US 12,481,091 B2
Tunable lens and method for operating a tunable lens
Roman Patscheider, Winterthur (CH); Christopher Laning, Windisch (CH); Erik Hebestreit, Regensdorf (CH); Manuel Aschwanden, Allenwinden (CH); David Andreas Niederer, Küttigen (CH); and Stephan Smolka, Zürich (CH)
Assigned to Optotune Switzerland AG, Dietikon (CH)
Filed by Optotune AG, Dietikon (CH)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/557,095.
Claims priority of application No. 102020134753.7 (DE), filed on Dec. 22, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0196887 A1, Jun. 23, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 3/14 (2006.01); G02B 26/00 (2006.01); G02C 7/08 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 3/14 (2013.01) [G02B 26/004 (2013.01); G02C 7/085 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Tunable lens comprising a fluidic volume, a flexible membrane, a shaping element, and an actuator, wherein
the membrane delimits the fluidic volume on one side,
the shaping element is attached to the membrane,
the shaping element surrounds an optically active region of the membrane,
the shaping element is arranged to alter optical properties of the tunable lens by deflection wherein the deflection describes a displacement of the shaping element in a direction along an optical axis of the tunable lens,
in top view the shaping element has a non-circular contour, wherein the contour extends within an imaginary circumcircle, and
wherein the actuator is a single actuator arranged to apply a deflection force to multiple deflection points of the shaping element wherein the deflection points are arranged at regions of the shaping element, where the contour has a local maximum lateral distance to the circumcircle, and/or the tunable lens comprises a mount, wherein the mount is arranged to apply a retention force to the shaping element, the retention force is applied to multiple retention points of the shaping element, wherein the retention points are arranged at regions of the shaping element, where the contour has a local minimum lateral distance to the circumcircle.