KR102549284B1 - Aiming optical system for target observation in all-weather environments - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical system for aiming for target observation in an all-weather environment is disclosed. An aiming optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an aiming optical system having one or more splitters for splitting incident light into at least two or more lights having different wavelength bands,
- a first mirror arranged to reflect the light reflected from the target toward the first splitter;
- A second mirror arranged to reflect the light of the first wavelength band reflected by the first splitter to the second splitter located inside the sensor unit when it is incident
- a laser detector into which light of a second wavelength band passing through the first splitter is incident;
- An observation unit into which the light of the third wavelength band reflected by the second splitter is incident, and
- One or more image sensors into which light of the fourth wavelength band passing through the second splitter is incident
includes

Description

AIMING OPTICAL SYSTEM FOR TARGET OBSERVATION IN ALL-WEATHER ENVIRONMENTS}

The present invention relates to an aiming optical system for target observation in an all-weather environment.

Conventional observation equipment is composed of a separate type of day/laser range finder and TV camera (sensor) to obtain distance information and target image information of a daytime target in a state where it is installed in the turret of a tank and exposed to the outside. Such observation equipment generally does not have a SWIR sensor capable of long-distance target observation in all-weather environments such as fog, haze, and fine dust.

Accordingly, in the prior art, there is a problem in that the line-of-sight (LOS) for each sensor is distorted in an actual operating environment due to the separated structure of the daytime/laser range finder and the TV camera.

In addition, it is difficult to obtain a suitable daytime image because the daytime observation device and the sensor unit do not transmit light energy due to fog, fine dust, etc. in an operating environment such as fog, haze, and fine dust. Daytime images can be acquired by CCD or CMOS type detectors, but the daytime images obtained here are vulnerable to detecting and recognizing targets in environments such as fog and fine dust, which makes it difficult to shoot tank guns. cause constraints

The present invention aims to address the aforementioned needs and/or problems.

In addition, the present invention minimizes the exposed area on the top of the turret of the tank by allowing the laser range finder, daytime observation device, and TV sensor to pass through a common optical path for distance information and image information of the target through a stabilizing mirror, and in an actual operating environment The purpose of this study is to implement an aiming optical system for target observation in an all-weather environment where software correction can be performed by immediately confirming that the LOS of the sensors is distorted.

In addition, the present invention adds a SWIR sensor on the light path of the objective lens and TV sensor to minimize exposure to the upper part of the turret of the tank, and to detect and recognize distant targets in all-weather environments such as fog and fine dust, Its purpose is to implement an aiming optical system for target observation in an all-weather environment capable of responding to artillery fire quickly.

An aiming optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an aiming optical system having one or more splitters for splitting incident light into at least two lights having different wavelength bands, and reflecting the light reflected from a target toward a first splitter. a disposed first mirror; a second mirror arranged to reflect the incident light of the first wavelength band reflected by the first splitter to a second splitter located inside the sensor unit; a laser detector into which light of a second wavelength band passing through the first splitter is incident; an observation unit into which light of a third wavelength band reflected by the second splitter is incident; and one or more image sensors into which light of a fourth wavelength band passing through the second splitter is incident.

The effect of the aiming optical system for target observation in an all-weather environment according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

In the present invention, the laser range finder, the daytime observation device, and the TV sensor pass through a common optical path for distance information and image information of the target through a stabilizing mirror, thereby minimizing the exposed area on the top of the turret of the tank, and You can immediately confirm that the LOS is out of order and perform software calibration.

In addition, the present invention adds a SWIR sensor on the light path of the objective lens and TV sensor to minimize exposure to the upper part of the turret of the tank, and to detect and recognize distant targets in all-weather environments such as fog and fine dust, It can respond quickly to artillery fire.

The effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the detailed description to aid understanding of the present invention, provide examples of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, describe the technical features of the present invention.
1 is a view for explaining an optical system for aiming according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view for explaining in detail a sensor unit and an observation unit of an optical system for aiming according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining in detail a sensor unit according to an additional second embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining an optical system for aiming according to an additional embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used together in consideration of ease of writing the specification, and do not have meanings or roles that are distinct from each other by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention, the technical idea disclosed in the present invention is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention , it should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in the middle. It should be. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another element, it should be understood that no other element exists in the middle.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

After being reflected by the stabilization mirror, the visible light signal of the target may be directly identified by the naked eye through an observation unit, or may be confirmed by sensing information sensed by a sensor unit equipped with a CCD or CMOS detector. Here, the sensing information is output as a target image through the display device, and the visible light signal is confirmed by the output target image.

Conventional observation units and sensor units are manufactured separately from each other. As such, when the separate observation unit and sensor unit are used, distortion of the optical axis inevitably occurs during observation. In the defense industry, in particular, an observation device related to artillery shooting, an error due to the distortion of the optical axis may cause a serious problem.

