annular ring to be tailored to place the greatest resolution at the radial location where it is needed. For example, if the design requires phase-wrapping, i.e., when taking advantage of the periodicity of light waves to achieve large focusing powers with materials with limited refractive index variation, one can design an array where The circular sub-region of the electro-active area of the array has a narrower ring at the periphery and a wider ring at the center of the region. This judicious use of each annular pixel yields the maximum achievable focusing power for the number of zones used, while minimizing aliasing effects present in low resolution systems using phase wrapping.

In another embodiment of the invention, in a hybrid lens employing a partial electro-active zone, it is desirable to smooth the sharp transition from the far field focal region to the near vision focal region. This of course takes place on the circular border of the electro-active area. To accomplish this, the invention will be programmed so that the area surrounding the electro-active area has less optical power for myopia. For example, consider a hybrid concentric ring design with a 35 mm diameter electro-active zone providing a +2.50 add power presbyopia correction with a fixed focal length lens. Several annular regions or "bands" are programmed to have decreasing power at larger diameters, rather than maintaining such power all the way to the periphery of the electro-active region, where each The annular regions or "strips" each consist of several addressable electrically active concentric annular regions. For example, during excitation, one embodiment could have: a central 26mm diameter circle with an add power of +2.50, an annular zone extending from 26mm to 29mm in diameter with an add power of +2.00, another The ring diameter extends from 29mm to 32mm and has an add power of +1.50, surrounded by rings that extend in diameter from 32mm to 35mm and has an add power of +1.0. This design is advantageous in providing some users with a more comfortable wearing experience.

When using ophthalmic spectacle lenses, one typically uses about half of the upper portion of the lens for distance viewing. For mid-range viewing, one generally uses about 2-3 mm above the midline and about 6-7 mm below the midline, and 7-10 mm below the midline for near-distance viewing.

The aberrations produced by the eye vary with distance from the eye and require different corrections. The distance of the object being viewed is directly related to the specific aberration that needs to be corrected. Thus, the aberrations produced by the eye's optical system will require approximately the same correction for all distances, approximately the same correction for all distance-intermediate distances, and approximately the same correction for all near-intermediate distances. Said will require approximately the same correction, and approximately the same correction will be required for all near point distances. Thus, the present invention allows electro-active accommodation of the lens in three or four segments of the lens (distance, intermediate and near) in order to correct certain aberrations of the eye, unlike in the The eye and the line of sight of the eye try to adjust the electro-active lens from grid to grid as it moves across the lens.

FIG. 22 is a front view of an embodiment of an electro-active lens 2200 . Various regions are defined within lens 2200 to provide different refractive corrections. Below midline B-B, a single intermediate distance corrective zone 2230 surrounds several near corrective zones 2210 and 2220, each near corrective zone having a different corrective optical power. Although only two near correction regions 2210 and 2220 are shown, any number of near correction regions may be provided. Likewise, any number of mid-range correction zones may be provided. Above the midline B-B, a distant correction zone 2240 is provided. Regions 2210, 2220, and 2230 may be activated in a programmed sequence, eg, to conserve power, or may be activated in a static on-off fashion similar to conventional tri-focal. The lens 2200 can help the wearer's eyes focus when viewing from far to near, or from near to far, by smoothing the transitions between the focal lengths of the regions. Thus, the phenomenon of "image jump" is eliminated or greatly reduced.

Image jumps and discontinuities between vision correction zones can be selectively reduced by utilizing electro-active blending zones. An exemplary embodiment is shown in FIG. 54 . The exemplary embodiment shown here represents an electro-active zone placed within a fixed remote optical element 5340 . The near vision zone 5320 is blended on top of the blend zone 5420 in a zone 5330 that can provide near-intermediate vision, distance-intermediate correction, or both. The hybrid zone 5420 can be an electro-active zone of any width, but is preferably about 6mm wide or less. The blend zone 5420 can mask or mask discontinuities between zones and reduce image jumps by providing a smooth transition as the patient's line of sight moves from one vision correction zone to another. Another blending zone 5430 may be located between zone 5330 and distance vision zone 5340 . The mixing zone 5430 can be of any width, but is preferably 10mm wide or narrower. In any blend region, the blend region may be a linear blend of power reduction, or a blend represented by a polynomial or exponential function. In embodiments where both near and near-intermediate or far-intermediate powers exist, the blend zone 5420 may transition from the near power to the near-intermediate or far-intermediate power. In embodiments where the near vision zone is activated without the near-intermediate or far-intermediate zone, the blend zone 5420 may provide a transition from near vision power to distance vision power. In most embodiments, the blend zone 5430 can provide a transition from near-intermediate or far-intermediate power to distance power.

While the pupil 5310 is shown in Figure 54 as being centered relative to the electro-active zone, as described elsewhere herein, the lens may be positioned to position the pupil relative to the electro-active zone of the lens in other different ways.

FIG. 23 is a front view of another electro-active lens 2300 embodiment. Various regions are defined within lens 2300 to provide different refractive corrections. Below the midline C-C, a single intermediate correction zone 2320 surrounds a single near correction zone 2310 . Above the midline C-C, a single region of distant correction 2330 is provided.

FIG. 24 is a front view of another electro-active lens 2400 embodiment. Various regions are defined within lens 2400 to provide different refractive corrections. A single mid-range correction region 2420 surrounds a single near correction region 2410 , which in turn is surrounded by a single distance correction region 2430 .

25 is a side view of another electro-active lens 2500 embodiment. Lens 2500 comprises a conventional lens optic 2510 to which are attached a plurality of full-field electro-active regions 2520, 2530, 2540, and 2550, each separated from its neighbors by insulating layers 2525, 2535, 2545.

26 is a side view of another electro-active lens 2600 embodiment. Lens 2600 comprises a conventional lens optic 2610 with a plurality of partial field electro-active regions 2620, 2630, 2640 and 2650 attached thereto, each separated from its neighbors by insulating layers 2625, 2635 and 2645. Frame region 2660 encloses electro-active regions 2620 , 2630 , 2640 and 2650 .

Returning now to diffractive electro-active lenses, electro-active lenses for correcting refractive errors can be fabricated using an electro-active refractive matrix adjacent to a glass, polymer, or plastic substrate lens printed or etched with a diffractive pattern . The substrate lens surface having diffractive impressions is in direct contact with the electro-active material. Thus, a surface of the electro-active layer will also have a diffractive pattern which is a mirror image of the diffractive pattern on the surface of the lens substrate.

