Patent Application
20220377855
The present disclosure relates to fabrication of a moldable optical element having a transparent heat resistive element.
Optical elements such as windows and lenses may be used in harsh environments where moisture, temperature (e.g., heat/cold), humidity, and so forth can result in the formation of precipitation or condensation on surfaces. While various chemical treatments may be used to mitigate the formation of ice or other residues on the surfaces of an optical element, these treatments may impact the optical quality of the lens. In some cases, it may not be feasible to apply such treatments due to accessibility problems (e.g., location of a lens or optical element within a larger system).
Systems and method for providing heating, for example, for de-icing and/or de-fogging, of an optical element such as a lens are disclosed herein. Some such systems and methods include providing a resistive layer on an optically transparent material. The optically transparent material may comprise, for example, moldable glass in some implementations. The resistive layer may comprise semiconductor in some cases. A wide range of designs are possible.
In various embodiments described herein, an optical system comprises: an optical device comprising a moldable optical material having a first surface; a resistive transparent material deposited in a layer on the first surface; and at least one conductive pad in electrical contact with the resistive transparent material. In some embodiments, an optical system comprises an infrared camera, and the infrared camera comprises the optical device. In some embodiments, the resistive transparent material comprises semiconductor. In some embodiments, the resistive transparent material comprises Germanium. In some embodiments, the optical system further comprises a diamondlike carbon coating on the resistive transparent material, such that the resistive transparent material is between the moldable optical material and the diamondlike carbon coating. In some embodiments, the moldable optical material comprises glass. In some embodiments, the moldable optical material comprises chalcogenide glass. In some embodiments, the moldable optical material is amorphous. In some embodiments, the moldable optical material is not a semiconductor.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: an optical material that is transparent having at least a first surface; and a resistive transparent layer that is at least partially conductive deposited on the first surface such that electrical power can be applied to the resistive transparent layer to heat the optical material. In some embodiments, the optical element comprises a lens or optical window. In some embodiments, the resistive transparent layer that is at least partially conductive comprises semiconductor. In some embodiments, the resistive transparent layer that is at least partially conductive comprises Germanium. In some embodiments, the optical element further comprises a hard coat layer on the resistive transparent layer, such that the resistive transparent layer is between the optical material and the hard coat layer. In some embodiments, the hard coat layer comprises a diamondlike carbon coating. In some embodiments, the optical material comprises glass. In some embodiments, the optical material comprises moldable material. In some embodiments, the optical material comprises moldable glass. In some embodiments, the optical material comprises chalcogenide glass. In some embodiments, the optical material is amorphous. In some embodiments, the optical material is not a semiconductor. In some embodiments, the optical element further comprises at least one conductive pad in electrical contact with the resistive transparent layer. In some embodiments, the optical element further comprises a plurality of conductive pads in electrical contact with the resistive transparent layer. In some embodiments, the optical element further comprises a central optical region, the resistive transparent layer disposed on over the central optical region. In some embodiments, the optical element comprises a lens having optical power.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: a body being optically transparent having a front surface and rear surface; and a heater layer being optically transparent located on the front surface comprising at least partially resistive material.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: a body having a front surface and rear surface comprising moldable glass; and a heater layer being optically transparent located on the front surface comprising at least partially resistive material.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: a body with a front surface and rear surface comprising chalcogenides; and a heater layer being optically transparent located on the front surface comprising at least partially resistive material.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: a body being optically transmissive having a front and rear surface and comprising semiconductor located on the front surface, the body comprising different material than the semiconductor on the front surface.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: a body being optically transparent having a front surface and rear surface, at least one of the front surface and rear surface having optical power; and a heater layer being optically transparent located on the front surface comprising at least partially resistive material.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: a body having a front surface and rear surface comprising moldable glass, at least one of the front surface and rear surface having optical power; and a heater layer being optically transparent located on the front surface comprising at least partially resistive material.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: a body with a front surface and rear surface comprising chalcogenides, at least one of the front surface and rear surface having optical power; and a heater layer being optically transparent located on the front surface comprising at least partially resistive material.
In some embodiments, an optical element comprises: a body being optically transmissive having a front and rear surface, at least one of the front surface and rear surface having optical power; and a heater layer comprising semiconductor located on the front surface. In some embodiments, the optical element further comprising a contact that is at least partially conductive. In some embodiments, the optical element comprises a lens.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure are described with reference to drawings of certain embodiments, which are intended to illustrate, but not to limit, the present disclosure. It will be understood that the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, are for the purpose of illustrating concepts disclosed herein and may not be to scale.
Optical elements like windows and lenses that are exposed to less than ideal operating environments may have one or more surfaces that have precipitation or condensation formed thereon. For example, the surfaces may have ice or “fog” formed thereon based on environmental conditions relating to moisture, temperature (e.g., heat or cold), humidity, etc. A de-icing or anti-fog spray may be applied to help mitigate ice or fog, but they can be messy and adversely affect the imaging quality of the optical element. Also, the optical surface may not be accessible. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have an optical element that is structured to have de-icing or de-fogging functionality that does not adversely affect the imaging quality of the optical element. This technology provides a way for moldable materials, such as chalcogenides, to be inexpensively processed by molding, while allowing resistive heating to be applied by applying a current to a semiconductor layer.
