TWI410697B - Optical component with cells - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical component comprises a transparent set of cells juxtaposed in parallel to a surface of the component. Each cell is hermetically sealed and contains a substance with an optical property. The set of cells comprises cells of several sizes. The size of the cells can be varied between various locations of the surface of the component, for making it possible to cut out the component without altering its optical properties. Furthermore, the variation in size of the cells serves to prevent diffraction or scattering from being visible in certain zones of the component.

Description

Optical element and lens made by cutting the optical element

The present invention relates to an optical component, and more particularly to the manufacture of a transparent optical component, such as an ophthalmic lens.

It is known to manufacture an ophthalmic lens from an optical element, and a set of cells are arranged in parallel on the surface of the optical element. Each of the units is sealed and contains a substance having optical properties. The optical properties required for the manufacture of ophthalmic lenses can be obtained by appropriately selecting the materials contained therein in each unit. Moreover, it is possible to obtain lenses having different optical characteristics by simply replacing substances having different optical characteristics in the unit. Thus, a large number of lenses having different optical functions can be obtained by using the replacement mode of the same optical element, thus providing a cost-effective manufacturing method.

In addition, the unit seal is used to prevent mixing of substances in the unit with substances in adjacent units. The optical properties of the lens obtained by initially placing different substances in a particular unit are permanently preserved and are not limited by the useful life of the lens.

Another advantage of sealing the unit is that the material in the unit generally used is likely to be in a liquid or gel state. In fact, for a particular optical property, the use of a liquid or gel state material is superior to the use of a solid material. For example, a photochromic substance in a liquid or gel state generally has a higher reaction rate for changes in luminosity than a solid photochromic substance.

Finally, an ophthalmic lens is typically obtained by cutting an optical component. Cut along a contour line corresponding to the frame suitable for the wearer. The unit containing the optical property of the optical element is sealed to prevent a major portion of the material from flowing out of the optical element. In fact, only the optical properties contained in the cells at the cutting line of the optical element are lost. The optical characteristics of the lens are maintained by using a small-sized unit on the cut contour area in the optical element. Thus, in a method of making an ophthalmic lens by cutting an original optical element, the use of the unit is combined with the use of an optically characteristic substance present in a liquid or gel state.

However, for ophthalmic lenses, the use of the unit has both aesthetic and optical deficiencies. In fact, a large-sized unit, that is, a unit whose side length of the unit is larger than 0.5 mm (mm), can cause visual disturbance to the user. In addition, since large-sized units are visible to the naked eye, they are not attractive for use. In order to avoid the size of the unit being too large and visible to the naked eye, and using a unit of sufficiently small size, it will bring problems such as iridescence and milky mist. Moreover, in the prior art, the disadvantages caused by these small-sized units are caused by the diffraction or scattering caused by the entire group of units, and more particularly by the partition walls between the units for isolation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the optical and aesthetic disadvantages associated with the use of cells in optical components.

To this end, the present invention provides an optical component comprising at least one set of transparent cells arranged parallel to one surface of the optical component, each cell being sealed and containing a substance having optical properties , along the surface parallel to the optical component Quantity, the unit in this group of units has a plurality of sizes.

According to the present invention, in order to use cells having different sizes, the distribution on the surface of the optical element is preferably distributed according to the function of the cells of different sizes. Thus, in an area of the optical element that may create substantial obstacles, by sensible determination of the size of the unit, the macroscopic visibility of the unit and the resulting diffraction and scattering effects can be avoided or reduced. Therefore, by thus determining the size of the unit, the optical unit and its available transparency can be optimized. In the present invention, when the image passing through the optical element has no significant contrast distortion, that is, when the image formed through the optical element does not impair the image quality, the optical element is considered to be transparent. .

In addition, units of different sizes can be formed in a single step of optical component fabrication, and the manufacturing time of such optical components is not increased by the manufacture of cells of different sizes.

In detail, at least one of the dimensions of the side of the unit, measured along a surface parallel to the optical element, has a side length of between 0.5 mm and 5 mm. And at least in the plane of a cell having a dimension above this dimension, the cell does not introduce substantial diffraction or scattering of any light passing through the optical component. In this plane, the unit accordingly has a continuous and highly visually transparent appearance without the phenomenon of iridescence or mist. This optical component, and correspondingly an optical unit obtained from this optical component, is also aesthetically pleasing. This is especially beneficial for ophthalmic applications, which are more important for ophthalmic applications.