The assembly is used as a hybrid lens so that the substrate lens always provides a fixed corrected optical power, typically for distance correction. The refractive index of the electro-active refractive matrix in the unactuated state is nearly the same as that of the substrate lens; the difference should be 0.05 index units or less. Thus when the electro-active lens is not actuated, the substrate lens and electro-active refractive matrix have the same index of refraction, and the diffractive pattern is inactive, thus providing no correction (0.00 diopters). In this state, the power of the substrate lens is the only corrective power.

When the electro-active refractive matrix is activated, its refractive index changes and the refractive power of the diffractive pattern is added to the substrate lens. For example, if the substrate lens has an optical power of -3.50 diopters, and when the electro-active diffractive layer is activated it has an optical power of +2.00 diopters, then the total optical power of the electro-active lens assembly is -1.50 diopters. In this way, the electro-active lens can be viewed or read at close range. In other embodiments, the refractive index of the electro-active refractive matrix in the actuated state can be matched to the lens optic.

By utilizing stacked electro-active regions, multiple regions for viewing corrections can be utilized simultaneously. Figure 55 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an electro-active lens having two electro-active vision correction zones 5520 and 5530 and a distance correction zone 5540, which may be provided by fixed distance optics. These zones may represent one or more stacked electro-active regions, wherein the observation corrections in regions 5520 and 5530 are different according to which the electro-active regions are activated, as further described below.

In some embodiments, distance-intermediate vision correction zones may be generated. This distance-intermediate distance correction zone can provide enhanced viewing correction for objects that are too far away for comfortable near-intermediate distance viewing correction, but too close for significantly effective distance vision correction. Typically, these distances can be from about 5 feet to about 15 feet.

An exemplary embodiment of an electro-active lens with stacked electro-active regions is shown in Figure 55a. Lens 5500 has two electro-active regions. Each zone provides half the optical power for near vision correction. As shown in Figure 55a, one region may be smaller in area than the other, however the two regions may also be of the same size. Near vision correction can occur when both areas are activated and a person looks through both areas, whereas near-intermediate correction can occur if a person looks through only one area. Optionally, if only one of the two areas is activated, eg, area 5565 is activated, but no area 5560 is activated, near-intermediate vision occurs over the entire electro-active area.

An exemplary embodiment of an electro-active lens with a distance-intermediate vision correction zone is shown in Figure 55b. Lens 5500 has a single near corrective zone 5560 and two intermediate corrective zones 5565 and 5570, all of which are electro-active and may be stacked on top of each other. Near correction zone 5560 may provide 50% of the add power required to provide near viewing correction. The remainder can be equally divided between the two mid-range correction areas 5565 and 5570. Far-intermediate correction may occur when only one of the regions 5565 or 5570 is activated and the near region 5560 is not activated. Near-intermediate correction may occur when near region 5560 is deactivated and regions 5565 and 5570 are activated. Near vision correction may occur when near region 5560 and intermediate regions 5565 and 5570 are activated.

A distance correcting zone 5540 may be provided by a fixed distance optic, for example a distance correcting zone with a power of +4.0 diopters for patients with hyperopic conditions. As described elsewhere herein, this may provide a "fail-safe" mode such that if any or all of the electro-active zones suffer from loss of optical power or other problems, the patient can still have telescopic viewing capability. As another example, the patient may also have vision problems such as presbyopia, which would require +2.5 diopters for near vision correction, +1.25 diopters for near-intermediate vision correction, respectively , and +0.625 diopters for distance-intermediate vision correction.

In this embodiment, the total maximum optical power of the electro-active portion of the lens may be +2.5 diopters to correct near vision problems. To provide near viewing correction, all electro-active zones can be activated to produce a total optical power of +6.5 diopters when an object is viewed through the near correcting zone, i.e., through all three activated electro-active zones (for correcting far +4.0 diopters for distance vision plus +2.5 diopters for near vision correction) observation. The total optical power of the electro-active zones can be cumulative, so if the patient were to view objects in the near-intermediate range instead, zones 5565 and 5570 could be independently activated without energizing zone 5560, providing +1.25 diopters total optical power gain, or +5.25 diopters of total vision correction. Likewise, if the patient views objects in the far-intermediate range, either zone 5565 or 5570 may be activated to provide a total correction of +4.625 diopters. When viewing objects outside the electro-active zone, correction is provided by the fixed distance optics, +4.0 diopters in this embodiment.

This example is for illustration purposes only, and other vision prescriptions will work equally well. The above-mentioned embodiments according to exemplary embodiments are further described in Table 3 below. The table also shows the optical power of the electro-active region for other vision problems at different distances.

table 3 All areas closed open all areas Areas 5565 and 5570 open Area 5565 or 5570 open distance The entire lens is a telephoto power Near focal power -6mm＜y＜+6mm Near-intermediate focal power +6mm<y<+14mm-6mm<y<-14mm Near-intermediate focal power -14mm＜y＜+14mm Far-intermediate focal power 14mm<y<-14mm old flower +4.0D +6.5D +5.25D +5.25D +4.625D Emetropic 0.0D +2.5D +1.25D +1.25D +0.625D Shortsighted -4.0D -1.5D -2.75D -2.75D +3.375D

Again, as with the size and shape of the electro-active zone, the optical powers described in this example and the tables are exemplary only, although the electro-active zone shown in Figure 55b is circular with diameters of 12mm and 28mm, But it can be changed according to the patient's observation needs.

The add power in the far-intermediate region can be from about 0.25 to about 2.0 diopters, preferably between 0.25 and 0.75, which represents about 50% of the near-intermediate power, which is conventionally about Half of the stated optical power for near vision. An additional advantage of the additional stacked electro-active zones for the distance-intermediate powers is that the distance-intermediate powers can be accumulated to generate "strong" powers when added to the near or near-intermediate corrective powers Near and/or "strong" near-intermediate powers.

Regions 5560, 5565, and 5570 may all be the same size or they may be different sizes. In the case of stacked electro-active regions, when all regions are of the same size, no mixing regions may be required between near to near-intermediate to far-intermediate viewing. In embodiments where distance viewing correction is provided by fixed optics, only a blend from the distance region to the electro-active region is required, ie a transition from near, near-intermediate or far-intermediate directly to far.

It should be understood that the order of regions 5560, 5565, and 5570 is not critical, and the invention can function equally effectively in any case. For example, although Figure 55b shows region 5560 as the electro-active region farthest from the eye, it could also be placed between regions 5565 and 5570. Likewise, region 5560 may be placed as the electro-active region closest to the eye. No matter how these areas are stacked to generate the observation correction areas, it does not affect the performance of these areas.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, near and near-intermediate vision correction may be provided by separate electro-active regions. An example of this embodiment is shown in Figure 56, where regions 5550 and 5570 can be stacked on top of each other. Region 5550 may provide near and near-intermediate vision correction regions. In this embodiment, typically only one region 5550 or 5570 can be activated at a time. If zone 5550 is activated but zone 5570 is not activated, the lens can provide both near and near-intermediate vision correction. A near vision correction zone is created for viewing through the portion of the lens providing full optical power, in this example a circular zone with a radius of 6mm. Creates a near-intermediate correction zone for viewing through the portion of the lens that provides only less near-intermediate power, in this example, subtracting the area of the near vision correction zone, the circular zone has a 14mm radius. Optionally, if the actuating layer 5550 is absent and the actuating layer 5570 is activated, the lens may provide a distance-intermediate distance vision correction zone. As in other embodiments, viewing outside the electro-active region can provide a distance vision correction zone having a fixed optical power of the distance optic.

Although the vision correction area of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein is shown as a circle, the area may have any shape, such as a substantially rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 57 . As shown in this exemplary embodiment, both the near vision zone 5720 and the vision zone 5730 can be substantially rectangular, and the two zones can provide near-intermediate distance and/or Far-intermediate vision. The corners of the rectangle may be rounded. In this exemplary embodiment, the near vision zone 5720 has a height of approximately 8 mm and a width of approximately 18 mm, resulting in an area of approximately 144 mm ² . Region 5730 has a width of approximately 28 mm and a height of approximately 28 mm, resulting in an area of approximately 784 mm ² . Zone 5730 has an effective height of about 10mm when used with a near vision zone of the stated size. However, the dimensions are exemplary only; other sizes and shapes are possible. The electro-active regions need not be concentrically stacked, and in some embodiments it may be desirable to offset one or more electro-active regions.

Electro-active layers using liquid crystals are birefringent. That is, they exhibit two different focal lengths in the inactive state when exposed to non-polarized light. This birefringence produces a double or blurred image on the retina. There are two ways to solve this problem. The first requires the use of at least two electro-active layers. One layer aligns the electroactive molecules in the longitudinal direction, and the other layer aligns the molecules in the transverse direction; thus, the alignment of the molecules in the two layers is mutually orthogonal. In this way, both polarizations of light can be focused equally by the two liquid crystal layers, and all light is focused with the same focal length.

This can be achieved by simply stacking the two orthogonally aligned electro-active layers, or with an alternative where the central layer of the lens is double-sided, i.e. etched with the same diffractive pattern on both sides. . Subsequently, electro-active materials are placed in layers on either side of the center plate, ensuring that the molecular alignment in the layers on both sides is orthogonal. A cover is then placed over each electro-active refractive substrate to enclose it. This provides a simpler design than placing two different electro-active diffractive layers on top of each other.

Different alternatives require one to add cholesteric liquid crystals to the electroactive material in order to give it a large chiral component. It has been found that a certain concentration of chiral material can eliminate the polarization sensitivity within the panel, thus eliminating the need for two electro-active layers consisting of pure nematic liquid crystals as constituents of the electro-active material.

Turning now to materials for the electro-active layer, some material classes and examples of specific electro-active materials that may be used in the electro-active refractive substrates and lenses of the present invention are listed below. Except for the liquid crystal materials listed in Class I below, we generally refer to these materials as polymer gels.

liquid crystal

This class includes any liquid crystal film that forms a nematic, smectic, or cholesteric phase, which film has a long-range alignment order that can be controlled by an electric field. Examples of nematic liquid crystals are: pentyl-cyano-biphenyl (5CB), n-octyloxy-4-cyanobiphenyl ((n-octyloxy)-4-cyanobiphenyl) (8OCB). Other examples of liquid crystals are 4-cyano-4-n-alkylbiphenyls, 4-n-pentyloxy-biphenyls , 4-cyano-4"-n-alkyl-p-terphenyls (4-cyano-4"-n-alkyl-p-terphenyls) compounds, wherein n=3,4,5,6,7 , 8, 9 and commercially available mixtures manufactured by BDH (British Drug House)-Merck, such as E7, E36, E46 and ZLI-series.

electro-optic polymer

This class includes any transparent optical polymer material such as those disclosed in "Physical Properties of Polymers Handbook" by J.E. Makr, American Institute of Physics, Woodbury, New York, 1996, which contain some of the Molecules with asymmetrically polarized conjugated p-electrons between donor and acceptor groups (called chromophores), as in " Those disclosed in "Organic Nonlinear Optical Materials". Examples of some polymers are as follows: polystyrene, polycarbonate, polymethylmethacrylate, polyvinylcarbazole, polyimide, polysilane (polysilane). Examples of chromophores are: paranitroaniline (PNA), disperse red 1 (DR1), 3-methyl-4-methoxy-4-nitros-diphenyl Ethylene (3-methyl-4-methoxy-4′-nitrostilbene), diethylaminonitrostilbene (DANS), diethyl-thio-barbituric acid ).

Electro-optic polymers can be produced by: a) emulating the guest/host approach, b) covalently introducing chromophores into the polymer (pendant and main-chain), and/or or c) methods of lattice hardening such as cross-linking.

polymer liquid crystal

This class includes polymer liquid crystals (PLCs) also sometimes referred to as liquid crystalline polymers, low molecular weight liquid crystals, self-reinforced polymers, in situ composites, and/or molecular composites. ). PLCs are copolymers comprising both relatively strong and soft molecular arrangements, as disclosed in Chapter 1 of "Liquid Crystalline Polymers: From Structures to Applications", edited by A.A. Collyer, Elsevier, New-York-London, 1992 of those. Some examples of PLC are: polymethacrylates containing 4-cyanophenyl benzoate pendant groups and other similar compounds.

