Optical system for tricolor separation

Claim 2

An optical system for tricolor separation advantageous for use in a color television camera device, comprising a plurality of prisms arranged in succession along a nonreflecting axis for separating the light directed toward said prism arrangement into a plurality of components, a first prism having a greenreflective multilayer film interference filter along one boundary surface, a second boundary surface opposing said first boundary surface and adapted, by virtue of air-glass transition, to totally reflect the green light component of the impinging light reflected back by said green-reflective multilayer film interference filter, a second prism having a first boundary surface adjacent said first prism first boundary surface, and having a second boundary surface provided with a second multilayer film interference filter for separating the red light component from the flue light component in the light transmitted through said first multilayer interference filter; said second prism first boundary surface adjacent to said first boundary surface of said first prism being adapted, by virtue of its airglass transition to totally reflect the light component reflected back by said second multilayer film interference filter, whereby the angle formed by the plane of said green-reflective multilayer film interference filter and the plane which is at right angle to the nonreflecting optical axis is less than 30*, while the angle formed by the plane of said second multilayer film interference filter and the plane which is at right angle to the nonreflecting optical axis may be any arbitrary value without increasing the effect of the deleterious polarization phenomena.

Claim 3

The optical system of claim 1, in which said second multilayer film interference filter has an optical property such that the red light component is reflected back into said second prism while the blue component is transmiTted therethrough such that at least one of the blue and red light components traverses a linear path throughout said optical system.

Claim 4

The optical system of claim 1, in which said second multilayer film interference filter has an optical property such tat the blue light component is reflected back while the red light component is transmitted therethrough.

Claim 5

The optical system of claim 1, further characterized in that green, red and blue trimming filters are respectively disposed in each optical path for the respective separated light components exiting from the optical system for further approximating the ideal spectral characteristics of the respective separated light output to the green, red and blue visual sensitivity characteristics of the human eyes.

Claim 6

An optical system of prism type for tricolor separation as claimed in claim 1, in which said air-glass transition along the second boundary surface of said second prism is formed by a thin planar space provided between the second boundary surface of said second prism and a first boundary surface of a third prism positioned between said first and second prisms.

Claim 7

An optical system of prism type for tricolor separation as claimed in claim 1, in which said first prism is located closest to the source of light directed to the optical system for color separation and said air-glass transition along said second boundary surface of said first prism is formed at the incident surface of said prism-type optical surface.

Claim 8

An optical system for separating color components from light impinging upon said system and directed along a nonreflecting axis comprising a first prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance surface through which said light enters, and first and second exit surfaces; means provided along the first exit surface of said first prism for selectively reflecting a first component of said impinging light whose wavelength lies intermediate the ends of the visible light spectrum toward said entrance surface while permitting the remaining light components of said impinging light show wavelengths at least partially overlap and are above and below said reflected component to exist through said first exit surface; said entrance surface reflecting said first light component toward said second exit surface causing said first light component to leave said first prism along a path transverse to the nonreflecting axis; a second prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance surface and first and second exit surfaces; said second prism entrance surface being positioned to receive the remaining light components passing through said first means; second means positioned along said second prism first exit surface for reflecting a second light component contained in the light passing through said first means whose wavelength lies above said first light component toward said second prism entrance surface while permitting the remaining light component whose wavelength lies below and is nonoverlapping with said first light component to exit through said second prism first exit surface; said second prism entrance surface reflecting said second light component toward said second exit surface and causing said second light component to leave said second prism along a path transverse to said axis.

Claim 9

An optical system for separating color components from light impinging upon said system and directed along a nonreflecting axis comprising a first prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance surface through which said light enters, and first and second exit surfaces; means provided along the first exit surface of said first prism for selectively reflecting a first component of said impinging light whose wavelength lies intermediate the ends of the visible light spectrum toward said entrance surface while permitting the remaining light components of said impinging light show wavelengths at least partially overlap and are above and below said reflected component to exist through said first exit surface; said entrance surface reflecting said first light component toward said second exit surface causing said first light component to leave said first prism along a path transverse to the nonreflecting axis; a second prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance surface and first and second exit surfaces; said second prism entrance surface being positioned to receive the remaining light components passing through said first means; second means positioned along said second prism first exit surface for reflecting a second light component contained in the light passing through said first means whose wavelength lies above said first light component toward said second prism entrance surface while permitting the remaining light component whose wavelength lies below and is nonoverlapping with said first light component to exit through said second prism first exit surface; said second prism entrance surface reflecting said second light component toward said second exit surface and causing said second light component to leave said second prism along a path transverse to said axis.

