Patent · US Expired

Infrared telescope with harmonization of the input and output axes

US6177671A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
13References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 23, 1998
Grant dateJan 23, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 23, 2018

Classification

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

Abstract

An infrared telescope, an apparatus for the harmonizing of its input and output axes including an infrared camera enabling the observation of an infrared scene and delivering a video signal representing the infrared scene, the infrared camera having a sighting axis that constitutes the input axis; a display screen receiving the video signal and displaying the corresponding image in the visible frequency spectrum; a bispectral, visible and infrared collimator, collimating the image displayed on the display screen at infinity, the collimator having an optical axis that constitutes the output axis; an infrared source positioned in a predefined way with respect to the output axis and positioned so that its radiation is collimated at infinity by the collimator; an element the reflection of the radiation coming from the infrared source at output of the collimator towards the infrared camera, the element enabling the formation on the display screen of an image of the infrared source; a device to measure the shift between the predefined position of the infrared source and the image of the infrared source on the display screen; and a device adjusting the telescope to reduce the shift.

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