Polymer dispersed liquid crystal

This class includes polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) which consist of dispersed liquid crystal droplets in a polymer matrix. These materials can be fabricated in several ways: (i) nematic curvilinear aligned phases (NCAP), thermally induced phase separation (TIPS), solvent-induced phase separation (SIPS), and Polymerization-Induced Phase Separation (PIPS). Examples of PDLC are: a mixture of liquid crystal E7 (BDH-Merck) and NOA65 (Norland products, Inc. NJ); a mixture of E44 (BDH-Merck) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA); E49 ( BDH-Merck) and PMMA mixture; monomer dipentaerythrol hydroxypentaacrylate (monomer dipentaerythrol hydroxypenta acrylate), liquid crystal E7, N-vinylpyrrolidone (N-vinylpyrrolidone), N-phenylglycine (N-phenylglycine ) and Rose Bengal.

polymer stabilized liquid crystal

This class includes polymer stabilized liquid crystals (PSLCs), which are materials composed of liquid crystals in a polymer network in which the polymer makes up less than 10% by weight of the liquid crystals. Photopolymerizable monomers are mixed together with liquid crystals and UV polymerization initiators. After alignment of the liquid crystal, polymerization of the monomer is initiated, usually by UV exposure, so that the resulting polymer produces a network that stabilizes the liquid crystal. Examples of PSLCs can be found in the following documents: "Optical Studies of Anisotropic Networks in Polymer-Stabilized Liquid Crystals" by C.M.Hudson et al., "Journal of the Society for Information Display", Vol. 5/3, No. 1 -5 pp., (1997); G.P.Wiederrecht et al., "Photorefractivity in Polymer-Stabilized Nematic Liquid Crystals", Journal of the American Chemical Society (J.of Am.Chem.Sco.), Vol. 120, pp. 3231-3236 ( 1998).

Self-assembled nonlinear supramolecular structures

This category includes electro-optic asymmetric organic thin films that can be fabricated by the Langmuir-Blodgett thin film method, by alternating polyelectrolyte deposition (polyanion/polycation) from aqueous solutions , Molecular beam epitaxy, continuous synthesis with covalently coupled reactions (for example, self-assembled multilayer deposition based on organotrichlorosilane). These techniques often result in films with a thickness of less than 1 mm.

Figure 29 is a perspective view of an optical lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention. The optical lens system shown in FIG. 29 includes: an optical lens 2900 with an outer perimeter 2910, a lens surface 2920, a power supply 2930, a battery bus 2940, a transparent wire bus 2950, a controller 2960, a light emitting diode 2970, a radiation or light detection device 2980 and electro-active refractive matrix or region 2990. In this embodiment, electro-active refractive matrix 2990 is contained within cavity or groove 2999 of optical lens 2900 .

As can be seen, the optical lens system is self-contained and can be placed on a variety of carriers including eyeglass frames and phoropters. When in use, the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 of the lens 2900 can be focused and controlled by the controller 2960, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the eyesight of the user. The controller 2960 may receive power from the power source 2930 through the transparent wire bus 2950 and may receive data signals from the radiation detector 2980 through the transparent wire bus 2950 . The controller 2950 can control these and other components through the buses.

When working properly, the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 can refract light passing through it, so that the wearer of the lens 2900 can see a focused image through the electro-active refractive matrix 2900 . Because the optical lens system of FIG. 29 is self-contained, the optical lens 2900 can be placed in various frames and other carriers even if they do not contain special carrier components for the lens system.

As noted, the LED 2970, radiation detector 2980, controller 2960, and power supply 2930 are interconnected to each other and to the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 via various wire buses. As can be seen, the power supply 2930 is directly connected to the controller 2960 via a transparent wire bus 2950 . The transparent wire bus is primarily used to deliver power to the controller, which can also optionally power both LEDs 2970 and radiation detectors 2980, and a retroactive refractive matrix 2990 when needed. Although transparent wire bus 2950 is preferably transparent in this embodiment, it may be translucent or opaque in alternative embodiments.

To aid in focusing of the electro-active refractive matrix 2990, light emitting diodes 2970 and radiation detectors 2980 may work together as a rangefinder with each other to aid in focusing of the electro-active refractive matrix 2990. For example, visible light and invisible light may be emitted from light emitting diode 2970 . The reflection of the emitted light may then be detected by the radiation detector 2980 and generate a signal identifying that it has detected the reflected beam. Based on this signal received, the controller 2960 controlling these two actions can determine the distance to the specific target. Knowing these distances, the controller 2960, which has been preprogrammed with appropriate optical compensation by the user, can then generate a signal that activates the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 so that the user can see more clearly when looking through the optical lens 2900. target or image.

In this embodiment, the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 is shown to be circular with a diameter of 35mm, and the optical lens 2900 is also shown to be circular, this time with a diameter of 70mm and a thickness in the center of the lens of approximately 2mm . However, in alternative embodiments, the optical lens 2900 and the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 may also be configured in other standard and non-standard shapes and sizes. In each alternative size and positioning, it is still preferred that the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 be positioned and sized such that a user of the system can easily see images and images through the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 portion of the lens. Target.

Other components in the optical lens 2900 may be positioned at other locations on the optical lens 2900 . Preferably, however, any location chosen for these individual components should be as unobtrusive as possible to the user. In other words, these other components should preferably be located away from the user's primary line of sight. Moreover, these components are also preferably as small and transparent as possible in order to further reduce the impact on the user's line of sight.

In a preferred embodiment, the surface of the electro-active refractive matrix 2990 may be flush or substantially flush with the plane of the optical lens 2920 . Also, these busses may be positioned in the lens along a radial direction that radiates outward from the center of the lens. By positioning the busses in this way, the lenses can be rotated on their carrier to position the buses in their least protruding position. However, as seen in Fig. 29, it is not always necessary to follow this preferred bus design. In FIG. 29 , in addition to having all components along a single bus line positioned along the radius of lens 2900 , radiation detectors 2980 and light emitting diodes 2970 have been positioned on non-radial bus lines 2950 . However, interference can be minimized if it is preferable to place many, but not all, of the various components along the radial direction of the lens. Furthermore, it is also preferred that the bus or other conductive material is easily accessible from the outer edge of the lens so that individual components of the lens can also be accessed, controlled or programmed from the edge of the lens as required, Even if the lens has been etched or edged to fit a particular frame.

