Optical element and optical apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorSatoshi Ito
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Abstract
An optical element switchable to a first state and a second state includes a first material and a second material, each of optical properties of the first and second materials changes between the first state and the second state, and refractive indices of the first and second materials and Abbe's numbers of the first and second materials satisfy a predetermined relationship.
Claims17
An optical element switchable to an electro-inactive and an electro-active state, the optical element comprising:
- a first material;
- and
- a second material,
- wherein each of optical properties of the first and second materials changes between the electro-inactive state and the electro-active state,
- wherein conditions below are satisfied:
- n1<n2, and
- v1<v2
- where n1 is a refractive index of the first material in the electro-active state, v1 is Abbe's number of the first material in the electro-active state, n2 is a refractive index of the second material in the electro-active state, and v2 is Abbe's number of the second material in the electro-active state, and
- wherein a condition below is satisfied:
- Δn1/Δv1<Δn2/Δv2
- where Δn1 and Δn2 are respectively variations of the refractive indices of the first and second materials when the electro-inactive state is changed to the electro-active state, and Δv1 and Δv2 are respectively variations of the Abbe's numbers of the first and second materials when the electro-inactive state is changed to the electro-active state.
An optical element switchable to an electro-inactive state and an electro-active state, the optical element comprising:
- a first material;
- and
- a second material,
- wherein each of optical properties of the first and second materials changes between the electro-inactive state and the electro-active state,
- wherein conditions below are satisfied:
- n1<n2, and
- v1<v2
- where n1 is a refractive index of the first material in the electro-active state, v1 is Abbe's number of the first material in the electro-active state, n2 is a refractive index of the second material in the electro-active state, and v2 is Abbe's number of the second material in the electro-active state, and
- wherein a difference between the refractive indices of the first and second materials in the electro-inactive state is smaller than a difference between the refractive indices of the first and second materials in the electro-active state.
An optical element switchable to an electro-inactive state and an electro-active state, the optical element comprising:
- a first material;
- and
- a second material,
- wherein each of optical properties of the first and second materials changes between the electro-inactive state and the electro-active state,
- wherein conditions below are satisfied:
- n1<n2, and
- v1<v2
- where n1 is a refractive index of the first material in the electro-active state, v1 is Abbe's number of the first material in the electro-active state, n2 is a refractive index of the second material in the electro-active state, and v2 is Abbe's number of the second material in the electro-active state, and
- wherein a difference between the Abbe's numbers of the first and second materials in the electro-inactive state is smaller than a difference between the Abbe's numbers of the first and second materials in the electro-active state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.