Image-stabilized long-range optical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9625734-B2
Application number	US-201414330732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2014
Priority date	Jan 13, 2012
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A long-range optical device has at least one optical channel which comprises a housing and an arrangement of optical elements. At least one of the optical elements is movable relative to the housing for image stabilization in the event of perturbing movements of the housing. The device further comprises a stabilization system for the at least one movable optical element, which has an eddy current damper for damping movements of the at least one movable element. The stabilization system, in the event of a displacement of the at least one movable optical element, generates a restoring force proportional to the displacement velocity of the at least one movable optical element. The eddy current damper comprises a magnet system and an eddy current carrier interacting therewith. The restoring force generated by the eddy current damper is dependent on the amplitude of the displacement of the at least one movable optical element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A long-range optical device, comprising at least one optical channel having a housing and an arrangement of optical elements,
at least one of the optical elements being movable relative to the housing for image stabilization in the event of perturbing movements of the housing,
a carrier movable relative to the housing,
a stabilization system for the at least one movable optical element, the stabilization system having an eddy current damper for damping movements of the at least one movable element,
the eddy current damper in the event of a displacement of the at least one movable optical element generating a restoring force proportional to the displacement velocity of the at least one movable optical element,
the restoring force being dependent on an amplitude of the displacement of the at least one movable optical element,
the eddy current damper having a magnet system and an eddy current carrier interacting with the magnet system, wherein the magnet system has at least one magnet extending radially with respect to a longitudinal axis of the optical channel, and the at least one magnet has at least one surface which is curved, in such a way that a distance from the plate to the at least one magnet varies over the plate.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the restoring force is adjustable.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the restoring force increases or decreases with an increasing amplitude of the displacement.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the restoring force is dependent on the direction of the displacement of the at least one movable optical element.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the restoring force is equal in two mutually perpendicular direction components of the displacement of the at least one movable optical element.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the restoring force is different in two mutually perpendicular direction components of the displacement of the at least one movable optical element.

7. The device of 1 , wherein the eddy current carrier comprises at least one plate having two surfaces and extending radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the optical channel, the plate having an edge.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein a thickness of the plate increases or decreases toward the edge.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the thickness of the plate increases or decreases continuously or stepwise toward the edge.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the thickness of the plate increases or decreases equally in two mutually perpendicular spatial directions toward the edge.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the thickness of the plate increases or decreases differently in two mutually perpendicular spatial directions toward the edge.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the plate has one of: a rectangular shape, a square shape, a circular shape, and an elliptical shape and wherein a thickness profile of the plate increases or decreases toward the edge.

13. The device of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the surfaces of the plate is curved, a radius of curvature of the at least one surface being constant or variable over the at least one surface.

14. The device of claim 7 , wherein a radial midaxis between the two surfaces of the plate is straight.

15. The device of claim 7 , wherein the plate has a first plate and a second plate, each of which is provided with radial recesses, and the first plate and the second plate are arranged next to one another in a longitudinal direction of the optical channel and are positionally adjustable relative to one another, in order to enlarge or reduce the radial recesses reciprocally in terms of their area.

16. The device of claim 7 , wherein the plate is electrically conductive.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein at least one of an electrical conductivity and a magnetic permeability of the plate varies over the plate.

18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnet system generates a magnetic field, a portion of which acts with the eddy current carrier to provide an inhomogeneous magnetic field.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the magnet system comprises at least one magnet having a geometry selected such that the at least one magnet generates the inhomogeneous magnetic field in connection with acting with the eddy current carrier.

20. The device of claim 19 , wherein the at least one magnet has a position-dependent remanence.

21. The device of claim 18 , wherein the magnet system comprises at least one coil which can be excited by a current, in order to generate an inhomogeneous magnetic field.

22. The device of claim 21 , wherein the magnet system comprises at least two coils which can be excited by different current strengths.

23. The device of claim 7 , wherein a radial midaxis between the two surfaces of the plate is curved.

24. A long-range optical device, comprising:
at least one optical channel having a housing and an arrangement of optical elements,
at least one of the optical elements being movable relative to the housing for image stabilization in the event of perturbing movements of the housing,
a carrier movable relative to the housing,
a stabilization system for the at least one movable optical element, the stabilization system having an eddy current damper for damping movements of the at least one movable element, the eddy current damper in the event of a displacement of the at least one movable optical element generating a restoring force proportional to the displacement velocity of the at least one movable optical element, the restoring force being dependent on an amplitude of the displacement of the at least one movable optical element,
the eddy current damper having a magnet system and an eddy current carrier interacting with the magnet system, the magnet system being fixed with respect to the housing and the eddy current carrier being fixed with respect to the carrier, wherein the eddy current carrier comprises at least one plate having two surfaces and extending radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the optical channel, the plate having an edge and wherein the plate is not electrically conductive, and carries at least one coil in which eddy currents are generated.

25. The device of claim 24 , wherein the at least one coil is formed as a conductive wire which is coiled or wound through the plate.

26. The device of claim 24 , wherein the at least one coil is formed as a conductive track on the plate.

27. The device of claim 24 , wherein at least one of a number of windings, a winding cross section and a conductive wire or conductive track cross section of the at least one coil varies over the plate.

28. The device of claim 24 , wherein the plate carries at least two coils in which eddy currents are generated, and the at least two coils are oriented in different spatial directions to one another.

29. The device of claim 28 , wherein the at least two coils are electrically coupled to one another via a resistor.

30. The device of claim 29 , wherein the resistor is adjustable.

31. A long-range optical device, comprising at least one optical channel having a housing and an arrangement of optical elements,
at least one of the optical elements being movable relative to the housing for image stabilization in the event of perturbing movements of the housing,
a stabilization

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Sports Optics Gmbh
• Zeiss Carl Ag

Inventors

• Dobermann Dirk
• Robotta Rainer
• Guenther Georg
• Hofmann Jens
• Becker Kurt
• Roth Eckhard
• Thiele Tobias

Classifications

• G02B27/644

  compensating for large deviations, e.g. maintaining a fixed line of sight while a vehicle on which the system is mounted changes course · CPC title

• G02B27/646 Primary

  compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake (movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68) · CPC title

• F16F15/035

  by use of eddy or induced-current damping (dynamo-electric brakes of the eddy-current type H02K49/04) · CPC title

• G02B23/02

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