While measuring parallel to the surface of the optical element, the length of the side of the unit of the optical element may be less than 200 microns, and it is preferably less than 100 microns. The above unit is invisible to the naked eye and therefore does not substantially reduce the optical component or The aesthetics of the optical components.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the set of cells has at least one larger sized unit in a central region of the optical component and a smaller sized unit between the central region and one of the edges of the optical component surface. Therefore, the larger size unit has excellent aesthetic and optical transmission characteristics in the central region of the optical element. At the same time, by changing the optical properties between adjacent cells, the smaller cells are used to adjust and change the optical properties of the peripheral regions of the optical components. Further, the optical element can be cut along the contour line located in the peripheral region without changing the optical property contained in the larger size unit in the central region. For example, the size of the larger sized cells in the central region may be greater than 0.5 mm, and the sizing of the smaller sized cells in the peripheral region may be less than 200 microns.

Optionally, the dimensions of the unit may vary in a continuous gradient between the central region of the surface of the optical component and the edge of the surface. Thus, a gradual change in the size of the cells in the central region and the peripheral region of the optical element can be obtained, and contributes to the aesthetics of the optical element and the optical unit obtained from the optical element. And depending on the peripheral region of the optical element, this continuous cell size gradient can be varied arbitrarily.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the size of the unit may also be different in a discontinuous gradient between the central region of the surface of the optical element and the edge of the surface. The discontinuity between the dimensions of the unit helps to optimize the optical component and Optical properties of optical units obtained from this optical component.

Obviously, in the context of the present invention, mutual combination of all unit sizes is possible, Thus, in a given optical component, it is likely that there is at least one region, wherein the size of the cell can vary in a continuous gradient between the central region of the surface of the optical component and the edge of the surface, and has at least another second region, The size of the unit may vary in a discontinuous gradient between the central region of the surface of the optical component and the edge of the surface.

Since the units are sealed, the optical characteristic substances contained in the partial units may exist in a liquid or gel state. The substance present in this form may have better optical properties, such as the rate of photochromic reaction. In addition, it is also easier to obtain specific optical characteristics, such as specific values of a certain optical parameter. In practice, the desired parameter values can be obtained by mixing and injecting substances in liquid and gel form with different parameter values.

Among them, the optical characteristic substance contained in each unit may have characteristics such as coloring property, photochromism, polarization property, and refractive index. In detail, some of the cells in this group of cells may contain a refractive index of light of a substance that is different from that of a substance in other cells. In this case, cells containing substances having different refractive indices may have different cell sizes. In detail, the size of the unit can be adjusted based on the assessment of the gross refractive error to be corrected.

An optical component of the present invention can be used to fabricate an optical unit, wherein the optical unit can be an ophthalmic lens, a lens for an optical instrument, a filter, an optical aiming lens, an eye protection mirror, and an optical illumination device.

The present invention further provides an ophthalmic lens made by cutting the above optical element. Further, at least a hole is drilled in the optical component for fixing the lens To a frame. It is recommended to form a drilled hole in some small-sized units in the ophthalmic lens.

In the above ophthalmic lens, depending on the refractive error of the naked eye to be corrected, the substance having optical characteristics contained in some of the cells and the size of these cells can be differently adjusted along the surface of the lens. In detail, the lens thus manufactured may be a progressive lens.

Further, the substance contained in the unit of the lens may be a photochromic substance, wherein the substance is preferably present in a liquid or gel state.

The optical component shown in "Fig. 1" is a blank 10 for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens. As previously mentioned, the ophthalmic lens contains an ophthalmic lens. Ophthalmic lenses generally refer to lenses suitable for use in eyeglass frames for protecting the eye and/or correcting vision. These lenses can be selected from a focusless lens, a single focus lens, a bifocal lens, a trifocal lens, and a progressive lens.

Although ophthalmic optics is a preferred field of application of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the present invention is equally applicable to other types of transparent optical units, such as lenses, filters, optical aiming lenses, and eye protection lenses that can be applied to optical instruments. , optical lighting systems, etc. In the present invention, ophthalmic optics includes not only lenses but also contact lenses and eye implants.

