Method and apparatus for scaled up reproduction of detailed features
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorEdward D. McCullough
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Producing a scaled multiple parallax compound lens is accomplished by providing an insect eye having multiple ommatidia and creating a polymer mold of the insect eye. A casting is then created from the polymer mold with an expandable polymer which is then linearly expanded to provide a form for creating a second polymer mold. A second casting is then created from the second polymer mold. Duplication of the process can be accomplished for further scaling up of the compound lens with the final casting created using a durable polymer having appropriate optical properties for the lens.
Claims11
A method for producing a scaled multiple parallax compound lens comprising the steps of:
- providing an insect eye having multiple ommatidia;
- creating a first polymer mold of the insect eye;
- creating a first casting from the first polymer mold with an expandable polymer;
- expanding the first casting to form a first expanded casting;
- creating a second polymer mold from the first expanded casting;
- creating a second casting from the second polymer mold;
- expanding the second casting to form a second expanded casting and forming the scaled multiple parallax compound lens using a polymer mold created from the second casting or a subsequent casting.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.