Reproduction camera with variable image scale

Claim 2

A reproduction camera comprising: spherically effective front lens means centered on an optical axis; spherically effective rear lens means coaxial with said front lens means and axially separated therefrom by an air space; an objective housing fixedly supporting said front and rear lens means therein; a first pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with first setting means for varying the angular position of its prisms relative to said axis; a second pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with second setting means for varying the angular position of its prisms relative to said axis; diaphragm means in said air space between said pairs of prisms; and frame means fixedly supporting said housing while forming an object surface and an image surface separated from said front and rear lens means by respective ray paths of fixed length.

Claim 3

A camera as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of said ray paths includes a reflector on said frame means.

Claim 4

A camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising illuminating means in said frame means trained upon said object surface.

Claim 5

A camera as defined in claim 1 wherein said object and image surfaces are so spaced from said front and rear lens means as to produce a field of parallel light rays in said air space.

Claim 6

A camera as defined in claim 1 wherein said front and rear lenS means are of the same focal length.

Claim 7

A camera as defined in claim 5 wherein said front and rear lens means are identical collective lens groups.

Claim 8

A camera as defined in claim 1 wherein said pairs of prisms are mounted in said housing with freedom of relative rotation through 90* about said optical axis, said housing being provided with actuating means for so rotating said pairs of prisms between a first position of coincidence of their optically effective planes and a second position in which said planes are mutually perpendicular, adjoining prisms of said pairs converging codirectionally in said first position.

Claim 9

A reproduction camera comprising: spherically effective front lens means centered on an optical axis; spherically effective rear lens means coaxial with said front lens means and axially separated therefrom by an air space; an objective housing fixedly supporting said front and rear lens means therein; a first pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with first setting means for varying the angular position of its prisms relative to said axis; a second pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with second setting means for varying the angular position of its prisms relative to said axis, the optically effective planes of said pairs of prisms being mutually perpendicular; coupling means selectively operable to interconnect said first and second setting means for orthomorphotically varying the image scale of the objective constituted by said lens means and prism pairs; and frame means fixedly supporting said housing while forming an object surface and an image surface separated from said front and rear lens means by respective ray paths of fixed length.

Claim 10

A reproduction camera comprising: spherically effective front lens means centered on an optical axis; spherically effective rear lens means coaxial with said front lens means and axially separated therefrom by an air space; an objective housing fixedly supporting said front and rear lens means therein; a first pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with first setting means for varying the angular position of its prisms relative to said axis; a second pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with second setting means for varying the angular position of its prisms relative to said axis, the optically effective planes of said pairs of prisms being mutually perpendicular; coupling means selectively operable to interconnect said first and second setting means for orthomorphotically varying the image scale of the objective constituted by said lens means and prism pairs; and frame means fixedly supporting said housing while forming an object surface and an image surface separated from said front and rear lens means by respective ray paths of fixed length.

Claim 11

A reproduction camera comprising: spherically effective front lens means centered on an optical axis; spherically effective rear lens means coaxial with said front lens means and axially separated therefrom by an air space; an objective housing fixedly supporting said front and rear lens means therein; a first pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with first setting means for varying the angular position of its prisms relative to said axis; a second pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with second setting means for varying the angular position of its prism relative to said axis, said pairs of prisms being mounted in said housing with freedom of relative rotation through 90* about said optical axis, said housing being provided with actuating means for so rotating said pairs of prisms between a first position of coincidence of their optically effective planes and a second position in which said planes are mutually perpendicular, adjoining prisms of said pairs converging codirectionally in said first position; and frame means fixedly supporting said housing while forming an object surface and an image surface separated from said front and rear lens means by respective ray paths of fixed length.

Claim 12

A reproduction camera comprising: spherically effective front lens means centered on an optical axis; spherically effective rear lens means coaxial with said front lens means and axially separated therefrom by an air space; an objective housing fixedly supporting said front and rear lens means therein; a first pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with first setting means for varying the angular position of its prisms relative to said axis; a second pair of complementary prisms movably mounted in said housing within said air space and provided with second setting means for varying the angular position of its prism relative to said axis, said pairs of prisms being mounted in said housing with freedom of relative rotation through 90* about said optical axis, said housing being provided with actuating means for so rotating said pairs of prisms between a first position of coincidence of their optically effective planes and a second position in which said planes are mutually perpendicular, adjoining prisms of said pairs converging codirectionally in said first position; and frame means fixedly supporting said housing while forming an object surface and an image surface separated from said front and rear lens means by respective ray paths of fixed length.

Claim 13

A camera as defined in claim 9 wherein said first and second setting means are a pair of rings centered on said optical axis.

Claim 14

A camera as defined in claim 10 wherein said actuating means comprises a movable portion of said housing carrying one of said rings.

Claim 15

A camera as defined in claim 11, further comprising a diaphragm interposed between said pairs of prisms and provided with adjusting means, said movable portion carrying said diaphragm and being provided with a peripheral slot traversed by said adjusting means.

Claim 16

A camera as defined in claim 11 wherein said movable portion is provided with indexing means for locking same in either of said positions.

Claim 17

A camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising coupling means selectively operable to interconnect said firsT and second setting means for orthomorphotically varying the image scale of the objective constituted by said lens means and prism pairs, the optically effective planes of said pairs of prisms being mutually perpendicular.

Claim 18

A camera as defined in claim 8, further comprising diaphragm means in said air space between said pairs of prisms.

Claim 19

A camera as defined in claim 1 wherein said prisms consist each of two outer wedges and an inner wedge converging in opposite directions, said outer wedges having lower refractive indices and higher dispersion ratios than said inner wedges.

Claim 20

A camera as defined in claim 16 wherein said prisms are identical, each outer wedge having a vertex angle of substantially 9.6*, said inner wedge having a vertex angle of substantially 6.9* .

Claim 21

A camera as defined in claim 17 wherein each outer wedge has a refractive index nd of substantially 1.62 and a dispersion ratio Nu of substantially 60, said inner wedge having a refractive index nd of substantially 1.76 and a dispersion ratio Nu of substantially 28.