Patent ID: 7413306

Claim:
An optical apparatus comprising: at least one housing defining a first opening, a second opening, and a third opening having an optical path therethrough, the openings each comprising a rectangular cross-section; a plurality of fluids disposed in the openings so as to define a first fluid/fluid interface in the first opening, a second fluid/fluid interface in the second opening, and a third fluid/fluid interface in the third opening; and an electrical potential source coupled to the at least one opening so as to apply a plurality of electrowetting potentials, the source configured to vary at least one of the electrowetting potentials in response to a first input so that the one or more fluid/fluid interfaces change at least a cylindrical orientation of the optical path; wherein varying a first electrowetting potential effects changes in a first variable cylindrical power of the first fluid interface, the first variable cylindrical power having a first cylindrical orientation extending laterally across the optical path, varying a second electrowetting potential effects changes in a second variable cylindrical power of the second fluid interface, the second variable cylindrical power having a second cylindrical orientation extending laterally across the optical path, and varying a third electrowetting potential effects changes in a third variable cylindrical power of a third fluid/fluid interface disposed within the third opening, the third variable cylindrical power having a third cylindrical orientation extending laterally across the optical path, the first cylindrical orientation being angularly offset from the second cylindrical orientation about the optical path, the third cylindrical orientation being angularly offset from the first and second cylindrical orientations about the optical path.