Fast-Switching, High-Contrast, Electrochromic Sunwear for Persons with Age-Relate

适合年龄相关人士的快速切换、高对比度、电致变色太阳镜

• 批准号: 8121240
• 负责人: PRASANNA CHANDRASEKHAR
• 金额: $ 13.41万
• 依托单位: ASHWIN-USHAS CORPORATION, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8121240
• 关键词: Adhesives; Affect; Age; Age related macular degeneration; Aging; Algorithms; Automobiles; Blindness; Businesses; Characteristics; Color; Contracts; Corneal dystrophy; Darkness; Device Designs; Devices; Diabetic Retinopathy; Disease; Ear; Elderly; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Eye; Face; France; Gel; Glass; Impairment; Industry; Joints; Legal patent; Licensing; Life; Light; Manufacturer Name; Marketing; Medical; Memory; Methods; Microprocessor; Modeling; Operative Surgical Procedures; Optics; Performance; Personal Satisfaction; Persons; Plastics; Polymers; Population; Production; Quality of life; Recruitment Activity; Rehabilitation therapy; Research; Safety; Safety Glasses; Shapes; Side; Skiing; Solid; Solutions; Sports; Surface; Surveys; Technology; Testing; Thick; Time; Ultraviolet Rays; Veterans; Viola; Vision; Visual Acuity; Visual impairment; Weight; Work; age related; aged; aging population; base; conditioning; cost; experience; flexibility; functional improvement; improved; indium tin oxide; innovation; lens; liquid crystal; mylar; pressure; research and development; solid state; sunglasses; voltage

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) afflicts up to 40% of the aging population [1-30]. Studies [6-30] show that > 70% of the visually impaired population in the US is over 60, and within this, ARMD is the largest cause of impairment. A primary characteristic of ARMD is inability to adapt between light and dark. People with ARMD experience a significant loss in functional vision when going from indoors to outdoors, affecting their ability to function [6-25]. With a solution, the quality of life and well-being of the 40% of older adults who are afflicted with ARMD would drastically improve, allowing them to live more independently and safely. There is currently no medical/surgical treatment for ARMD [1-5]. Current, highly inadequate remedies [6-8] are: (1) Cumbersome, multiple layers of sunglasses, put on/taken off rapidly. (2) Very slow-switching (2 - 5 minutes) photochromic lenses which need UV light for activation. Light-adapting remedies for persons with ARMD would also assist persons with other, age-related diseases, e.g. diabetic retinopathy and corneal dystrophy [8, 25]. In earlier work [31-34], our group carried out an extensive study with age > 60 veterans having ARMD at the Atlanta VA Center, showing they could benefit highly from fast-darkening (< 5 s) electrochromic (EC) glasses, when compared to multiple sunglass layers or photochromics. The liquid crystals (LCs) glasses used in this study however had serious problems, e.g. just 24%/3% light/dark range, heavy weight, incompatibility with prescription glasses, high cost. Now in very recent (2009), unrelated work [35-44], in a breakthrough over our prior gen (< 2008) technology, we have also developed ECs based on conducting polymers (CPs) that have: (1) Typical light/dark contrast of 68.5%/12%, "dialable" to any value between these extremes. (2) Switching times instantaneous to 5 s. (3) Cyclability > 10^5 cycles light/dark/light. (4) Excellent optical memory. (5) Thin (< 20 mils), flexible, durable, solid-state. Affixable to virtually any surface, e.g. prescription/safety glasses. (6) Very low power (15 micro-W/cm2), voltage ( 1.2 VDC). (7) V. inexpensive, est. < $80/pair. With a small enhancement in the light/dark contrast, use of a battery-powered Controller with photocell input, and extensive ARMD subject testing, these CP-based ECs would be a viable solution to aged ARMD persons. The proposed work will: (1) Fabricate devices with optimized, targeted light/dark contrast of 72%/8%. (2) Fabricate, test inexpensive, battery-powered Controller based on microprocessor, photocell-input, placed on glasses or behind ear, to automatically control darkness/color. (3) Carry out detailed mobility, visual acuity, other tests with ARMD veterans recruited from Atlanta VA Center. (4) Carry out preliminary cost-of-manufacturing survey. The final product would be either thin (< 5 mil) laminates applied over existing glasses, or safety glasses worn over these or naked eyes, or both, with microprocessor-based, ambient-light-controlled Controller, with a licensed manufacture business model. This firm holds patents for one of the two CPs [39] and is filing others. Pro- posed work is a joint effort between this firm and the Atlanta VA Rehabilitation R&D Ctr. for Aging Vision Loss. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The product proposed will finally provide a remedy for persons with ARMD, who are up to 40% of the aging population and for whom there is no solution at present [1-30], while also assisting persons with other, age- related ocular diseases, e.g. diabetic retinopathy and corneal dystrophy. Other potential applications of such unique, high-performance CP-based electrochromics are in the industrial safety, recreational eyewear, (e.g. ski, sports), automobile windshield and building windows markets, much larger markets which would drastically lower costs for persons with ARMD. Two, specific potential commercial partners have been identified for production.

