Method of operating a progressive lens simulator with an axial power-distance simulator

1. A method of operating a Progressive Lens Simulator, the method comprising:

tracking an eye axis direction by an Eye Tracker to determine a gaze distance;

generating an off-axis progressive lens simulation (Off-Axis PLS) by an Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator according to a progressive lens design, including

generating an image by an Image Generator;

transforming the generated image into an Off-Axis PLS signal by an Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Processor according to the progressive lens design; and

displaying an Off-Axis PLS according to the Off-Axis PSL signal by an Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Display, including

providing a stereoscopic Off-Axis PLS for a first eye and a second eye by a pair of Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Screens; and

creating a Comprehensive Progressive Lens Simulation (Comprehensive PLS) from the Off-Axis PLS by simulating a progressive lens power in the eye axis direction by an Axial Power-Distance Simulator.

2. The method of claim 1 , the displaying comprising:

alternating the displaying the Off-Axis PLS for the first eye, and subsequently for the second eye, with suitable stereoscopic adjustments, by a stereoscopic alternating Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Screen, controlled by an image-alternator.

3. The method of claim 1 , the transforming comprising:

receiving the generated image from the Image Generator by the Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Processor; and

transforming the generated image into the Off-Axis PLS signal by introducing a locally varying blur, representative of the progressive lens design.

4. The method of claim 1 , the transforming comprising:

receiving the generated image from the Image Generator by the Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Processor; and

transforming the generated image into the Off-Axis PLS signal by introducing a locally varying curvature, representative of the progressive lens design.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

at least two of the Image Generator, the Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Processor, and the Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Display are integrated.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

shifting the Off-Axis PLS by a Vergence-Distance Simulator VDS to a vergence appropriate for the gaze distance.

7. The method of claim 6 , the simulating a vergence comprising at least one of:

moving a screen of the Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Display dominantly laterally; and

shifting the displayed Off-Axis PLS on the Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Display dominantly laterally.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

zooming the Off-Axis PLS by a Zoom-Distance Simulator to simulate transitions of the gaze distance.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

at least one of the Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Processor, the Off-Axis Progressive Lens Simulator Display, and the Axial Power-Distance Simulator include at least one of a Vergence-Distance Simulator and a Zoom-Distance Simulator.

10. The method of claim 1 , the simulating a progressive lens power comprising:

adjusting an optical refractive power of an adjustable optical power system of the Axial Power-Distance Simulator.

11. The method of claim 10 , the adjusting comprising:

adjusting the optical refractive power of the Axial Power-Distance Simulator to be consistent with the determined gaze distance.

12. The method of claim 10 , the adjusting comprising:

adjusting the Axial Power-Distance Simulator to simulate a vergence corresponding to the eye axis direction.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the Axial Power-Distance Simulator comprises an Alvarez lens system that includes

at least two lenses for an eye, at least one of the two lenses having laterally varying curvature, and

one or more actuators,

the adjusting comprising

sliding at least one of the lenses laterally relative to the other lens by the one or more actuators, thereby changing an optical refractive power of the Alvarez lens system in a central region.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the Axial Power-Distance Simulator comprises an adjustable fluid lens system that includes

a pair of adjustable fluid lenses, with refractive power that is controlled by an amount of fluid in the fluid lenses;

a fluid-management system, for adjusting the amount of fluid in the fluid lenses; and

lens-adjusting electronics, for controlling the pair of adjustable fluid lenses and the fluid-management system;

the adjusting comprising

adjusting the amount of fluid in the fluid lenses by the fluid management system under the control of the lens-adjusting electronics, thereby changing the optical refractive power of the adjustable optical power system.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the adjustable optical power system is selected from the group consisting of

a shape-changing lens, an index-of-refraction-changing lens, a variable mirror, a deformable optic, an aspheric lens with adjustable aperture, a liquid crystal optical element, an adjustable reflective optical element, an adjustable opto-electronic element, and an optical system with an optical component with adjustable relative position.