Figure 30 is a perspective view of a lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the embodiment of Fig. 29, this embodiment also shows a lens system that can be used to correct or improve a user's refractive error. The lens system of FIG. 30 includes a mirror frame 3010 , a transparent wire bus 3050 , an LED/distance meter 3070 , a nose pad 3080 , a power supply 3030 , a translucent controller 3060 , an electro-active refractive matrix 3090 and an optical lens 3000 . As seen in FIG. 30 , the controller 3060 is positioned along the transparent wire bus 3050 between the electro-active refractive matrix 3090 and the power source 3030 . As can also be seen, the rangefinder 3070 is connected to the controller 3060 along a different wire bus.

In this embodiment, the optical lens 3000 is mounted and supported by a frame 3010 . Moreover, in addition to having the power supply 3030 mounted on or in the optical lens 3000 , the power supply 3030 is also mounted on the nose pad 3080 , which in turn is connected to the controller 3060 through the nose pad connector 3020 . An advantage of this configuration is that the power supply 3030 can be easily replaced or recharged when needed.

Figure 31 is a perspective view of an alternative lens system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Controller 3160, strap 3170, frame 3110, conductive bus 3150, electro-active refractive matrix 3190, optical lens 3100, frame handle or cavity 3130, and signal leads 3180 have been labeled in FIG. In addition to mounting the controller 310 on or within the optical lens 3100 as shown in previous embodiments, the controller 3160 may also be mounted on a strap 3170 . The controller 3160 is connected to the electro-active refraction matrix 3190 through the signal wire 310 , wherein the signal wire is located in the cavity 3130 of the frame handle of the frame 3110 and is transmitted to the controller 3160 through the belt 3170 . By placing the controller 3160 on the strap 3170, and by simply removing the strap 3170 and then attaching it to an optional frame that the user will wear, the strap can be used to carry the user's prescription from one lens system to another on the lens system.

Figure 32 is a perspective view of a lens system in accordance with another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Frame 3210 and electro-active refractive matrix 3290, optical lens 3200, and internal frame signal conductors 3280 can all be seen in FIG. In this embodiment, the frame 3210 contains an internal frame signal wire 3280 that is accessible at any point along its length so that information and power can be accessed regardless of its position in the frame 3210. It is easily provided to each part of the optical lens 3200. In other words, regardless of the position of the radial bus of the optical lens 3200 , the radial bus can be connected to the internal frame signal conductor 3280 and provide power and information to control the electro-active refractive matrix 3290 . Section A-A in FIG. 32 clearly shows these internal frame signal conductors 3280 . In another alternative embodiment, instead of having two internal frame signal wires 3280, only one internal signal wire can be provided in the frame, and the frame itself can be used as a wire to transmit signals to various components. The role of electrical energy and other information. Still further, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, more than two inner frame wires may be used.

In addition, in another alternative embodiment, instead of a single radial bus connecting the refractive substrate and the signal wires of the lens frame, a conductive layer may be used instead of the radial bus. In this alternative embodiment, the wire layer may cover all of the lens or only a portion of the lens. In a preferred embodiment, the conductive layer is transparent and covers the entire lens to minimize distortion associated with the edges of the layer. When using this layer, the number of contact points along the outer periphery of the lens is increased by extending the layer to more than one location on the outer periphery. In addition, the layer can also be divided into individual sub-regions to provide multiple paths between the edge of the lens and components within it.

Figure 33 is an exploded perspective view of an optical lens system according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 33 , an optical lens 3330 can be seen having an electro-active refractive matrix 3390 and an optical annular surface 3320 . In this embodiment, the refractive matrix 3390 has been positioned in the optical annular surface 3320 and then secured to the back of the optical lens 3330 . In doing so, the optical annular surface 3320 forms a cavity on the back of the optical lens 3330 to support, hold and accommodate the electro-active refractive matrix 3390 . Once the optical lens system has been assembled, the front of the optical lens 3330 can be molded, surface cast, laminated or otherwise processed to further configure the optical lens system to meet the user's specific refractive and optical needs. Consistent with the above embodiments, the electro-active refractive matrix 3390 is then actuated and controlled to improve the user's vision.

Figure 34 is an exploded view of another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Optical lens 3400 , electro-active refractive matrix 340 and carrier 3480 can be seen in FIG. 34 . Instead of using an annular surface to help position the electro-active refractive element on the optical lens in previous embodiments, in this embodiment the electro-active refractive matrix 3490 is attached to the optical lens 3400 via a carrier 3480 . Likewise, other components 3470 required to support the electro-active refractive matrix 3490 may also be attached to the carrier 3480 . In doing so, these components 3470 and electro-active refractive matrix 3490 can be easily fixed to various optical lenses. Furthermore, each of the carrier 3480, its components 3470 and the electro-active refractive matrix 3490 are covered with another material or substance to prevent them from being damaged before or after they are attached to the lens.

The carrier 3480 can be made from a number of possible materials including: polymeric webs, flexible plastics, ceramics, glass, and mixtures of any of these materials. Therefore, whether the carrier 3480 is flexible or rigid depends on its material composition. In each case, it is preferred that the carrier 3480 is transparent, although in alternative embodiments the carrier 3480 is tinted or translucent and also provides the lens 3400 with other desirable properties. Depending on the type of material the carrier 3480 comprises, a variety of fabrication methods may be employed, including micromachining of lenses and wet and dry etching to form the grooves or cavities within which the carrier fits. These techniques can also be used to produce the support itself, including etching one or both sides of the support to create diffractive patterns to correct for any optical aberrations produced by the support.

Figures 35a-35e illustrate the assembly sequence used in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention. The wearer's frame 3500 and eyes 3570 are clearly visible in Figure 35a. Also visible in Figure 35b is the electro-active refractive matrix 3580 of the optical lens 3505, the radial bus 3540 and the various rotation and position arrows 3510, 3520 and 3530. Figure 35c shows an optical lens system with a radial bus 3540 at the 9 o'clock position. Figure 35d shows the same optical lens system as in Figure 35c, ready to fit into the frame 3500 after it has been edged and a portion or area of the outer perimeter has been removed. Figure 35e shows the completed lens system with an electro-active refractive matrix centered on a first region of the user's eye and an electro-active refractive matrix positioned between the user's eye and the frame legs 3500 on the outer peripheral region of the lens. Radial bus 3540 and power supply 3590. In this embodiment, the combination of the outer perimeter and the first region includes the entire lens blank. However, in other embodiments, they may only comprise a portion of the total Lens Precursor.

