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US 9,851,613 B2Granted
Electro-optic variable aperture lens
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsHannah Dustan Noble, Iain Alexander McAllister
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variable aperture lens and methods of forming such lenses are disclosed. More particularly, embodiments of the variable aperture lens include an electro-optic aperture sandwiched between a front lens and a rear lens along an optical axis. The front lens or the rear lens may include multiple lens layers having different optical properties to provide for a low z-height, optically aligned, variable aperture lens.
Claims19
An optical element, comprising:
- an electro-optic aperture including an electrochromic element mounted on a substrate, wherein the electrochromic element is an electrically variable pupil, and wherein the electro-optic aperture includes a flat front surface and a flat rear surface;
- a front lens having a flat front lens surface attached to the flat front surface of the electro-optic aperture, wherein the front lens is a first portion of an achromatic lens to limit chromatic aberration;
- and
- a rear lens having a flat rear lens surface attached to the flat rear surface of the electro-optic aperture, wherein the rear lens is aligned with the front lens along an optical axis, and wherein the rear lens is a second portion of the achromatic lens;
- wherein at least one of the front lens or the rear lens includes a plurality of lens layers, wherein the plurality of lens layers include a first lens layer laminated on a second lens layer, wherein the plurality of lens layers have different optical properties, wherein the achromatic lens is an achromatic doublet, wherein the front lens is a positive element of the achromatic doublet, and wherein the rear lens is a negative element of the achromatic doublet.
2 more elements
A method of producing a mobile lens assembly, comprising:
- attaching a flat front lens surface of a front lens to a flat front surface of an electro-optic aperture, wherein the electro-optic aperture includes an electrochromic element mounted on a substrate, and wherein the electrochromic element is an electrically variable pupil, and wherein the front lens is a positive element of an achromatic doublet to limit chromatic aberration;
- attaching a flat rear lens surface of a rear lens to a flat rear surface of the electro-optic aperture to form a variable aperture lens, wherein the rear lens is aligned with the front lens along an optical axis, and wherein the rear lens is a negative element of the achromatic doublet;
- and
- combining the variable aperture lens with a lens stack to form a mobile lens assembly, wherein the lens stack includes one or more aberration-correction lenses to limit monochromatic aberrations;
- wherein at least one of the front lens or the rear lens includes a plurality of lens layers, and wherein the plurality of lens layers include a first lens layer laminated on a second lens layer.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.