To respond to a call for tenders for the design and manufacture of a logo projector for a car manufacturer, an equipment manufacturer called on PISÉO’s optical design experts. Indeed, only expert skills combined with top-notch simulation and testing resources could meet the requirements of optical quality, compactness, and price within a short time frame.
In order to differentiate itself from the competition, the car manufacturer set ambitious image quality objectives for the logo projector:
Very fine detail rendering : the fineness of the projected details reinforces the precision of the image and its readability. This requires the use of optical projection systems with lenses with no aberrations.
Absence of chromatism : Chromatism is an optical aberration that causes colors to change. In imaging, it can be induced by optical systems that are not sufficiently optimized to reduce its effect.
Brightness – level of illumination on the ground and uniformity : this characteristic is essential to perceive the projected image correctly in any environment. In the case of a logo projector, it requires the use of a sufficiently powerful light source and an illumination system coupled with an optical imaging system.
To meet the high technical requirements, a custom solution was designed and prototyped by PISÉO engineers: they developed an ultra-compact logo projector that combines an optical imaging system and an optical illumination system.
The Optical Imaging System integrates a limited number of dedicated lenses with aspherical surfaces. This combination of lenses makes it possible to correct optical aberrations while preserving the economic competitiveness of the system. Particular attention was paid to the materials used in order to prevent chromatic aberrations and preserve high injection quality during the manufacture of the lenses.
The Optical Illumination System integrates a high-luminance white LED that provides sufficient optical efficiency, and a flux collection lens that optimizes the illumination of the mask while respecting the constraints imposed by the optical imaging system.
The design of the logo projector followed a rigorous sequential process to arrive at a robust and competitive industrial solution. The skills in the development of optical illumination and imaging systems of PISÉO engineers were put to use during this development. They also mobilized their design and optical simulation support tools to quickly evaluate the concepts they imagined. In particular, they used LightTools for the optical illumination system and Zemax for the optical imaging system. The false color and realistic renderings made it possible to accurately determine the achievable visual performance.
Tests in PISÉO’s optical laboratory made it possible to characterize the candidate LEDs precisely and make an informed choice of components, as well as to validate the performance of a prototype.
Thanks to the expertise of its optical design engineers and its advanced simulation and characterization resources, PISÉO successfully met the technical challenge. The team quickly provided results that met the manufacturer’s expectations, helping the customer win its contract.
If you want to design and produce a high-quality image projection solution while taking into account your industrial and economic constraints, do not hesitate to contact us to tell us about your project.