"Fig. 2" shows an ophthalmic lens 11 obtained by cutting a blank 10 along a contour C, which is indicated by a broken line in "Fig. 1". This outline can be arbitrarily designed as long as it is included in the area of the blank 10. Thus, the mass-produced blank 10 can be used to obtain a lens that is suitable for use with different eyeglass frames. Usually, in order to make a mirror The sheet has a shape suitable for its frame, and the edge of the lens can be easily cut neatly in order to allow the lens to be mounted into the frame and due to aesthetic considerations. And the hole 14 can be drilled into the lens, for example, it can be used to accommodate a screw that is fixed to the frame.

The general shape of the blank 10 can be designed in accordance with industry standards. For example, as shown in "Fig. 1" and "Fig. 3", it has a circular edge B having a diameter of 60 mm (mm) and a front convex surface. 12 and a rear concave surface 13. Conventional cutting, trimming and drilling tools can be used to machine the blank 10 to obtain the ophthalmic lens 11.

In "Fig. 1" and "Fig. 2", a part of the surface removed area shows the pixel structure of the blank 10 and the ophthalmic lens 11. This structure is composed of a mesh structure of cells 15 (or microchambers), wherein the cells 15 are formed in one of the cladding layers 17 of the blank 10 (as shown in "Fig. 3"). In these figures, the dimensions of the cladding cladding layer 17, unit 15 (or microchamber) are enlarged to facilitate viewing of the drawings.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the blank 10 is divided into a plurality of regions. In the present embodiment, it is divided into four regions, namely, a peripheral region Z1, a transition region Z2, a Z3, and a central region Z4. . Measured along the surface parallel to the blank 10, the dimension D of the unit 15 is obtained, and the dimensions of the resulting unit 15 also vary in different regions.

In the peripheral zone Z1, the unit 15 can have a dimension D of less than 20 microns. For example, these dimensions are between approximately 5 and 10 microns. Thus, when the outline C is located in the peripheral area Z1, such a unit size makes it possible to cut the blank 10 without damage The material having optical properties contained in most of the unit 15 is lost. The optical properties of the blank 10 are only altered by cutting a peripheral strip of less than about 30 microns in the contour C. Such a narrow cutting peripheral band is invisible to the naked eye. Further, the unit 15 in the peripheral area Z1 is not visible.

In the central zone Z4, the dimension D of the unit 15 is more preferably greater than 5 mm. Therefore, these units generate diffraction or scattering effects that are invisible to the naked eye, and thus do not cause visual impairment to the wearer nor aesthetics to an optical lens. Impact on the impact. For example, in the central zone Z4, the dimension D of the unit 15 is between approximately 8 mm and 10 mm.

In the transition regions Z2 and Z3, the dimension D of the unit 15 is suitably between the peripheral region Z1 and the dimension D of the unit 155 in the central region Z4. For example, the dimension D of the unit 15 is about 50 microns in the transition zone Z2 and about 100 microns in the transition zone Z3.

Among them, the unit 15 is partitioned by the partition wall 18, and the partition wall 18 seals the unit 15. For example, the thickness d of the partition wall 18 is approximately between 0.1 micrometers and 5 micrometers as measured along the surface parallel to the blank 10. And the partition wall 18 is perpendicular to the surface of the blank 10, and its height may be between 1 micrometer and 100 micrometers, and preferably between 1 micrometer and 10 micrometers.

The unit 15 may be arranged in the form of a square (as shown in Fig. 4) or in a hexagonal lattice (as shown in Fig. 5), and, for example, the thickness d of the partition 18 is 2 μm. Thus the dimension D of the unit 15 is equal to the side length of the square or hexagon. Among them, the best implementation is to travel this hexagonal or honeycomb type lattice because it can make this group The unit has the best mechanical strength. However, the lattice shape of the unit 15 in the present invention is not limited to a square or a hexagon, and all possible types of lattice shapes compatible with crystal geometry are implementable. For example, the lattice shape of the unit 15 can be made rectangular, triangular or octagonal. However, it is also possible to combine a plurality of different types of lattice shapes to form such a unit in accordance with the unit size D of the above definition. That is, the lattice shape in any of the regions of the blank 10 may be different from the lattice shape in the other region.

The transparent substrate 16 can be made of glass or different plastics conventionally used in ophthalmic optics. Among the plastic materials that can be used include, but are not limited to, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyimine, polyfluorene, polyethylene terephthalate/polycarbonate copolymer, polyolefin, especially Polymers and copolymers of polynorbornene, diethylene glycol bis(propylene carbonate), (meth)acrylic polymers and copolymers, especially including (meth)acrylic polymers derived from bisphenol A And copolymers, sulfur-containing (meth)acrylic polymers and copolymers, urethane and thiourethane polymers and copolymers, epoxy polymers and copolymers, and episulfide polymers and copolymers .