Described herein are various embodiments relating to an optical element (e.g., a lens or window) formed from a moldable material with a transparent layer of a different material applied to an optical surface for use in resistive heating of the optical element. As used in reference to the transparent layer or a transparent material, “transparent” can mean, for example, transparent for one or more visible and/or infrared wavelengths. In some embodiments, the moldable material may be amorphous or non-semiconductor and may comprise glass such as moldable glass. In some embodiments, the transparent layer may comprise a different material, for example a semiconductor material like Germanium (Ge). Embodiments of the invention may be applied to an optical element in any system where heating of an optical element is desired, for example, to provide de-icing and/or de-fogging. In some embodiments, the system may be an infrared camera, or any other type of camera or imaging system. In some embodiments, the system may be an optical device, for example, a telescope, binoculars, periscope, rangefinder, etc. In other examples, the system may be any type of optical system where optical elements in the system may experience exposure to water and/or freezing conditions, which can lead to ice or fog forming on a surface of an optical element.
In particular,
In some implementations, the body 112 comprises glass such as moldable glass. In some implementations, the body 112 comprises chalcogenide glass or one or more chalcogenides. For example, the glass may comprise BD6 glass available from LightPath Technologies, Inc., Orlando, Fla.
In some implementations, the body 112 comprises rigid material that is optically transparent to light such as visible and/or infrared wavelengths. As referenced above, the optical element 100 shown in
The optical element 112 in
The optical element or lens 100 of
As discussed above, the heater layer 124 may comprise at least one at least partially resistive material. In some implementations, the heater layer 124 comprises at least one semiconductor material. In some implementations, for example, the heater layer 124 comprises Germanium or possibly Silicon, although other semiconductor materials may be employed. The semiconductor layer may be doped or undoped depending on the design and may be lightly or heavily doped to provide a suitable level of conductivity and/or resistance. In some implementations, however, the heater layer 124 need not comprise a semiconductor. In various implementations, the heater layer 124 is sufficiently thin to be transparent.
In various implementations, the optical element 100 further comprises a contact or contact pad 126. In various implementations, at least two contact pads 126 are included and employed to provide electrical power to the heater layer 124 although only one may be visible in
The lens implementation of
In operation, the contact pad 126 is connected to an electrical power source such as a current source (not shown) via the conductive line 130. Electrical current then passes from the electrical source through the contact pad 126 and the heater layer 124. Electrical current flowing through a resistive material produces heat. Likewise, the electrical current flowing through the heater layer 124 produces resistive heating that heats at least the front surface 114 of the body 112 of the optical element or lens 100 and possibly heats the body itself. In some implementations, the amount of heat produced can be controlled by controlling the electrical power applied by the electrical source and/or control circuit (not shown). In the implementation presented by
In various implementations, the lens body 112 may be formed by molding although other methods may be used. The heater layer 124 may be deposited on the lens body by thin film deposition processes or other methods. Similarly, the contact pads 126 and hard coat 128 may be formed by thin film deposition processes. Other methods may be employed.
In various implementations, the heating layer 124 comprises a thin film or is at least thin compared to the body 112 or the element or lens 100. In various implementations, the thickness (e.g., center thickness, edge thickness, average thickness, etc.) of the body 112 may vary depending on the type of optical element. In some cases, however, the body 112 is at least 10 times, 20 times, 50 times, 100 times, 200 times, 500 times, 1000 times, 2000 times, 5000 times, 10000 times as thick as the resistive heating layer 124 or any range formed by any of these values. Thicknesses outside these ranges are also possible.
In various implementations, the heating layer 124 comprises more than just one conductive line 130.
In various implementations, the heating layer 124 comprises an area at least 3 mm×3 mm, 5 mm×5 mm, 10 mm×10 mm, 50 mm×50 mm, 100 mm×100 mm, or 200 mm×200 mm, or any range between any of these values or values outside these ranges. Similarly, the heating layer 124 may comprise an area of more than πr2, the area of a circular region, where r is the radius of the circular region and r can be from 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 50 mm, 100 mm, 120 mm, or any range between any of these values or values outside these ranges. This radius, r, may correspond to the radius of the first and/or second surface 114, 116 of the lens or optical element 100 and/or the radius of the clear aperture or the central optical region 118 of the lens or optical element. In various implementations, the optical element 100 may comprise a lens having any shape optical surfaces 114, 116. For example, the optical element 10 may comprise a lens having a surface 114, 116, with a radius of curvature from 5 mm to plano. Other optical elements are possible. In various implementations, the heating layer 124 may cover at least 50%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99.5%, or 100% of the area of the first and/or second surface 114, 116 of the body of the optical element or lens 100 and/or of the central optical region 118, or any range between any of these values or possibly outside these ranges.
