With Concave And Convex Reflectors In Series Patents (Class 359/729)
  • Patent number: 11966043
    Abstract: An imaging optical system comprises adjusters for adjusting a shape of each of at least two reflecting surfaces by applying a force to a rear surface of each of the reflecting surfaces. Points obtained by projecting force acting points of the adjusters in an optical axis direction defined with respect to the reflecting surface are defined as correction points, the acting points are set such that, when first and second rays in a light flux emitted from one point on the object plane are reflected by first and second reflecting surfaces, the first ray strikes the correction point of the first reflecting surface but does not strike the correction point of the second reflecting surface, and the second ray does not strike the correction point of the first reflecting surface but strikes the correction point of the second reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Michio Kono
  • Patent number: 11927836
    Abstract: Small optics (femtooptics) may be made with optical metasurfaces or diffractive surfaces. Baffles may be formed in the femtooptics with through-glass-via techniques or a variety of etching strategies. Femtooptics may in addition be made using wafer stacking techniques. Variations and combinations of these approaches lead to femtooptics manufacturable in vast quantities by semiconductor wafer processing techniques, also referred to as wafer level optics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Tectus Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Elliot Lemoff, Michael West Wiemer
  • Patent number: 11287621
    Abstract: An optical element includes: a first transmissive section 3 that causes light emitted from a light source to be incident on the optical element; a first reflection section 4 which is located at a facing section facing the first transmissive section and from which light incident from the first transmissive section is reflected; a second reflection section 5 which is located around the first transmissive section and from which the light reflected from the first reflection section is reflected; and a second transmissive section 6 that causes the light reflected from the second reflection section to be emitted out of the optical element in an optical axis direction of the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: FUJITSU FRONTECH LIMITED
    Inventors: Kozo Yamazaki, Isao Iwaguchi
  • Patent number: 10146044
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an optical system includes: a first lens configured to receive incoming light from an object; a first mirror comprising a central aperture, the first mirror configured to refract the light from the first lens, reflect the light, and refract the light reflected from the first mirror; a second mirror configured to receive the light from the first mirror, wherein the light is refracted towards a first surface of the second mirror where the light is reflected back and refracted upon exiting the second mirror; a negative corrector lens configured to refract the light from the second mirror through the central aperture of the first mirror; and a positive corrector lens configured to receive the light through the central aperture of the first mirror and refract the light to an imaging surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Planet Labs Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Haldeman, Joseph Warga
  • Patent number: 9946144
    Abstract: A projection optical system is disclosed. The projection optical system includes a first optical system configured to form a first image conjugated with an object and a second optical system configured to project a second image conjugated with the first image toward a projection surface. At least one of the first optical system and second optical system includes at least one optical element(s) movable relative to the object is provided. An image distance of the projection optical system is changed and a size of the second image is changed, by moving at least one of the optical element(s) relative to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Issei Abe, Kazuhiro Fujita, Atsushi Takaura
  • Patent number: 9722319
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a metamaterial antenna, where the metamaterial antenna includes an enclosure, a feed, a first metamaterial that clings to an aperture edge of the feed, a second metamaterial that is separated by a preset distance from the first metamaterial and is set oppositely, and a third metamaterial that clings to an edge of the second metamaterial, where the enclosure, the feed, the first metamaterial, the second metamaterial, and the third metamaterial make up a closed cavity; and a central axis of the feed penetrates center points of the first metamaterial and the second metamaterial; and a reflection layer for reflecting an electromagnetic wave is set on surfaces of the first metamaterial and the second metamaterial, where the surfaces are located outside the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: KUANG-CHI INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY LTD.
