Method of heating an optical element
AssigneeEssilor International
InventorsStélie GIRARD, Sebastien MAURICE
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Abstract
A method of heating an optical element (10) uses a laser beam (B′) and a beam shaping device (2). The beam shaping device is adapted with respect to geometry parameters of the optical element for providing the laser beam with a transverse power distribution (P(r)) such that irradiation of a surface(S) of the optical element causes a temperature of said surface to increase up to a maximum temperature distribution that is substantially uniform throughout said surface. Such heating method provides improved temperature uniformity and allows reduced unit process time. It may be used for tinting an eyeglass, relaxing stresses within a preformed film structure, or cross-linking a varnish layer intended to form a hard coat on an eyeglass.
Claims19
A method of heating an optical element, the optical element having a surface to be heated that is limited by a peripheral edge of said optical element, and the method comprises the following steps:
- /1/ collecting geometry parameters of the optical element;
- and
- /2/ irradiating the surface of the optical element with a laser beam, wherein the laser beam is directed onto the surface of the optical element in step /2/ fixedly with respect to said surface, through a beam shaping device that is adapted with respect to the geometry parameters of the optical element for providing the laser beam with a transverse power distribution such that irradiation of the surface in step /2/ causes a temperature of said surface to increase up to a maximum temperature distribution that is substantially uniform throughout said surface as limited by the peripheral edge of the optical element.
A system for heating an optical element, comprising:
- a laser source;
- and
- a beam shaping device arranged so that a laser beam produced by the laser source is transmitted through the beam shaping device and thereafter impinges onto a surface of the optical element,
- wherein the system is arranged so that the laser beam is directed onto the surface of the optical element fixedly with respect to said surface during a use of said system, and the beam shaping device is adapted, selected or capable to be tuned with respect to geometry parameters of the optical element for providing the laser beam with a transverse power distribution such that irradiation of the surface with said laser beam causes a temperature of said surface to increase up to a maximum temperature distribution that is substantially uniform throughout said surface as limited by a peripheral edge of the optical element.
A tinted optical element, comprising at least one base optical element portion and a polarizing film structure that is bound to the base optical element portion and extends substantially parallel to a surface of the optical element, wherein the base optical element portion and the polarizing film structure are arranged so that the surface of the optical element is apart from the polarizing film structure, and the optical element further comprises dyes that are fixed on said surface or incorporated within the optical element close to said surface and apart from the polarizing film structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.