Depolarizer, telescope and remote sensing device and method
US9383490B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 10, 2012 |
| Grant date | Jul 5, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 16, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B2207/123
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A light beam is applied to a front surface of an optical depolarizer. The depolarizer rotates the polarization of light received on different surface positions by different amounts, so that the average incoming polarization is scrambled. The depolarizer has a first and second body that transmit first and second polarization components of the beam with mutually different speeds of light. Each body has two wedge shaped parts of variable thickness, corresponding wedge shaped parts in the two bodies providing light paths of substantially position independent lengths, but with variable rotation of polarization. The wedge shape parts of the front body form a concave input surface for the incoming beam. This prevents cross-over of light between the different wedge shaped parts.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.