Multichannel optomechanical addressing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12298525-B2
Application number	US-202217569457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2022
Priority date	Jul 8, 2019
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

An optical device for imaging a first, object-side set of mutually parallel bundles of beams onto an image surface, includes
an optical beam expansion unit; an optical rearrangement unit configured to rearrange the first set of mutually parallel bundles of beams while maintaining mutually parallelism to obtain a second set of mutually parallel bundles of beams; an optical element configured to direct the second set of one or more bundles of beams onto the optical beam expansion unit by means of bundling, so that the optical beam expansion unit is reached by a third set of bundles of beams, the optical beam expansion unit being configured to expand each bundle of beams of the third set to obtain a fourth set of expanded bundles of beams; and an optical imaging unit configured to image the fourth set of expanded bundles of beams onto the image surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Optical device for imaging a first, object-side set of mutually parallel bundles of beams onto an image surface, comprising
an optical beam expansion unit;
an optical rearrangement unit configured to rearrange the first set of mutually parallel bundles of beams while maintaining mutually parallelism so as to achieve a second set of mutually parallel bundles of beams;
an optical element configured to direct the second set of mutually parallel bundles of beams onto the optical beam expansion unit by means of bundling, so that the optical beam expansion unit is reached by a third set of bundles of beams, the optical beam expansion unit being configured to expand each bundle of beams of the third set so as to achieve a fourth set of expanded bundles of beams; and
an optical imaging unit configured to image the fourth set of expanded bundles of beams onto the image surface;
wherein the optical rearrangement unit is controllably adjustable to set rearrangement of the second set of bundles of beams as compared to the first set of bundles of beams; and
wherein the optical rearrangement unit comprises mechanically adjustable mirrors.

2. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising
a source for each bundle of beams of the first set of bundles of beams, from which the respective bundle of beams impinges upon the optical rearrangement unit.

3. Optical device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the source for each bundle of beams of the first set of bundles of beams comprises
a monomode source or
a multimode source.

4. Optical device as claimed in claim 3 , comprising
a collimator for each bundle of beams of the first set of bundles of beams through which the respective bundle of beams of the first set of bundles of beams passes in a direction of the optical rearrangement unit.

5. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising, for each bundle of beams of the first set of bundles of beams, a monomode fiber comprising a GRIN lens as a collimator.

6. Optical device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the optical imaging unit comprises a diameter larger than or equal to 1.5 times a cross-section of a bundle of beams of the fourth set of bundles of beams.

7. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the optical element is configured to bundle the second set of bundles of beams at a predetermined distance, which is smaller than double a focal length of an input-side optical element of the optical beam expansion unit in front of or behind the input-side optical element, so that the bundles of beams of the third set of bundles of beams superimpose one another.

8. Optical device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein
the predetermined distance amounts to between 0.5 and 1.5 times the focal length of the input-side optical elements.

9. Optical device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein
the predetermined distance amounts to between 0.5 and 1.5 times f T,1 +Δ, with

Δ
=

f

T
⁢

⁢
1

f

T
⁢
2

⁢

(

f

T
⁢

⁢
1

+

f

T
⁢

⁢
2

)

-

f

T
⁢

⁢
1

=

f

T
⁢

⁢
1

2

/

f

T
⁢

⁢
2

wherein f T1 is the focal length of the input-side optical element, and f T2 is the focal length of an output-side optical element of the optical beam expansion unit, which together form a telescope.

10. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the optical element is configured as a one- or multi-stage refractive optical element.

11. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the optical element is configured as a reflective optical unit.

12. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising
bearings by means of which the mechanically adjustable mirrors are linearly moveable.

13. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the optical rearrangement unit comprises mechanical and/or piezoelectric and/or magnetically drivable actuating elements.

14. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the optical rearrangement unit is configured to achieve rearrangement in a path length preserving manner, so that each bundle of beams of the first set of bundles of beams, when passing through the optical rearrangement unit so as to become, or contribute to, a bundle of beams of the second set of bundles of beams, covers a path length that is independent of any setting of the rearrangement.

15. Optical device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein
the optical rearrangement unit comprises a rigid mirror arranged, along an optical path of the optical device, behind the adjustable mirrors.

16. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the optical rearrangement unit is configured to rearrange the first set of bundles of beams, that are parallel to a beam direction of the first set of bundles of beams while maintaining parallelism with one another and with the beam direction in such a manner that the second set of bundles of beams is parallel to the beam direction.

17. Optical device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the optical beam expansion unit is configured as a refractive telescope.

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Wächter Christoph
• Höfer Bernd
• Schreiber Peter

Classifications

• G02B27/30

  Collimators · CPC title

• G02B27/0955

  Lenses (lenses per se G02B3/00) · CPC title

• G02B26/0816

  by means of one or more reflecting elements · CPC title

• G02B23/02

  involving prisms or mirrors (G02B23/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/06

  the relative position of the fibres being the same at both ends, e.g. for transporting images · CPC title