The cladding layer 17 comprising the entire set of cells 15 is preferably formed on its front side convex surface 12 while leaving the rear side concave surface 13 idle so that it can be shaped by machining and polishing as needed. Further, the cladding layer 17 may also be formed on the concave surface of the lens. And obviously, the cladding layer 17 can also be formed in a planar optical element.

Next, as shown in "Fig. 3", in accordance with the standard practice in ophthalmic optics, a plurality of additional layers 19, 20 are formed over the cladding layer 17 including the entire set of cells 15. These additional layers have specific functions such as impact resistance, scratch resistance, Properties such as coloring, anti-reflection, and anti-fouling properties. In the present embodiment, the cladding layer 17 is formed directly on the transparent substrate 16, but it is understood that one or more intermediate layers may be formed on the cladding layer 17 and the transparent substrate.

Further, it is possible to laminate the complex array elements on the buildup layer on the substrate 16. Thus, for example, the buildup layer comprises one of the unit layers containing a substance that provides photochromic properties to the optical unit, and the other unit layer functions to provide a refractive index change for the optical unit. These unit layers may also be formed with the additional layers described above.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention as shown in "Fig. 6", the surface of the blank 10 is divided into only two regions, one of which is a peripheral region Z1 which contains a unit 15 of a smaller size, and another center Zone Z4 contains a single unit that is the size of the central zone Z4.

The "Fig. 7" and "Fig. 8" are schematic views showing the first mode of forming a group of cells 15 on the substrate 16 in "Fig. 6". The techniques used herein are similar to those used in the manufacture of electrophoretic displays. For example, these techniques are disclosed in the World Patent No. 00/77570, the World Patent No. 02/01281, the U.S. Patent No. 2000/0176963, the U.S. Patent No. 6,327,072, and the U.S. Patent No. 6,579,340. The entire set of units 15 of the present invention can also be fabricated by microelectronic methods known to those skilled in the relevant art. For example, the manufacturing process of unit 15 such as hot stamping, hot embossing, micro-molding, photolithography (hard, soft, negative and positive), micro-deposition (eg, through micro-contact printing, screen printing, and The ink jet printing process or the like is manufactured, and the present invention is not limited to the above method.

In the illustrated example, a solution film of a monomeric polymer is first deposited on substrate 16 under irradiation conditions, such as under ultraviolet radiation. The film is exposed to ultraviolet radiation through a mask that masks the square or hexagonal lattice of the mesh arrangement corresponding to the location of the unit 15. This selective polymerization is formed with a support at the base layer, that is, at a suitable position for the holding member 21. In "Fig. 7" and "Fig. 8", the support body conforms to the partition wall 18 in the peripheral region Z1 or is an independent partition 28 in the central region Z4. Then, the monomer solution is removed, and at this time, the blank 10 is in the state shown in "Fig. 7".

In order to obtain a similar structure, another possible method is to use a photographic plate technique to first deposit a layer of material, such as a layer of polymer, on the substrate 16, and the thickness of the layer of material is approximately equal to the height of the partition 18. A photoresist etch film is then deposited over the layer of material and exposed through a film formed with a plaid pattern. During the photoresist etch process, the non-exposed areas are removed to retain a mask aligned along the partition 18 through which the material layer is subjected to an anisotropic etch. The etching process for forming the cell 15 continues until the desired depth is obtained, and then the mask is removed by chemical etching.

Starting from the state shown in Fig. 7, the unit 15 is filled with a substance having optical properties in a liquid or gel state. First, the front face of the blank 10 can be arbitrarily pretreated to facilitate the wetting of the surface of the material of the partition 18 and the bottom of the unit 15. In all of the units 15, the solution or suspension for forming the optical property substance is the same, and in this case, these substances can be simply and simply It can be introduced, for example, by immersing the blank 10 in a suitable electrolytic cell, or by means of grid printing, or by a spin coating process, or by a coating process using a roller or a doctor blade, or even through Jet process. Furthermore, it is also possible to inject the substance into the individual units 15 locally and independently using a material print head. When it is desired to inject different optical properties between different units 15, the latter method is typically used to move a plurality of print heads on the surface of the blank 10 and to continuously fill the entire set of units 15.

