Spherical Telescope Optics for Wide-Field Sky Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical systems struggle to efficiently cover a large field of view while maintaining a significant equivalent opening, requiring mass duplication of telescopes or continuous sky browsing, which is inefficient in terms of volume and time continuity.
Innovation Solution
An optical system comprising a solid, light-transparent spherical body with light-transparent lenses and a filler substance inside a spherical cavity, featuring a curved focal plane with chambers containing field lenses and diaphragms, allowing for a large equivalent opening and simultaneous sky coverage without physical diaphragms within the device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If mass duplication of telescopes is used to cover large field of view, then the field of view coverage is improved, but the volume and structural complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple telescope functions into a single optical device by using a spherical optical element with multiple independent optical paths. Each path focuses light from different sky regions onto separate detector arrays, allowing one compact device to cover the same field of view that would otherwise require thousands of separate telescopes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional array of separate telescopes to a three-dimensional spherical optical structure. The spherical geometry allows light from different directions to be focused simultaneously onto different regions of detector arrays, achieving large field of view coverage within a compact volumetric form factor.
2Area of moving object
If conventional telescopes are used, then the equivalent opening is maintained, but the field of view coverage remains limited
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical optical device is segmented into multiple independent optical paths, each with its own focusing capability. Each segment handles a specific region of the sky, and the combined effect of all segments provides both large field of view coverage and significant equivalent light collection area, overcoming the limitation of conventional single-path telescopes.
3Area of moving object
If continuous sky browsing is implemented, then the sky coverage is improved, but the time continuity and search efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system achieves continuous sky coverage by simultaneously capturing light from all sky regions through its multiple optical paths. Unlike sequential browsing methods that scan the sky over time, this device captures the entire sky at once, eliminating time losses associated with moving between observation points and ensuring continuous monitoring of transient phenomena.
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 achieves a favorable light collection ratio and large equivalent opening, enabling simultaneous sky coverage with minimal physical size and avoiding the inefficiencies of existing solutions, while correcting spherical and chromatic aberrations for clear imaging.
Implementation Method 1
The spherical optical device (1) comprises a plurality of two-by-two adjacent blocks (5) covering a first spherical surface (3)... The blocks (5) are light-transparent lenses
Implementation Method 2
a curved focal plane (21) on which an image produced by the optical device (1) is focused
Data Source
AI summary
An optical system includes an optical device which is a spherical body or has a spherical shape and includes a first spherical surface, a plurality of two-by-two adjacent blocks covering the first spherical surface, and at least one light-transparent filler substance contained in a spherical cavity of the optical device. The optical system includes a curved focal plane surrounding the optical device and on which an image produced by the latter is focused, and a receiving device having a plurality of chambers arranged at the curved focal plane. Each chamber includes a field lens and a diaphragm arranged downstream of the field lens with respect to the center of the optical device. The diaphragm has the center on the optical axis of the field lens so that optical projection of the diaphragm onto the optical device through the field lens defines a virtual diaphragm extending into the optical device.