Source: http://www.google.com.ar/patents/EP1662276
Timestamp: 2018-01-21 02:29:00
Document Index: 330239498

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 12', 'art 14', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 42', 'art 14']

Patent EP1662276B1 - Lens of variable focal length - Google Patents
www.google.com.arhttp://www.google.com.ar/patents/EP1662276B1?cl=en&utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent EP1662276B1 - Lens of variable focal length
Publication number EP1662276 B1
Application number EP20050111183
Also published as CN1782746A, CN100541236C, DE602005019365D1, EP1662276A1, US7515350, US20060126190
Publication number 05111183, 05111183.9, 2005111183, EP 1662276 B1, EP 1662276B1, EP-B1-1662276, EP05111183, EP1662276 B1, EP1662276B1, EP20050111183
Inventors Frédéric Laune, Jérôme PESEUX, Bruno Berge
Referenced by (1), Classifications (5), Legal Events (37)
EP 1662276 B1
Lens (10) of variable focal length with an optical axis (Δ), comprising two transparent windows (24, 38) at least partially facing each other and parallel to one another and delimiting, at least in part, an internal volume (15) containing two non-miscible liquids, with different optical indices, defining an interface, wherein the lens comprises:
- a cap (30) connected to one of the transparent windows (38) and comprising a first cylindrical side wall;
- a body (16) having symmetry of revolution about an axis defining the optical axis (Δ) of the lens, connected to the other of the transparent windows (24) and comprising a second cylindrical side wall (20) of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first cylindrical wall;
- a gasket (50) compressed between the first and second cylindrical side walls, and
- an elastic means (36) capable of deforming in response to a change in pressure of the liquids.
Lens (10) according to claim 1, wherein the elastic means have a symmetry of revolution about the optical axis (Δ) of the lens.
Lens according to Claim 1, further comprising an intermediate piece (42), connected to the body or forming a single piece with the body, and comprising an opening defining a conical or cylindrical surface adjacent (48) where the interface between the two liquids is able to move.
Lens according to Claim 3, in which the gasket (50) comprises a first portion (52) compressed between the cap and the intermediate piece and a skirt portion (54) compressed between the first and second cylindrical side walls.
Lens according to Claim 4, wherein the first portion compressed between the cap and the intermediate piece is toric.
Lens according to Claim 1, wherein the cap comprises an upper wall (31) connected to said transparent window and extended by the first cylindrical side wall and the elastic means comprise bent portions (36) formed on the upper wall of the cap, with symmetry of revolution about the optical axis (Δ) of the lens.
Lens according to claim 6, wherein the bent portions comprise at least one circular bend centred on the optical axis (Δ) of the lens.
Lens according to claim 6, wherein the cap is made of a stamped metal.
Lens according to claim 8, wherein the thickness of the upper wall of the cap is about 0.1 to 0.25 mm.
Lens according to claim 3, wherein the surface has a roughness defined by a roughness parameter Ra of less than 0.1 µm.
Lens according to claim 1, in which the first side wall (34) comprises a rim (56) crimped onto the body (16).
Lens according to claim 3, comprising a sealing layer between the intermediate piece (42) and the associated transparent window (24) and/or between the body (16) and the transparent window.
Lens according to claim 1, in which the body (16) and/or the cap (30) is connected to the associated transparent window (24, 38) by a welding glass (22, 40) covered with a protective layer based on organic compounds.
Lens according to claim 1, wherein the windows (24, 38) are transparent plates.
Lens according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the windows is a fixed lens.
Optical device comprising a lens of variable focus length according to any of claims 1 to 15.
Mobile phone including an optical device according to claim 16.
Method of manufacturing a lens of variable focal length with an optical axis (Δ), comprising two transparent windows at least partially facing each other and parallel to one another, and delimiting, at least in part, an internal volume (15) containing a conducting and an insulating liquids, non-miscible, with different optical indices and defining an interface, the lens further comprising an elastic means (36) capable of deforming in response to a change in pressure of the liquids, wherein the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a cap (30) having symmetry of revolution about an axis (Δ), through the central part of which there passes a cylindrical opening and being extended by a first cylindrical side wall, one of the transparent windows being sealed to the cap to cover the opening;
- providing a body (16) through the central part of which there passes a second cylindrical opening and being extended by a second cylindrical side wall (20) of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first cylindrical wall, the other transparent window being sealed to the body to cover the opening;
- positioning a gasket (50) between the first and second cylindrical side walls; and
- positioning and sealing the cap onto the body after the said internal volume was filled with the two liquids.
