Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for detecting a focussing condition of an objective lens

US4455085A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
5References
36Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 14, 1981
Grant dateJun 19, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 14, 2001

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B2007/0919
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting a focussing error signal of an objective lens with respect to a video disc on which a light beam emitted from a laser light source is to be focussed as a light spot by the objective lens. A light flux reflected by the video disc is made incident upon a detection prism surface which is set substantially at a critical angle with respect to a central light ray in the reflected light flux, and two light fluxes which situate on respective sides of a boundary plane including the central light ray and perpendicular to a plane of incidence, and are reflected by the reflection surface are separately received by two light receiving regions which are divided along a boundary plane including the central light ray reflected by the reflection surface and perpendicular to the plane of incidence. The focussing error signal is derived as a difference between output signals from the two light receiving regions. A relay lens is arranged between the reflection surface of the detection prism and the light receiving regions and the relay lens forms an image of a pupil of the objective lens on the light receiving regions.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.