Flat-plate magnifier for magnifying the view of a distant object

Abstract

Abstract. An optically magnifying device for viewing a distant object is proposed. Since this device can be made in the form of a thin plate and can also have a large viewing area, a flat-plate magnifier is realized. The flat-plate magnifier mounted onto an eyeglass frame as a substitute for each lens provides a light-weight, hands-free magnifier. The flat-plate magnifier is made as a 3 to 4-mm-thick plastic plate and can be made up to 30 to 40 mm in diameter. The flat-plate magnifier is a two-dimensional array of magnifying modules and each magnifying module consists of a micromagnifier and a ray angle adjuster. The micromagnifier comprises a concave mirror and a convex mirror and magnifies the view. The ray angle adjuster is a transparent wedge and expands the viewing area. The flat-plate magnifier is designed so that the achromatic condition is satisfied by cancelling the angular dispersion produced by the micromagnifier with that of the ray angle adjuster. A prototype of the flatplate magnifier with a diameter of 9 mm and a magnification power of 3 was demonstrated. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.