Estimation of Lens Stray Light with Regard to the Incapacitation of Imaging Sensors-Part 2: Validation.

Recently, we developed a simple theoretical model for the estimation of the irradiance distribution at the focal plane of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) camera lenses in case of laser illumination. The purpose of such a model is to predict the incapacitation of imaging sensors when irradiated by laser light. The model is based on closed-form equations that comprise mainly standard parameters of the laser dazzle scenario and those of the main devices involved (laser source, camera lens and imaging sensor). However, the model also includes three non-standard parameters, which describe the scattering of light within the camera lens. In previous work, we have performed measurements to derive these typically unknown scatter parameters for a collection of camera lenses of the Double-Gauss type. In this publication, we compare calculations based on our theoretical model and the measured scatter parameters with the outcome of stray light simulations performed with the optical design software FRED in order to validate the reliability of our theoretical model and of the derived scatter parameters.

Impact of threshold assessment methods in laser-induced damage measurements using the examples of CCD, CMOS, and DMD.

Based on our earlier investigations, we continued and intensified our effort on the assessment of laser-induced damage effects in the visible range on a digital micromirror device (DMD) in comparison to different electro-optical imaging sensors such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) and charge-coupled devices (CCD). The main two objectives of our current work are: i) to fill the gap for the damage threshold regarding the time scale of picosecond pulses (527 nm) for CCD and CMOS devices and ii) evaluate the performance of a new device, the DMD, with both nanosecond pulses (532 nm) and picosecond pulses (527 nm) and compare the results with those of the CCD/CMOS. In the course of this research, we improved the experimental setup. Furthermore, we characterized the damage caused by laser pulse energies exceeding the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). For both the CMOS and CCD cameras, we received damage thresholds of about 10mJ/cm2 (picosecond pulses). For the DMD, we obtained LIDT values of 130mJ/cm2 (nanosecond laser pulses) and 1500mJ/cm2 (picosecond laser pulses). In case of the CMOS devices, we additionally compared the appearance of the damage obtained from the output signal of the camera under test and the microscope images of the surface of the camera. The first visible changes on the surface of the sensor occurred at energy densities that are an order of magnitude higher than the threshold values related to the output signal.

Laser safety assessments supported by analyses of reflections from metallic targets irradiated by high-power laser light.

When using kilowatt-class lasers in outdoor environments, ensuring laser safety turns out to be a complex issue due to the large safety areas that must be respected. For the special cases of collimated or focused laser radiation reflected from ideally flat but naturally rough metallic surfaces, the classical laser hazard analysis is deemed insufficient. In order to investigate the corresponding hazard areas for the aforementioned cases, we performed experiments on laser-matter interactions. Using high-power laser radiation, we studied the spatial and temporal reflection characteristics from four different metallic samples. For the evaluation of total reflection characteristics, we performed curve-fitting methods comprising Gaussian-like specular components, diffuse scattering components according to the ABg-scatter model and Lambertian components. For the investigation of occurring caustics, we developed a dedicated model in order to assess the divergence of the contained structures as a function of distance. Our evaluations have shown that the majority of the reflected power is scattered and based on these findings, that resulting nominal optical hazard distance values, even under worst-case assumptions, are significantly smaller than those of the non-reflected laser beam.

Estimation of Lens Stray Light with Regard to the Incapacitation of Imaging Sensors.

We present our efforts on estimating light scattering characteristics from commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) camera lenses in order to deduce thereof a set of generic scattering parameters valid for a specific lens class (double Gauss lenses). In previous investigations, we developed a simplified theoretical light scattering model to estimate the irradiance distribution in the focal plane of a camera lens. This theoretical model is based on a 3-parameter bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF), which describes light scattering from rough surfaces of the optical elements. Ordinarily, the three scatter parameters of the BSDF are not known for COTS camera lenses, which makes it necessary to assess them by own experiments. Besides the experimental setup and the measurement process, we present in detail the subsequent data exploitation. From measurements on seven COTS camera lenses, we deduced a generic set of scatter parameters. For a deeper analysis, the results of our measurements have also been compared with the output of an optical engineering software. Together with our theoretical model, now stray light calculations can be accomplished even then, when specific scatter parameters are not available from elsewhere. In addition, the light scattering analyses also allow considering the glare vulnerability of optical systems in terms of laser safety.