Patent · US Expired

Coaxial wideband refractive optical system

US4621888A · kind A · utility

24Cited by
3References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 10, 1983
Grant dateNov 11, 1986
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 10, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B23/12
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A coaxial wideband refractive optical system is disclosed which permits the use of high resolution optical sensors and transmitters in the visible energy wavelengths centered at 0.5 microns to the 12 microns wavelength in the infrared energy band. The system includes a front objective lens of wideband transmitting material such as, for example, ZnS, ZnSe, GaAs, TI-1173 glass or Ge followed by a beamsplitter and two doublet lenses. The front objective lens, which may be a positive lens, can have large color dispersion characteristics (aberrations) not normally associated with front lenses. A front, solid wideband objective lens is provided for receiving incoming electromagnetic energy radiating at about 0.5 micron to about 12 microns wavelength in the infrared for reducing the size of the beam diameter; thus, the size of the beamsplitter and the elements of the infrared and visible optical paths formed by the beam splitter may be reduced. Each optical path formed by the beamsplitter includes one of the two lens doublets, each of which includes a negative lens of material like that of the front lens for correcting color aberrations and a positive lens which coacts with the remaining …

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