As such, the reason why the observation unit and the sensor unit are separated from each other despite the distortion of the optical axis is due to spatial limitations of the observation device. More specifically, since it is necessary for the conventional observation unit to operate simultaneously with the laser range finder, the observation unit has been developed as an integrated type with the laser range finder. As a result of being developed as an integrated structure, spatial limitations within the observation device inevitably occur, and as described above, the observation unit and the sensor unit have to be manufactured in a separate type.

Based on the above problems and/or the necessity of the present invention, an optical system for aiming according to an embodiment of the present invention is presented below.

1 is a view for explaining an optical system for aiming according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

An optical system for aiming according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first mirror 110, a second mirror 120, a first splitter 130, a laser detection unit 140, an observation unit 150, and a sensor unit 160. may include at least one of them.

A mirror refers to an optical element that reflects at least a portion of incident light. And, the splitter refers to an optical element that splits the incident light into at least two or more lights having different wavelength bands.

The first mirror 110 (eg, a stabilizing mirror) is disposed to reflect the light reflected from the target toward the first splitter 130 . When the light of the first wavelength band reflected by the first splitter 130 is incident on the second mirror 120 (eg, an axis mirror), the second splitter 151 located inside the sensor unit 160 ) is placed so that it is reflective. The light of the second wavelength band passing through the first splitter 130 is incident to the laser detector 140 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first wavelength band may be 450 nm to 1500 nm, and the second wavelength band may be at least 1500 nm.

Light of the third wavelength band reflected by the second splitter 151 is incident to the observer 150, and light of the fourth wavelength band passing through the second splitter 151 is incident to one or more sensors. The third and fourth wavelength bands may be the same or different. In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second splitter 151 may have a transmittance of at least 25% and a reflectance of at least 75% at 450 nm to 650 nm.

The laser detector 140 includes a laser light source 141, a laser detector 142, and one or more optical elements. The laser detector 140 may obtain distance information on the target through these configurations. More specifically, the laser light source 141 emits a laser beam (ie, light), and the light passes through the first splitter 130 and is reflected by the first mirror 110 . In this way, the light reflected by the first mirror 110 is externally reflected on the designated target surface, and the reflected light accordingly is incident again into the aiming optical system. At this time, the incident reflected light passes through the first mirror 110 and the first splitter 130 and is received through the laser detector 142 . The laser detector 142 may obtain distance information about the target from the received light.

The visible light reflected from the target may be reflected in the order of the first mirror 110 , the first splitter 130 , the second mirror 120 , and the second splitter 151 and provided to the observation unit 150 . The observation unit 150 may have a lens capable of external observation, and an observer may check vision information about the target through the corresponding lens.

In addition, the visible light reflected from the target may be reflected in the order of the first mirror 110, the first splitter 130, and the second mirror 120, transmitted through the second splitter 151, and provided to one or more image sensors. there is. The one or more image sensors include at least one of CCD or CMOS. The image sensor transmits an electrical signal corresponding to the received visible light to the display unit so that a vision based on the received visible light is displayed on the display unit.

2 is a view for explaining in detail a sensor unit and an observation unit of an optical system for aiming according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the sensor unit 160 and the observation unit 150 have one and the same second mirror 120 and an objective lens unit OL as at least some common components, and the objective lens unit OL has It may consist of one or more optical elements. Here, one and the same objective lens unit OL may be disposed between the second mirror 120 and the second splitter 151 .

Two focal planes F1 and F2 are formed on the optical path by the objective lens unit OL and the second splitter 151, and one of the focal planes F1 and F2 is the observation unit 150. ) may coincide with the focal plane F1, and the other may coincide with the focal plane F2 of the sensor unit 160. Therefore, the observer can observe the front where the target is located with the focal plane F1 formed on the side of the observation unit 150, and the sensor unit 160 can observe the focal plane F2 formed on the side of the sensor unit 160. Vision information can be obtained through one or more image sensors (e.g. CCD sensor, CMOS sensor). The vision information thus obtained may be subsequently displayed through the display unit.

According to the structural features described above, the observation unit 150 and the sensor unit 160 are disposed on the same optical axis using the objective lens unit OL, and external exposure of the observation equipment to the target can be minimized. That is, the risk of being observed by the enemy is reduced.

In addition, when one and the same target is observed through the observation unit 150 and the sensor unit 160, the deviation of the optical axis can be immediately confirmed.

3 is a view for explaining the sensor unit according to a further second embodiment of the present invention in detail, and FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an optical system for aiming according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

Differences compared to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be mainly described. On the other hand, although the observation unit is not shown in FIG. 3, it is not illustrated as an aiming optical system in which the corresponding configuration is omitted, and this is omitted for convenience of description of newly added components. In other words, the second embodiment will be realized as shown in FIG.

Since the conventional observation unit and sensor unit observe using light in the 450 nm to 650 nm band, which is vulnerable to light transmittance in fog, research, and fine dust, their operation is limited in battlefield environments of fog, haze, and fine dust.

