Optical system for television camera

Claim 1

An electro-optical mast system for visual surveillance through a wide range of azimuth angles and providing for visual elevation and angle tracking, comprising: a substantially vertically oriented hollow cylindrical housing; a plurality of television camera modules spaced axially within said housing, each of said modules including at least a first optical window within the wall of said housing; a television camera tube mounted within each of said modules, said tube facing substantially vertically upward; a telescopic lens generally above and spaced axially from said camera tube in each of said modules to direct a light pattern onto the face of the corresponding camera tube; a mirror mounted rotatably about a first axis which is substantially a cross-sectional diameter of said housing, said mirror being rotatable thereabout to direct the field of view of said telescopic lens in each of said modules through said window at a vertical angle determined by the rotational posItion of said mirror; an azimuth rotational mount permitting said mirror to be independently rotated about the vertical axis of said housing; and a camera tube rotational mount permitting said camera tube to be independently rotated about said vertical housing axis, whereby the angular relationship in the azimuth plane between said mirror mount and said camera tube is subject to control.