STUDY OF A ZOOM LENS FOR FORWARD LOOKING INFRARED SYSTEMS

PHASE I STUDY OF THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A ZOOM LENS AS DESCRIBED IN SBIR TOPIC N88-213 IS PROPOSED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE ALTERNATIVE CONFIGURATIONS TO FIND THE ONE MOST EFFECTIVE IN MINIMIZING COST, SIZE, AND WEIGHT WHILE OFFERING APPROPRIATE OPTICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE. AN AFOCAL ZOOM LENS OF 0.6X TO 3.0X MAGNIFICATION, APERTURE OF F/2 FIELDS OF VIEW/SPECTRAL RANGE COMMENSURATE WITH FLIR COMMON MODULE ASSEMBLIES; AND 10 INCH MAXIMUM BARREL LENTH WILL BE TAKEN AS TYPICAL SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO REFINEMENT DURING DISCUSSIONS WITH COGNIZANT NAVY PERSONNEL FOLLOWING CONTRACT AWARD. CONFIGURATIONS TO BE STUDIED WILL INCLUDE NEW ONES INDICATED BY SPECIAL INTERFACE CONSIDERATIONS ALONG WITH THOSE CHOSEN FROM EXPERIENCE OF THE KEY INVESTIGATORS IN CONCEPT, DESIGN, AND PRODUCTION OF COMMERCIAL ZOOM LENSES AND SPECIALIZED OPTICS FOR MILITARY APPLICATIONS.