Foveal Lens Size Reduction Study.

摘要

Technical feasibility is established of miniaturizing the MCAIR nonlinear of foveal lens. The original lens fabricated under a Navy contract proved to be too large and heavy for USAF applications. Theoretical limits of miniaturization are developed by establishing preliminary optical designs for lenses with progressively smaller clear aperture diameter and comparing performance with system requirements. The results show that a 50% size reduction is possible with no loss in optical performance. The resulting 4 inch diameter F/3 lens can be fabricated of either glass or plastic optical materials. Optical performance of the lens is such that it can support up to 4x magnification of its image to achieve a zoom capability that is desirable for detailed target identification. Further size reduction to a 2 inch diameter is shown to be technically feasible but with a penalty of less resolution of higher F/number. The former will limit zoom magnification possible, while the latter will reduce daylight operating time. A higher technical risk is associated with this level of miniaturization. (Author)