Method according to claim 18, comprising:
- positioning, at the body, an intermediate piece (42) comprising an opening defining a conical or cylindrical surface where the interface is able to move.
Method according to claim 18, wherein filling of the internal volume comprises:
- immersing the body and the transparent window connected to it in a solution of the conducting liquid;
- placing a drop of insulating liquid in contact with the transparent window;
- positioning the gasket and the side wall of the cap, the body being kept immersed in the conducting solution.
Method according to claim 20, wherein sealing the side wall of the cap onto the body is performed with the body being kept immersed in the conducting solution.
Method according to claim 18, wherein the cap is provided with bent portions having symmetry of revolution about the axis (Δ) to perform said elastic means.
Method according to claim 22, wherein the cap is made of stamped metal.
Method according to claim 18, wherein sealing of the cap onto the body is performed by crimping the side wall of the cap onto the body.
Various embodiments of lenses of variable focal length are described in European patent 1 166 157 in the name of the Applicant Company. Figure 1 of the current application essentially reproduces figure 12 of that patent. A cell is defined by two transparent insulating plates 1 and 2 and side walls (not depicted). The lower plate 2, which is non-planar, comprises a conical or cylindrical depression or recess 3, of axis Δ, which contains a drop of an insulating liquid 4. The remainder of the cell is filled with an electrically conductive liquid 5, non-miscible with the insulating liquid, with a different refractive index and essentially the same density. An annular electrode 7 open facing the recess 3 is positioned on the rear face of the lower plate 2. Another electrode 8 is in contact with the conductive liquid 5. Through electrowetting phenomena it is possible, according to the voltage V applied between the electrodes 7 and 8, to modify the curvature of the interface between the two liquids, which curvature changes, for example, from the concave initial shape denoted by the reference A to the convex shape depicted in dotted line and denoted by the reference B. Thus, a beam of light passing through the cell normal to the plates 1 and 2 in the region of the drop 4 will be focused to a greater or lesser extent according to the voltage applied. The conductive liquid is generally an aqueous liquid and the insulating liquid an oily liquid.
The mount for the lens formed by the transparent plates 1, 2 and the side walls connecting the transparent plates generally constitutes a rigid structure. The pressure of the liquids in the lens mount may increase substantially, for example during operations of assembling the parts that make up the mount or, once the mount has been assembled, when the temperature of the liquids of the lens, which have coefficients of expansion higher than the coefficients of expansion of the materials of which the mount is made, increases.
An excess of pressure of the liquids contained in the lens carries the risk of causing deformation of the upper and lower transparent plates 1, 2, resulting in undesirable optical distortion. At worst, if the liquid pressure increase is too great, it may cause the transparent plates 1, 2 to rupture. It is therefore necessary to take special precautions when assembling the lens and/or to limit the permissible temperature range for storage and use of such a lens.
The present invention is aimed at a lens of variable focal length the optical properties of which are not disturbed during assembly and use of the lens by a variation in the pressure of the liquids contained within the lens.
The invention is also aimed at a method for manufacturing such lens of variable focal length.
International patent application WO 2004/099847 discloses a lens of variable focal length containing liquids and comprising elastic means capable of deforming in response to a change in pressure of the liquids.
In order to achieve this objective, the present invention provides according to a first aspect, a lens of variable focal length with an optical axis Δ according to Claim 1. According to a further aspect, the invention provides a method according to claim 18 of manufacturing a lens of variable focal length.
This objective, these characteristics and advantages, together with others, of the present invention will be explained in detail in the following description of specific exemplary embodiments, given non-limitingly in conjunction with the attached figures among which:
Figure 1, already described, is a section through a conventional exemplary embodiment of a lens of variable focal length; and
Figures 2 and 3 are sections through an exemplary embodiment of a a lens of variable focal length according to the invention, at two successive steps in the method of manufacturing the lens
Figure 4, a section through a further embodiment of a lens according to the invention;
Figure 5, a schema of a mobile phone including an optical device with a lens of variable focus lens according to the invention.
According to an embodiment of the invention, it is provided a structure of a lens with an elastic means capable of deforming preferably in response to variations in the pressure of the liquids contained in the lens and the deformation of which has little or no influence on the optical properties of the lens. Thus, any deformation of parts which contribute to the optical properties of the lens is limited, thereby ensuring that the lens maintains its optical properties when the lens mount is being assembled and the lens is being used.
