Radiation-resistant relay steering lens
By designing an radiation-resistant relay steering lens in the camera, using optical principles to extend the optical path and turn, the problem of image sensor damage in the camera in a nuclear radiation environment is solved, and effective radiation protection and service life are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411010969.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-26
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-25
AI Technical Summary
The image sensor of the camera is susceptible to damage in a nuclear radiation environment, resulting in a degradation of imaging quality or permanent damage to the equipment, making it difficult for the prior art to effectively and economically protect.
Design an irradiation-resistant relay steering lens, assembled between the camera lens and the image sensor, and use the principles of optical reflection, transmission and refraction to extend the propagation light path and turn 90°, thereby moving the image sensor to the lower right rear of the lens and adjust its installation direction.
It effectively and economically solves the shielding and protection problem of image sensors and extends the service life of the camera in nuclear-related environments.
Smart Images
Figure CN119511499A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention belongs to the field of optical technology, and in particular relates to a radiation-resistant relay steering lens assembled between a camera lens and a sensor. Background Art
[0002] Nuclear radiation, also known as radioactive rays, is the flow of microscopic particles released when atomic nuclei transform from one structure or energy state to another. Radioactive rays include gamma rays, alpha rays, beta rays, and neutrons. In a radiation environment, these rays can penetrate the camera casing and irradiate the camera's circuitry, causing ionization and excitation of the image sensor, leading to device failure.
[0003] The traditional and economical method for protecting cameras from radiation exposure in nuclear environments is to shield the camera body with shielding materials with a high lead equivalent. However, the camera lens port can only be shielded with radiation-resistant glass; materials with even higher lead equivalents are not suitable. When a camera captures highly radioactive objects, radiation passes through the lens and directly impacts the camera's image sensor. If the radiation dose is high or accumulates over time, the exposed image sensor can be damaged by the ionizing and displacement radiation effects of the electronic components. This can cause the image sensor to not form images properly, resulting in the decoded video signal becoming distorted, missing, or even completely absent, permanently damaging the device.
[0004] Some radiation-resistant cameras use radiation-resistant chips in their image sensors, or reinforce precision electronic components for radiation resistance. This solution can effectively extend the service life of the camera in nuclear environments, but radiation-resistant chips are expensive and the radiation resistance reinforcement of components is also relatively complex. Therefore, the cost of this type of radiation-resistant camera is relatively high and is mostly used in the aviation field. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In view of the defects existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a radiation-resistant relay steering lens, which can economically and effectively enhance the radiation resistance of the camera, thereby extending the service life of the camera in a nuclear environment.
[0006] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:
[0007] A radiation-resistant relay steering lens is assembled between a camera lens and an image sensor. The relay steering lens includes a first relay lens, a second relay lens and a steering lens. The first relay lens and the second relay lens have the same structure and are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the steering lens, with their optical axes perpendicular to each other. The other ends of the first relay lens and the second relay lens are respectively connected to the camera lens and the image sensor. The first relay lens is used to receive the focused light spot converged from the camera lens, amplify and transmit it, and then convert the image into an equal-sized parallel light beam at the steering lens. After the parallel light beam is deflected by 90°, it is transmitted, converged and reduced through the second relay lens to form a focused light spot of the same size as the original one. The focused light spot is imaged on the image sensor at the rear end of the second relay lens.
[0008] Furthermore, as described above, the radiation-resistant relay steering lens includes sixteen lenses, which are symmetrically distributed, i.e., eight pairs of lenses, of which the middle pair of lenses constitutes the steering lens, which is used to symmetrically rotate the image 90°; the remaining seven pairs of lenses are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the steering lens, respectively constituting the first relay lens and the second relay lens.
[0009] Furthermore, as described above, the radiation-resistant relay steering lens, the first relay lens includes a first concave lens, a second convex lens, a third convex lens, a fourth convex lens, a fifth convex lens, a sixth convex lens and a seventh concave lens in sequence along the incident direction of light, the first concave lens and the second convex lens constitute a first double-cemented lens, the sixth convex lens and the seventh concave lens constitute a second double-cemented lens, the first concave lens is located at the rear end of the camera lens, and the seventh concave lens is docked with the steering lens.
[0010] Furthermore, in the radiation-resistant relay steering lens as described above, the two lenses of the steering lens are prisms.