    Inventors: Ruopeng Liu, Chunlin Ji, Yutao Yue, Qing Yang
  • Patent number: 9635223
    Abstract: A telescope system may facilitate the capture of images of light, and may have a housing, a primary mirror, a Schmidt corrector plate, and a lens group. The housing may have a mirror end and an aperture end with an entrance aperture that receives the light. The primary mirror may be positioned proximate the mirror end, and may have a spherical shape. The Schmidt corrector plate may be positioned proximate the entrance aperture to direct the light toward the primary mirror in a manner that substantially compensates for the spherical shape. The lens group may include multiple lenses, one or more of which may be positioned within the housing proximate the aperture end such that the light is directed through the lens group by the primary mirror. The lens group may focus the light at a focal location further than the Schmidt corrector plate from the primary mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Celestron Acquisition, LLC
    Inventors: David Rowe, Corey Lee, Eric J. Kopit, Mark Ackermann
  • Patent number: 9195145
    Abstract: An imaging optical system includes a plurality of mirrors configured to image an object field in an object plane of the imaging optical system into an image field in an image plane of the imaging optical system. An illumination system includes such an imaging optical system. The transmission losses of the illumination system are relatively low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Armin Schoeppach, Johannes Zellner
  • Patent number: 9063352
    Abstract: Techniques, systems and apparatus are described for implementing a telescopic contact lens. In one aspect, a telescopic contact lens includes an inner lens including optical apertures and aspheric reflectors, an outer lens of a biocompatible material, and a switching device that rapidly switches between normal and telescopic vision. The optical apertures of the inner lens includes a center aperture that allows light to pass through for normal vision and an annular aperture located on the periphery of the inner lens that allows light to enter for telescopic vision, The aspheric reflectors are configured between the annular aperture and the center aperture to reflect the light and magnify a visual image for telescopic vision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Joseph E. Ford, Eric Tremblay
  • Patent number: 8965193
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a solid filled mirrored lens system capable of wider fields of view and wider spectra than current lens systems. The mirrored lens is used to focus light incident upon a right circular cylindrical central body comprising a substantially planar first surface and a substantially planar second surface. A primary reflecting surface is located on the second surface of the central body and shaped as an annulus with a void in the central region of the second surface. Further, a secondary reflecting surface is located in a central region of the first surface facing the primary reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher B. Svec, Alan R. Greenland, Hao C. Tran
  • Patent number: 8947675
    Abstract: The method for measuring profile of an aspheric surface projects an illumination light onto the aspheric surface and introduces a reflected light reflected by the aspheric surface to a sensor through an optical system. The method provides, to a wavefront of the illumination light, a curvature bringing an absolute value of an angle of the reflected light to a smaller value than a maximum value of absolute values of angles of optical system side peripheral rays, locates an exit pupil such that the absolute value of the reflected light angle is smaller than the maximum value, provides, to a sensor conjugate surface, a curvature and a position causing rays of the reflected light not to intersect on the sensor conjugate surface. The sensor conjugate surface, the wavefront of the illumination light and the aspheric surface have a same one of convex and concave surfaces toward a same direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiki Maeda
  • Patent number: 8767318
    Abstract: A catadioptric lens system includes, in order of light travel: a first lens group that includes a concave mirror and a convex mirror and has a positive refractive power; a second lens group that is positioned on the image side of the concave mirror and has a negative refractive power; and a third lens group that has a positive refractive power, wherein a close-range object is brought into focus by moving the second lens group in a direction parallel with the optical axis, and wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied 0<f/f12??(0) where f is a focal length of the whole system in a state where the focus is at infinity, and f12 is a composite focal length of the first lens group and the second lens group in a state where the focus is at infinity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 8749898
