Segmented Filter Lens for Day-Night Confocal Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image-taking lenses face challenges in achieving both high resolution during the day and low illumination at night while minimizing stray light and manufacturing costs, as they struggle to balance aperture values and require additional components for day-night confocal imaging.
Innovation Solution
A lens design featuring a filter with a central region transparent to visible and infrared light and a peripheral region opaque to visible light, allowing for different aperture values and reducing stray light through a tapered interface, enabling day-night confocal imaging without additional filter switching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a filter with a tapered interface is used to reduce stray light, then optical imaging quality is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter is segmented into a central region and a peripheral region with distinct optical properties. The central region allows both visible and infrared light to pass, while the peripheral region reflects visible light and transmits infrared light. This segmentation enables the filter to simultaneously achieve multiple functions (stray light reduction, day-night imaging) without requiring multiple separate components, thereby improving optical quality while managing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the filter are assigned different optical characteristics tailored to their specific functions. The central region has high transmission for both visible and infrared wavelengths, while the peripheral region is designed to reflect visible light and transmit infrared light. The tapered interface between regions is specifically designed to redirect stray light. This local differentiation of optical properties allows the single filter to achieve superior optical imaging quality across different lighting conditions.
2Device complexity
If the aperture value is fixed for visible light, then the lens structure is simple, but day-night confocal imaging cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The filter is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as an aperture stop for visible light through its peripheral region while allowing infrared light to pass through both central and peripheral regions. This multi-functionality enables the lens to achieve day-night confocal imaging without requiring separate aperture mechanisms or filter switching devices, thereby maintaining structural simplicity while gaining adaptability for different lighting conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter serves as an intermediary element that mediates between visible and infrared light paths. By positioning the aperture stop at the filter plane and designing the filter with appropriate transmission characteristics, the system achieves confocal imaging for both visible and infrared wavelengths without requiring additional optical elements or complex mechanical switching mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If an automatic aperture is added to adjust light flux, then variable aperture is achieved, but manufacturing cost and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter itself serves as the aperture stop, eliminating the need for separate movable aperture mechanisms. The peripheral region of the filter inherently limits the visible light aperture, while the central region allows infrared light passage. This self-service approach provides effective aperture control for different wavelength ranges without adding mechanical complexity, manufacturing cost, or device volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical aperture adjustment system is replaced by an optical filter with wavelength-dependent transmission properties. Instead of using movable parts to change aperture size, the system uses the filter's inherent optical characteristics to provide different effective apertures for visible and infrared light, thereby eliminating mechanical complexity while maintaining aperture control functionality.
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 lens achieves improved optical imaging quality by generating distinct aperture values for visible and infrared light, reducing stray light, and maintaining high quality during both day and night without the need for additional filter switching, thus addressing the balance of aperture values and cost considerations.
Implementation Method 1
The central region has a first light transmission band for a wavelength range of a visible light and a second light transmission band for a wavelength range of an infrared light
Implementation Method 2
The peripheral region has a third light transmission band for the wavelength range of the infrared light and is substantially opaque to the visible light
Implementation Method 3
an area of one portion of the central region surrounded by the peripheral region is tapered toward the first direction, and therefore the visible light is not reflected to a minified side of the lens due to the intersection
Data Source
AI summary
A lens including a filter, an aperture stop, and a lens set sequentially arranged along a first direction is provided. The filter includes a central region and a peripheral region. The central region has a first light transmission band for a wavelength range of a visible light and a second light transmission band for a wavelength range of an infrared light. The peripheral region surrounds the central region. The peripheral region has a third light transmission band for the wavelength range of the infrared light and is substantially opaque to the visible light, and an area of one portion of the central region surrounded by the peripheral region is tapered toward the first direction.