Optical Component Inspection Without Disassembly Using Conjugate Planes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical systems, such as microscopes, face challenges in efficiently identifying and addressing internal defects and debris within their components without disassembly, leading to time-consuming and laborious trial-and-error maintenance processes.
Innovation Solution
An optical system is used to inspect internal components by employing an external reflective surface to induce an internal scan of imaging conjugates, varying settings like distance and curvature to focus on multiple conjugate planes, allowing for identification of defects without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If optical systems are disassembled to inspect internal components for defects and debris, then inspection completeness is improved, but maintenance time and operational downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
A reflective surface is introduced as an intermediary element to enable indirect inspection of internal optical components. By positioning the reflective surface at a conjugate plane within the optical system, the inspection device can view internal components through the optical path without physical disassembly, thus maintaining inspection completeness while eliminating disassembly time
Solution Approach 2:
The reflective surface creates an optical copy or image of the internal optical components at a accessible conjugate plane. This optical copy allows the inspection device to examine internal components as if they were externally accessible, achieving complete inspection without the need to physically access or disassemble the internal components
2Reliability
If trial-and-error maintenance processes are used to identify internal defects, then potential issues can be detected, but productivity and system availability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection device is positioned to perform preliminary inspection of internal optical components before actual use or performance degradation occurs. By inspecting at conjugate planes during scheduled maintenance intervals or before critical operations, potential defects are identified and addressed proactively, preventing trial-and-error maintenance and maximizing system availability
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system provides feedback about the condition of internal optical components by capturing images at multiple conjugate planes. This feedback mechanism enables systematic identification of defects and debris, replacing trial-and-error approaches with a structured inspection process that improves reliability while maintaining productivity through targeted rather than random maintenance actions
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
This method enables quick and efficient identification of specific components with issues, reducing downtime and the need for additional inspection systems by pinpointing areas requiring cleaning or replacement.
Implementation Method 1
positioned to reflect light rays back into the optical components along an imaging path
Data Source
AI summary
According to examples, an optical system may include optical components including an objective lens, an imager, and a controller. The controller may cause a first conjugate plane to be formed at a first location within the optical components, in which the imager is to capture an image of the first location at the first conjugate plane, and may receive the captured image of the first location at the first conjugate plane from the imager. The controller may also cause a second conjugate plane to be formed at a second location within the optical components, in which the imager is to capture an image of the second location at the second conjugate plane, and receive the captured image of the second optical component at the conjugate plane from the imager. The controller may inspect the images to determine whether there are any potential issues with the optical components.