The IRCOL 600/6000 collimator. (Image: HGH Infrared Systems)
HGH Infrared Systems (Igny, France) has unveiled what it says is the largest commercially available collimator for testing very long-focal-length cameras. With a 600 mm clear aperture and a 6 m focal length, the instrument (IRCOL 600/6000), which has an off-axis optical configuration, has a folded optical path and is a little less than 4 m long. The collimator is diffraction-limited at the center of its field and is broadband (visible to longwave IR).
As do all the collimators in HGH's IRCOL series, the IRCOL 600/6000 can be had with aluminum, silver, or gold optical coating for its off-axis collimating parabola, depending on the spectral region it is intended for. The instrument comes with a blackbody radiation source and an integrating sphere; available blackbody sources include a low-temperature-differential version (-15°C to +150°C) with an emissive area up to 100 x 100 mm, a high-temperature cavity (50°C to 1200°C) with a 25-mm-diameter emissive area, and a high-temperature extended-area blackbody (50°C to 600°C) with a 150 x 150 mm emissive area.
The IRCOL 600/6000 collimator has been designed to provide a robust mechanical structure in which optical components are secured, says HGH, ensuring optimal protection and rugged strength for shipment.
Spatial frequencies up to 50 cycles/mrad can be simulated. The unit is driven by HGH's Infratest software. In addition to cameras, laser rangefinders can be tested, and additonal modules can be supplied for this purpose.
HGH Infrared also makes IR cameras, including panoramic cameras.
For more on the IRCOL series of collimators (although the IRCOL 600/6000 collimator is not shown or described here), see: https://www.hgh-infrared.com/Products/Test-and-Measurement/Collimators/Test-bench-for-IR-cameras-CCD-laser-rangefinders
Source: HGH Infrared Systems