Wakefield, MA USA, September 16, 2019—Optikos Corporation’s IQ Lab™ Service offers clients worldwide a comprehensive range of lens and camera testing in one location. Measurements offered now include both Veiling Glare Index (VGI) and Glare Spread Function (GSF) to assess stray light, as well as an expanded menu for testing lenses over temperature.
Depending on the application, conducting these benchmarks may be critical to the intended functional performance of an optical system. For example, Optikos has a growing number of clients in the automotive, defense and security, and even consumer product industries who now specify and test stray light and imaging performance over temperature for their products. Optical engineers understand that even simple systems can have stray light and thermal shift problems, and if they are overlooked in development they may require both optical and mechanical design corrections that can be costly to implement at a late stage.
VGI is a quick measurement that is useful for evaluating the overall stray light “health” of a lens, and because the measured VGI performance of a lens is summarized in a single number it can easily be used to compare performance across multiple suppliers. GSF is a more comprehensive measurement that can provide insight into the origin of stray light issues, and is often the measurement of choice for challenging imaging environments such as automotive lenses or LIDAR systems in which solar glare is a significant issue.
IQ Lab measurements for benchmarking lenses over temperature now cover an extended temperature range (-20C to 100C) and utilize easily customized fixtures for testing relatively small imaging automotive camera lenses, larger LIDAR type lenses, imaging lenses mounted in large housings or with large windows attached, and everything in between. Over the past several years, Optikos IQ Lab and R&D engineers have refined techniques used to make these measurements, and recently introduced a Thermal Module product line as an option for Optikos lens testing systems.
With the prevalence of imaging systems in technology today, image quality testing has never been more critical. This is particularly true for automotive applications, where the rapid growth of autonomous vehicles and drive assistance technologies have demanded strict levels of quality and reliability for components and systems. According to IQ Lab™ Manager, Hillary Balonek, “All of the measurements we make on optical systems, lenses, and components are made on Optikos equipment—the same state-of-the-art metrology products that are sold to clients worldwide. We provide an easy way for you to get expert performance validation on your optical system that’s fast and flexible.”
About Optikos
Optikos provides expert solutions in optically-based product design, development and manufacturing, and offers metrology products and IQ Lab™ services to a range of commercial, government and consumer products organizations worldwide.
For more information, visit optikos.com.
