液體鏡頭發光？菱光科技與Varioptic專利彙整（下）

表二 WO0058763專利家族（US20050002113）（Drop centering device）

Publication

Pub. Date

Filed

Title

WO0058763A1

2000/10/5

2000/3/24

DROP CENTERING DEVICE

US20050002113A1

2005/1/6

2004/3/30

Drop centering device

JP2002540464T2

2002/11/26

2000/3/24

FR2791439B1

2002/1/25

1999/3/26

DISPOSITIF DE CENTRAGE D'UNE GOUTTE

FR2791439A1

2000/9/29

1999/3/26

DISPOSITIF DE CENTRAGE D'UNE GOUTTE

ES2202077T3

2004/4/1

2000/3/24

DISPOSITIVO DE CENTRADO DE UNA GOTA.

EP1166157B1

2003/7/9

2000/3/24

DROP CENTERING DEVICE

EP1166157A1

2002/1/2

2000/3/24

DROP CENTERING DEVICE

DE60003797T2

2004/4/15

2000/3/24

TROPFENZENTRIERUNGSVERFAHREN

DE60003797C0

2003/8/14

2000/3/24

TROPFENZENTRIERUNGSVERFAHREN

CA2368553AA

2000/10/5

2000/3/24

DROP CENTERING DEVICE

AU0034392A5

2000/10/16

2000/3/24

DROP CENTERING DEVICE

AT0244898E

2003/7/15

2000/3/24

TROPFENZENTRIERUNGSVERFAHREN

表三 US6369954（Lens with variable focus）專利摘要與專利申請範圍（Claims）

Abstract

A variable focus lens comprising a chamber (12) filled with a first liquid (13), a drop of a second liquid (11) being disposed at rest on a region of a first surface of an insulating wall of the chamber, the first and second liquids being non miscible, of different optical indexes and of substantially same density. The first liquid is conductive and the second liquid is insulating. The lens further comprises means for applying a voltage between the conductor liquid and an electrode (16) placed on the second surface of said wall; and centering means for maintaining the centering of the edge of the drop while the voltage is applied and for controlling the shape thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A variable focus lens comprising a chamber (12) filled with a first liquid (13), a drop of a second liquid (11) being disposed at rest on a region of a first surface of an insulating wall of the chamber, the first and second liquids being non miscible, of different optical indexes and of substantially same density, characterized in that:

the first liquid is conductive;

the second liquid is insulating;

in that it comprises:

means for applying a voltage between the conductor liquid and an electrode (16; 26; 35-37; 75-79) placed on the second surface of said wall; and

centering means for maintaining the centering of the edge of the drop while the voltage is applied and for controlling the shape thereof.

2. The variable focus lens according to claim 1, in which the centering means allows a continuous maintaining of the centering of the drop and a continuous control of the shape of the edge of the drop while a varying voltage is applied by said means for applying a voltage.

3. The variable focus lens according to claim 2, in which the first surface is substantially flat, the contact region (15) is circular and centered about an axis (O) which is perpendicular to the first surface.

4. The variable focus lens according to claim 3, in which the centering means corresponds to a progressive thickening of the second surface of the wall of the chamber towards said axis, said electrode (26) being applied against said second surface.

5. The variable focus lens according to claim 3, in which the centering means corresponds to a radial decrease of the wetting with respect to the first liquid (13), towards the center of said contact region (15) with the second liquid.

6. The variable focus lens according to claim 3, in which the centering means corresponds to a radial gradient of the dielectric constant of said wall of the chamber (53) at the level of said contact region (15) with the second liquid.

7. The variable focus lens according to claim 1, in which the first surface is substantially flat, the contact region (15) is circular and centered about an axis (O) perpendicular to the first surface, and wherein the centering means comprises an electrode formed of one or several circular concentric strips (35-37) insulated from each other, centered about said axis, the circular strips being supplied by distinct voltage sources of values decreasing towards said axis.

8. The variable focus lens according to claim 1, in which the chamber is cylindrical, the first surface is the internal surface of the chamber, the contact region with the second liquid corresponds to a cylindrical section of the chamber, the centering means is comprised of one or several cylindrical electrodes of same diameter, insulated from each other, placed side by side against the external surface of the chamber at the level of the border of said contact region, the electrodes being supplied by different voltages of values decreasing towards the center of said contact region.

