IP Library Granted Patent US 10,423,011
Granted Patent B2
US 10,423,011 · App. 15/391,406 · Granted Sep 24, 2019

Lens, lens blank, and eyewear

Inventors: Ronald D. Blum (Roanoke, VA); Sophie Adams (Forest, VA); David Boyd (Roanoke, VA); Richard Clompus (Roanoke, VA); Mark Graham (Leesburg, VA); Joshua Haddock (Roanoke, VA); Robert Hall (Roanoke, VA); Venki Iyer (Roanoke, VA); William Kokonaski (Gig Habor, WA); Charles Willey (Roanoke, VA); Yongping Wang (Philadelphia, PA); Claudio Dalla Longa (Valdobbiadene-TV, IT); Tsuyoshi Kamibeppu (Nagoya, JP); Akifumi Aono (Nagoya, JP); Akihiro Muramatsu (Nagoya, JP)
Assignee: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
G02C7/083B29D12/02G02C5/14G02C5/143G02C5/146G02C5/22G02C7/081G02C7/101G02C11/10H01R33/945H01R33/955H02J7/0052G02C2200/08G02C2202/04H02J2007/0062
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,423,011
App. No.
15/391,406
Granted
Sep 24, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A lens includes a lens body, and an electro-active section (liquid crystals and a diffraction section) that is provided to a region of part of the lens body. The lens includes a pair of electrodes that are embedded in the lens body, that are electrically connected to a focal length modification section, that extend downward from an upper side end of the lens body, and that are disposed substantially parallel to each other spaced apart in a width direction orthogonal to an up-down direction of the lens body. Lower ends of the pair of electrodes are disposed spaced apart from the electro-active section in the up-down direction of the lens body.

Claims (48)

1. An eyewear lens, comprising:

a lens body;

an electro-active section that is provided to a region of part of the lens body; and

a pair of electrodes that are embedded in the lens body, that electrically control the electro-active section, that extend vertically downward from an upper side end of the lens body, that are disposed substantially parallel to each other spaced apart in a width direction orthogonal to an up-down direction of the lens body, and that have lower ends disposed spaced apart from the electro-active section in the up-down direction of the lens body,

wherein each of the pair of electrodes is configured to contact orthogonally with a cable that is routed horizontally along a part of a frame of an eyewear that holds the upper side end of the lens body when the eyewear lens is fitted into the frame, and

wherein the electrodes do not enter the gaze of a user.

2. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

the pair of electrodes are disposed in a region that is within a range where the electro-active section is disposed in the width direction, and that is spaced apart upward of the electro-active section in the up-down direction.

3. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

the lower ends of the pair of electrodes are positioned upward of a point where the pupil of a user of the lens is expected to be positioned when looking straight ahead.

4. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

the pair of electrodes are disposed with substantially left-right symmetry about an electro-active section center line passing through a centroid of the electro-active section and extending in the up-down direction of the lens body, as viewed along a thickness direction of the lens body.

5. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

the pair of electrodes are disposed in the same substantially straight line shaped region of the upper side end of the lens body.

6. The eyewear lens of claim 5 , wherein:

the pair of electrodes have substantially straight line shapes, and are disposed so as to run substantially perpendicularly downward from the substantially straight line shaped region of the lens body.

7. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

the pair of electrodes have substantially straight line shapes, and are set with lengths about the same as each other.

8. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

the pair of electrodes are positioned upward of a lens body center line passing through a centroid of the lens body and extending in the width direction, as viewed along a thickness direction of the lens body.

9. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

the pair of electrodes are disposed further toward the outer side than one end portion of the electro-active section in the width direction of the lens body.

10. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

a centroid of the electro-active section is offset toward one direction in the width direction with respect to a width direction center line of the lens body, as viewed along a thickness direction of the lens body; and

the pair of electrodes are offset toward the other direction in the width direction with respect to the center line.

11. The eyewear lens of claim 10 , wherein:

the other direction in the width direction is an opposite direction to a direction where the nose of a user is positioned when the lens body is being used.

12. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

one of the electrodes is disposed on one width direction side of the lens body with respect to an electro-active section center line passing through a centroid of the electro-active section and extending in the up-down direction of the lens body, as viewed along a thickness direction of the lens body; and

the other of the electrodes is disposed on the other width direction side of the lens body with respect to the electro-active section center line, and is disposed further toward the one width direction side of the lens body than an end of the electro-active section on the other width direction side.

13. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

one of the electrodes is disposed on one width direction side of the lens body with respect to an electro-active section center line passing through a centroid of the electro-active section and extending in the up-down direction of the lens body, as viewed along a thickness direction of the lens body;

the other of the electrodes is disposed on the other width direction side of the lens body with respect to the electro-active section center line; and

a distance in the width direction of the lens body between the one electrode and the electro-active section center line, and a distance in the width direction of the lens body between the other electrode and the electro-active section center line, are set to substantially the same distance.

14. The eyewear lens of claim 1 , wherein:

the electro-active section is a focal length modification section where a focal length is modified by passing a current.

15. An eyewear lens blank, comprising:

a lens substrate;

an electro-active section that is provided to a region of part of the lens substrate; and

a pair of electrodes that are embedded in the lens substrate, that electrically control the electro-active section, that extend vertically downward from an upper side end of the lens substrate, that are disposed substantially parallel to each other spaced apart in a width direction orthogonal to an up-down direction of the lens substrate, and that have lower ends that are disposed spaced apart from the electro-active section in the up-down direction of the lens substrate,

wherein the pair of electrodes are formed with substantially straight line shapes, and are disposed with substantially left-right symmetry about a lens substrate center line passing through a centroid of the lens substrate and extending in the up-down direction of the lens substrate, as viewed along a thickness direction of the lens substrate,

wherein each of the pair of electrodes is configured to contact orthogonally with a cable that is routed horizontally along a part of a frame of an eyewear that holds the upper side end of the lens body when the eyewear lens is fitted into the frame of the eyewear, and

wherein the electrodes do not enter the gaze of a user.

16. The eyewear lens blank of claim 15 , wherein:

the pair of electrodes are set with lengths about the same as each other.

17. An eyewear, comprising:

the lens of claim 1 ; and

a frame that includes a lens holding section that holds the lens, and that is worn by a user.

Assignments (7)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 16, 2024
From: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC.
To: CARL ZEISS VISION INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 066474/0661 →
LICENSE Recorded Apr 19, 2023
From: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC.
To: E-VISION, LLC; E-VISION SMART OPTICS, INC.
Reel/Frame 063376/0314 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 27, 2017
From: PIXELOPTICS, INC.
To: HPO ASSETS LLC
Reel/Frame 041755/0846 →
COURT ORDER Recorded Mar 27, 2017
From: CLOMPUS, RICHARD; GRAHAM, MARK; HALL, ROBERT; WANG, YONGPING; LONGA, CLAUDIO DALLA
To: HPO ASSETS LLC
Reel/Frame 042100/0438 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 27, 2017
From: HPO ASSETS LLC
To: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 041755/0981 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 27, 2017
From: BLUM, RONALD D.; ADAMS, SOPHIE; BOYD, DAVID; HADDOCK, JOSHUA; IYER, VENKI; KOKONASKI, WILLIAM; WILLEY, CHARLES
To: PIXELOPTICS, INC.
Reel/Frame 042100/0415 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2017
From: KAMIBEPPU, TSUYOSHI; AONO, AKIFUMI; MURAMATSU, AKIHIRO
To: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 041402/0601 →
Continuity (9)
Continuation In Part 15226621 · Aug 2, 2016
Continuation 13916480 · Jun 12, 2013
Provisional Application 61701395 · Sep 14, 2012
Provisional Application 61674123 · Jul 20, 2012
Provisional Application 61670180 · Jul 11, 2012
Provisional Application 61665394 · Jun 28, 2012
Provisional Application 61665404 · Jun 28, 2012
Provisional Application 61659672 · Jun 14, 2012
Related Publication 20170108713A1 · Apr 20, 2017
Cited By (1)
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