The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 06, 2009
Filed:
Oct. 25, 2007
Hiroaki Shimozono, Koriyama, JP;
Koichi Murata, Tokyo, JP;
Hiroaki Shimozono, Koriyama, JP;
Koichi Murata, Tokyo, JP;
Asahi Glass Company, Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An imaging lens is provided, whose lens characteristics can be switched between e.g. normal imaging and close-up imaging without requiring mechanically movable mechanism or attachment/removal of another lens. Switching of lens function is realized by combining a liquid crystal diffraction lens and a refractive lens and applying a voltage to a liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal lens. The liquid crystal lens is constituted by two liquid crystal lenses that are laminated together so that their polarization directions producing lens functions are perpendicular to each other, which suppresses chromatic aberration and achieves good imaging characteristics by appropriately selecting focal lengths and Abbe numbers.