The professional assembly of the lens system according to one embodiment of the present invention follows. In a first step, shown in Figure 35a, the frame 3500 with which the electro-active lens is to be mounted is placed in front of the user so as to position the center of the user's eye 3570 with respect to the frame. After positioning the center of the user's eye with respect to the frame, the electro-active lens is then rotated, positioned, edged, and cut so that the electro-active refractive matrix 3580 is centered when the frame is worn by the user. The center of the user's eye 3570 is on. Figures 35b, 35c and 35d illustrate the described rotation and cutting. After edging and cutting the lens to properly position the electro-active refractive matrix 3580 on the user's eye, a power supply or other component can be attached to the bus 3540 of the lens, and the lens can be as shown in Figure 35e Secured in the frame. The attaching process may include inserting the wires of each component through the surface of the lens into the bus to secure the component to the lens and provide them with connections to each other and to other components.

While the electro-active lens system and electro-active matrix are described as being centered in front of or above the user's eye, the lens and electro-active matrix may also be positioned in other locations in the user's field of view, including offset from the center of the user's eye. Location. Furthermore, since eyeglass frames are available in a myriad of shapes and sizes, because the lenses can be edged and thus varied in size, the lenses can be finally assembled by a technician to suit the individual user and frame. diversity.

In addition to simply using the electro-active refractive matrix to correct the user's vision, one or both surfaces of the lens can be surface cast or milled to further compensate for the user's refractive error. Likewise, the surface of the lens can also be laminated to compensate for the user's optical aberrations.

In this and other embodiments, a technician can use standard lens blanks to assemble the system. These lens blanks can be in sizes from 30mm to 80mm, with the most common sizes being 60mm, 65mm, 70mm, 72mm and 75mm. These lens blanks can be attached to the electro-active substrate mounted on the carrier before or at some point during the assembly process.

Figures 36a-36e illustrate an alternative embodiment of the present invention which depicts an alternative assembly sequence where instead of positioning the rangefinder and power supply on the lens, these components are actually attached to the frame itself. 36a-36e show the frame 3600, the user's eye 3670, the positioning and rotation arrows 3610, 3620 and 3630, the electro-active refractive matrix 3680 of the optical lens 3605 and the transparent component bus 3640. As with the previous embodiments, the user's eyes are first positioned in the frame. The lens is then rotated about the user's eye so that the electro-active refractive matrix 3680 is just in front of the user. Next, the lens is shaped and ground as desired and inserted into the frame. Simultaneously with insertion, the rangefinder, battery and other components 3690 are also attached to the lens.

Figures 37a-37f provide yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Shown in these figures is a transparent bus 3740, an electro-active refractive matrix 3780, a user's eye 3770, a rotation arrow 3710, a rangefinder or controller and power supply 3730, and a multi-contact wire 3720. In the alternative embodiment described, in addition to the steps already described in the other two assembly embodiments, an additional step is performed as shown in Figure 37e. This step, shown in Figure 37e, entails wrapping the outer circumference of the lens with a multi-contact gasket or wire system 3720. The wire system 3720 can be used to transmit signals and power to and from the electro-active refractive matrix 3780 and other components. The actual signal lines in the multi-contact gasket 3720 may comprise ITO [Indium Tin Oxide] material and gold, silver, copper or other suitable conductors.

Figure 38 is a cutaway perspective view of an integrated controller and rangefinder that may be used in the present invention. Unlike other embodiments where the controller and the range finder are connected to each other via a bus, in this embodiment the range finder including the radiation detector 3810 and the infrared LED 3820 is directly connected to the controller 3830 . This entire unit is then attached to the frame or lens as described in the above embodiments. Although the dimensions shown in Figure 38 are 1.5mm and 5mm, other dimensions and configurations may also be used.

Figure 39 is a cutaway perspective view of an integrated controller and power supply according to yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the controller 3930 is directly connected to the power source 3940 .

Figure 40 is a cutaway perspective view of an integrated power supply 4040, controller 4030 and rangefinder according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen in FIG. 40 , a radiation detector 4010 and a light emitting diode 4020 (range finder) are connected to a controller 4030 which in turn is connected to a power source 4040 . As with the above embodiments, the dimensions shown in this case (3.5mm and 6.5mm) are exemplary and alternative dimensions may also be used.

41-43 are various perspective views of lens systems according to various alternative embodiments of the present invention. 41 is a lens system employing a controller and rangefinder combination 4130, which in turn is connected to the electro-active refractive substrate 4140 and a power source 4110 via a power conductive bus 4120. In comparison, FIG. 42 shows a combined controller and power supply 4240 connected by transparent wire bus 4250 to LEDs 4220 and radiation detectors 4210 (distance finders) and electro-active refractive substrate 4230 . FIG. 43 shows the location of a combined power supply, controller, and rangefinder 4320 positioned along a radially transparent conductive bus 4330 and connected in turn to an electro-active refractive region 4310 . In the three figures, each figure shows a different size and diameter. It should be understood that these dimensions and diameters are exemplary only, and that various other dimensions and diameters may also be used.

It should also be appreciated that various embodiments of the present invention have broad utility in the fields of photonics and communications. For example, the electro-actuation systems described herein can be used to adjust and/or focus optical or laser beams that have uses in optical communications and optical computing, such as optical switching and data storage. In addition, the electro-actuation systems described herein can be used in complex imaging systems to position optical images in three-dimensional space.

