US3670098A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical scanning apparatus
Assignee: Zenith Electronics LLC
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Filing: 1970-03-09
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Granted: 1972-06-13
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Expires: 1990-03-09
Abstract
Abstract An object to be studied or analyzed is flooded with light from a laser. The light field transmitted from the object, which might for example be a transparency or a vibrating surface, is received by a photodetector. Another portion of the laser light or radiation is deflected throughout a scanning pattern and also caused to fall upon the photodetector. An optical system included in the reference beam path brings the reference beam to a focus (either real or virtual image) at a selected distance from the active surface of the photodetector. As a result, the electric signals developed by the photodetector represent a cross-section of the light field, transmitted from the object, located a distance from the photodetector surface which is the same as the distance therefrom to the focus of the scanned reference beam. Different cross-sections of the signal field from the object may be displayed merely by modifying the optical system. Depending on the manner in which the electric signals are processed, they may be caused to represent either a direct image or a hologram of the cross-section being visualized. By using the electric signals to drive a television-type monitor, a real-time display is reproduced.
Inventors
- 👤 Adrianus Korpel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 14:28
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N13/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S359/00; Y10S359/901
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
113 words
Apparatus for analyzing an object comprising: means for flooding said object to produce a coherent-light signal field perturbed by a characteristic of the object; means for developing a reference beam of radiation time coherent with said light; means for deflecting said reference beam throughout a scanning pattern; a photodetector having a surface responsive jointly to said reference beam and said signal field for developing electric signals representative of said characteristic; and means for viewing a cross-section of said signal field at a pre-selected distance from said photodetector surface including an optical system for bringing said reference beam to a focus at an effective distance from said photodetector surface corresponding to said pre-selected distance.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
113 words
Apparatus for analyzing an object comprising: means for flooding said object to produce a coherent-light signal field perturbed by a characteristic of the object; means for developing a reference beam of radiation time coherent with said light; means for deflecting said reference beam throughout a scanning pattern; a photodetector having a surface responsive jointly to said reference beam and said signal field for developing electric signals representative of said characteristic; and means for viewing a cross-section of said signal field at a pre-selected distance from said photodetector surface including an optical system for bringing said reference beam to a focus at an effective distance from said photodetector surface corresponding to said pre-selected distance.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 which further includes a display device for developing an image raster synchronously related to said scanning patTern and responsive to said electric signal for creating on said raster a picture of said signal field at said cross-section.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 which further includes a video detector for demodulating the amplitude of said electric signals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 which further includes a phase detector for demodulating the phase of said electrical signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
65 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the frequency of said radiation in said reference beam differs by a predetermined amount from the frequency of said light in said signal field and which further includes means for mixing said electric signals with a reference signal having a frequency differing by said predetermined amount from an intermediate frequency and means for amplifying said intermediate frequency.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the perturbation of said signal field creates in said electric signal a plurality of modulation components individually at respective different frequencies and which further includes filter means responsive to said electric signals for selecting a particular one of said modulation components.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said photodetector is disposed to intercept all of the light and radiation present in both said signal field and said reference beam.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which, upon arrival at said photodetector surface, the phase front of said radiation in said reference beam are tangential with the phase front of said light in said signal field.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said optical system is adjustable to vary the effective distance from said photodetector surface to said focus.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said object surface effectively represents an acoustic hologram and said electric signals include components representative of said acoustic hologram.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
160 words
Apparatus for producing a signal representative of image information in selected planes of a coherent-light-signal field spatially modulated by an object, comprising: a photodetector having a surface responding to light amplitude variations to develop an electrical signal; means for illuminating a predetermined area of said photodetector surface with a flood beam of coherent light spatially modulated with said image information, said modulated flood beam constituting said signal field; means for developing a reference beam of radiation time-coherent with said light and of constant intensity; means for scanning said reference beam over said predetermined area of said photodetector surface; and means for viewing a cross-section of said modulated flood beam at a preselected distance from said modulating object including an optical system for bringing said reference beam to a focus at an effective distance from said object corresponding to said preselected distance so that said signal from said photodetector varies in a manner representative of said image information over said cross-section.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
160 words
Apparatus for producing a signal representative of image information in selected planes of a coherent-light-signal field spatially modulated by an object, comprising: a photodetector having a surface responding to light amplitude variations to develop an electrical signal; means for illuminating a predetermined area of said photodetector surface with a flood beam of coherent light spatially modulated with said image information, said modulated flood beam constituting said signal field; means for developing a reference beam of radiation time-coherent with said light and of constant intensity; means for scanning said reference beam over said predetermined area of said photodetector surface; and means for viewing a cross-section of said modulated flood beam at a preselected distance from said modulating object including an optical system for bringing said reference beam to a focus at an effective distance from said object corresponding to said preselected distance so that said signal from said photodetector varies in a manner representative of said image information over said cross-section.
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) | 1975-06-13 | 1975-12-13 | 1976-06-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-13 | 1979-12-13 | 1980-06-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-13 | 1983-12-13 | 1984-06-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |