Patent Application
20090016058
The invention relates to a ring lamp having a light source configured as a hollow cylinder with an illuminating means and having a device to direct the light emission, whereby the light source has an emitting surface with a light-emitting direction oriented towards the axis of the hollow cylinder.
Such ring lamps are employed, for example, in camera objectives used for macrophotography, as operating theater illumination in medicine or else for transmitted-light or reflected-light illumination in optical microscopy. In this context, such a ring lamp is arranged concentrically to the optical axis of the image-forming optical system. Therefore, in contrast to spot illumination, the object to be imaged is illuminated without any shadows. Shadowless, uniform and intense illumination is also needed in the field of particle detection in currents, but only within a delimited volume, as a result of which only the particles that enter the illuminated area with the current are observed.
Various illumination devices are known in the field of particle detection. East German patent application DD 232 552 A1 discloses a device to count and classify dispersed particles in liquids having volume to be measured that is spatially delimited by a measuring cell, a laser beam serving to illuminate the volume to be measured, whereby the beam focus lies in the center of the volume to be measured, so that the detected volume to be measured is reduced to a single point. The volume to be measured is restricted by the configuration of the measuring cell in such a way that every time only one particle is situated in the light focus and its scatter in the laser light is then measured. East German patent application DD 221 861 A1 describes an illumination device for generating a two-dimensional light strip for pattern recognition and identification of workpieces in an industrial setting. For this purpose, a linear light source is used whose beams are directed through a blade diaphragm and bundled by a cylindrical lens onto the object that is to be recognized. Contrast adjustment in the imaging system then creates and analyzes a sharp black-and-white image of the strip that is being illuminated. A reflector can be installed behind the light source for purposes of obtaining a higher light yield. Moreover, German utility model DE 298 13 109 U1 discloses an illumination device for generating a long, narrow light band having two-dimensional characteristics. Here, the light from several lamps in a narrow housing with a first individual lens for each lamp and with a second, shared lens forms a narrow beam focused onto a line at a selectable distance. The light yield is approximately a function of the emitting angle and is thus very small. German patent specification DE 197 36 172 B4 describes a device for analyzing particles dispersed in a flowing liquid that works with diaphragms whose edges are curved like a hyperbola and thus, under illumination, these edges define a three-dimensional volume to be measured that has a known depth of field shaped like a truncated cone with curved edges. In the associated method, particles having a defined travel time in the volume to be measured are evaluated. The illumination device is arranged parallel to the detector, the detection signal is deflected out of the volume to be measured by a prism.
Prior-art video plankton recorders (VPR) utilize punctiform or linear light sources and individual spherical or cylinder lenses for the collimation. In large-scale applications, strong halogen systems are also used. The known devices, however, entail the problem that no sharp optical delimitation of the volume to be measured can be created and the depth of field in the volume to be measured is adjusted employing complex software, which accounts for a high degree of imprecision of the estimated volume when used in the small-scale realm of plankton observation.
The ring lamp for shadowless reprophotography disclosed in German utility model DE 299 21 159 U1 is known as a camera lamp. In this publication, which is to be considered as the technical background for the present invention, a commercially available ring fluorescent lamp is employed as the illumination means. It emits its light uniformly to all sides, in other words, also towards the inside in the direction of the axis of the light source. Here, a device for directing the light emission is present in the form of a device that primarily changes the incidence of light onto the object to be illuminated in that the illumination means is raised or lowered. Furthermore, German patent application DE 102 11 768 A1 describes a ring lamp that is viewed in the present invention as being the closest state of the art. This publication discloses a light source consisting of a ring of light diodes for white light and configured as a flat hollow cylinder, the emitting direction of said light source being oriented inwards onto the axis of the hollow cylinder. Owing to a split construction, the diameter of the first ring that carries the light diodes can be changed relative to a stationary second ring. As a result of the fact that the lower end of the flexible, circularly curved mounting plate that carries the diodes is arranged in the stationary second ring and its upper end is arranged in the variable first ring, any change in the diameter of the first ring changes the angle of the light emission relative to the axis of the ring lamp. This device serves to optimize a shadowless illumination of several stationary objects that are to be imaged. The described device for directing the light emission, however, cannot illuminate a strictly delimited volume. Since the light is only delimited by the edges—whose dimensions are not defined—of the two rings that can be moved with respect to each other, it is freely emitted and thus spans a double conically shaped volume that is unsharply delimited towards the top and bottom and that has scatter areas that extend considerably beyond this.
Starting from the ring lamp of the closest publication, the objective of the present invention is to put forward a ring lamp of the generic type explained above, which is capable of providing a particularly bright illumination of a volume that is strictly delimited in all three spatial dimensions. In this context, the ring lamp should be simple, it should be sturdy in terms of its structure and its handling, and it should be inexpensive to produce. As the inventive solution to achieve this objective, the present invention is characterized in that the device to direct the light emission is formed by a lens system having at least one lens—configured as the other hollow cylinder—that focuses into a radial plane positioned orthogonally to the axis of the hollow cylinder that forms the light source, and having a ring-shaped aperture diaphragm centrally arranged in the optical path behind the one focusing lens, and characterized in that the emitting surface of the light source and the lens system have the same length and are arranged so as to be axis-congruent and length-congruent relative to each other, whereby a radial surface determined by the inner radius of the lens system and the length of the lens system span a strictly delimited volume.
For the preferred utilization of such ring lamps in devices employed for particle detection, for example, video plankton recorders (VPR), the generated disk of light is particularly well-suited for the optical evaluation of particles passing through it in a dark or slightly illuminated environment if the generated disk of light is sharply delimited and not much thicker than the largest object to be imaged and if light scatter outside of the disk of light is avoided to the greatest extent possible. The ring lamp according to the invention has an illumination means that can be arranged so as to be uniformly distributed over a light source configured as a hollow cylinder. The emitting direction of the light source is towards the inside, perpendicular to the axis of the hollow cylinder, and thus aligned so as to coincide with the radial planes that are oriented orthogonally to the axis of the hollow cylinder. Thanks to this arrangement, it is achieved that the main luminous flux directly illuminates the interior of the hollow cylinder and only a very small scatter fraction thereof leaves this space spanned by the cross section and length of the hollow cylinder. Therefore, a strictly delimited three-dimensional volume can be observed. This all-around arrangement of the illumination means achieves a virtually uniform and shadowless illumination of the objects located in the volume.
With an eye towards a possible use of the ring lamp according to the invention in video plankton recorders, the length of the hollow cylinder can be configured to be especially small, so that one can speak of a thin, circular disk of light. Plankters passing through along with the current are abruptly very brightly illuminated and they can be recorded by a camera system located at a distance that does not interfere with the current. Subsequently, the plankters are once again darkened without any transitions, thus avoiding undefined edge areas. With a precise focus onto the thin disk of light, non-illuminated plankters located between the camera and the disk of light as well as behind the disk of light will only have a slight damping effect on the imaging. The thinner the disk of light is, the less light is scattered towards the outside by the plankters passing through and reflected from the plankters that are still or once again un-illuminated in a manner detrimental to the imaging. The minimum thickness of the disk of light depends, on the one hand, on the possible construction-related circumstances and on the flow rates to be expected and, on the other hand, on the size of the plankters to be imaged, which should be completely in the light, at least for a brief period of time, whereby the requisite illumination and processing times as well as the depth of field for the camera also constitute additional parameters. In order to improve the imaging quality, the illumination means can also flash with a further heightened luminous flux.
