- Instantaneous 360° view
- No rotation or other moving parts required
- 40 micron resolution
- Automated surface aberation detection when combined with appropriate CCD camera and software
- Patent-pending technology
Conical surface reflector 360° imagers are common in many industries where a continuous full view of the interior of a cylindrical surface is desired without the complication of moving optical or mechanical components. It is the continuous full view of the interior of a cylindrical surface without complicated mechanisms or photo stitching that set them apart from standard borescopes.
360° Imagers typically share the problems of low resolution, optical distortion and aberrations. The Patent Pending LumenFlow 360° Imager uses a unique compound conical reflector lens design to provide high resolution up to 40 microns wihout distortion and aberrations. Illumination is provided by a ring of LEDs. The intended interface is a CCD camera, but can be any device configured to accept an image from a camera lens. Automated detection and measurement of surface defects also requires custom software. Among the benefits of the LumenFlow 360° Imager is the ability view and measure areas of interest at a speed and accuracy not possible with other devices.
The ability to resolve small features within a cylindrical object requires a high resolution optical system. High resolution systems are difficult to implement given that the radial positioning of the system is sensitive due to a limited depth of field. Often the solution is to compromise the resolution or to create a dedicated device that is matched to a specific internal diameter. Our patent pending solution provides for a configurable system for a range of bores by projecting (near) parallel light from the output surface of the image magnifier lens assembly for transmission to the focus lens assembly.
Further improvement over common imagers was made to minimize aberrations in the optical system by incorporating a corrective element immediate to the conical surface reflector thereby creating a patent pending compound conical surface reflector.
Process control applications for such a system would include viewing in-process machining operations, material flaw detection and measurement, and pipe, bore, and internal thread inspection. The flexibility of the configurable opticasl system for deep bores and small diameters would also lend itself well to medical endoscopy applications.
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