Figure 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a mount for a lens of variable focal length according to the invention, at an intermediate step in the method of manufacturing the mount. The mount for a lens of variable focal length 10 according to the invention is made up of an upper part 12 and of a lower part 14 which are produced separately from one another and which, when assembled, define an internal volume 15 containing the insulating and conducting liquids (not depicted). The lower part 14 comprises a body 16 having symmetry of revolution about the axis Δ, for example made of steel, comprising a base 17 through which there passes a central opening 18, and continued by a cylindrical lateral portion 20 which ends in a frustoconical rim 22. The base 17 of the body 16 comprises a wavy portion 23 exhibiting symmetry of revolution about the axis Δ and of which the cross section on a plane containing the axis Δ has the shape of an "S". More generally, portion 23 comprises a non-linear portion capable of deforming in response to a change in pressure inside the lens. A cylindrical plate 24 made of a transparent material, for example of glass, is fixed to the body 16, covering the opening 18 on the same side as the internal volume 15 of the mount 10, by a fixing material 22, for example a welding glass or any other type of adhesive.
The upper part 12 of the mount 10 comprises a cap 30, through the central part of which there passes a cylindrical opening 32 and which is extended by a cylindrical side wall 34 the diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the cylindrical wall 20 of the body 16. The cap 30 comprises an elastic portion 36 provided between the opening 32 and the cylindrical side wall 34.
In the embodiment of Figure 2, the elastic portion 36 consists of a wavy portion exhibiting symmetry of revolution about the axis Δ and of which the cross section on a plane containing the axis Δ has the shape of an "S". More generally, the elastic portion 36 comprises a non-linear portion capable of deforming in response to a change in pressure inside the lens.
Advantageously, the cap comprises an upper wall (31) connected to the transparent plate and the cylindrical side wall 34 and the upper wall comprises bent portions 36 with symmetry of revolution about the optical axis (Δ) of the lens. For example, the cap is made of a stamped metal, e.g. in stainless steel. The thickness of the upper wall of the cap will depend on the expected variations of volume to compensate for the effects of expansion of the liquids. For example, a typical thickness of about 0.1 to 0.25 mm has shown good results for lenses whose outer diameters is below 20 mm.
A cylindrical plate 38, made of a transparent material, for example of glass, is fixed to the cap 30, covering the opening 32 on the same side as the internal volume 15 of the mount 10, by a fixing material 40, for example glass or an adhesive.
The cylindrical plate 38 is used as a window for covering the opening 32. According to a variant of the invention, the window can be a fixed lens made of a transparent optical material.
An intermediate piece 42 is positioned at the base 17 of the body 16 on the same side as the internal volume 15. The intermediate piece 42 comprises a planar face 44 resting against the glass plate 24, and through it there passes an opening 46 defining a conical surface 48 adjacent to the glass plate 24. The intermediate piece 42 is, for example, made of stainless steel and is covered with an insulating layer at least on its faces in contact with the conducting liquid contained in the mount 10. During use of the lens, the edge of the interface between the conducting liquid and the insulating liquid both contained in the internal volume 15 moves along the frustoconical surface 48, the insulating liquid wetting the glass plate 24.
Advantageously, the roughness of the conical surface 48 is defined by a roughness parameter Ra (arithmetic mean deviation) of less than 0.1 µm in order to have good control over the movements of the interface between the two liquids. In order to obtain such a roughness value, the production of the conical surface 48 may involve a surface-finishing process of the abrasion polishing (tribofinishing), electrolytic polishing or diamond-point machining type.
A gasket 50 is positioned between the body 16 and the cap 30 at the peripheral of the body 16 and of the cap 30. The gasket 50 comprises a toric portion 52 extended via a skirt portion 54. By way of example, the gasket 50 is made of fluorosilicone or of ethylene propylene diene (EPDM) terpolymer, or of FKM which is the standardized term for a fluorinated polymer of the Viton type, Viton being a trade name of Dupont Dow Elastomers. More generally, the material of which the gasket 50 is made has a low absorption with respect to the liquids contained in the internal volume 15 of the mount 10, and this also contributes to the maintaining of the dielectric properties of the lens.