The emission of the illumination means of the light source has to be focused into a horizontal optical path for a disk of light that is strictly delimited in the length of the hollow cylinder. For this purpose, it is advantageous if, in a refinement of the ring lamp according to the invention, the one focusing lens is configured as a Fresnel lens. Fresnel lenses or, to put it more precisely, Fresnel stepped lenses, are optical lenses that were originally developed for lighthouses. They allow the construction of large lenses having a short focal length and without the weight and volume of conventional lenses. The reduction of the volume in the case of Fresnel lenses is achieved by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular zones. In each of these zones, the thickness is reduced in comparison to a conventional lens, so that the Fresnel lens acquires several annular rings that have the same curvature as each section of the original lens. Since light is only refracted at the surface of a lens, the angle of refraction is not dependent on the thickness, but rather, only on the angle between the two surfaces of a lens. This is why the Fresnel lens retains its optical properties, although the image quality is somewhat compromised by the stepped structure. Fresnel lenses are employed where the weight or the dimensions are a decisive factor and a reduced imaging quality can be tolerated. Examples are navigation lights or lighthouses. Fresnel lenses can be compression molded out of plastic and are then used in overhead projectors, automobile rear window lights and for simple hand-held magnifying glasses. When it comes to the ring lamp according to the present invention, another particularly advantageous refinement is achieved if the Fresnel lens is configured as a flexible film. Since the Fresnel lens compression molded as a film is very thin, it can be bent and adapted to the inner radius of the hollow cylinder that constitutes the light source. If the focal length of the Fresnel lens is configured in such a way that it is the same as the distance between the light diodes and the Fresnel lens, the light beams of the light diodes are deflected out of the Fresnel lens precisely into the radial plane of the hollow cylinder, as a result of which the thickness of the disk of light is determined with maximum utilization of the luminous flux supplied by the light diodes. The distance can also be varied in order to attain other scatter effects.
Another advantageous refinement of the ring lamp according to the invention is attained if the lens system has another focusing lens that is configured as a third, smooth-walled, unstructured hollow cylinder having the same length as the one focusing lens and that is arranged so as to be axis-congruent and length-congruent with said focusing lens. The outer radius of this third hollow cylinder serves as the receptacle for the Fresnel lens, whose flexibility calls for a stiff element as the shaping contact surface. The lens formed by the smooth-walled, unstructured third hollow cylinder scatters the light beams of the illumination means to a small extent in the horizontal direction and, thanks to the superimposition of the elementary cone of light rays, accounts for a more uniform illumination inside the ring lamp.
An advantageous refinement of the ring lamp according to the invention is also obtained if the light source and the lens system are enclosed in a pressure-proof housing consisting of an outer and an inner cylindrical wall as well as a top and bottom annular cover, each having an opening, so that the interior of the innermost other lens configured as the third hollow cylinder remains free. This creates the prerequisite for its use underwater. The sensitive electrical parts are effectively protected against seawater and the flow channel remains free inside the ring lamp where the disk of light is generated and the objects to be imaged can move unimpeded. It is likewise advantageous if the outer cylindrical wall is formed by the light source configured as a hollow cylinder, and the inner cylindrical wall is formed by the other focusing lens configured as the third hollow cylinder. In this case, the hollow cylinder that forms the light source is delimited by a cylindrical, pressure-proof outer wall on whose inside the light diodes are arranged. The outer radius of the other hollow cylinder forming the Fresnel lens demarcates the inner radius of the light source.
The third hollow cylinder forming the other lens, which accommodates the Fresnel lens on its outer radius, is designed as a pressure-proof inner wall of the housing and, with its inner radius, at the same time defines the inner radius of the housing and thus of the ring lamp. Pressure-proof covers configured as rings with an opening and arranged on the top and bottom ends of the hollow cylinders complete the housing, thus defining the overall dimensions of the ring lamp. The outer radii of the covers correspond to the outer radius of the light source, while the inner radii of the covers correspond to the inner radius of the other lens. In this manner, the interior of the ring lamp with the disk of light is open to the current and the light source is protected against the effects of the flowing medium. As protection against the penetration of water, especially at great depths, the covers have to be sealed off against the outer and inner cylindrical walls. An aperture diaphragm is recommended for purposes of greater control of the light emission in order to attain a low-scatter, defined disk of light. The sealing of the cover and the aperture diaphragm can be combined in a particularly advantageous manner if the aperture diaphragm is configured as an O-ring gasket that is adjacent to the annular cover and that is sunk as an inner wall into the ends of the third hollow cylinder that forms the other focusing lens, as a result of which said O-ring gasket is located in the optical path of the light source and of the lens system. Mainly round gaskets, that is to say, O-rings, inserted in matching grooves, are suitable for use as simple sealing systems that can be adapted to any external pressure and that serve as an aperture diaphragm. These O-rings allow the pressure-proof housing to be easily opened and closed for maintenance purposes, they are inexpensive and their conditions of use are generally known.
