Patent · US Expired

Liquid-based optical device, method for controlling such a device and electronic device

US7408717B2 · kind B2 · utility

14Cited by
6References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 22, 2005
Grant dateAug 5, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 22, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B26/005
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention discloses an optical device comprising a container enclosing an insulating liquid (A) and an electrically susceptible liquid (B), the insulating liquid (A) and the electrically susceptible liquid (B) being immiscible and being in contact with each other via an interface (14), at least one of the liquids (A; B) being at least partially placed in a light path through the container. The optical device further comprises heating means (2, 12, 20) that preferably are responsive to a temperature sensor (30) for heating the insulating liquid (A) and the electrically susceptible liquid (B). Consequently, an optical device is obtained in which the influence of the temperature dependence of the physical properties of the insulating liquid (A) and the electrically susceptible liquid (B) on the behavior of the optical device is reduced, thus yielding an optical device with improved optical characteristics at low temperatures.

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