Patents by Inventor Irving R. Abel

Irving R. Abel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4593322
    Abstract: Apparatus for continuously determining the position of best focus of an objective lens and a system having a video output. The technique uses a transmissive plate of variable thickness located on one side of the field stop of the optical system associated with the video output. The plate covers the full vertical field of the system and covers on the order of 30 to 40 resolution elements in the horizontal direction. The plate is divided vertically into platelets of different thicknesses which are distributed in such a way as not only to cover the range of defocus of the system, but to discriminate against possible variations in scene content. The plate is placed outside the active area which will be displayed by the video; therefore the variations in thickness and in focus introduced by the plate are not displayed on the video, but are only used for the purpose of continuously determining the position of best focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1986
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventor: Irving R. Abel
  • Patent number: 4576452
    Abstract: Wide field of view correction for wide spectral band imaging systems is achieved in reflective versions of the Schmidt and Schmidt-Cassegrain systems by the use of a fold mirror which also serves as a corrector plate. A method for fabricating the corrector plate is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1986
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventors: Irving R. Abel, Marcus R. Hatch
  • Patent number: 4507551
    Abstract: An improved optical system for thermal imaging systems using wide field of view optics in conjunction with large detector arrays in which a detector cold shield, system aperture stop and scanning subassembly are placed in substantially the same location such that the size of the scanning optics is minimized and cold shielding efficiency is maximized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1985
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventors: James W. Howard, Irving R. Abel
  • Patent number: 4486662
    Abstract: An optical system produces sensor data from at least two fields of view (which may be centered differently) in a sequence selected to satisfy two simultaneous functions of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1984
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventor: Irving R. Abel
  • Patent number: 4411499
    Abstract: An improved, compact optical system comprising a concave primary mirror and a convex secondary mirror. The primary mirror converges radiation to the secondary mirror. The secondary mirror comprises a lens having a first and a second surface. The second surface is coated with reflective material. The radiation received by the lens is refracted at the first surface, reflected back from the second surface, and then refracted once again by the first surface. The first and second surfaces have a shape for providing control of field curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1983
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventors: Irving R. Abel, Marcus R. Hatch
  • Patent number: 4354742
    Abstract: An optical system having a dual field of view. The system includes a wide-angle objective comprising a lens, a concave primary mirror, and a movable convex secondary mirror having a first position and a second position. When in the first position, the secondary mirror permits the wide-angle objective to focus radiation. When in the second position, the secondary mirror prevents radiation from being focused by the wide-angle objective. The combination of the secondary mirror when in the second position and the primary mirror comprise a narrow-angle objective with the primary mirror converging radiation to the secondary mirror and the secondary mirror focusing radiation. Thus, the optical system has a wide-angle field of view whenever the secondary mirror is in the first position and a narrow-angle field of view whenever the secondary mirror is in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1982
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventors: Irving R. Abel, Marcus R. Hatch
  • Patent number: 4319809
    Abstract: An objective lens system of the Double Gauss type wherein negative lens elements are symmetrically disposed on both sides adjacent the stop, each negative element being a cemented doublet comprising a double convex negative and a positive lens element. A cemented doublet positive lens component is next positioned at the outside of each of the negative elements and a single positive lens is positioned at the outside of each of the inner positive lens components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1982
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Irving R. Abel
  • Patent number: 4109149
    Abstract: An aperture stop is provided near the detector imaging lens of a thermal imaging system to prevent the infrared detector from viewing portions of the thermal imaging system itself, particularly the walls of the optical housing and the housing of the scanner within the optical housing. This eliminates "shading" problems which can occur in thermal imaging systems having a moving scanner within the optical housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1977
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1978
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventors: Irving R. Abel, Bruce R. Reynolds
  • Patent number: 3963328
    Abstract: The disclosure describes a wide field reflective optical system comprising an afocal fore telescope and an imaging system. The afocal telescope comprises first and second confocal paraboloidal reflectors, an aperture stop located in front of the first reflector at a distance equal to its focal length, and a field stop located at the common focal point of the reflectors. The imaging system is an improvement of the Schmidt principle and comprises an aspheric corrector reflector that reflects radiation from the second paraboloidal reflector onto a plane reflector. The plane reflector is located in front of a spherical reflector that focuses radiation at its focal plane through an aperture in the plane reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1974
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1976
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventor: Irving R. Abel