US 2022/0342123 A1 · APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LARGE GLASS LENS ARRAYS

Abstract

A method of manufacturing large lens arrays from glass includes heating glass to take a form of a glass sheet of viscous liquid glass floating on liquid metal. Large lens arrays are made by the method and devices and systems are used for making the large lens arrays. The glass sheet has a lower surface in contact with the liquid metal and an upper surface on an opposite side of the glass sheet away from the liquid metal. The method applies a gas flow on the upper surface of the glass sheet to cause the upper surface of the glass sheet to form a pattern of convex lenses in response to local variations in a pressure profile of the gas flow; and cooling the glass sheet to solidify into a rigid, patterned glass sheet.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing large lens arrays from glass, comprising:

heating glass to take a form of a glass sheet of viscous liquid glass floating on liquid metal, said glass sheet having a lower surface in contact with said liquid metal and an upper surface on an opposite side of said glass sheet away from said liquid metal;
applying a gas flow on said upper surface of said glass sheet to cause said upper surface of said glass sheet to form a pattern of convex lenses in response to local variations in a pressure profile of said gas flow;
and
cooling said glass sheet to solidify into a rigid, patterned glass sheet,
wherein both said lower and upper surfaces of said patterned glass sheet are locally smooth to have a specular finish, and
wherein said upper surface of said patterned glass sheet is formed into said pattern of convex lenses.

3 more elements

An apparatus for producing patterned glass sheets, comprising:

a plurality of entrance plenums each defining an entrance aperture;
a plurality of exit plenums arranged in a pattern relative to said plurality of entrance plenums, each exit plenum of said plurality of exit plenums defining an exit aperture;
and
a continuous forming surface between adjacent entrance and exit apertures,
wherein said apparatus is structure to be arranged proximate, without contacting, a surface of a hot, viscous sheet of glass floating on liquid metal while in use.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for the manufacture of large glass lens arrays

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for the manufacture of large glass lens arrays

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27