The manufacture of a mount for a lens 10 according to the invention begins with the separate manufacture of the upper 12 and lower 14 parts. The intermediate piece 42 is fixed to the body 16 for example as a crimped fitting in order to obtain good electrical contact between the intermediate piece 42 and the body 16. Furthermore, a sealing means is provided between the intermediate piece 42 and the glass plate 24. This may involve an earlier deposition of a layer of polymer on the planar face 44 of the intermediate piece 42 or on the glass plate 24, for example, of a curable adhesive. The gasket 50 is positioned at the body 16, the toric portion 52 resting against the intermediate piece 42 and the skirt portion 54 surrounding the cylindrical side wall 20 of the body 16. The frustoconical rim 22 of the body 16 assists with holding the gasket 50 on the body 16 before the cap 30 is fitted. The second part 14 associated with the gasket 50 is then immersed in the conducting liquid. A drop of the insulating liquid is placed in contact with the glass plate 24 and with the conical surface 48. The placement of the insulating liquid may be facilitated by providing, at the surface of the glass plate 24 intended to come into contact with the insulating liquid, a layer of a material which has a tendency to be preferentially wetted with the insulating liquid rather than with the conducting liquid. The cap 30 is then positioned on the gasket 50, the skirt portion 54 of the gasket 50 being interposed between the side wall 34 of the cap 30 and the side wall 20 of the body 16. This then more or less yields the mount for the lens 10 depicted in Figure 2. The steps of positioning the upper part 12 on the lower part 14 are advantageously performed in a liquid environment so as to limit the risk of the ingress of air into the internal volume 15 of the mount 10.
In the embodiment of figure 2, the portion 52 of the gasket compressed between the cap and the intermediate piece 42 is toric but other shapes are possible for the portion 42. For example, the section of said portion of the gasket could be rectangular or of any other shape.
The last step in the manufacture of the mount 10 involves crimping the free rim of the side wall 34 of the cap 30 onto the body 16, at the same time compressing the toric portion 52 of the gasket 50 between the cap 30 and the intermediate piece 42. By way of example, the cap 30 is crimped onto the body 16 by controlling the compression force exerted on the gasket 50. This then yields the structure as depicted in Figure 3 in which the lateral portion 34 of the cap 30 comprises an end portion 56 crimped onto the body 16. The skirt portion 54 of the gasket 50 is therefore compressed between the side wall 34 of the cap 30 and the side wall 20 of the body 16. Sealing of the internal volume 15 of the mount 10 is therefore afforded by the compression of the toric portion 52 and the compression of the skirt portion 54 of the gasket 50.
By comparison with the structure as depicted in Figure 1, the upper electrode of the lens consists of the cap 30 and the lower electrode consists of the body 16 in electrical contact with the intermediate piece 42. The gasket 50 therefore also provides electrical insulation of the cap 30 with respect to the body 16.
According to the present exemplary embodiment of the mount for a lens 10 according to the invention, the elastic means described previously corresponds to the elastic portion 36 of the cap 30. Specifically what happens is that if the pressure in the internal volume 15 of the mount 10 rises, the elastic portion 36 provided at the cap 30 deforms preferentially by comparison with the other parts of the mount 10. The stresses exerted on the transparent cylindrical plates 24, 38 are therefore lessened, thus avoiding any risk of the said plates 24, 38 deforming or rupturing. As the plates 24, 38 are not deformed, the optical power of the lens remains constant. There is therefore no variation in the focal length of the lens.
As the elastic portion 36 deforms, there may be some relative displacement of the transparent plate 36 with respect to the transparent plate 24. However, given the symmetry of revolution of the elastic portion 36, such displacement of the transparent plate 38 occurs essentially solely along the axis Δ. The parallelism of the two transparent plates 24, 38 is therefore maintained, thus avoiding any deviation of the optical axis of the lens.
The wavy portion 23 provided at the body 16 may also act as an elastic means, but to a lesser extent compared with the elastic portion 36, given that the thickness of the body 16 exceeds the thickness of the cap 30. However, the wavy portion 23 may deform in the event, for example, of substantial expansions of the liquids contained in the mount 10.
According to another variant of the present invention, the sealing layer provided between the glass plate 24 and the intermediate piece 42 and the layer encouraging the wetting with the insulating liquid over that of the conducting liquid, provided on the glass plate 24 on the same side as the internal volume 15, are one and the same layer.
According to another variant of the present invention, provision is made for the material fixing the glass plates to the cap 30 and to the body 16 respectively to be protected by a protective layer so as to prevent the fixing means from deteriorating in the presence of the liquids contained in the internal volume 15 of the mount 10. This for example involves a protective layer based on organic materials.
According to another variant of the present invention, once the intermediate piece 42 has been fitted at the body 16 in contact with the transparent plate 24, the whole is covered with an insulating layer on the side designed to face the internal volume 15 of the mount 10.
According to another variant of the present invention, the intermediate piece 42 and the body 16 form a single piece onto which the cap 30 is crimped. This single piece may comprise a shoulder to accept the transparent plate 24.
