Optical system of light gathering using orthogonal compressions to form large diameter, shallow depth telescopes
US8085466B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 8, 2008 |
| Grant date | Dec 27, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 20, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B27/0087
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Optical system for a telescope having independent optical arms adapted to collect light rays over a first cross sectional area and compress it into a second cross sectional area less than the first cross sectional area. Orthogonal mirror pairs of parabolic trough mirrors compress light in first one dimension and then the other dimension and feed the light into a focusing smaller telescope structure. The gathered light is kept parallel and its wavefront is kept in phase, allowing the telescope to have the diffraction limit of the collective aperture. The optical arms are independently adjustable to point the system toward different objects of interest and track them.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.