Eyewear electronic tinting lens with integrated waveguide
Eyewear having an electronic tinting lens for controlling a light transmissive property of an optical assembly. The electronic tinting lens has a substrate and a separator that is integrated with the waveguide to reduce the number of layers within the electronic tinting lens and therefore reduce the weight of the assembly. The upper protective glass layer of the waveguide is used as a substrate for the electronic tinting lens, wherein the electronic tinting lens substrate and the upper waveguide substrate each include an electrode configured to control a tint of the electronic tinting lens. The glass layer additionally encapsulates the waveguide to protect the waveguide against environmental factors, such as moisture.
1 . Eyewear, comprising:
a frame;
only three transparent substrates that each comprise waveguide material or lens material;
a waveguide stack coupled to the frame and configured to display images, the waveguide stack comprising a first and a second of the transparent substrates;
a processor configured to process images and display the processed images on the waveguide stack; and
an electrochromic lens coupled to the frame and configured to receive and pass a real-world image, wherein the electrochromic lens comprises a lens substrate comprising a third of the transparent substrates, a separator, a first electrode coupled to an upper surface of the separator and a second electrode coupled to a bottom surface of the separator, wherein the electrodes are configured to be controlled by the processor to control a tint of the separator, wherein the second electrode is directly coupled to the first transparent substrate of the waveguide stack, comprising the steps of the processor controlling the electrochromic lens to selectively control the tint of the electrochromic lens.
2 . The eyewear of claim 1 , wherein the separator is interposed between the lens substrate and the waveguide stack.
3 . The eyewear of claim 2 , wherein the waveguide stack comprises glass.
4 . The eyewear of claim 3 , wherein the lens substrate is a plastic.
5 . The eyewear of claim 1 , wherein the processor is coupled to the electrochromic lens.
6 . The eyewear of claim 5 , wherein the processor is configured to control the electrochromic lens.
7 . The eyewear of claim 6 , wherein the lens substrate is directly coupled to the waveguide stack with an adhesive.
8 . A method of operating eyewear having:
a frame;
only three transparent substrates that each comprise waveguide material or lens material;
a waveguide stack coupled to the frame and configured to display images, the waveguide stack comprising a first and a second of the transparent substrates;
a processor configured to process images and display the processed images on the waveguide stack; and
an electrochromic lens coupled to the frame and configured to receive and pass a real-world image, wherein the electrochromic lens comprises a lens substrate comprising a third of the transparent substrates, a separator, a first electrode coupled to an upper surface of the separator and a second electrode coupled to a bottom surface of the separator, wherein the electrodes are configured to be controlled by the processor to control a tint of the separator, wherein the second electrode is directly coupled to the first transparent substrate of the waveguide stack, comprising the steps of: the processor controlling the electrochromic lens to selectively control the tint of the electrochromic lens.
9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the separator is interposed between the lens substrate and the waveguide stack.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the waveguide stack comprises glass.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the lens substrate is a plastic.
12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the processor is coupled to the electrochromic lens.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to control the electrochromic lens.
14 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code which, when executed, is operative to cause an electronic processor of eyewear having a frame, only three transparent substrates that each comprise waveguide material or lens material, a waveguide stack coupled to the frame and configured to display images, the waveguide stack comprising a first and a second of the transparent substrates, a processor configured to process images and display the processed images on the waveguide stack and an electrochromic lens coupled to the frame and configured to receive and pass a real-world image, wherein the electrochromic lens comprises a lens substrate comprising a third of the transparent substrates, a separator, a first electrode coupled to an upper surface of the separator and a second electrode coupled to a bottom surface of the separator, wherein the electrodes are configured to be controlled by the processor to control a tint of the separator, wherein the second electrode is directly coupled to the first transparent substrate of the waveguide stack, to perform the steps of:
selectively controlling the electrochromic lens to selectively control the tint of the electrochromic lens.