    Abstract: One optical system comprises a first optical surface, a faceted second optical surface, and a faceted third optical surface. The optical system is operative to convert a first bundle of rays that is continuous in phase space outside the first optical surface into a second bundle of rays that is continuous in phase space outside the third optical surface. Between the second and third optical surfaces the rays making up the first and second bundles form discrete sub-bundles each passing from a facet of the second optical surface to a facet of the third optical surface. The sub-bundles do not form a continuous bundle in a phase space that has dimensions representing the position and angle at which rays cross a surface transverse to the bundle of rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Light Prescriptions Innovators, LLC
    Inventors: Juan Carlos Miñano, Pablo Benítez, Julio C. Chaves, Maikel Hernandez
  • Patent number: 8659839
    Abstract: Disclosed is an imaging lens by which astigmatism and field curvature are satisfactorily corrected by arranging on a first surface a concave surface having an appropriate radius of curvature. Condition (1) defines the radius of curvature of the concave surface arranged on the object-side surface of a bonded compound lens. By fulfilling condition (1), a lens can be obtained in which astigmatism and field curvature are satisfactorily corrected. Condition (1): ?1.5<rL11/f<?5.0, wherein rL11 is the local curvature radius of the object-side surface of the first lens calculated by the equation below; f is the focus distance of the entire system. rL11={(h1)2+(s1)2}/(2s1); h1 is 1/10 of the effective radius of the object-side surface of the first lens; and s1 is the displacement amount in a direction parallel to the optical axis from the surface apex point at a lens surface height h1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Advanced Layers, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuki Matsui, Yasunari Fukuta
  • Patent number: 8659823
    Abstract: Ring-field, catoptric and catadioptric, unit-magnification, projection optical systems having non-concentric optical surfaces are disclosed. Each system has a system axis with object and image planes on opposite sides of the system axis. The non-concentric surfaces allow for working distances of the object and image planes in excess of 100 millimeters to be achieved, with a ring-field width sufficient to allow a rectangular object-field having a long dimension in excess of 100 mm to be projected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventor: Romeo I. Mercado
  • Patent number: 8531750
    Abstract: An afocal beam relay has first and second primary concave reflective surfaces and first and second secondary convex toroidal reflective surfaces. The centers of curvature of each of the first and second primary reflective surfaces and first and second secondary reflective surfaces lie on an axis. The first and second secondary convex reflective surfaces face toward the first and second primary concave reflective surfaces and are disposed to relay a decentered entrance pupil to a decentered exit pupil. An aspheric corrector element is disposed in the path of an input beam of light that is directed by the primary and secondary surfaces to the decentered entrance pupil. The directed beam of light between the first and second secondary convex mirrors is collimated in one direction and focused in mid air in an orthogonal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Kessler Optics & Photonics Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventor: David Kessler
  • Patent number: 8503109
    Abstract: An optical system includes: a main mirror (11) having a shape of a portion of a convex paraboloid which includes an opening in a center and is rotationally symmetric; a second-reflection mirror (12) which further reflects light reflected by the main mirror (11), and has a shape of a portion of a concave paraboloid which is rotationally symmetric; at least one lens which forms an image of the light reflected by the second-reflection mirror (12); and a lens barrel (14) holding the at least one lens, and a position of a front principal point of the at least one lens coincides with a focal position of the second-reflection mirror (12), and an optical axis of the at least one lens is tilted with respect to a rotational axis of each of the convex paraboloid and the concave paraboloid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Kimura, Yasushi Yagi
  • Patent number: 8355214
    Abstract: An optical collector is disclosed which includes an imaging, aplanatic optical element having a front surface with a one-way light admitting portion, a back surface with a reflective portion, and an interior region of refractive material disposed between the front and backs surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Roland Winston, Weiya Zhang
  • Publication number: 20130010180
    Abstract: A catadioptric lens system includes, in order of light travel: a first lens group that includes a concave mirror and a convex mirror and has a positive refractive power; a second lens group that is positioned on the image side of the concave mirror and has a negative refractive power; and a third lens group that has a positive refractive power, wherein the first lens group has a plurality of lenses on the image side of the concave mirror, and some lenses of the plurality of lenses are formed as a vibration-proof group so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Hatakeyama
  • Publication number: 20120307328
