US3596083A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Apparatus for producing a uniform light field
Assignee: GCA Corp
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Filing: 1969-04-11
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Granted: 1971-07-27
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Expires: 1989-04-11
Abstract
Abstract A projector for microreduction photographic apparatus in which light from an arc discharge source is collimated and filtered to pass only wavelengths to which photosensitive material is responsive and then focused upon the entrance face of a fiber optics bundle, the entrance face being contoured to match the configuration of the focused image. The fiber bundle has an exit face circular in cross section and the fibers are randomly dispersed so that fibers in any given area of the entrance face are dispersed throughout the total area of the circular exit face in order to provide a uniform light field, a condenser lens system directs the rays emitted from the exit face of the bundle uniformly upon the entrance pupil of a projection lens; thus the radiation from the nearly rectangular arc discharge is transformed at maximum efficiency into a uniform, collimated, narrow band source for the projection lens.
Inventors
- 👤 Howard B Lovering
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 16:16
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03B; G03B27/00; G03B27/32; G03B27/52; G03B27/54; G03B27/545; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/24; G02B6/42; G02B6/4298
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
200 words
Apparatus for producing a uniform light field for use in exposing high-contrast, high-resolution photosensitive materials, comprising: a light source; a first lens for collimating light rays, said lens being corrected for spherical aberration; a second lens for focusing said collimated rays upon a target; a bundle of elongated, optically transparent fibers terminating in an optical entrance face at one end of the bundle, said face comprising said target, and terminating in an optical exit face at the other end of the bundle; the ends of the fibers at the entrance face being disposed in a first array having a shape whose envelope circumscribes the image of tHe light source; the ends of the fibers at the exit face being disposed in a circular array in which the fibers of any group of fibers lying in any given area of the entrance face are randomly dispersed throughout the area of the exit face, whereby the distribution of light in said circular array is substantially uniform, the area of said circular array being approximately equal to the area of said first array; and a lens system for focusing an image of said circular array upon a plane disposed at a predetermined location.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
200 words
Apparatus for producing a uniform light field for use in exposing high-contrast, high-resolution photosensitive materials, comprising: a light source; a first lens for collimating light rays, said lens being corrected for spherical aberration; a second lens for focusing said collimated rays upon a target; a bundle of elongated, optically transparent fibers terminating in an optical entrance face at one end of the bundle, said face comprising said target, and terminating in an optical exit face at the other end of the bundle; the ends of the fibers at the entrance face being disposed in a first array having a shape whose envelope circumscribes the image of tHe light source; the ends of the fibers at the exit face being disposed in a circular array in which the fibers of any group of fibers lying in any given area of the entrance face are randomly dispersed throughout the area of the exit face, whereby the distribution of light in said circular array is substantially uniform, the area of said circular array being approximately equal to the area of said first array; and a lens system for focusing an image of said circular array upon a plane disposed at a predetermined location.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
94 words
The device of claim 1 including a balancing element between said light source and said entrance face, the element comprising a transparent medium a portion of whose surface is provided with an opaque portion to bar the passage of light through the element, the opaque portion having a configuration adapted to attenuate, as a function of the radius of the element, that portion of light energy required to be subtracted from the image field at the radius thereof proportional to said radius of the element to obtain uniformity of illumination of the image field.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
The device of claim 1 in which the fibers of said entrance face are stacked in a rectangular array, the fibers at said exit face are stacked in a circular array, and the envelope of said rectangular array geometrically approximately circumscribes the image of said light source falling thereon.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The device of claim 3 including a light filter between said first and second lenses for transmitting from the light of said source only light of a frequency to which the photosensitive material is relatively highly sensitive.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
185 words
A projector for microreduction photographic apparatus employing a photosensitive material responsive to a predetermined range of wavelengths, comprising an arc discharge source of light, a collimating lens system disposed adjacent said source, a filter disposed in the path of collimated rays leaving said lens system and serving to pass light only at wavelengths within the range to which the photosensitive material is responsive, a focusing lens system for focusing the filtered and collimated rays at a predetermined plane, a bundle of optically transparent fibers having a planar entrance face disposed in said plane, the fibers at said entrance face being arranged approximately to match the configuration of the image of the light source focused upon said plane, said bundle having an exit face in which the fibers are arrayed in circular formation, the group of fibers in any given area of the entrance face being randomly dispersed throughout the total area of the circular exit face, a projection lens, and a condenser lens system disposed to direct rays emitted from the exit face of the bundle uniformly upon the entrance pupil of said projection lens.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
185 words
A projector for microreduction photographic apparatus employing a photosensitive material responsive to a predetermined range of wavelengths, comprising an arc discharge source of light, a collimating lens system disposed adjacent said source, a filter disposed in the path of collimated rays leaving said lens system and serving to pass light only at wavelengths within the range to which the photosensitive material is responsive, a focusing lens system for focusing the filtered and collimated rays at a predetermined plane, a bundle of optically transparent fibers having a planar entrance face disposed in said plane, the fibers at said entrance face being arranged approximately to match the configuration of the image of the light source focused upon said plane, said bundle having an exit face in which the fibers are arrayed in circular formation, the group of fibers in any given area of the entrance face being randomly dispersed throughout the total area of the circular exit face, a projection lens, and a condenser lens system disposed to direct rays emitted from the exit face of the bundle uniformly upon the entrance pupil of said projection lens.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
183 words
A projector for microreduction photographic apparatus employing a photosensitive material responsive to a predetermined range of wavelengths, comprising an arc discharge source of light, a collimating lens system disposed adjacent said source, a filter disposed in the path of collimated rays leaving said lens system and serving to pass light only at wavelengths within the range to which the photosensitive material is responsive, a focusing lens system for focusing the filtered and collimated rays at a predetermined plane, a bundle of optically transparent fibers having a planar entrance face disposed in said plane, the fibers at said entrance face being arrayed in a rectangle whose length and width approximate the dimensions of the arc discharge, said bundle having an exit face in which the fibers are arrayed in circular formation, the group of fibers in any given area of the entrance face being randomly dispersed throughout the total area of the circular exit face, a projection lens, and a condenser lens system disposed to direct rays emitted from the exit face of the bundle uniformly upon the entrance pupil of said projection lens.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
183 words
A projector for microreduction photographic apparatus employing a photosensitive material responsive to a predetermined range of wavelengths, comprising an arc discharge source of light, a collimating lens system disposed adjacent said source, a filter disposed in the path of collimated rays leaving said lens system and serving to pass light only at wavelengths within the range to which the photosensitive material is responsive, a focusing lens system for focusing the filtered and collimated rays at a predetermined plane, a bundle of optically transparent fibers having a planar entrance face disposed in said plane, the fibers at said entrance face being arrayed in a rectangle whose length and width approximate the dimensions of the arc discharge, said bundle having an exit face in which the fibers are arrayed in circular formation, the group of fibers in any given area of the entrance face being randomly dispersed throughout the total area of the circular exit face, a projection lens, and a condenser lens system disposed to direct rays emitted from the exit face of the bundle uniformly upon the entrance pupil of said projection lens.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-07-26 | 1975-01-25 | 1975-07-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-07-26 | 1979-01-25 | 1979-07-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-07-26 | 1983-01-25 | 1983-07-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |