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US 7,679,839 B2Granted
Optical lens displacement systems
AssigneeArtificial Muscle, Inc.
InventorsIlya Polyakov, Jonathan R. Heim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides optical systems, devices and methods which utilize one or more electroactive polymer actuators to adjust an optical parameter of the optical device or system.
Claims41
A lens displacement system comprising:
- a lens unit comprising at least one lens positioned along a focal axis;
- two electroactive polymer actuator mechanisms positioned at opposing ends of the lens unit wherein activation of the actuators translates the lens unit relative to the actuators;
- further comprising at least one guide rail extending between the actuator mechanisms, the lens unit slideably coupled to the at least one guide rail, wherein activation of the actuator mechanisms provides translation of the lens unit along the focal axis in an incremental fashion, wherein at least one of the actuator mechanisms comprises at least two separately activatable portions for moving the at least one guide rail along the focal axis and laterally of the focal axis;
- and
- wherein the in-plane actuation angularly displaces the at least one guide rail.
2 more elements
A lens displacement system comprising:
- a lens unit comprising at least one lens positioned along a focal axis, where the lens unit comprises a plurality of lens stages comprising a lens positioned within a platform wherein at least one lens stage is translatable along the focal axis independently of the other lens stages;
- two electroactive polymer actuator mechanisms positioned at opposing ends of the lens unit wherein activation of the actuators translates the lens unit relative to the actuators:
- and
- at least one guide rail extending between the actuator mechanisms, the lens unit slideably coupled to the at least one guide rail, wherein activation of the actuator mechanisms provides translation of the lens unit along the focal axis in an incremental fashion;
- and
- a pushrod extending between and operatively coupled to the two actuator mechanisms, the pushrod passing through an aperture within and releasably engageable with each lens platform and a clutch mechanism associated with each lens platform for cooperative engagement with the pushrod.
3 more elements
A lens displacement system comprising:
- a lens unit comprising at least one lens positioned along a focal axis;
- and
- two electroactive polymer actuator mechanisms positioned at opposing ends of the lens unit wherein activation of the actuators translates the lens unit relative to the actuators, wherein each actuator mechanism comprises two separately activatable portions for moving the lens unit along the focal axis and laterally of the focal axis.
A lens displacement system comprising:
- a lens unit comprising at least one lens positioned along a focal axis;
- a first and a second electroactive polymer actuator mechanisms positioned at opposing ends of the lens unit wherein activation of the actuators translates the lens unit relative to the actuators;
- and
- wherein the lens unit comprises a focusing lens portion and an afocal lens portion wherein the first actuator translates the focusing lens portion along the focal axis relative to the afocal lens portion and the second actuator translates the afocal lens portion along the focal axis, wherein the actuators are selectively and independently activatable.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.