In the case where the unit 15 is formed by selective etching, another possible way is to first form a unit group, and then selectively fill and close the units with the first substance, in the process the rest of the surface of the element. The cover is covered by a mask. Then, the selective etching is repeated by covering at least the cell region except the partition wall region with the resist mask, and the new cell is filled with a different substance and covers the new cells. Where the process can be arbitrarily repeated to distribute different materials along the surface of the component.

In order to seal the filled unit 15 , another holding element 22 is used, for example a plastic film that can be bonded, heat sealed or heat laminated to the top of the partition 18 and the partition 28 . It is also possible to deposit a material which can be polymerized during the melting process on the area to be closed, which material does not mix with the optically-containing substance contained in the unit 15, and can polymerize the material by, for example, heating or irradiation. .

Once the entire set of units 15 has been filled and sealed (as shown in Figure 8), the blank 10 will cover the additional layers 19, 20 to complete its fabrication. Optical components of this type will be stored for continuous processing and will be removed for future removal and cut separately according to the needs of the user.

If it is not intended to continue to maintain the optical property in a liquid or gel state, the substance may be solidified by a continuous action such as heating and irradiation at an appropriate time after the substance is placed.

Thus, unit 15 is arranged between two transparent elements to maintain the optical properties of the material. These elements are holding elements 21, 22, respectively. The holding members 21, 22 are parallel to the surface of the blank 10, and in the peripheral region Z1, the units 15 are separated by a partition wall 18, and the partition wall 18 is connected between the two members. Each of the units 15 in the central zone Z4 has at least one partition 28 formed between the two retaining elements 21 and 22.

In the present embodiment, the holding members 21 and 22 are common to a plurality of units 15, however, this is not essential to the present invention.

The partition 28 is separate from the partition wall 18 and is adapted to be separated from the partition wall 18 by a certain distance. The separator 28 can have a thickness of less than 5 microns as measured along the surface parallel to the optical element. In this manner, the separator 28 does not substantially affect the optical properties of the blank 10 as compared to the optical properties of the materials contained in the unit 15. Further, the partition 28 is perpendicular to the surface of the blank 10 and has a height of between 1 micrometer and 100 micrometers, and its height is more suitably between 1 micrometer and 10 micrometers. It is advantageous to make the height of the partition 28 equal to the height of the partition wall 18.

Among them, the partition 28 and the partition 18 can be arbitrarily made of an absorbing material. In the present invention, the absorbing material means a material which can absorb at least a part of the visible spectrum, that is, in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 700 nm, the absorbing material. At least one of the wavelengths of light can be absorbed. In the present invention, the absorbing material preferably uses a material whose absorption band is the entire visible spectrum. For the material used to manufacture the partition 18, a material having an absorption band close to the infrared band (light wavelength greater than 700 nm) or ultraviolet band (light wavelength less than 400 nm) may be selected.

The partition 28 and the partition 18 may have different portions of the same material, or the partition 28 may be arranged in the unit 15 of the central portion Z4, with the addition of components.

Next, as shown in Fig. 9, in a variant embodiment, the blank 10 having the entire set of units 25 is formed in a film 27 of flexible transparent form. The above film 27 can be made by a similar technique as described previously. In this case, the film 27 can be formed on a planar support.

The film 27 has a sufficient thickness to accommodate the unit 25, and the unit 25 is filled with an optical property substance. The unit 25 is disposed between the bottom holding member 21 and the top holding member 22 of the film 27. The bottom holding member 21 and the top holding member 22 are connected by the partition wall 18 for partitioning the unit 15, and are connected by the partitions 28 arranged in the largest unit. Among them, the partition 18 and the partition 28 are integrally formed in the film 27.

For example, the film 27 can be manufactured industrially on a relatively large scale and can be performed with this set of method steps to achieve cost-effective manufacturing, and then the film 27 is cut to size to be transferred to On the substrate 16 of the blank 10. The transfer can be performed by bonding the flexible film and thermoforming the film, or even by physical attachment of a vacuum condition. The film 27 can then be subjected to different coatings as described above in different situations or transferred to the aforementioned coating with one or more additional layers. Substrate 16.

