Multispectral Waveguide Parallax Elimination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multispectral fusion systems, such as weapon sights, often suffer from parallax errors due to radiation entering multiple input apertures from different angles, leading to offsets between visible and thermal components in composite images, affecting accuracy and usability.
Innovation Solution
An optical waveguide system that separates multispectral radiation into different wavebands using a first optical component to direct one portion to exit at a first position and a second optical component to direct another portion to travel via total internal reflection to a second position, ensuring accurate overlap of visual representations in the composite image, while maintaining a compact and robust form factor suitable for mobile applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple input apertures are used to receive multispectral radiation, then the system can capture both visible and thermal image data, but parallax errors occur causing offsets between different spectral components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple spectral pathways into a single shared optical path by using a beam splitter to combine visible and thermal radiation paths, and a single objective lens to focus both spectral components. This unified optical path eliminates parallax errors while maintaining multispectral imaging capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a beam splitter as an intermediary component that separates and then recombines different spectral components along a common optical path. The beam splitter acts as a mediator that enables multiple spectral inputs without creating parallax displacement between them.
2Weight of moving object
If a compact optical system is used to reduce size and weight, then portability is improved, but optical path separation and spectral processing become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple optical functions into a single integrated optical path, using shared components (objective lens, waveguide, beam combiner) to process both visible and thermal radiation. This merging approach reduces the number of separate optical trains and minimizes overall system size while maintaining spectral separation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a waveguide structure that separates optical paths in the lateral dimension rather than requiring separate longitudinal paths. The waveguide carries both visible and thermal radiation through different lateral regions, enabling spectral processing in a compact planar configuration.
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 system effectively eliminates parallax errors, producing accurate composite images with improved stability and robustness, particularly in harsh environments, by separating and processing multispectral radiation within a single, compact optical waveguide system.
Implementation Method 1
a second optical component is configured to cause a second portion of the multispectral radiation with wavelengths in a second range to travel through the optical waveguide from the first position to a second position via total internal reflection
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes an optical waveguide configured to receive multispectral radiation from a scene, a first optical component and a second optical component. The first optical component is configured to cause a first portion of the multispectral radiation with wavelengths in a first range to exit the optical waveguide at a first position, and a second portion of the multispectral radiation with wavelengths in a second range to travel through the optical waveguide from the first position to a second position via total internal reflection. The second optical component is configured to cause the second portion of the multispectral radiation to exit the optical waveguide at the second position.