9. The variable focus lens according to claim 1, in which the first surface is substantially flat, the contact region (15) is rectangular and symmetric with respect to an axis (O) perpendicular to the first surface and the centering means is comprised of an electrode formed of one or several rectangular concentric strips insulated from each other, symmetric with respect to said axis (O), the rectangular strips being supplied by distinct voltage sources of decreasing values towards said axis.

10.The variable focus lens according to claim 1, in which said wall is comprised of two non parallel planes and in which said region bridges said two planes.

表四 US20050002113（Drop centering device）專利摘要與專利申請範圍（Claims）

Abstract

A method for centering a drop of liquid on a given point on a surface. The inventive method consists in forming a bell-mouthed recess, whereby said recess has a curvature at any point at the limit of contact between the drop and the recess that is lower than or opposite to the curvature of a circle (TC) that is tangent to the surface of the recess to said point and at a symmetrical point (CP2) of said surface.

Claims

1. A method for centering a liquid drop (2) at a given location of a surface (4), characterized in that it consists of forming at this location a flared hollow (6) such that, at any point (CP1) of the contact limit between the drop and the hollow, said hollow has a curvature smaller than or opposite to that of a circle (TC) tangent to the hollow surface at said point and at a symmetrical point (CP2) of this surface.

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the flared hollow (6) has the shape of a truncated cone with an axis perpendicular to said surface.

3. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the flared hollow (6) has the shape of the upper central portion of a torus having an axis perpendicular to the surface.

4. A method for centering a liquid drop (14) on the external surface of a convex surface (16), characterized in that it consists of giving this surface at any point (CP1) of the contact limit with the drop a shape such that this surface has a curvature greater than that of a circle (TC) tangent to this surface at this point and at a symmetrical point (CP2) of this surface.

5. The method of claim 4, characterized in that it consists of forming the convex surface (6) by revolution against said axis of an arc of a circle having a radius smaller than that of said tangent circle.

6. A variable-focus lens, including: a wall made of an insulating material (4), a drop of a first insulating liquid (2) arranged on an area of a first surface of the wall, a second conductive liquid (8) covering the first 30 surface and the drop, the first and second liquids being non-miscible, having different optical indexes and substantially the same density, and means (12) for applying an electric voltage (V) between the conductive liquid and an electrode (10) arranged on the second surface of said wall, characterized in that the drop is placed in a flared hollow (6) of the wall according to the method of claim 1.

7. The variable-focus lens of claim 6, characterized in that: the electrode (10) is a sheet metal, the flared hollow (6) is a truncated cone formed by embossing said sheet metal, centered on an axis (0) perpendicular to the first surface, and the bottom of which is pierced with a centered hole (11), and the insulating material wall (4) is a transparent plastic film flattened against the electrode and the walls of the hollow, and which covers said hole.

8. The variable-focus lens of claim 6, characterized in that: the electrode (10) is a sheet metal, the flared hollow (6) is a truncated cone formed by 20 machining said sheet metal, centered on an axis (0) perpendicular to the first surface, and the bottom of which is pierced with a centered hole (11), and the isolating material wall (4) is a transparent plastic film flattened against the electrode and the walls of the hollow, and which covers said hole.

9. A method for centering a liquid drop at a given location of a surface, comprising the steps of forming at this location a drop containment cavity surface such that, at any point (CP1) of the contact limit between the drop and the drop containment cavity surface, said surface has a curvature smaller than or opposite to that of a circle (TC) tangent to the drop containment cavity surface at said point and at a symmetrical point (CP2) of this surface.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drop containment cavity surface is rotationally symmetric.

11. A variable-focus lens, comprising: a drop of a first insulating liquid arranged in a drop containment cavity having a sidewall with a first surface, a second conductive liquid covering the first drop, the first and second liquids being non-miscible, having different optical indexes and substantially the same density, and an electric voltage source selectively connectable between the conductive liquid and an electrode arranged on a second surface of said sidewall, wherein the configuration of the sidewall is such that, at any point (CP1) of a contact limit between the drop and the drop containment cavity first surface, said surface has a curvature smaller than or opposite to that of a circle (TC) tangent to the drop containment cavity first surface at said point and at a symmetrical point (CP2) of this surface.

圖一 WO9918456代表圖示

圖二 WO0058763代表圖示