    Abstract: An afocal beam relay has first and second primary concave reflective surfaces and first and second secondary convex toroidal reflective surfaces. The centers of curvature of each of the first and second primary reflective surfaces and first and second secondary reflective surfaces lie on an axis. The first and second secondary convex reflective surfaces face toward the first and second primary concave reflective surfaces and are disposed to relay a decentered entrance pupil to a decentered exit pupil. An aspheric corrector element is disposed in the path of an input beam of light that is directed by the primary and secondary surfaces to the decentered entrance pupil. The directed beam of light between the first and second secondary convex mirrors is collimated in one direction and focused in mid air in an orthogonal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: Kessler Optics & Photonics Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventor: David Kessler
  • Patent number: 8289630
    Abstract: An optical element that is made of a transparent medium L1 rotationally symmetric relative to the central axis 2 with a refractive index greater than 1, wherein the transparent medium L1 has a first transmissive surface 11, a first reflective surface 12, a second reflective surface 13 arranged at an opposite side to the image plane 5 relative to the first reflective surface 12 and a second transmissive surface 14 arranged at the image plane 5 side relative to the second reflective surface 13 and that the flux of light entering the transparent medium L1 goes into it by way of the first transmissive surface 11 so as to be reflected to the opposite side to the image plane 5 by the first reflective surface 12 and then to the image plane 5 side by the second reflective surface 13 to form an optical path before going out from the transparent medium L1 at the image plane 5 side by way of the second transmissive surface 14 in the order of forward ray tracing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Takayoshi Togino
  • Patent number: 8274720
    Abstract: An afocal beam relay has a concave reflective surface having a first center of curvature and a first vertex that define an optical axis. A convex reflective surface has a second center of curvature that is substantially coincident with the first center of curvature and a second vertex that lies along the optical axis. The convex reflective surface faces toward the concave reflective surface to relay a decentered entrance pupil to a decentered exit pupil. An aspheric corrector element is disposed in the path of input light that is directed to the decentered entrance pupil and has correction values that are substantially centered on the first center of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Kessler Optics and Photonics Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventor: David Kessler
  • Patent number: 8264782
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging lens, the imaging lens including in an orderly way from an object side, a first lens including an incidence surface having a positive (+) refractive power and incident with light, a reflecting surface reflecting the incident light and an exit surface outputting the reflected light; a second lens having a negative (?) refractive power; a third lens having a positive (+) refractive power; a fourth lens having a positive (+) refractive power; a fifth lens having a negative (?) refractive power; a sixth lens having a positive (+) refractive power; and a seventh lens having a positive (+) refractive power, wherein the second lens through the seventh lens are disposed in an orderly way from an exit surface of the first lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: LG Innotek Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jungyul Lee
  • Publication number: 20120105980
    Abstract: A 360 degree viewing angle lens unit, from the object side to the image side thereof, includes a 360 degree viewing angle lens and a relay lens. The viewing angle lens includes an annular incident surface, a first reflective surface, a second reflective surface, and an emitting surface. The annular incident surface has a positive radius of curvature and symmetrically concentric around an optical axis of the lens unit. The first reflective surface has a positive radius of curvature and is symmetrically concentric around the optical axis. The second reflective surface has a negative radius of curvature, and is coaxial with the incident surface. The emitting surface has a positive radius of curvature and is coaxial with the first reflective surface. The relay lens has a positive refractive power and is aligned with the emitting surface. The relay lens is configured for condensing image light output from the emitting surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicants: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD., HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (ShenZhen) CO., LTD
    Inventors: FANG-YING PENG, HAI-JO HUANG, SHENG-AN WANG, XIAO-NA LIU, JING GAO
  • Publication number: 20120050890
    Abstract: An imaging system including a back-plane reflector having a concave aspherical reflecting surface and an outer diameter that is no greater than a first distance, with an aperture formed in the back-plane reflector, the aperture for admitting light from a field of view to the imaging system, a fore-plane reflector having a concave aspherical reflecting surface and an outer diameter that is no greater than the first distance, with an aperture formed in the fore-plane reflector, the aperture for discharging the light from the imaging system to an image plane, and a central reflector having a convex aspherical reflecting surface for receiving light from the fore-plane reflector and discharging the light from the imaging system through the aperture in the fore-plane reflector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: KLA-TENCOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Azmi Kadkly
