Patent · US Expired

Method for fabricating a lens having a variable refractive index

US5421848A · kind A · utility

13Cited by

6References

6Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Thomson Consumer Electronics · US

Inventors

Gerhard Maier · Herbrechtingen, DE
David Harrison · San Mateo, US
Masahiro Fujimoto · Tokyo, JP

Key dates

Filing date	Jun 28, 1993
Grant date	Jun 6, 1995
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jun 28, 2013

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH01Q15/23
WIPO fieldTelecommunications
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The invention presents a method for the fabrication or production of three-dimensional lenses with a variable refractive index by wrapping a material with a given refractive index. It is preferred, that this material has the shape of a thread, which might be cylindrical. The preferred shape of the lens to be produced is spherical or semi-spherical, which can be achieved by an appropiate wrapping process or by cutting the spherical shape. By the inventive method it is possible to produce the said lenses with a smooth varying of the refractive index. It is preferred to use the produced lenses as part of a microwave antenna system.

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