Figure 48 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 48 , the electro-active optical system 4800 includes a first electro-active element 4820 , a second electro-active element 4830 , a third electro-active element 4840 and a distance measuring device 4850 . As also shown in FIG. 48 , image 4810 is represented by an arrow at a first location within three-dimensional space. The image may be, for example, a beam of light, a laser beam, or a real or virtual image. Accordingly, the electro-active optical system 4800 can be used to focus the image 4810 onto a predetermined location in three-dimensional space. The first electro-active element 4820 can be used to move or change the image 4810 along the x-axis. This can be accomplished by applying a suitable array of signals to the first electro-active element 4820 to generate a horizontal prism in the first electro-active element 4820 . The second electro-active element 4830 can be used in a similar manner as the first electro-active element 4820 to create a vertical prism and change the image 4810 along the y-axis. The third electro-active element 4840 is used to focus the image 4810 along the z-axis by adjusting the optical power of the system 4800 to a more positive or more negative optical power value, depending on the desired final image location. In addition, the ranging device 4850 may be used to detect the position of an object, such as a sensor within the image range where the user wants the final image to be focused. Then, the ranging device 4850 determines the degree of focus required in the third electro-active element 4840 in order to obtain the final image 4860 required by the user at a predetermined position in the three-dimensional space. It should be appreciated that ranging device 4850 may be in the form of the rangefinder embodiments described above, comprising an integrated power supply, controller and ranging system.

Figure 49 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 49 , the electro-active optical system 4900 includes a first electro-active element 4920 , a second electro-active element 4930 and a distance measuring device 4950 . As also shown in FIG. 49 , image 4910 is represented by an arrow at a first location in three-dimensional space. The image can also be, for example, a beam of light, a laser beam or a real or virtual image. Accordingly, the electro-active optical system 4900 can be used to focus the image 4910 onto a predetermined location in three-dimensional space. The first electro-active element 4920 can be used to move or change the image 4910 along the x-axis and y-axis. This can be accomplished by applying a suitable array of signals to the first electro-active element 4920 to generate a horizontal or vertical prism on the first electro-active element 4920 . In this embodiment, the generated prism may have both horizontal and vertical parts, as opposed to having only horizontal or only vertical prisms. Depending on the desired final image position, the second electro-active element 4930 can be used to focus the image 4910 along the z-axis by adjusting the optical power of the system 4900 to a more positive or more negative optical power. Additionally, the ranging device 4950 may be used to detect the location of an object, such as a detector within the image range where the user wants the final image to be focused. Then, the ranging device 4950 can determine the degree of focus required in the second electro-active element 4930 to obtain the final image 4960 required by the user at a predetermined position in three-dimensional space. It should be appreciated that the distance measuring device 4950 may be in the form of the distance measuring device embodiments described above, comprising an integrated power supply, controller and distance measuring system.

Figure 50 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 50 , the electro-active optical system 5000 includes a first electro-active element 5020 and a distance measuring device 5050 . As also shown in FIG. 50 , image 5010 is represented by an arrow at a first location in three-dimensional space. The image may be, for example, a light beam, a laser beam or a real or virtual image. Therefore, the electro-active optical system 5000 can be used to focus the image 5010 onto a predetermined location in three-dimensional space. The first electro-active element 5020 can be used to move or change the image 5010 along the x-axis and y-axis. This can be accomplished by applying a suitable array of signals to the first electro-active element 5020 to generate a horizontal or vertical prism on the first electro-active element 5020 . In this embodiment, the generated prism may have both horizontal and vertical parts, as opposed to having only horizontal or only vertical prisms. Additionally, the first electro-active element 5020 can be used to focus the image 5010 along the z-axis by adjusting the optical power of the system 5000 to a more positive or more negative optical power, depending on the final image location desired. The distance measuring device 5050 may be used to detect the position of an object, for example a detector within the image range where the user wants the final image to be focused. Then, the ranging device 5050 can determine the degree of focus required in the first electro-active element 5020 to obtain the final image 5060 required by the user at a predetermined position in the three-dimensional space. Thus, the optical system 5000 can produce an array with the same optical properties as an optical lens with prisms having a fixed angle and required spherical power. It should be understood that the distance measuring device 5050 may be in the form of the above distance measuring instrument embodiment, including an integrated power supply, controller and distance measuring system.

Figure 51 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 51 , the electro-active optical system 5100 includes a first element 5120 , a second electro-active element 5130 and a distance measuring device 5150 . As also shown in FIG. 51 , image 5110 is represented by an arrow at a first location in three-dimensional space. The image may be, for example, a light beam, a laser beam or a real or virtual image. Thus, the electro-active optical system 5100 can be used to focus the image 5110 onto a predetermined point in three-dimensional space. This first element 5120 can be used to select a particular wavelength of light from the image or light beam 5110 . This can be achieved with static monochromatic filters or mechanically or electronically switched color filters. The second electro-active element 5130 can be used to move or change the image 5110 along the x-axis and the y-axis. This can be accomplished by applying a suitable array of signals to the second electro-active element 5130 to generate a horizontal or vertical prism on the second electro-active element 5130 . In this embodiment, the resulting prism may have both horizontal and vertical portions, as opposed to only horizontal or only vertical prisms. The second electro-active element 5130 can also be used to focus the image 5110 along the z-axis by adjusting the optical power of the system 5100 to a more positive or more negative optical power, depending on the desired final image location. In addition, the ranging device 5150 may be used to detect the position of an object, eg a detector within the image range where the user wants the final image to be focused. Then, the ranging device 5150 can determine the degree of focus required in the second electro-active element 5130 to obtain the final image 5160 required by the user at a predetermined position in the three-dimensional space. Thus, the optical system 5100 can produce an array with the same optical properties as an optical lens with prisms having a fixed angle and required spherical power. It should be understood that the distance measuring device 5150 may be in the form of the above embodiments of the distance measuring device, including an integrated power supply, controller and distance measuring system.