  • Patent number: 8123371
    Abstract: An all-reflective optical system includes a primary mirror of ellipsoidal configuration, a secondary mirror of hyperboloidal configuration facing the primary mirror, and an eye-piece that includes: a positive-powered tertiary mirror having a majority of positive power that is expected in the eye-piece and configured to substantially collimate light rays incident thereon; and a negative-powered near-flat quaternary mirror having lesser power than the tertiary mirror and configured to receive the substantially collimated light rays from the tertiary mirror, further collimate the received light rays and reflect the further collimated light rays to an exit pupil. The primary mirror, the secondary mirror and the eye-piece thereby form an afocal optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Lacy G. Cook
  • Patent number: 8113667
    Abstract: A projection optical system satisfies a conditional formula: 0.01<{(tan ?f1?tan ?f2)?(tan ?n1?tan ?n2)}·(?2/?1)<0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Keiko Yamada, Kohtaro Hayashi, Soh Ohzawa, Masayuki Imaoka
  • Patent number: 8052283
    Abstract: An oblique projection optical system enlarges an image formed on a display device surface, and obliquely projects the enlarged image on a screen surface. The oblique projection optical system has, in the order from a reduction side: a refraction optical portion having a positive optical power, a concave reflection surface having a positive optical power, and a convex reflection surface having a negative optical power. The refraction optical portion includes a rotationally symmetric coaxial refraction group. An intermediate image of the image formed on the display device surface is formed between the refraction optical portion and the concave reflection surface. An aperture stop image is formed between the concave reflection surface and the convex reflection surface. The concave reflection surface and the convex reflection surface fulfill prescribed conditional formulae.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Masayuki Imaoka, Keiko Yamada
  • Publication number: 20110085252
    Abstract: An optical system includes: a main mirror (11) having a shape of a portion of a convex paraboloid which includes an opening in a center and is rotationally symmetric; a second-reflection mirror (12) which further reflects light reflected by the main mirror (11), and has a shape of a portion of a concave paraboloid which is rotationally symmetric; at least one lens which forms an image of the light reflected by the second-reflection mirror (12); and a lens barrel (14) holding the at least one lens, and a position of a front principal point of the at least one lens coincides with a focal position of the second-reflection mirror (12), and an optical axis of the at least one lens is tilted with respect to a rotational axis of each of the convex paraboloid and the concave paraboloid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Inventors: Masayuki Kimura, Yasushi Yagi
  • Patent number: 7920300
    Abstract: A device includes: a first lighting unit that illuminates an object at a first incident angle; a second lighting unit that illuminates an object at a second incident angle, the second incident angle being larger than the first incident angle; an image-input unit that receives light and generates image signals in accordance with the received light; and a guiding unit that guides light diffusely reflected from the object illuminated by either the first lighting unit or the second lighting unit to the image-input unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumio Nakaya, Hirokazu Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20110075121
    Abstract: Catadioptric projection objective (1) for microlithography for imaging an object field (3) in an object plane (5) onto an image field (7) in an image plane (9), including a first partial objective (11) imaging the object field onto a first real intermediate image (13), a second partial objective (15) imaging the first intermediate image onto a second real intermediate image (17) and a third partial objective (19) imaging the second intermediate image onto the image field (7). The second partial objective (15) has exactly one concave mirror (21) and at least one lens (23). The minimum distance between an optically utilized region of the concave mirror (21) and an optically utilized region of a surface (25)—facing the concave mirror—of a lens (23) adjacent to the concave mirror is greater than 10 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT AG
    Inventors: Alexander Epple, Toralf Gruner, Ralf Mueller
  • Publication number: 20100309566
