Eyeglasses with controllable refracting power
AssigneeThe Arizona Carbon Foil Company, Inc.
InventorRobert B. Stoner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Eyeglasses equipped with liquid lenses having adjustable refractive power that depends on the amount of liquid forced into each lens. An electrically powered pump and an electronic controller regulate the liquid input to the lenses in response to a signal determined by the focal length required for viewing a given object in the field of vision. This focal length is determined by the use of a rangefinder mounted on the frame of the eyeglasses. The system is programmed for automatic response tailored to the specific eyesight of the wearer.
Claims16
Eyeglasses with controllable refractive power, comprising:
- (a) spectacles consisting of a frame and a supporting structure for normal wear by a user;
- (b) at least one liquid lens mounted on said frame and capable of variable refractive power as a function of the amount of liquid contained in it;
- (c) means for measuring the distance between said spectacles and an object being viewed by the user;
- and
- (d) means for adjusting the amount of liquid in said at least one liquid lens to cause it to correct the focus of the eye of the user to the measured distance;
- wherein said at least one liquid lens consists of a circular spacer ring sandwiched between a transparent stretchable membrane facing forward and a transparent rigid disk facing the eye of the user, and of a transparent fluid contained therein.
A method for controlling the refractive power of eyeglasses, comprising the following steps:
- (a) providing spectacles consisting of a frame and a supporting structure for normal wear by a user;
- (b) providing at least one liquid lens mounted on said frame and capable of variable refractive power as a function of the amount of liquid contained in it, wherein said lens consists of a circular spacer ring sandwiched between a transparent stretchable membrane facing forward and a transparent rigid disk facing the eye of the user, and of a transparent fluid contained therein;
- (c) measuring the distance between said spectacles and an object being viewed by the user;
- and
- (d) providing means for adjusting the amount of liquid in said at least one liquid lens to cause it to correct the focus of the eye of the user to the measured distance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.