Patent · US Expired

Glasses with color-switchable, multi-layered lenses

US5184156A · kind A · utility

183Cited by
7References
17Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateNov 12, 1991
Grant dateFeb 2, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 12, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02C7/101
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Glasses with multilayered, color-switchable lenses (102) and (104) for blocking harmful radiation include a rim (100) connected to temples (108) and (110). The rim contains a photosensor (116), a color-changing switch (118), a dry-cell power source (120), solar cells (121) and (123), an electronic driver unit (122), and an electronic circuit (124). The color-switchable lenses comprise glass plates (126a), (126b), and (126c), conductive layers (136a), (136c) (142a), and (142b), color polarizers (138a) and (136c), alignment layers (140a), (140c), (146), and (148), a neutral polarizer (144), and liquid-crystal layers (158) and (160). When the photosensor determines that the intensity of incident radiation falls above or below the specified threshold, an amplified signal is sent via the circuit to the electronic driver unit which supplies layers 158 and 160 with voltages which cause the color-switchable lenses to change their spectral transmittance characteristics.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.