US 12,135,417 B2
Optical component protector
Andrew Subratie, Surrey (GB); Alberto Llopis-Pascual, Balearic Islands (ES); and Peter Hoare, Fleet Hampshire (GB)
Assigned to Andrew Subratie, Surrey (GB)
Appl. No. 17/057,911
Filed by ANDSCON LTD, Harrow (GB)
PCT Filed May 23, 2019, PCT No. PCT/GB2019/051422
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 23, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/224543, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 28, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1808468 (GB), filed on May 23, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0215930 A1, Jul. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. G02B 27/00 (2006.01); B08B 5/02 (2006.01); B08B 13/00 (2006.01); G03B 17/56 (2021.01)
CPC G02B 27/0006 (2013.01) [B08B 5/02 (2013.01); B08B 13/00 (2013.01); G03B 17/56 (2013.01); B08B 2205/005 (2013.01)] 26 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical component protector, comprising:
a frame having a top section, a bottom section, and a first side and a second side at two ends of the frame defining a width of the frame, and wherein the top section is located above, elevation-wise, the bottom section and wherein the first side has a first frame sidewall and the second side has a second frame sidewall;
a transparent plate mounted to the frame and occupying at least a majority of the width of the frame, the frame is configured to be mounted in front of an optical component to be protected; and
a plenum chamber having an elongated body defining a hollow chamber connected at the top section of the frame, the elongated body having a first end near the first side of the frame and a second end near the second side of the frame and having a length that spans at least the width of the frame;
wherein the plenum chamber is configured to receive a supply of gas from a gas supply and provide a curtain of the gas across a surface of the transparent plate that is on an opposite side of the transparent plate from the optical component with the gas flowing from the top section towards the bottom section of the frame; and
wherein the elongated body comprises a nozzle having an opening located between the first end and the second end of the elongated body for directing the curtain of the gas to flow out of the nozzle at an angle to the length of the elongated body and at a location between the first end and the second end of the elongated body.