Tunable optical component and method for fabrication of tunable optical component

1 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) comprising a liquid chamber ( 101 ), a flexible membrane ( 1 ), a shaping element ( 3 ), and an actuator ( 2 ), wherein

the liquid chamber ( 101 ) is filled with a liquid ( 102 )

the membrane ( 1 ) delimits the liquid chamber ( 101 ),

the membrane ( 1 ) is attached to the shaping element ( 3 ),

the shaping element ( 3 ) has a ring shape, wherein the shaping element ( 3 ) surrounds an optically active area ( 10 ) of the membrane ( 1 ),

the actuator ( 2 ) comprises multiple piezo units ( 20 ),

the piezo unit ( 20 ) is coupled to a counterpart ( 203 ) in a releasable force-fitting manner,

the piezo unit ( 20 ) is arranged to move the counterpart ( 203 ), and

the relative movement of the counterpart ( 203 ) and the piezo unit ( 20 ) results in a movement of the liquid ( 102 ), which causes a change of an optical property of the optically active area ( 10 ), wherein if a tangentially acting load force is greater than a static friction force between the piezo unit ( 20 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ), the piezo unit ( 20 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ) are slidably movable with respect to each other.

2 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the tunable optical component ( 100 ) is a tunable lens, and the optical property is at least on of spherical power, cylinder power, cylinder axis, prism power, prism axis.

3 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the counterpart ( 203 ) is an elastic element, wherein the resonance frequency of the elastic element is smaller than a resonance frequency of the piezo unit ( 20 ).

4 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the elastic element is formed in a one-piece manner with the shaping element ( 3 ).

5 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , comprising a particle trap ( 4 ), wherein the particle trap ( 4 ) is arranged to prevent deposition of particles on the optically active area ( 10 ), wherein the particles result from abrasion of the piezo unit ( 20 ) or from abrasion of the counterpart ( 203 ).

6 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the particle trap ( 4 ) comprises a sticky surface ( 41 ), wherein the particles are attached to the sticky surface ( 41 ) by means of adhesion, and/or

the particle trap ( 4 ) comprises a partition ( 42 ), wherein the partition ( 42 ) provides a spatial separation of the optically active area ( 10 ) from piezo unit ( 20 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ).

7 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 6 , wherein the partition ( 42 ) is a part of the flexible membrane ( 1 ).

8 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator ( 2 ) comprises at least four piezo units ( 20 ), wherein

the piezo units ( 20 ) are arranged circumferentially around the optically active area ( 10 ),

the piezo unit ( 20 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ) form a common contact region ( 204 ) respectively, wherein in the contact region ( 204 ) the piezo unit ( 20 ) is in direct contact to the counterpart ( 203 ), and

in at least one tuning state of the tunable optical component ( 100 ), the contact region ( 204 ) of at least two of the piezo units ( 20 ) are arranged at an offset distance ( 104 ) along an optical axis ( 105 ) of the optical component ( 100 ).

9 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the piezo units ( 20 ) are fixedly attached to a base element ( 91 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ) is fixedly attached to the shaping element ( 3 ) or the piezo units ( 20 ) are fixedly attached to the shaping element ( 3 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ) is fixedly attached to the base element ( 91 ).

10 . Tunable optical component ( 100 ) according to claim 8 , wherein,

at least one of the piezo units ( 20 ) is fixedly attached to the shaping element ( 3 ) and the corresponding counterpart ( 203 ) is fixedly attached to the base element ( 91 ), and

at least one of the piezo units ( 20 ) is fixedly attached to the base element ( 91 ) and the corresponding counterpart ( 203 ) is fixedly attached to the shaping element ( 3 ).

11 . Tunable optical component according to claim 10 , wherein the counterparts ( 203 ) and the actuators ( 20 ) are arranged alternatingly around the circumference of the shaping element ( 3 ) and wherein the counterparts ( 20 ) and the piezo units ( 20 ) are arranged alternatingly around the circumference of the base element ( 91 ).

12 . Tunable optical component according to claim 10 , wherein the base element ( 91 ) provides a common electrical connection for actuators attached to the base element ( 91 ), and the shaping element ( 3 ) provides a common electrical connection for actuators ( 20 ) attached to the shaping element ( 3 ).

13 . Tunable optical component according to claim 1 , wherein the piezo units ( 20 ) are assigned to a first group ( 21 ), a second group ( 22 ) or a third group ( 23 ), wherein the groups ( 21 , 22 , 23 ) of piezo units ( 20 ) are individually controllable.

14 . Tunable optical component according to claim 9 , wherein

the counterpart ( 203 ) provides a first electrical contact ( 20 a ) for the piezo unit ( 20 ),

the base element ( 20 b ) provides a second electrical contact ( 20 b ) for the piezo unit ( 20 ),

the first electrical contact ( 20 a ) is a sliding contact, and

the first electrical contact ( 20 a ) is formed by the coupling the piezo unit ( 20 ) to the counterpart ( 203 ) in a force-fitting manner.

15 . Method for fabrication of the tunable optical component according to claim 1 , comprising the steps of:

a) Providing a shaping element ( 3 ) with multiple counterparts ( 203 )

b) Providing multiple actuators ( 20 ) which are arranged on a common carrier ( 7 )

c) Attaching the actuators ( 20 ) to the counterparts ( 203 ) in a force-fitting manner, wherein the carrier ( 7 ) is attached to the base element ( 91 ) or the carrier ( 7 ) forms the base element ( 91 ) at least partially.

16 . Method according to claim 15 , wherein in method step b) a contact mount ( 9 ) is provided, wherein

the contact mount ( 9 ) is attached to the actuators ( 20 ) on a side facing away from the carrier ( 7 ),

the contact mount ( 9 ) comprises conductors ( 93 ), wherein the conductors ( 93 ) provide individual electrical connection to the actuators ( 20 ).

17 . Method according to claim 15 , wherein

in method step c) the carrier ( 7 ), and in particular the contact mount ( 9 ), are bent around the optical axis ( 105 ),

the carrier ( 7 ) and/or the contact mount ( 9 ) comprise intended bending points ( 94 ),

wherein the carrier ( 7 ) and/or the contact mount ( 9 ) are bent at the intended bending points ( 94 ) in method step c).

18 . Tunable optical component according to claim 1 , wherein in a first state of the actuator ( 2 ) a mutual displacement of the piezo unit ( 20 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ) is prevented as long as the counter-force caused by the static friction is not exceeded.

19 . Tunable optical component according to claim 18 , wherein in a second state of the actuator ( 2 ), the force or frictional connection is released and a contact area between the piezo unit ( 20 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ) is moved along a surface of the counterpart ( 203 ).

20 . Tunable optical component according to claim 1 , wherein the piezo unit ( 20 ) and the counterpart ( 203 ) slide on each other if the tangentially acting load force is greater than the static friction force.

21 . Tunable optical component according to 19 , wherein the actuator ( 2 ) is arranged to switch between the first state and the second state, to move the counterpart ( 203 ) with respect to the piezo unit ( 20 ).

22 . Tunable optical component according to 19 , wherein the actuator ( 2 ) is arranged to switch between the first state and the second state, to move the counterpart ( 203 ) with respect to the piezo unit ( 20 ).