IP Library Granted Patent US 6,956,682
Granted Patent B2
US 6,956,682 · App. 10/606,391 · Granted Oct 18, 2005

Method for designing progressive addition lenses

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,956,682
App. No.
10/606,391
Granted
Oct 18, 2005
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention provides a method for designing progressive surfaces and lenses produced using image blur to construct a merit function. The shape of a lens surface, or surfaces, is arbitrarily defined and optimized to minimize the image blur based merit function.

Claims (494)

1. A method for designing a progressive addition lens, comprising a. ) describing a progressive addition surface; and b.) optimizing the surface using a merit function of the formula:

MF=MF blur +MF power +MF other

wherein:

MF blur is a merit function that controls image blur;

MF power is a merit function that controls the mean sphere power; and

MF other is a merit function that controls constraints on cosmetics and manufacturability wherein the surface is described as a continuous, a differentially continuous, or a twice differentially continuous surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface is described according to the equation:

sag

x

,

y

=

Delta

x

,

y

+

c

·

r

2

1

+

[

1

-

(

1

+

k

)

·

c

2

·

r

2

]

+

α

1

·

r

2

+

α

2

·

r

4

+

α

3

·

r

6

+

α

4

·

r

8

+

wherein:

c is a surface curvature;

r is a radial distance from an optical axis of the lens;

k is a conic constant;

α1, α2, α3, α4 each are a coefficient; and

Delta k,y is a delta sag that is a function of x and y.

3. A method for designing a progressive addition lens, comprising a.) describing at least two progressive addition surfaces; and b.) optimizing the surfaces using merit functions of the formula:

MF=MF blur +MF power +MF other

wherein:

MF blur is a merit function that controls image blur;

MF power is a merit function that controls the mean sphere power; and

MF other is a merit function that controls constraints on cosmetics and manufacturability.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the surfaces are each independently described as a continuous, a differentially continuous, or a twice differentially continuous surface.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the surfaces are each described according to the equation:

sag

x

,

y

=

Delta

x

,

y

+

c

·

r

2

1

+

[

1

-

(

1

+

k

)

·

c

2

·

r

2

]

+

α

1

·

r

2

+

α

2

·

r

4

+

α

3

·

r

6

+

α

4

·

r

8

+

wherein:

c is a surface curvature;

r is a radial distance from an optical axis of the lens;

k is a conic constant;

α1, α2, α3, α4 each are a coefficient; and

Delta x,y is a delta sag that is a function of x and y.

6. The method of claim 3 , 4 , or 5 , wherein MF power is:

MF

power

=

θ

x

θ

y

W

ϕ

θ

x

,

θ

y

·

(

Φ

θ

x

,

θ

y

-

P

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

+

Wadd

θ

x

,

θ

y

[

(

AddF

θ

x

,

θ

y

-

PF

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

+

(

AddB

θ

x

,

θ

y

-

PB

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

]

wherein

θ x is a horizontal eye rotation angle;

θ y is a vertical eye rotation angle;

RMS θx,θy is a RMS spot size calculated at an image of an eye lens;

Wrms θx,θy is a weight for a field position;

AddF θx,θy is a calculated add power on a front surface of the lens;

AddB θx,θy is a calculated add power on a back surface of the lens;

PF θx,θy is a target for an add power value for the front surface;

PB θx,θy is a target for an add power for the back surface; and

Wadd θx,θy is a weighting.

7. The method of claim 3 , 4 , or 5 , wherein MF power is:

MF

power

=

Wadd

far

[

(

AddF

far

-

PF

far

)

2

+

(

AddB

far

-

PB

far

)

2

]

+

[

θ

x

θ

y

W

ϕ

θ

x

,

θ

y

·

(

Φ

θ

x

,

θ

y

-

P

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

]

wherein

θ x is a horizontal eye rotation angle;

θ y is a vertical eye rotation angle;

RMS θx,θy is a RMS spot size calculated at an image of an eye lens;

Wrms θx,θy is a weight for a field position;

AddF θx,θy is a calculated add power on a front surface of the lens;

AddB θx,θy is a calculated add power on a back surface of the lens;

PF θx,θy is a target for an add power value for the front surface;

PB θx,θy is a target for an add power for the back surface; and

Wadd θx,θy is a weighting.

8. The method of claim 3 , 4 , or 5 , wherein MF blur is:

MF

blur

=

θ

x

θ

y

[

Wrms

θ

x

,

θ

y

·

(

RMS

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

+

Wast

θ

x

,

θ

y

·

(

AstF

θ

x

,

θ

y

-

AF

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

]

(

IX

)

wherein:

AstF θx,θy is either the surface astigmatism from the front surface or the contribution to the total lens astigmatism as seen by the eye from the front surface; and

Wast θx,θy are the weights placed on the unwanted astigmatism.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein MF blur is:

MF

blur

=

θ

x

θ

y

[

Wrms

θ

x

,

θ

y

·

(

RMS

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

+

Wast

θ

x

,

θ

y

·

(

AstF

θ

x

,

θ

y

-

AF

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

]

(

IX

)

wherein:

AstF θx,θy is either the surface astigmatism from the front surface or the contribution to the total lens astigmatism as seen by the eye from the front surface; and

Wast θx,θy are the weights placed on the unwanted astigmatism.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein MF blur is:

MF

blur

=

θ

x

θ

y

[

Wrms

θ

x

,

θ

y

·

(

RMS

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

+

Wast

θ

x

,

θ

y

·

(

AstF

θ

x

,

θ

y

-

AF

θ

x

,

θ

y

)

2

]

(

IX

)

wherein:

AstF θx,θy is either the surface astigmatism from the front surface or the contribution to the total lens astigmatism as seen by the eye from the front surface; and

Wast θx,θy are the weights placed on the unwanted astigmatism.

11. The method of claim 3 , further comprising c.) determining a set of coefficients to describe the lens surface to minimize e value of the merit function.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein step c.) is carried out by (i) selecting optimization variables that are a curve for a front surface and a curve for e back surface of the lens; and (ii) minimizing MF other .

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 6, 2018
From: ESSILOR INTERNATIONAL (COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE D'OPTIQUE)
To: ESSILOR INTERNATIONAL
Reel/Frame 045853/0275 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 6, 2006
From: JOHNSON & JOHNSON VISION CARE, INC.
To: ESSILOR INTERNATIONAL (COMPAGNIE GENERALE D'OPTIQUE)
Reel/Frame 017314/0505 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 17, 2003
From: WOOLEY, C. BENJAMIN
To: JOHNSON & JOHNSON VISION CARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 014131/0894 →