Optical Component Protector Using Gas Curtain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for protecting camera lenses from contaminants like rain, dust, and sand are heavy, noisy, generate vibrations, and reduce image resolution due to the use of spinning disks, which are inefficient at the center and have a short usable life.
Innovation Solution
An optical component protector featuring a transparent plate with a plenum chamber that receives a gas supply to create an air curtain across its surface, preventing contaminants from reaching the lens by entraining them and directing them away, thus minimizing contact and damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a transparent disk is rotated at high speed to prevent contaminants from reaching the lens, then contaminants are effectively repelled, but the mechanism becomes heavy, noisy, and generates vibrations that reduce image resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical rotating disk system with a stationary transparent plate and uses a gas flow system (pneumatic system) to create a protective curtain. This substitution eliminates the need for high-speed rotation, thereby reducing weight, noise, and vibrations while maintaining contaminant protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a gas supply system that delivers gas (typically air) through channels or holes in the transparent plate to create a high-velocity gas curtain. This pneumatic approach replaces the mechanical rotation with fluid dynamics, using gas flow to repel contaminants without the drawbacks of rotating machinery.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a transparent disk is rotated at high speed to prevent contaminants from reaching the lens, then contaminants are effectively repelled, but the mechanism generates substantial heat through bearing friction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the mechanical rotating disk and its bearings by using a stationary transparent plate with integrated gas flow channels. This replacement removes the source of frictional heat generation entirely, as there are no moving parts or bearings subject to friction.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a transparent disk is rotated at high speed to prevent contaminants from reaching the lens, then contaminants are repelled at the edges, but the speed of movement is at a minimum in the centre, reducing effectiveness in this region
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates gas supply channels or holes distributed across the transparent plate, including specifically in the central region. This ensures that high-velocity gas flow is generated uniformly across the entire surface area of the plate, providing consistent contaminant protection from both edges and center regions.
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 air curtain effectively prevents contaminants from contacting the lens, reducing the need for frequent cleaning and extending the protector's usability while minimizing noise and vibration issues associated with spinning disk systems.
Implementation Method 1
the plenum chamber is configured to receive a supply of gas from a gas supply and provide a curtain of the gas across a surface of the transparent plate
Implementation Method 2
preventing contaminants from reaching the lens by entraining them and directing them away
Data Source
AI summary
An optical component protector, comprising a transparent plate, configured to be mounted in front of an optical component to be protected and a plenum chamber, connected to a top edge of a transparent plate wherein the plenum chamber is configured to receive a supply of gas from a gas supply and provide a curtain of the gas across a surface of the transparent plate that is on an opposite side of the transparent plate from the optical component.