Figure 4 shows a section of a further embodiment of the lens according to the invention. According to this embodiment, and similarly to the embodiment described on figures 2 and 3, the lens 10 according to the invention comprises two transparent windows 24, 38 facing each other and parallel to one another, and delimiting, at least in part, an internal volume (15) containing two non-miscible liquids, with different optical indices, defining an optical interface (non represented on figure 4). On the figure 4, the windows are transparent plates, made in an optical transparent material, e.g. in glass. According to a variant, at least one of the windows could be a fixed optical length, centred on the optical axis (Δ) of the variable focus lens. As described previously in reference to figures 2 and 3, the lens comprises a cap 30 connected to one of the transparent windows 38 and comprising a first cylindrical side wall 34. It also comprises a body 16 having a symmetry of revolution, the axis of revolution defining the optical axis (Δ) of the lens. The body is connected to the other of the transparent windows (24) and comprises a second cylindrical side wall 20 of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first cylindrical wall. As previously, the upper electrode consists of the cap 30 and the lower electrode consists of the body 16. A gasket 50 is provided to ensure the tightness of the lens mount. It is compressed between the first and second cylindrical side walls. In the embodiment of figure 4, the gasket comprises a skirt portion 54 compressed between the first and second cylindrical side walls and a portion 52 compressed between the cap and an intermediate part 42, forming in this example a single piece with the body, and comprising an opening defining a conical or cylindrical surface adjacent 48 where the interface between the two liquids is able to move. According to the invention, the lens further comprises an elastic means 36 capable of deforming in response to a change in pressure of the liquids. In this embodiment, the elastic means comprise bent portions 36 formed on the upper wall 31 of the cap, said bent portions having symmetry of revolution about the optical axis (Δ) of the lens. For example, the bent portions comprise at least one circular bend centred on the optical axis (Δ) of the lens. In this example also, the cap can be made of a stamped metal, e.g. in stainless steel. The thickness of the upper wall of the cap will depend on the expected variations of volume to compensate for the effects of expansion of the liquids. For example, a typical thickness of about 0.1 to 0.25 mm has shown good results for lenses whose outer diameters is below 20 mm.
In the figure 4, the first side wall 34 comprises a rim 56 crimped onto the body 16 for the sealing of the cap onto the body. Other methods for sealing the cap onto the body are possible, for example it would be possible to glue the cap onto the body.
The method for manufacturing the lens according to the invention as described in figure 4 can be similar to the method described previously.
Advantageously, the method comprising the steps consisting in providing separately the cap 30 and the body 16, wherein windows 38 and 24 have been sealed to said cap and bodies. Then the gasket 50 is positioned between the first and second cylindrical side walls and the cap is positioned and sealed onto the body after the said internal volume has been filled with the two liquids.
According to a variant, filling of the internal volume comprises immersing the body and the transparent window connected to it in a solution of the conducting liquid, placing a drop of insulating liquid in contact with the transparent window and positioning the gasket and the side wall of the cap, the body being kept immersed in the conducting solution. Advantageously, sealing the side wall of the cap onto the body is performed with the body being kept immersed in the conducting solution to avoid introducing any air bubbles in the lens.
Thanks to the elastic means provided in the lens, no deformation of the windows will occur that could result from the increase of the pressure of the liquids during the manufacturing of the lens.
Advantageously, as it is shown on figure 4, the cap is provided with bent portions having symmetry of revolution about the axis (Δ) to perform said elastic means.
Advantageously, sealing of the cap onto the body is performed by crimping the side wall of the cap onto the body to get a very good mechanical strength of the mount.
Of course, the present invention can be varied and modified in various ways that will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. In particular, the abovementioned steps of the method may be modified. By way of example, the introduction of the drop of insulating liquid at the lower part 14 of the mount 10 may be performed before the mount is immersed in the conducting liquid.
Figure 5 represents the schema of an example of an optical device 60 incorporating a lens 10 of variable focal length according to the invention. Said optical device comprises a mount 61 to hold the variable focus length 10 and a group 62 of fixed lens. It further comprises a driver 64 for driving the lens, said driver being connected to the electrodes of the lens through the connections 65, 66.
The optical device can be incorporated in many systems in which there is a need for miniaturized variable focal length optical devices, like for example, mobile phones, endoscope systems, etc.
EP2698979A1 16 Aug 2012 19 Feb 2014 Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH Method and device for presenting objects
Inventor name: PESEUX, JEROME
Inventor name: LAUNE, FREDERIC
10 Jan 2007 17P Request for examination filed
Ref document number: 602005019365
26 Jul 2010 LTIE Lt: invalidation of european patent or patent extension