Design of a compact off-axis four-mirror objective system for a thermal camera

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Thermal Imaging Technology

Background:

• COVID-19 surveillance requires accurate and non-invasive methods for monitoring physical symptoms.
• Thermal imaging offers a potential solution for capturing bioclinical signals like body temperature.
• Existing thermal camera systems may lack the necessary optical performance for detailed surveillance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the optical design of a compact off-axis four-mirror objective system (OFOS).
• To enable thermal cameras for syndromic surveillance of COVID-19 by capturing bioclinical signals.
• To achieve high-quality thermal imaging for disease monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Optical design of a compact off-axis four-mirror objective system.
• Utilizing a wavelength range of 7.5-14 µm for thermal detection.
• Achieving an f-number of 4 and a field of view (FOV) of 24×4 degrees.

Main Results:

• A functional optical design for the OFOS was developed.
• The system is optimized for capturing thermal images relevant to physical symptoms.
• The design parameters support effective bioclinical signal detection.

Conclusions:

• The designed OFOS is suitable for integration into thermal cameras for syndromic surveillance.
• This optical system can aid in the non-invasive monitoring of diseases like COVID-19.
• The compact and efficient design advances thermal imaging applications in public health.