Figure 52 is a perspective view of an electro-active optical system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 52 , the electro-active optical system 5200 includes a first electro-active element 5220 , a second electro-active element 5230 and a distance measuring device 5250 . As also shown in FIG. 52 , image 5210 is represented by an arrow at a first location in three-dimensional space. The image may be, for example, a light beam, a laser beam or a real or virtual image. Accordingly, the electro-active optical system 5200 can be used to focus the image 5210 onto a predetermined location in three-dimensional space. The first element 5220 may be a fixed lens to provide adjustment of the gross or total final image position along the z-axis. The second electro-active element 5230 can be used to move or change the image 5210 along the x-axis and y-axis. This can be accomplished by applying a suitable array of signals to the second electro-active element 5230 to generate a horizontal or vertical prism on the second electro-active element 5230 . In this embodiment, the resulting prism may have both horizontal and vertical portions, as opposed to only horizontal or only vertical prisms. The second electro-active element 5230 can also be used in conjunction with the first element 5220 to adjust the optical power of the system 5200 to a more positive or more negative optical power along the z - axis focus image 5210. In addition, the ranging device 5250 may be used to detect the position of an object, for example, a detector within the image range where the user wants the final image to be focused. Then, the distance measuring device 5250 can be combined with the first element 5220 to determine the degree of focus required by the second electro-active element 5230 so as to obtain the final image 5260 required by the user at a predetermined position in the three-dimensional space. Thus, the optical system 5200 can produce an array with the same optical properties as an optical lens with prisms having a fixed angle and required spherical power. It should be understood that the distance measuring device 5250 may be in the form of the above distance measuring instrument embodiment, including an integrated power supply, controller and distance measuring system. It should be further appreciated that although the above only describes the fixed lens used to adjust the focus of the final image with reference to FIG. 52, the fixed lens can also be used with any of the electro-active optical systems described above for adjusting or focusing the optical image in three dimensions. For example, the various embodiments described above may be used in any imaging system designed for recording optical images, such as digital or conventional cameras, video recorders, and other devices for recording optical images.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described above, other embodiments are also possible that are within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in addition to each of the components described above, an eye tracker could be added to the lens to track the movement of the user's eyes while focusing the electro-active refractive matrix and performing various other functions and services for the user. Also, while a combined LED and radiation detector has been described as a range finder, other components could be used to perform this function.

Claims (35)

1. glasses of focal length electric excitation more than a kind comprise:

The electric excitation lens comprise the lamination at least two electric excitation zones, to generate a plurality of different corrigent districts of observing that have; With

Controller is used for encouraging independently each electric excitation zone, to generate a plurality of different corrigent districts of observing that have.

2. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1 further comprise the long distance observation rectification district that is generated by fixed long distance optical element.

3. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, of wherein being used for observing corrigent a plurality of districts be used for observing corrigent far away-apart from the district.

4. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 3, wherein by far-middle the rectification apart from the observation that provides of district approximately is that 0.25 diopter is to about 2.0 diopters.

5. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 3, wherein by far-middle the rectification apart from the observation that provides of district approximately is that 0.25 diopter is to about 0.75 diopter.

6. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lamination at least two electric excitation zones generates at least and is used for observing corrigent low coverage and near-distance district.

7. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lamination at least two electric excitation zones generates at least and is used for observing corrigent low coverage, near-distance and far away-middle distance district.

8. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, wherein lens have the lamination at least three electric excitation zones.

9. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least three electric excitation zones generate at least and are used for observing corrigent low coverage, near-distance and far away-middle distance district.

10. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 9 wherein are used to observe corrigent low coverage district by encouraging whole three electric excitation zones to generate.

11. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 9, wherein far away-middle observation rectification apart from the district are affixed to low coverage and near-middle observation rectification apart from the district.

12. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 8, wherein the area at least three electric excitation zones is all identical.

13. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 8, wherein the area in one of electric excitation zone is less than other at least two electric excitation zones.

14. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 13, wherein less electric excitation zone are relative pupil electric excitation zones farthest when the patient wears this eyeglass.

15. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 13, wherein less electric excitation zone are the nearest electric excitation zones of relative pupil when the patient wears this eyeglass.

16. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 13, wherein less electric excitation zone is between other at least two electric excitation zones.

17. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, it is the center with the pupil that the district is corrected in wherein a plurality of observations.

18. it is vertically eccentric that many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of observations are corrected the relative pupil in district.

19. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of observations are corrected the relative pupil level off-centre in district.

20. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of observations are corrected the district and are corrected relative pupil off-centre outside the district in low coverage.

21. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric excitation zone is orthogonal basically.

22. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 1 further are included at least one the electric excitation mixed zone between a plurality of observations rectifications district.

23. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 22, wherein along with a plurality of observations rectifications district carries out the transition to than low power from the high light focal power, the focal power of mixed zone drops to than low power from high light focal power linearity.

24. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 22, wherein along with a plurality of observations rectifications district carries out the transition to than low power from the high light focal power, the focal power of mixed zone drops to than low power by index law from the high light focal power.

25. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 22, wherein along with a plurality of observations rectifications district carries out the transition to than low power from the high light focal power, the focal power of mixed zone drops to than low power from the high light focal power by polynomial function.

26. the glasses of focal length electric excitation more than a kind comprise:

The electric excitation lens comprise at least one electric excitation zone, to generate a plurality of different corrigent district and at least one mixed zone between a plurality of vision corrections district observed that have; With

Controller is used for encouraging independently each electric excitation zone, is used for a plurality of districts and at least one mixed zone of vision correction with generation.

27. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 26, wherein along with a plurality of observations rectifications district carries out the transition to than low power from the high light focal power, the focal power of mixed zone drops to than low power from high light focal power linearity.

28. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 26, wherein along with a plurality of observations rectifications district carries out the transition to than low power from the high light focal power, the focal power of mixed zone drops to than low power by index law from the high light focal power.

29. many focal lengths electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 26, wherein along with a plurality of observations rectifications district carries out the transition to than low power from the high light focal power, the focal power of mixed zone drops to than low power from the high light focal power by polynomial function.

30. electric excitation lens comprise:

Two lamination electric excitation zones, wherein when excitation during the first area, it generates low coverage and near-middle and corrects the district apart from observing, and when the excitation second area, its generate far away-middlely distinguish apart from observing to correct, whenever only encourage an electric excitation zone at every turn;

Controller is used for encouraging independently each electric excitation zone, to generate a plurality of different corrigent districts of observing that have.

31. electric excitation lens comprise:

Three lamination electric excitation zones generate near viewing and correct the district when three electric excitations of excitation zone, and when two electric excitations zones of excitation, generate near-middlely correct the district apart from observing, and when only encouraging an electric excitation zone, generate far away-middlely correct the district apart from observing;

Controller is used for encouraging independently each electric excitation zone, to generate a plurality of different corrigent districts of observing that have.

32. electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 31, wherein the area in three electric excitation zones is all identical.

33. electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 31, wherein one area in three electric excitation zones is less than all the other two electric excitation zones.

34. electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 33, wherein the electric excitation zone than small size is provided for about 50% of the corrigent focal power of near viewing.

35. electric excitation glasses as claimed in claim 34, wherein all the other two electric excitation zones respectively are provided for about 25% of the corrigent focal power of near viewing.

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