[0011] Furthermore, in the radiation-resistant relay steering lens as described above, the lenses of the first relay lens and the second relay lens are both made of ZF series radiation-resistant glass with good light transmittance and are coated on the surface.
[0012] Furthermore, as described above, the radiation-resistant relay steering lens, each group of lenses of the first relay lens and the second relay lens are coated with different films according to the required transmitted light wave band and imaging requirements, and the seven groups of lenses cooperate with each other to achieve the functions of amplifying, extending, steering, extending, and converging the optical path of the focused light spot.
[0013] Furthermore, as described above, the radiation-resistant relay steering lens has its lenses externally encapsulated in an aluminum alloy shell, which is also used for positioning each lens.
[0014] Furthermore, as described above, the radiation-resistant relay steering lens, the aluminum alloy shell includes a first adapter, a first lens barrel, a prism fixing member, a second lens barrel and a second adapter, the lenses of the first relay lens are fixed in the first lens barrel, the lenses of the second relay lens are fixed in the second lens barrel, the two lenses of the steering lens are fixed in the prism fixing member, one end of the first adapter is connected to the first relay lens, and the other end is used to connect to the camera lens; one end of the second adapter is connected to the second relay lens, and the other end is used to connect to the image sensor of the camera.
[0015] Furthermore, as described above, the radiation-resistant relay steering lens is provided with a plurality of spacers of different sizes inside the first lens barrel and the second lens barrel. The spacers are located between adjacent lenses and are used to fix the lenses and control the spacing between the lenses to prevent misalignment and collision between the lenses due to vibration.
[0016] Furthermore, in the radiation-resistant relay steering lens as described above, the surface of the aluminum alloy shell is black anodized to prevent rust.
[0017] Compared with the prior art, the radiation-resistant relay steering lens provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0018] The present invention utilizes the principles of optical reflection, transmission, and refraction, and adopts optical software design, simulation, and modeling to extend the propagation light path, which was originally only a few millimeters, and turn it 90°, thereby moving the image sensor originally located directly behind the lens to the lower right rear of the lens, and adjusting the direction of the image sensor by 90° from the original installation direction, thereby effectively and economically solving the problem of image sensor shielding protection, and can extend the service life of the camera in nuclear-related environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 This is an optical principle diagram of a radiation-resistant relay steering lens provided in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] Figure 2 The results of the analysis of the influence of the structure and parameters of the relay steering lens on the imaging quality are presented;
[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a radiation-resistant relay steering lens provided in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of lenses at both ends of the prism in the relay steering lens;
[0023] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the middle section HH;
[0024] Figure 3 Middle: 1-first relay lens; 2-steering lens; 3-second relay lens; 4-first adapter; 5-second adapter; 6-first lens barrel; 7-prism fixing piece; 8-second lens barrel; 9-spacer;
[0025] 11-first concave lens; 12-second convex lens; 13-third convex lens; 14-fourth convex lens; 15-fifth convex lens; 16-sixth convex lens; 17-seventh concave lens. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementations.
[0027] In order to economically and effectively enhance the radiation resistance of the camera and extend the service life of the camera in a nuclear environment, the present invention provides a radiation-resistant relay steering lens, which is assembled between the camera lens and the image sensor. Figure 1 As shown, the relay steering lens includes two relay lenses and a steering lens. The two relay lenses are symmetrically positioned at opposite ends of the steering lens and are perpendicular to each other. The other ends of the two relay lenses are connected to the camera lens and image sensor, respectively. The steering lens symmetrically rotates the image 90°. This relay steering lens utilizes the principles of optical reflection, transmission, and refraction. Through optical design, it extends the original propagation light path of only a few millimeters and redirects it 90°. This moves the image sensor, originally located directly behind the camera lens, to the lower right rear of the camera lens, and adjusts the image sensor's installation direction by 90°.
[0028] The relay-steering lens operates as follows: gamma rays and other radiation from a nuclear radiation environment, upon entering the camera lens, pass directly through the relay lens and the steering lens, then through the lens in the steering lens. The radiation is not reflected onto the image sensor, while optical pulses / optical light are almost completely reflected by the mirror, passing through the relay lens below, and finally forming a normal image on the image sensor. When a camera uses this relay-steering lens, the image sensor below can be shielded with effective, high-lead equivalent shielding materials for simple radiation protection. This design is simple to operate, highly practical, and economical, making it highly marketable.
