Aspheric Beam Steering Mirror for Wide Field of View
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Afocal optical systems experience significant image quality degradation for larger fields of view, such as approximately double the field of view in both planes, despite providing good image quality for smaller fields of view.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an aspheric figured beam steering mirror into the afocal optical system, which is positioned at the real exit pupil and configured to receive a collimated optical beam, allowing for improved image quality over a wide field of view while maintaining beam steering functionality by actuating the mirror over a range of angular motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a two-mirror recollimating eyepiece is used in an all-reflective afocal optical system, then good image quality is achieved for small fields of view (approximately 0.2×0.4 degrees), but image quality is significantly degraded for larger fields of view (approximately double the field of view in both planes)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies aspheric figuring to the beam steering mirror surface, replacing a conventional flat or spherical mirror with an aspheric surface that has varying curvature. This aspheric curvature is specifically designed to correct off-axis aberrations that occur at larger field angles, thereby maintaining image quality across an extended field of view while preserving the beam steering function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the field of view is increased to approximately double the original size in both planes, then wider coverage is achieved, but the resultant image quality is significantly degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The aspheric beam steering mirror implements local quality by having different surface curvatures at different locations on the mirror surface. The aspheric figure provides specific curvature variations that are optimized for different field angles, allowing the mirror to correct aberrations locally across the extended field of view while maintaining diffraction-limited image quality.
3Measurement precision
If an aspheric figured beam steering mirror is used to improve image quality over a wide field of view, then image quality is improved by approximately three times, but the mirror complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aspheric beam steering mirror achieves multi-functionality by simultaneously performing two roles: (1) steering the collimated optical beam across a wide field of view through angular actuation, and (2) correcting off-axis aberrations through its aspheric surface figure. This eliminates the need for separate beam steering and field flattening optics, thereby improving image quality while avoiding additional system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The aspheric figured beam steering mirror significantly improves image quality by approximately three times, maintaining the beam steering function over a wide field of view without significant image quality degradation, even at large angular ranges such as ±10 degrees.
Implementation Method 1
an aspheric figured beam steering mirror positioned at the real exit pupil and configured to receive the collimated optical beam and to direct the collimated optical beam to the sensor
Data Source
AI summary
An all-reflective afocal optical system including an aspheric beam steering mirror positioned at an exit pupil of the afocal optical system. In one example, an all-reflective afocal optical imaging system includes a sensor, a afocal optical apparatus including a plurality of mirrors optically coupled together and configured to receive light rays through an entrance pupil of the afocal optical imaging system and to substantially collimate the light rays to provide a collimated optical beam to an exit pupil, and an aspheric beam steering mirror positioned at the exit pupil and configured to receive the collimated optical beam and to direct the collimated optical beam to the sensor.