    Abstract: A reflaxicon system comprising two or more reflaxicons, either, neither, or both of which can be formed of solid light transmitting material, is provided and described for use and implementation as objectives, relays, and beam expanders. Each reflaxicon features a central substantially cone shaped surface and a distal surface shaped like a truncated cone with both of said surfaces aligned with and symmetrically arranged around a central axis. In the system provided said central axes are aligned and form the optical axis of the system and further curvatures can be provided to any of said surfaces as well as to incident and exiting system surfaces to provide additional optical effects as required for different applications. Further, the conical surfaces forming the central reflectors can each or both be convex or concave, with ease of construction mitigating in favor of dual concave central reflectors as the preferred embodiment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Inventors: Frank DeWitt, Georg Nadorff
  • Patent number: 7245443
    Abstract: The invention relates to a panoramic attachment optical system and a panoramic optical system for taking an image having a full 360°-direction angle of view or projecting an image at a full 360°-direction angle of view. These optical systems are reduced in size and flare light and improved in resolving power. A panoramic attachment optical system 10 attached to the entrance side of an image-formation lens 20 to form a full 360°-direction image on an image plane 30 comprises a transparent medium that is rotationally symmetric about a center axis 1 and includes at least two internal reflecting surfaces 12, 13 and at least two refracting surfaces 11, 14. A light beam enters the transparent medium via the refracting surface 11, and reflects at the internal reflecting surfaces 12 and 13 in this order to leave the transparent medium via the refracting surface 14, forming an image at a position of the image plane 30 off the center axis 1 via an image-formation lens 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Takayoshi Togino
  • Patent number: 7106527
    Abstract: A compact image-forming optical system is disclosed which has a high optical performance due to arranging a reflective optical unit and a refractive optical unit at suitable positions. The image-forming optical system is an optical system performing image formation from a magnifying side to a demagnifying side or from the demagnifying side to the magnifying side, and includes, in order from the magnifying side to the demagnifying side, a refractive optical unit having a positive optical power as a whole, and a reflective optical unit including at least three reflective surfaces. The image-forming optical system has a pupil on the magnifying side further from the reflective surface furthest on the magnifying side the reflective optical unit, and the focal length of the refractive optical unit is set to be within a range of 0.2 to 5 times the focal length of the reflective optical unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sunaga, Koshi Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 7082001
    Abstract: A dual mode mirror imaging system is described having a Cassegrain-type objective assembly having a primary mirror with a hole in its center and a secondary mirror spaced in front of the primary mirror, and imager optics disposed in the hole. The secondary mirror is adapted to receive laser wavelength light and infrared wavelength light reflected from the primary mirror and to reflect the light back through the imager optics to focal plane. The secondary mirror has one reflecting surface for the laser light and another reflecting surface for the infrared light. The pair of reflecting surface is positioned to change the optical path length between the laser light and the infrared light so that the laser light and the infrared light are imaged at the same focal plane without defocusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2006
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Jay N. Vizgaitis
  • Patent number: 7068446
    Abstract: A nonimaging optical system for processing a first and second light distribution. The nonimaging optical system includes at least two refractive surfaces, at least one reflective surface nearer to the first light distribution along at least one ray path than the nearer of the two refracting surfaces and the reflective surface and the refractive surfaces cooperating to redirect light edge rays of the first light distribution into the neighborhood of the edge of the second light distribution with a single reflection from the reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Illumitech Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin D. Jacobson, Robert D. Gengelbach
  • Patent number: 7016124
    Abstract: An image-formation optical system is disclosed which is an off-axial optical system configured using reflective surfaces, with which the performance deterioration with respect to manufacturing discrepancies is reduced, and which can be made sufficiently compact. The image-formation optical system comprises a reflective optical unit including a plurality of reflective surfaces. Each of the reflective surfaces has a curvature and a rotationally asymmetric shape. Moreover, L/{Er(S?1)} is smaller than 2.2 and L/{Eo (S?1)} is larger than 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koshi Hatakeyama, Toshihiro Sunaga
  • Patent number: 6969840