[0029] The present invention uses the optical software ZEMAX to design and simulate based on the reflection, transmission and refraction principles of optical imaging, and tests the imaging effect to determine the specific optical path structure.
[0030] In order to properly match the radiation-resistant relay steering lens with the camera lens and image sensor, it is necessary to understand the impact of changes in the optical system structure and system parameters on the system imaging, providing theoretical guidance for the actual production process. Parameters that affect imaging quality include lens curvature, thickness, refractive index, Abbe number, and lens position and eccentricity. This paper analyzes these parameters using the tolerance analysis function of Zemax. The analysis results are shown in the figure below. Figure 2 shown.
[0031] With Zemax analysis as theoretical support, Figure 2 It is known that extending the optical path and achieving a 90° turn requires a total of 16 lenses, which are symmetrically distributed, that is, eight pairs of lenses. Figure 2 The specific structure of the relay steering lens provided in the embodiment of the present invention is as follows: Figure 3-Figure 5 As shown, the relay steering lens includes 16 lenses, which are symmetrically distributed, that is, eight pairs of lenses. The two lenses in the middle are steering lenses 2, which are used to symmetrically steer the image 90 degrees. The other seven pairs of lenses are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the steering lens, forming the first relay lens 1 and the second relay lens 3 respectively. The optical axis of the first relay lens 1 and the optical axis of the second relay lens 3 are perpendicular to each other. The first relay lens 1, connected to the rear end of the camera lens, is used to receive the focused light spot converged from the camera lens, amplify and transmit it again, and then convert the image into an equal-sized parallel beam at the steering lens 2. After being deflected by a prism, the parallel beam is transmitted, converged, and reduced by the second relay lens 3 (working in the opposite direction of the first relay lens 1), forming a focused light spot of the same size as the original one. The focused light spot is imaged on the image sensor at the rear end of the second relay lens 3.
[0032] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, when the first relay lens 1 is mounted at the rear end of the camera lens, it includes, along the incident direction of light, a first concave lens 11, a second convex lens 12, a third convex lens 13, a fourth convex lens 14, a fifth convex lens 15, a sixth convex lens 16, and a seventh concave lens 17. The first concave lens 11 and the second convex lens 12 form a first doublet, while the sixth convex lens 16 and the seventh concave lens 17 form a second doublet. The first concave lens 11 is located at the rear end of the camera lens, and the seventh concave lens 17 is connected to one end of the steering lens 2. The second relay lens 3 is symmetrically structured with the first relay lens 1, with the first concave lens of the second relay lens 3 located in front of the camera's image sensor. Specific design parameters are shown in Table 1.
[0033] Table 1 Detailed parameters of each lens of the relay lens
[0034]
[0035] The lenses of the first and second relay lenses 1 and 3 are polished and coated with ZF series radiation-resistant glass for superior light transmission. Each pair of lenses utilizes different specifications and grades of radiation-resistant glass, depending on its intended function. Each lens group also utilizes different coatings based on the required wavelength range and imaging requirements. Ultimately, the seven lens groups work together to amplify, extend, redirect, extend, and converge the optical path of the focused light spot.
[0036] The lens of the relay steering lens is encapsulated in an aluminum alloy shell, which is also used to position each lens. The aluminum alloy shell is black anodized to prevent rust. Figure 3 As shown, the aluminum alloy housing of the relay steering lens includes a first adapter 4, a first lens barrel 6, a prism fixture 7, a second lens barrel 8, and a second adapter 5. The lenses of the first relay lens 1 are fixed within the first lens barrel 6, the lenses of the second relay lens 3 are fixed within the second lens barrel 8, and the two lenses of the steering lens 2 are fixed within the prism fixture 7. One end of the first adapter 4 is connected to the first relay lens 1, and the other end is used to connect to the camera lens; one end of the second adapter 5 is connected to the second relay lens 3, and the other end is used to connect to the camera's image sensor. The first adapter 4 and the second adapter 5 can control the distance between the first lens at each end of the relay lens and the camera lens and image sensor respectively after connection, thereby ensuring that the relay lens's image entry point and image formation point are in the correct position, allowing for normal image transfer and display.
