Optics for UAVs must be lightweight and durable, yet offer superior performance even in adverse environmental conditions. These optical assemblies are in many ways the heart of any UAV system, and an unmanned aerial vehicle is only as robust as its machine vision system. Here we’ll look at some of the unique challenges that optics for UAVs must surmount— and the wide range of special imaging capabilities they can bring to an unmanned aerial vehicle.
Requirements of Optics for UAVs
When designing an optical system for a UAV, an optical designer will need to balance a number of important requirements. Size, weight, and power consumption— sometimes abbreviated as SWaP— are often thought as the big three. Especially when working with small UAVs, every gram directly decreases flight endurance. Weight and size considerations makes continuous zoom a good option, for instance, instead of packing a different lens for every field of view.
But there’s more. Optical systems for drones and UAVs must be capable of capturing quality imagery, even from significant distances and under adverse environmental conditions. Long focal lengths and a good field of view can aid imaging assemblies to produce high resolution images, and special coatings can reduce reflection under strong sunlight. However UAV optics must also be ruggedized for mechanical shock, vibrations, extreme temperature differences, and pressure changes. Here we’ll look at the ruggedization requirements for UAV optics.