Electrically controllable optical component comprising an array of cells
AssigneeEssilor International (Compagnie Generale d'Optique)
InventorsSamuel Archambeau, Jean-Paul Cano, Christian Bovet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrically controllable optical component (10) comprises a transparent array of cells (3) and two transparent electrodes (5a, 5b) which are parallel and lying opposite each other on either side of the array of cells. Certain of the cells located between the two electrodes contain different electroactive materials, so that said cells exhibit different respective variations in at least one optical quantity in response to an electrical signal applied to the electrodes. An optical function is thus temporarily conferred on the component, resulting from gradients in the optical quantity that are formed parallel to the surface of the component.
Claims35
Electrically controllable transparent optical component comprising:
- a transparent array of hermetically sealed cells juxtaposed parallel to one surface of the component;
- and
- two transparent electrodes parallel to the surface of the component and lying opposite each other in a direction normal to said surface of the component,
- the component being characterized in that several juxtaposed cells are located between said two electrodes and contain different respective electro-active materials, so that said cells exhibit different respective variations in at least one optical quantity in response to an electrical signal applied to the two electrodes, said two electrodes having an extension corresponding substantially to the entire area of the optical component,
- wherein the electroactive materials contained in at least certain of the cells located between the two electrodes exhibit different respective variations in an optical refractive index in response to the electrical signal applied to said two electrodes and exhibit a variation in the optical refractive index of greater than 0.02 in response to the electrical signal applied to said two electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.