A particularly advantageous, special embodiment of the ring lamp according to the invention is obtained if the outer radius of the pressure-proof housing is within a range from 100 mm to 150 mm and its inner radius is within a range from 40 mm to 60 mm and the length of the hollow cylinders that form the light source and the lens system does not amount to more than 10 mm and the total length of the ring lamp does not exceed 40 mm. These are only examples of dimensions, but their mention should in no way whatsoever restrict the general use of the ring lamp according to the invention in any other dimensions.
For underwater use, and optionally at great depths, a high yield of light at a high degree of efficiency is needed, in other words, a long battery life as well as low heat generation at the light source. Therefore, an advantageous refinement is achieved if the illumination means are light diodes. Light diodes have a high efficiency and an excellent service life. Therefore, they only generate low amounts of dissipation heat and have an operational life that regularly exceeds the useful life of the other components. Light diodes are small in size and a plurality of them can be arranged very close to each other so as to form the light source. Owing to their small diameter, the cylinder created can be of a very small height, such as can be required, for example, for a VPR for small plankters and slow flow rates or else for a highly sensitive camera. Only since the industry has been able to provide light diodes having a great brightness have applications such as the ring lamp described here become technically possible in the first place as well as economically feasible. All other illumination means deliver a luminous flux that is either too weak or energetically ineffective (discharge lighting, incandescent light) or else insufficient illumination (laser light). The spectrum of the light emitted by the light diodes depends on the task envisaged for the ring lamp. In the standard case, it can be white light, whose spectral distribution only plays a subordinate role when it comes to simple imaging. Therefore, for many examinations, this can be light having a precisely determined spectrum or it can be light having individual spectral colors.
When light diodes are used as illumination means in the light source, they can be arranged with their longitudinal axis directly in the direction of emission, in other words, perpendicular to the axis of the hollow cylinder that forms the light source. Due to the lengthwise extension of the light diodes, the outer diameter of the ring lamp and thus the dynamic pressure generated in the water currents then become correspondingly large. However, an especially advantageous refinement of the ring lamp according to the invention is achieved if the light source has an illumination means that emits light in the direction of the axis of the hollow cylinder that forms the light source, as well as a circumferential deflection mirror arranged at an angle of 45°. The light diodes can then be arranged with their longitudinal axis parallel to the axis of the hollow cylinder and thus the outer diameter of the ring lamp can be reduced. The circumferential mirror deflects the light by 90° into the requisite light emission direction perpendicular to the axis of the hollow cylinder. Therefore, the length of the emitting surface no longer corresponds to the length of the hollow cylinder that forms the light source, but rather only to the length of the projection surface of the mirror. For this reason, the latter is selected in accordance with the desired thickness of the disk of light. This arrangement causes the length of the ring lamp to be somewhat larger but with a reduced outer diameter that is thus more favorable in terms of the current. In this arrangement, the curved mirror functions as a lightweight hollow mirror, so that the fanned-out light beams coming from the illumination means are more favorably deflected in the direction of the center axis of the hollow cylinder.
Embodiments of the ring lamp according to the invention will be explained in greater detail below making reference to the schematic figures. The following is shown:
FIG. 1—a top view of a ring lamp without the top cover;
FIG. 2—a sectional view along the X-X marking in
FIG. 3—a perspective view of a section of the ring lamp according to
FIG. 4—the optical path of the ring lamp according to
FIG. 5—an embodiment of the ring lamp with a 45° deflection mirror.
As an example with actual numbers, an outer radius A1 ranging from 100 mm to 150 mm, an inner radius I3 ranging from 40 mm to 60 mm, a total length HG≦40 mm and a length HL of the disk of light LS≦10 mm are mentioned. Other dimensions are likewise possible.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2005 050 722.0 | Oct 2005 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DE2006/001657 | 9/15/2006 | WO | 00 | 9/5/2008 |
