Introduction to f-theta Lenses In the landscape of optical systems, the introduction of f-theta lenses is an important chapter, offering a solution to the challenges posed by traditional lenses in laser scanning applications. As laser technology becomes more...
lens design
Common telecentric lens design layouts
by Victor Argueta | FAQ, lens design, lens design consulting, machine vision, optical engineering
What is a Telecentric Lens ?An important goal in machine vision applications is taking measurements in a consistent, accurate, and precise manner. This can include measuring the dimensions of manufactured parts to guarantee they are within the...
5 Applications of Cylindrical Lenses
by Victor Argueta | FAQ, lens design, optical design, optics
When thinking of a ‘lens’, most people have the image of a spherical lens in their mind, but there are different geometries for lenses, and one of the most common is the cylindrical lens. What’s the difference between spherical and geometrical lenses? And what...
Mastering Spot Diagrams: Analyzing Optical System Quality | OFH
by Victor Argueta | FAQ, lens design, optical engineering, optics definitions
Introduction to Spot Diagrams As optical engineers, we use different tools and techniques to evaluate the performance of an optical design when simulating the system in a ray tracing program. One of those tools are spot diagrams. They may be a little bit confusing to...
Difficulty of optical requirements for roadway lighting, ranked
by AnatoliTrafimuk | lens design, optical design
All roadway lamps must be designed according to specific standards. The most popular ones are a US standard called "IESNA RP 8-00 Roadway lightning" and a European one called "CIE 140-2000 Road lighting calculations". In the case of CIE 140-2000, the standard only...
Infrared and thermal optics material selection
by SergeySidorovich | lens design, optical engineering
The selection of optical materials is a critical step in the design of infrared optics. Traditional optical materials (optical glasses and plastics) used in the design of visible radiation optics aren’t suitable due to their high light absorption coefficient in the...
Lens attachments for smartphone cameras
by OlegRybakovsky | lens design, optical design
In the past several years, smartphone cameras have taken a big step forward. The image quality of the best iPhone, Samsung, and HTC cameras is equivalent to low-priced Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony DSLR cameras. Many prefer taking photos with smartphones due to...
Surface texture requirement in optical drawings
by SergeySidorovich | lens design, optical design, optical engineering, optics
Updated June 2020. In our previous article, we discussed how to read optical drawings while in this installment, we will focus on surface finish details. Optical lens performance can be heavily affected by the lens surface roughness. The surface texture symbols are...