[0037] A plurality of spacers 9 of different sizes are provided inside the first lens barrel 6 and the second lens barrel 8 to fix different lenses and control the spacing between the lenses to prevent misalignment and collision between the lenses due to vibration, etc. In this embodiment, four spacers 9 are provided inside each lens barrel, one of which is provided between adjacent lenses.
[0038] Because the relay steering lens is designed to be bilaterally symmetrical (both the mechanical structure and the optical lens are designed to be symmetrical), there is no need to distinguish which end corresponds to the camera lens and which end corresponds to the image sensor during installation.
[0039] The radiation-resistant relay steering lens provided by the present invention utilizes the principles of optical reflection, transmission, and refraction to extend the propagation light path, which was originally only a few millimeters, and redirect it 90°, thereby moving the image sensor originally located directly behind the lens to the lower right rear of the lens, thereby effectively and economically solving the problem of image sensor shielding protection and extending the service life of the camera in nuclear-related environments.
[0040] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the present invention is intended to include such changes and modifications.
Claims
1. A radiation-resistant relay steering lens, the relay steering lens being mounted between a camera lens and an image sensor, characterized in that: The relay steering lens comprises a first relay lens (1), a second relay lens (3) and a steering lens (2); the first relay lens (1) and the second relay lens (3) have the same structure and are symmetrically arranged at two ends of the steering lens (2), and their optical axes are perpendicular to each other; the other ends of the first relay lens (1) and the second relay lens (3) are connected to a camera lens and an image sensor respectively; the first relay lens (1) is used to receive a focused light spot converged from the camera lens, amplify and transmit it, and then convert the image into an equal-sized parallel light beam at the steering lens (2); after the parallel light beam is deflected by 90 degrees, it is transmitted, converged and reduced through the second relay lens (3) to form a focused light spot of the same size as the original one; the focused light spot is imaged on the image sensor at the rear end of the second relay lens (3).
2. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The relay steering lens comprises sixteen lenses which are symmetrically distributed, namely eight pairs of lenses, wherein the middle pair of lenses constitutes the steering lens (2) and is used to symmetrically steer the image by 90 degrees; the remaining seven pairs of lenses are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the steering lens (2), respectively constituting the first relay lens (1) and the second relay lens (3).
3. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first relay lens (1) comprises, in sequence along the incident direction of light, a first concave lens (11), a second convex lens (12), a third convex lens (13), a fourth convex lens (14), a fifth convex lens (15), a sixth convex lens (16) and a seventh concave lens (17); the first concave lens (11) and the second convex lens (12) form a first double-cemented lens, the sixth convex lens (16) and the seventh concave lens (17) form a second double-cemented lens, the first concave lens (11) is located at the rear end of the camera lens, and the seventh concave lens (17) is connected to the steering lens (2).
4. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two lenses of the steering lens (2) are prisms.
5. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lenses of the first relay lens (1) and the second relay lens (3) are both made of ZF series radiation-resistant glass with good light transmission effect and are coated on the surface.
6. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The lens groups of the first relay lens (1) and the second relay lens (3) are coated with different films according to the required transmitted light wave band and imaging requirements, and the seven lens groups cooperate with each other to achieve the functions of amplifying, extending, steering, extending and converging the optical path of the focused light spot.
7. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The exterior of the lens of the relay steering lens is encapsulated by an aluminum alloy shell, which is also used for positioning each lens.
8. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The aluminum alloy shell comprises a first adapter (4), a first lens barrel (6), a prism fixing member (7), a second lens barrel (8) and a second adapter (5); each lens of the first relay lens (1) is fixed in the first lens barrel (6); each lens of the second relay lens (3) is fixed in the second lens barrel (8); two lenses of the steering lens (2) are fixed in the prism fixing member (7); one end of the first adapter (4) is connected to the first relay lens (1), and the other end is used to connect to a camera lens; one end of the second adapter (5) is connected to the second relay lens (3), and the other end is used to connect to an image sensor of a camera.
9. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to claim 8, characterized in that: A plurality of spacers (9) of different sizes are arranged inside the first lens barrel (6) and the second lens barrel (8). The spacers (9) are located between adjacent lenses and are used to fix the lenses and control the intervals between the lenses to prevent misalignment and collision between the lenses due to vibration.
10. The radiation-resistant relay steering lens according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The surface of the aluminum alloy shell is black anodized to prevent rust.