In one field of application of the invention, the optical properties of the substance introduced into unit 15 are related to the refractive index of the substance. The refractive index of this material is modulated along the surface of the blank 10 to provide a corrective lens. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the modulation can be achieved by introducing substances of different refractive indices during the process of manufacturing the mesh unit 15. For example, the substances contained in the unit 15 may be mixed by liquids of different ratios, and the ratio of mixing in each unit 15 is different. In detail, if the light of the ophthalmic lens 11 is different along the meridian by the selection of the substance contained in the unit 15, the obtained ophthalmic lens 11 is a progressive lens.

If a desired distribution is obtained based on the light energy and astigmatism in the surface of the blank 10, it is possible in a conventional manner to infer that the refractive index distribution of the substance to be enclosed in the unit 15 is possible. In order to accurately obtain the desired distribution of light energy and astigmatism, it is advantageous to vary the size of the unit 15 in accordance with the determined change in refractive index. For example, where there must be a large gradient of refractive index change in the blank 10, the unit 15 parallel to the surface of the substrate 16 can have a smaller size; and there is a smaller gradient of refractive index change in the blank 10. The unit 15 can have a larger size. In detail, a compromise can be obtained between the accuracy of correcting the refractive error on the one hand and the arbitrariness of filling the unit 15 with a suitable substance on the other hand at a larger cell size.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the above-described modulation is achieved by injecting a substance through the unit 15 whose refractive index can be adjusted by irradiation. The optical function for correction is obtained by exposing the blank 10 or the lens sheet 11, wherein the light is obtained. The energy can be varied along the surface profile of the optical element to achieve the desired index of refraction to correct the patient's vision. This light is typically produced by a laser that is similar to the write unit used to support the burning of optical or other optical memory. The exposure amount of the photosensitive material can be determined by adjusting the power of the laser and selecting the exposure time.

The substances that can be used in this application field are mesoporous materials, liquid crystals, and disk forming components. The liquid crystal body can be fixed by a polymerization reaction, for example, by irradiation. Therefore, the liquid crystal body can be selectively fixed in such a manner as to introduce a predetermined optical retardation into the light wave passing through the liquid crystal body. In the case of mesoporous materials, the refractive index of the material can be controlled by varying its porosity. Further, another substance that can be used is a photopolymer. One of the well-known properties of photopolymers is that they can change the refractive index during radiation-induced polymerization by irradiation. This change in refractive index is caused by changes in material density and chemical structure. It is recommended to use photopolymers which have only a very small volume change during the polymerization.

In another field of application of the invention, the substance introduced into the unit in liquid or gel form is polarized. Among the substances used in this field of application, a photochromic compound having a central structure, such as spirooxazine, spiro (indoline [2,3'] benzoxazine), benzene, may be used. It is prepared by pyran, homogeneous azeotrope adamantane, oxazine, spirocyclic hydrazine-(2H)-benzopyran, naphthol [2,1-b]pyran. In detail. The content is disclosed in the following patent applications and patent documents: French Patent No. 2,763,070, European Patent No. 0,676,401, European Patent No. 0,489,655, European Patent No. 0,653,428, European Patent No. 0,407,237, French Patent No. 2,718,447, Patent 6,281,366 Case or European Patent No. 1204714.

The material having optical properties may also be a pigment or a pigment suitable for changing the light transmission rate. In the case of having light absorbing characteristics, it is advantageous to change the light absorptivity parallel to the surface of the lens and to determine the light absorptivity depending on the polarization of the light.

In order to manufacture an optical lens having polarizing characteristics, a liquid crystal in which a dye is mixed may be contained in a unit of the optical element.

In other types of ophthalmic lenses to which the present invention may be applied, the ophthalmic lenses described above may be fabricated by an active system wherein changes in optical properties may result from electrical stimulation. That is, the case of using an electrochromic lens (Electrochromic Lenes) or a variable refractive index lens (for example, see US Pat. No. 5,359,444 or World Patent No. 03/077,012). These techniques typically require the use of liquid crystal or electrochemical systems.

10‧‧‧ rough

11‧‧‧Eyeglasses

12‧‧‧ front convex surface

13‧‧‧ Back side concave

14‧‧‧ holes

15, 25‧‧ units

16‧‧‧Substrate

17‧‧‧coating

18‧‧‧ next door

19, 20‧‧‧ additional layers

21, 22‧‧‧ Keeping components

27‧‧‧ Film

28‧‧‧Separator

Z1‧‧‧ peripheral area

Z2, Z3‧‧‧ transition zone

Z4‧‧‧Central Area

D‧‧‧ size

D‧‧‧thickness

B‧‧‧round edge

C‧‧‧ contour

1 is a front view of an optical element according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front view of an optical unit obtained from the optical element in FIG. 1; and FIG. 3 is an optical view in FIG. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are schematic diagrams of two types of lattices which can be used in the multi-element arrangement of one optical element of the present invention; and FIG. 6 is a front view of an optical element according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views showing two manufacturing steps of the optical element in Fig. 6; and Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view showing another manufacturing method of the optical element in Fig. 6. Figure.

