Variable Focus Lens Package
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronic, N.V.
InventorsBernardus Hendrikus Wilhelmus Hendriks, Emile Johannes Karel Verstegen, Stein Kuiper, Marco Van As, Edwin Maria Wolterink
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Abstract
Proposed is a variable focus lens package (2) including lens (31, 75) as covers, which covers are provided as moulded replica layers (31, 75) on a substrate (30, 74) and are provided with integral alignment means (33, 77).
Claims11
Variable focus lens package (1, 2, 3) comprising a plurality of optical elements in a light path, which plurality of optical elements comprises:
- a fluid optical element in a fluid chamber comprising a first fluid (87) and a second fluid (86), which are non-miscible, and which are in contact over a meniscus (88), wherein a shape of the meniscus (88) is variable under the application of a voltage to an electrically conducting surface of the fluid chamber;
- a non-fluid optical component,
- of which fluid optical element and which non-fluid optical element at least one is a lens,
- wherein the non-fluid optical component is constructed from a substrate that comprises a transparent portion in the light path, and from a moulded surface layer that is present at a side of the substrate facing away from the fluid optical element and further comprises alignment means for alignment of the lens package with further lenses.
A method of manufacturing a variable focus lens package comprising a plurality of optical elements in a light path, which plurality of elements comprises:
- a fluid optical element in a fluid chamber comprising a first fluid (87) and a second fluid (86), which are non-miscible, and which are in contact over a meniscus (88), wherein a shape of the meniscus (88) is variable under the application of a voltage to an electrically conducting surface of the fluid chamber;
- a non-fluid optical element,
- of which fluid and non-fluid optical element at least one is a lens,
- in which method a plurality of such packages are made simultaneously with the steps of:
- assembling a carrier comprising a plurality of cavities filled with at least one of said fluids to a substrate with transparent portions for each of the light paths, which substrate has a moulded surface layer that includes the non-fluid lens and alignment means for alignment with further lenses, and
- separating said plurality of lenses into individual variable focus lenses packages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.