In various implementations, the heating layer 124 may have a circular footprint or cover an area having a circular footprint or area. Alternatively, in various implementations, the heating layer 24 may have a square footprint or cover an area having a square footprint or area. In various implementations, the heating layer 124 may have a rectangular footprint or cover an area having a rectangular footprint or area. The aspect ratio (the ratio of the length to the width) of the rectangular footprint or area may be between 5:1 to 1:1 or 4:1 to 1:1 or 3:1 to 1:1 or 2:1 to 1:1 or any range between any of these values or values outside these ranges. Other shapes are possible as well.
Some additional nonlimiting examples of embodiments discussed above are provided below. These should not be read as limiting the breadth of the disclosure in any way.
Example 1: An optical system, comprising:
Example 2: The optical system of Example 1, comprising an infrared camera, the infrared camera comprising the optical device.
Example 3: The optical system of any of the examples above, wherein the resistive transparent material comprises semiconductor.
Example 4: The optical system of any of the examples above, wherein the resistive transparent material comprises Germanium.
Example 5: The optical system of any of the examples above, further comprising a diamondlike carbon coating on the resistive transparent material, such that the resistive transparent material is between the moldable optical material and the diamondlike carbon coating.
Example 6: The optical system of any of the examples above, wherein the moldable optical material comprises glass.
Example 7: The optical system of Example 6, wherein the moldable optical material comprises chalcogenide glass.
Example 8: The optical system of any of the examples above, wherein the moldable optical material is amorphous.
Example 9: The optical system of Example 1, wherein the moldable optical material is not a semiconductor.
Example 10: An optical element comprising:
Example 11: The optical element of Example 10, wherein said optical element comprises a lens or optical window.
Example 12: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein the resistive transparent layer that is at least partially conductive comprises semiconductor.
Example 13: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein the resistive transparent layer that is at least partially conductive comprises Germanium.
Example 14: The optical element of any of the examples above, further comprising a hard coat layer on the resistive transparent layer, such that the resistive transparent layer is between the optical material and the hard coat layer.
Example 15: The optical element of Example 4, wherein said hard coat layer comprises a diamondlike carbon coating.
Example 16: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein the optical material comprises glass.
Example 17: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein the optical material comprises moldable material.
Example 18: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein the optical material comprises moldable glass.
Example 19: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein the optical material comprises chalcogenide glass.
Example 20: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein the optical material is amorphous.
Example 21: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein the optical material is not a semiconductor.
Example 22: The optical element of any of the examples above, further comprising at least one conductive pad in electrical contact with the resistive transparent layer.
Example 23: The optical element of any of the examples above, further comprising a plurality of conductive pads in electrical contact with the resistive transparent layer.
Example 24: The optical element of any of the examples above, further comprising a central optical region, said resistive transparent layer disposed on over said central optical region.
Example 25: The optical element of any of the examples above, wherein said optical element comprises a lens having optical power.
Example 26: An optical element comprising:
Example 27: An optical element comprising:
Example 28: An optical element comprising:
Example 29: An optical element comprising:
Example 30: A lens comprising:
Example 31: An optical element comprising:
Example 32: An optical element comprising:
Example 33: An optical element comprising:
Example 34: The optical element of any of the claims above, further comprising a contact that is at least partially conductive.
Example 35: The optical element of any of the claims above, wherein the optical element comprises a lens.
In the foregoing specification, the methods and systems have been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.
Indeed, it will be appreciated that the systems and methods of the disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible or required for the desirable attributes disclosed herein. The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure.
Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments also may be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment also may be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination. No single feature or group of features is necessary or indispensable to each and every embodiment.
Additionally, the various processes, blocks, states, steps, or functionalities may be combined, rearranged, added to, deleted from, modified, or otherwise changed from the illustrative examples provided herein. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks, steps, or states relating thereto may be performed in other sequences that are appropriate, for example, in serial, in parallel, or in some other manner. Tasks or events may be added to or removed from the disclosed example embodiments. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described herein is for illustrative purposes and should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments.
It will be appreciated that conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. In addition, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” as used in this application and the appended claims are to be construed to mean “one or more” or “at least one” unless specified otherwise. Similarly, while operations may be depicted in the drawings in a particular order, it is to be recognized that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Further, the drawings may schematically depict one more example processes in the form of a flowchart. However, other operations that are not depicted may be incorporated in the example methods and processes that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the illustrated operations. Additionally, the operations may be rearranged or reordered in other embodiments. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems may generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.
Accordingly, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel features disclosed herein.
The present application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/202,002, filed May 21, 2021, and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/270,466, filed Oct. 21, 2021, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference as well as under 37 C.F.R. § 1.57.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63202002 | May 2021 | US | |
| 63270466 | Oct 2021 | US |