In order to overcome this, a far-infrared thermal imaging device has been used or is being used conventionally, but the far-infrared thermal imaging device needs to cool an infrared detector to a cryogenic temperature (eg, 77 K or less). To this end, the use of a cryogenic cooler is essential, but there is a problem in that it is impossible to obtain vision of the front of the observation equipment until it reaches the required cooling temperature, that is, for about 10 minutes. This causes a fatal limitation in the determination of rapid artillery fire in a rapidly changing battlefield environment.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as follows, in order to solve this problem, a second embodiment in which additional configurations are added to the above-described embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 2 is presented.

In one embodiment, the sensor unit 260 may further include a third splitter 262 and a SWIR sensor unit 260b, wherein the sensor unit 260 includes the SWIR sensor unit 260b and the image sensor unit 260a. ) can be distinguished. The SWIR sensor unit 260b may include a SWIR sensor 261b and one or more optical elements.

Here, the SWIR sensor 261b has excellent transmittance even in an electric field environment of fog, haze, and fine dust. The SWIR sensor 261b may be disposed at a position where light of a fifth wavelength band passing through the third splitter 262 is incident. In addition, the image sensor 261a may be disposed at a position where the light of the sixth wavelength band reflected by the third splitter 262 is incident.

In this case, the fifth wavelength band may be 900 nm to 1500 nm, and the sixth wavelength band may be implemented with 450 nm to 650 nm. Transmittance of the third splitter 262 in the fifth wavelength band is at least 95%. The reflectance of the third splitter 262 in the sixth wavelength band is at least 95%.

The sensor unit 260 may further include a focus lens unit FL having one or more optical elements. The focusing lens unit FL may be disposed between the third splitter 262 and the SWIR sensor 261b so that light for a target can be focused on the SWIR sensor 261b. The focus lens unit FL may include a cut-off filter 262b to prevent light having a wavelength of 1550 nm from being detected.

Meanwhile, the first to sixth wavelength bands mentioned in the embodiments of the present specification may be identical to or different from each other in each case, and are not conclusively determined as different wavelength bands according to ordinal numbers.

Referring to FIG. 4 , an embodiment in which the SWIR sensor unit 260b and the third splitter 262 described in the additional embodiment of FIG. 3 are combined with the aiming optical system described in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be confirmed.

In FIG. 4 , the first and second mirrors 210 and 220 , the first and second splitters 230 and 251 , the laser detector 260 , and the observation unit 250 are the first and second mirrors described in FIG. 1 . Since the mirrors 110 and 120, the first and second splitters 130 and 151, the laser detection unit 160, and the observation unit 150 are the same, a description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the sensor unit 260 is presented in the structure described above with reference to FIG. 3 and has some differences from the embodiment described in FIGS. 1 and 2, but has been previously described in FIG. 3, so a description thereof will be omitted.

According to the above-described structural features, external exposure of the observation equipment is minimized, and observation with excellent transmittance is possible even in a battlefield environment of fog, haze, and fine dust.

The scope of the present invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (13)

In the optical system for aiming having one or more splitters for splitting incident light into at least two or more lights having different wavelength bands,
a first mirror disposed to reflect the light reflected from the target toward the first splitter;
a second mirror arranged to reflect the incident light of the first wavelength band reflected by the first splitter to a second splitter located inside the sensor unit;
a laser detector into which light of a second wavelength band passing through the first splitter is incident;
an observation unit into which light of a third wavelength band reflected by the second splitter is incident; and
one or more image sensors into which light of a fourth wavelength band passing through the second splitter is incident;
including,
The sensor unit and the observation unit have one and the same second mirror and an objective lens unit as at least some common components, and the objective lens unit is composed of one or more optical elements,
Two focal planes are formed on the light path by the objective lens unit and the second splitter, one of the focal planes coincides with the focal plane of the observation unit and the other coincides with the focal plane of the sensor unit,
The sensor unit further includes a third splitter and a SWIR sensor,
A SWIR sensor is disposed at a position where light of a fifth wavelength band passing through the third splitter is incident, and an image sensor is disposed at a position where light of a sixth wavelength band reflected by the third splitter is incident;
The first wavelength band is 450 nm to 1500 nm, the second wavelength band is at least 1500 nm,
The third and fourth wavelength bands are the same or different, and the second splitter has a transmittance of at least 25% and a reflectance of at least 75% in 450 nm to 650 nm,
The fifth wavelength band is 900 nm to 1500 nm, the sixth wavelength band is 450 nm to 650 nm,
The transmittance of the third splitter in the fifth wavelength band is at least 95%, and the reflectance of the third splitter in the sixth wavelength band is at least 95%;
The optical system for aiming, wherein the sensor unit further includes a focusing lens unit having one or more optical elements, and the focusing lens unit is disposed between the third splitter and the SWIR sensor. According to claim 1,
The optical system for aiming, wherein the first mirror is a stabilizing mirror. According to claim 1,
The optical system for aiming, wherein the second mirror is an axis mirror. delete delete delete According to claim 1,
An optical system for collimation, wherein one and the same objective lens unit is disposed between the second mirror and the second splitter. delete delete delete delete delete According to claim 1,
An optical system for aiming, wherein the focus lens unit includes a cut-off filter that prevents light having a wavelength of 1550 nm from being detected.

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