Patent · US Expired

Optical instrument with micro-lenses

US5270859A · kind A · utility

48Cited by
5References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 30, 1992
Grant dateDec 14, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 30, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B3/0062
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A variety of optical systems can be formed from select configurations of micro-optic multiplets (MOM) comprised of two or more microlens modules (MLM). The MLMs themselves are formed from planar arrays of microlenses. An optical system configured in accordance with the present invention forms a single primary image, together with a set of images transversely displaced from an optic axis and is characterized by the property that the image distance and the object distance move in the same direction, in stark contrast to known lens systems. For example, when an object distance decreases, the corresponding image distance also decreases with the present optical system.

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