In
2009, I received the Anglo-Danish Society Scholarship, more specifically the
Ove Arup Foundation Scholarship. I wish to thank the Anglo-Danish Society and
the Ove Arup Foundation for their award.
During
my PhD studies at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, which had started in
January 2007, I have developed a technique to miniaturise optical zoom lens
modules with a single moving element.
Optical
zooming in zoom lens modules with a single moving element introduces a
degradation of image quality, i.e. it introduces blur in the recorded image.
The blur decreases with the length of the module, and in order to maintain a
sharp recorded image, such modules become very long. For many years, the
solution to miniaturize such zoom lens modules with good image quality has been
to introduce one or more moving elements. This comes with the cost of more
mechanics which are then required to interact with the first moving element,
meaning more complex and expensive construction. For very small zoom lens
modules, for example around 1 cm long, the movement of the many elements
becomes mechanically demanding and difficult. As a consequence, no such small
optical zoom lens elements existed before I started my PhD.
My
work has revolved around novel imaging systems, and with the miniaturisation
technique, I have designed a zoom lens with a single moving element with a
length of 1 cm without addition of extra moving elements, which has now also
been manufactured. I have implemented a special optical element within the zoom
lens, such that the image quality becomes degraded in a special way, and by
applying a special image restoration algorithm, a sharp image can be recovered
from the degraded image.
In
other words, I have replaced the complex mechanics with a single optical
element and an image restoration algorithm. The trade-off with this technique
is the cost in time to recover the sharp image and some issues that follows
with image restoration. Fortunately, the time consumption is small and image
restoration issues can be reduced.
The
technique that I have developed during my PhD can be used to for example make
very small zoom lenses for mobile phones. This was the goal of my PhD. However
the technique has opened up a whole new world of designing zoom lenses and
optical lenses in general. It will make lens designers around the world think
differently about optical design and open the way for new designs with multiple
applications to daily life and the built environment.
The scholarship was a great help to me and has supported me in the final months of my PhD
studies. Furthermore, it contributed to my attendance at an optics conference in the US, where I
presented a paper on how to reduce some of the image restoration issues that
come with the implementation of the technique that I have described above. The
conference was attended by experts in novel optical design with whom I was
able to exchange ideas and build relationships.
The
years in Edinburgh and Heriot Watt University have been a great time for me and
I thank the Anglo-Danish Society for its contribution to my career in optics.
Thank you very much.