描述（由申请人提供）：与年龄相关的黄斑变性（ARMD）遭受高达40％的老龄化人群的折磨[1-30]。研究[6-30]表明，在美国，> 70％的视力障碍人口超过60，而在此内，ARMD是造成损害的最大原因。 ARMD的主要特征是无法在光和黑暗之间适应。从室内到室外，患有ARMD的人在功能视觉上会造成重大损失，从而影响其功能能力[6-25]。有了解决方案，患有ARMD的40％的老年人的生活质量和福祉将大大改善，从而使他们更加独立，安全地生活。目前尚无针对ARMD的医学/手术治疗[1-5]。当前的高度不足的补救措施[6-8]为：（1）迅速戴上/脱下/脱掉的笨拙，多层太阳镜。 （2）非常缓慢的转换（2-5分钟）需要紫外线以激活的光子镜片。针对ARMD患者的调整疗法也将帮助患有其他年龄有关疾病的人，例如糖尿病性视网膜病和角膜营养不良[8，25]。在早期的工作[31-34]中，我们的小组进行了一项广泛的研究，> 60岁的退伍军人在亚特兰大弗吉尼亚州中心拥有ARMD，这表明与多个太阳棒层或摄影剂相比，相比之下，他们可以从快速变形（<5 s）的电染料（EC）眼镜中受益。然而，本研究中使用的液晶玻璃杯有严重的问题，例如仅24％/3％的轻/深色范围，重量重，与处方眼镜不兼容，成本高。现在，在最近的（2009年）中，无关的工作[35-44]，在对我们先前的一代（<2008）技术的突破中，我们还开发了基于导电聚合物（CPS）的ECS，这些ECS具有：（1）典型的光/深色对比度为68.5％/12％，“可在这些极端之间的任何值中”，“可拨入”。 （2）切换时间瞬时为5 s。 （3）循环> 10^5循环轻/深/光。 （4）出色的光学内存。 （5）薄（<20 mils），柔性，耐用，固态。几乎可以贴上任何表面，例如处方/安全眼镜。 （6）功率非常低（15 micro-W/cm2），电压（1.2 VDC）。 （7）V。廉价，Est。<$ 80/对。在光/黑暗对比度中的少量增强后，使用带有Photocell输入的电池供电控制器以及广泛的ARMD受试者测试，这些基于CP的EC将是对老年ARMD人员的可行解决方案。拟议的工作将：（1）制造具有优化的，有针对性的光/深色对比72％/8％的设备。 （2）基于微处理器输入的微处理器输入（放置在玻璃杯或耳朵后面）制造，廉价的电池供电控制器，以自动控制黑暗/颜色。 （3）对从亚特兰大弗吉尼亚中心招募的ARMD退伍军人进行详细的移动性，视力和其他测试。 （4）进行初步制造成本调查。最终产品要么是在现有眼镜上使用的薄（<50万）层压板，要么是在这些或裸眼上戴的安全眼镜，或者与基于微处理器的，环境光控制的控制器以及具有许可的制造商务模型。该公司拥有两个CP的专利[39]，并正在提交其他CP。该公司与亚特兰大VA康复研发CTR之间的共同努力。衰老视力丧失。 公共卫生相关性：提出的产品最终将为ARMD的人提供一种补救措施，ARMD的人口最多40％，目前尚无解决方案[1-30]，同时还为患有其他年龄相关的眼部疾病的人提供帮助，例如。糖尿病性视网膜病和角膜营养不良。这种独特的，高性能的基于CP的电化色素的其他潜在应用是在工业安全，娱乐眼镜（例如滑雪，运动），汽车挡风玻璃和建造Windows Markets，这将大大降低ARMD人群的成本。已经确定了两个特定的潜在商业合作伙伴的生产。