10‧‧‧ rough

15‧‧‧ unit

B‧‧‧round edge

C‧‧‧ contour

Z1‧‧‧ peripheral area

Z2, Z3‧‧‧ transition zone

Z4‧‧‧Central Area

Claims (29)

An optical element comprising at least one set of transparent cells arranged parallel to a surface of the optical element, each unit being sealed and containing a substance having optical properties, parallel to the optical element The surface measurement of the cells in the set of cells has a plurality of sizes. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the dimension of the at least one unit has a side length greater than 0.5 mm when measured along the surface parallel to the optical component. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the dimension of the at least one unit is between 0.5 mm and 5 mm as measured along the surface parallel to the optical component. The optical component of claim 1, wherein along the surface parallel to the optical component, a portion of the dimensions of the dimensions of the cells are less than 200 microns. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the dimension of the portion of the cell is less than 100 microns along the surface parallel to the optical component. The optical component of claim 1, wherein a central region on the surface of the optical component has the at least one large size unit and is interposed between the central region and an edge of the surface Such as small size units. The optical component of claim 6, wherein the dimension of the large-sized unit has a side length greater than 0.5 mm, and the side length of the small unit is less than 200 Micron. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the dimension of the cell varies in a continuous gradient between a central region of the surface of the optical component and an edge of the surface. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the dimension of the cell varies between discontinuous gradients between a central region of the surface of the optical component and an edge of the surface. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the dimension of the unit varies between a central region of the surface of the optical component and an edge of the surface in a continuous and discontinuous gradient. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the optically-containing material contained in some of the cells is in a liquid or gel state. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the optical property is selected from the group consisting of coloring, photochromism, polarization, and refractive index. The optical component of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the cell contains a substance having a different refractive index from that of another portion of the cell. The optical component of claim 13, wherein the cell contains a portion of the material having a different refractive index of light, and a portion of the cell has a different cell size. The optical component according to claim 14, wherein a portion of the material having a different refractive index of the light is sized according to the abnormality of the naked eye to be corrected. Adjusted by evaluation. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the at least one unit of the set of cells is arranged between two transparent holding elements for holding the optical characteristic substance in the unit, the holding elements being parallel to the a surface of the optical element, and the plurality of partition walls separate the unit from the other of the units, the partition walls are connected to the holding elements, and the unit is provided with at least one partition, which is The retaining elements are joined, the partition being separated from the partitions, and the partitions separate the unit from other of the units in the set of units. The optical component of claim 16, wherein the retaining component is common to a plurality of cells in the set of cells. The optical component of claim 16 or 17, wherein the partition is at a distance from the partition wall, and the partition wall separates the unit from other of the units in the set of units. The optical component of claim 16 or 17, wherein the separator has a thickness of less than 5 microns as measured parallel to the surface of the optical component. The optical component of claim 16 or 17, wherein the separator has an absorbent material. The optical component of claim 16 or 17, wherein the partition has an absorbing material. The optical component of claim 16 or 17, wherein the partition and the partition wall for separating the unit are formed of different portions of the same material. The optical component of claim 16 or 17, wherein the separator is an additional component arranged in the unit. The optical component of claim 1, wherein the optical component is used to manufacture an optical unit, and the transparent optical unit is an ophthalmic lens, a contact lens, an eye implant, or an optical instrument. Lenses, filters, optical sighting lenses, eye protection mirrors, and optical lighting. An ophthalmic lens manufactured by cutting an optical element according to any one of claims 1 to 24. The ophthalmic lens of claim 25, wherein at least one hole is drilled in the spectacle lens to mount the lens to a frame. The ophthalmic lens of claim 25 or claim 26, wherein the optical characteristic substance contained in some of the units and the size of the units are along the lens according to the evaluation of the abnormality of the naked eye to be corrected. The surface is adjusted. The ophthalmic lens of claim 27 is a progressive lens type. The ophthalmic lens of claim 25 or claim 26, wherein the substance contained in the unit is a photochromic substance.