Claim 10

An optical system for separating color components from light impinging upon said system and directed above a nonreflecting axis comprising a first prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance surface through which said light enters, and first and second exit surfaces; means provided along the first exit surface of said first prism for selectively reflecting a first component of said impinging light whose wavelength lies intermediate the ends of the visible light spectrum toward said entrance surface while permitting the remaining light components of said impinging light whose wavelengths partially overlap and are above and below said reflected compoNent to exit through said first exit surface; said entrance surface reflecting said first light component toward said second exit surface causing said first light component to leave said first prism along a path transverse to the nonreflecting axis; a second prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance surface and first and second exit surfaces; said second prism entrance surface being positioned to receive the remaining light components passing through said first means; second means positioned along said second prism first exit surface for reflecting a second light component contained in the light passing through said first means whose wavelength lies below and is nonoverlapping with said first light component toward said second prism entrance surface while permitting the remaining light component whose wavelength lies above and is nonoverlapping with said first light component to exit through said second prism first exit surface; said second prism entrance surface reflecting said second light component toward said second exit surface and causing said second light component to leave said second prism along a path transverse to said axis.

Claim 11

An optical system for separating color components from light impinging upon said system and directed above a nonreflecting axis comprising a first prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance surface through which said light enters, and first and second exit surfaces; means provided along the first exit surface of said first prism for selectively reflecting a first component of said impinging light whose wavelength lies intermediate the ends of the visible light spectrum toward said entrance surface while permitting the remaining light components of said impinging light whose wavelengths partially overlap and are above and below said reflected compoNent to exit through said first exit surface; said entrance surface reflecting said first light component toward said second exit surface causing said first light component to leave said first prism along a path transverse to the nonreflecting axis; a second prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance surface and first and second exit surfaces; said second prism entrance surface being positioned to receive the remaining light components passing through said first means; second means positioned along said second prism first exit surface for reflecting a second light component contained in the light passing through said first means whose wavelength lies below and is nonoverlapping with said first light component toward said second prism entrance surface while permitting the remaining light component whose wavelength lies above and is nonoverlapping with said first light component to exit through said second prism first exit surface; said second prism entrance surface reflecting said second light component toward said second exit surface and causing said second light component to leave said second prism along a path transverse to said axis.

Claim 12

The optical system of claim 7 further comprising a third prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance and an exit surface; said entrance surface positioned adjacent said second means to cause the light component passed by said second means to leave said third prism through its exit surface along a path parallel to said nonreflecting axis.

Claim 13

The optical system of claim 8 further comprising a third prism positioned along said axis and having an entrance and an exit surface; said entrance surface being positioned adjacent said second means to cause the light component passed by said second means to leave said third prism through its exit surface along a path parallel to said nonreflecting axis.

Claim 14

The optical system of claim 9 further comprising first, second and third pickup means each being respectively sensitive to said first, second and remaining light components and being positioned to intercept their associated light components separated by said optical system for generating signals representative of the light components impinging upon said pickup means.

Claim 15

The optical system of claim 10 further comprising first, second and third pickup means each being respectively sensitive to said first, second and remaining light components and being positioned to intercept their associated light components separated by said optical system for generating signals representative of the light components impinging upon said pickup means.

Claim 16

The optical system of claim 9 further comprising first, second and third light trimming means being positioned adjacent said first prism, second exit surface, said second prism second exit surface and said third prism exit surface respectively for modifying their respective exiting light components to cause the characteristics of said light components to approach the ideal spectral characteristics to achieve color purity

Claim 17

The optical system of claim 10 further comprising first, second and third light trimming means being positioned adjacent said first prism second exit surface, said second prism second exit surface and said third prism exit surface respectively for modifying their respective exiting light components to cause the characteristics of said light components to approach the ideal spectral characteristics to achieve color purity.