    Abstract: An all-reflective telescope has, in order, a positive-optical-power primary mirror, a negative-optical-power secondary mirror, a positive-optical-power tertiary mirror, a negative-optical-power quaternary mirror, and a positive-optical-power field lens. The mirrors and lens are axisymmetric about a beam axis. The light beam is incident upon an infrared detector after reflecting from the quaternary mirror. A cooling housing encloses the detector and the field lens, but does not enclose any of the mirrors. An uncooled warm-stop structure outside of the cooling housing but in a field of view of the detector is formed as a plurality of facets with reflective surfaces oriented to reflect a view of an interior of the cooling housing back to the interior of the cooling housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: P. Chris Theriault, Rudolph E. Radau, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6970286
    Abstract: A reflective afocal telescope is described herein that has multiple field of views and can be packaged in a compact arrangement. In one embodiment, the reflective telescope includes two entrance pupils, a primary mirror, a secondary mirror, a tertiary mirror, a quaternary mirror, a moveable fold mirror and an exit pupil. The fold mirror can be moved into a non-bypass position and out of the way such that the incident beams transverse the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary mirrors and form a collimated region and a real external exit pupil. Or, the fold mirror can be moved into a bypass position where the incident beams bypass the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary mirrors and instead reflect off the fold mirror directly to the exit pupil. In an alternative embodiment, the tertiary mirror instead of the fold mirror can be moved into either the bypass position or the non-bypass position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventor: Joseph M. Kunick
  • Patent number: 6940660
    Abstract: An optical device has a plurality of optical elements lined up in a row laterally. The optical elements in each case have a light entry surface, a light exit surface, and an associated optical axis. The light entry surfaces are in each case formed convexly in the manner of a lens in a central region surrounding the optical axis. The central region is in each case surrounded by an annular reflector, which is preferably composed of a plurality of individual reflectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Osram GmbH
    Inventor: Simon Blümel
  • Patent number: 6934095
    Abstract: An electronic imaging apparatus includes an optical system that has a reflecting surface for bending an optical path, and a variable-transmittance optical element placed in the optical system. The variable-transmittance optical element is constructed so that a ray of light passes through the optical element a plurality of times. Whereby, a slim-design electronic imaging apparatus can be provided which is small in size and extremely small in depth and in which the amount of light can be adjusted in a wide range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichi Mihara
  • Patent number: 6927901
    Abstract: A projection lens for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane onto an image plane using electromagnetic radiation from the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) spectral region has several imaging mirrors between its object plane and image plane that define an optical axis of the projection lens and have reflective coatings. At least one of those mirrors has a graded reflective coating that has a film-thickness gradient that is rotationally symmetric with respect to a coating axis, where that coating axis is acentrically arranged with respect to the optical axis of the projection lens. Providing at least one acentric, graded, reflective coating allows designing projection lenses that allow highly uniform field illumination, combined with high total transmittance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich, Russell M. Hudyma
  • Patent number: 6908200
    Abstract: Two reflection surfaces that are a first reflection surface (2) and a second reflection surface (3), each in a non-axisymmetric form, are disposed in the stated order in a direction in which light fluxes travel, and bring light fluxes from an object into focus on an image surface (4). The first reflection surface (2) and the second reflection surface (3) are provided eccentrically, and each of the first reflection surface (2) and the second refection surface (3) is concave in a cross-sectional shape taken along a plane containing a center of the image surface (4) and vertices of the reflection surfaces (2, 3). This ensures that light fluxes are guided to the image surface without being blocked, whereby an excellent image can be formed. Thus, a reflective optical device with a wider angle and improved performance can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motonobu Yoshikawa, Yoshiharu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 6902282
    Abstract: An all-reflective, relayed optical system is arranged along a beam path. The optical system includes a first mirror having positive optical power, and a second mirror having a negative optical power, wherein the second mirror receives the beam path reflected from the first mirror and wherein an intermediate image is formed after the beam path reflects from the second mirror. The optical system further includes a third mirror having positive optical power, wherein the intermediate image on the beam path is reflected from the third mirror; a fourth mirror having a negative optical power, wherein the beam path reflected by the third mirror is reflected by the fourth mirror, and a fifth mirror having positive optical power, wherein the beam path reflected by the fourth mirror is reflected by the fifth mirror to an image location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Lacy G. Cook
  • Patent number: 6900951
    Abstract: The invention relates to a small-format display optical system using a reflection type image device as an image display device and capable of displaying bright, high-resolution images. The display optical system comprises a reflection type display device 3 for displaying an image, an illumination light source 5 for illuminating the reflection type display device 3, an illumination optical system for guiding light from the illumination light source 5 to the reflection type disply device 3, a relay optical system 21 for projection of an image appearing on the reflection type display device 3 and an eyepiece optical system 22 acting to converge a light beam from the relay optical system 21 toward the eyeball of a viewer. An image projected through the relay optical system 21 is formed near the eyepiece optical system 22.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Amanai, Takayoshi Togino
  • Patent number: 6885509
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of viewing an image. Light is projected from the image. The projected light is split into first and second bundles of light focusing over a first and a second focal region respectively. The light at the first focal region is detected at a first resolution. The light at the second focal region is detected at a second resolution different from the first resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Be Here Corporation
    Inventors: Edward P. Wallerstein, Edward Driscoll Jr., Willard Curtis Lomax
  • Patent number: 6879379
    Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus for microlithography has a light source, an illumination system, a mask-positioning system and a projection lens. The latter has a system aperture plane and an image plane and contains at least one lens that is made of a material which has a birefringence dependent on the transmission angle. The exposure apparatus further has an optical element, which has a position-dependent polarization-rotating effect or a position-dependent birefringence. This element, which is provided close to a pupil plane of the projection exposure apparatus, compensates at least partially for the birefringent effects produced in the image plane by the at least one lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Martin Brunotte, Jürgen Hartmaier, Hubert Holderer, Winfried Kaiser, Alexander Kohl, Jens Kugler, Manfred Maul, Christian Wagner
  • Patent number: 6867913
    Abstract: There is provided a microlithography projection objective for short wavelengths, with an entrance pupil and an exit pupil for imaging an object field in an image field, which represents a segment of a ring field, in which the segment has an axis of symmetry and an extension perpendicular to the axis of symmetry and the extension is at least 20 mm. The objective comprises a first (S1), a second (S2), a third (S3), a fourth (S4), a fifth (S5) and a sixth mirror (S6) in centered arrangement relative to an optical axis. Each of these mirrors have an off-axis segment, in which the light beams traveling through the projection objective impinge. The diameter of the off-axis segment of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth mirrors as a function of the numerical aperture NA of the objective at the exit pupil is ?1200 mm * NA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Hans-Jürgen Mann, Udo Dinger, Michael Mühlbeyer
  • Patent number: RE41350
    Abstract: An objective comprising axial symmetry, at least one curved mirror and at least one lens and two intermediate images. The objective includes two refractive partial objectives and one catadioptric partial objective. The objective includes a first partial objective, a first intermediate a image, a second partial objective, a second intermediate image, and a third partial objective. At least one of the partial objectives is purely refractive. One of the partial objectives is purely refractive and one is purely catoptric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: David R. Shafer, Alois Herkommer, Karl-Heinz Schuster, Gerd Füerter, Rudolph Von Büenau, Wilhelm Ulrich
  • Patent number: RE42570
    Abstract: An aspheric reduction objective has a catadioptric partial objective (L1), an intermediate image (IMI) and a refractive partial objective (L2). The catadioptric partial objective has an assembly centered to the optical axis and this assembly includes two mutually facing concave mirrors (M1, M2). The cutouts in the mirrors (B1, B2) lead to an aperture obscuration which can be held to be very small by utilizing lenses close to the mirrors and having a high negative refractive power and aspheric lens surfaces (27, 33). The position of the entry and exit pupils can be corrected with aspherical lens surfaces (12, 48, 53) in the field lens groups. The number of spherical lenses in the refractive partial objective can be reduced with aspherical lens surfaces (66, 78) arranged symmetrically to the diaphragm plane. Neighboring aspheric lens surfaces (172, 173) form additional correction possibilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Karl Heinz Schuster