US3799652A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical deflection system with acousto optical cell and associated prisms
Assignee: Thales SA
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Filing: 1972-03-02
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Granted: 1974-03-26
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Expires: 1992-03-02
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to acousto-optical systems capable of deflecting a substantially monochromatic radiant energy beam. The acousto-optical system in accordance with the invention comprises an acousto-optical deflection cell surrounded by sets of prisms capable of producing anamorphosis of the transverse section of the radiant energy beam respectively ahead and beyond the deflection cell. The invention can be applied to any angular scan optical system operating with substantially monochromatic light, this at very high scanning velocities.
Inventors
- 👤 R Torguet
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 08:40
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/29; G02F1/33; G02B; G02B13/00; G02B13/08; G02B13/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
222 words
ACUSTO-OPTICAL DEFLECTION SYSTEM FOR DEFLECTING A MONOCHROMATIC BEAM OF RADIANT ENERGY UNDER THE CONTROL OF AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL, SAID DEFLECTION SYSTEM COMPRISING : FIRST ANAMORPHOTIC OPTICAL MEANS POSITIONED FOR RECEIVING SAID BEAM, AT LEAST ONE ACOUSTO-OPTICAL CELL POSITIONED FOR RECEIVING THE MODIFIED BEAM EMERGING FROM SAID FIRST ANAMORPHOTIC MEANS, AND SECOND ANAMORPHOTIC OPTICAL MEANS POSITIONED FOR RECEIVING THE DEFLECTED AND MODIFIED BEAM EMERGING FROM SAID ACOUSTO-OPTICAL CELL ; SAID ACOUSTO-OPTICAL CELL COMPRISING A REFRINGENT MEDIUM AND ULTRASONIC GENERATOR MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID SIGNAL FOR RADIATING WITHIN SAID MEDIUM AN ULTRASONIC WAVE CAPABLE OF MODULATING THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF SAID MEDIUM ; SAID ULTRASONIC WAVE HAVING WAVEFRONTS PERPENDICULAR TO THE DEFLECTION PLANE OF SAID CELL ; AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ANAMORPHOTIC MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PRISM HAVING A REFRACTIVE INDEX N FOR SAID RADIANT ENERGY, SAID PRISM HAVING AN INPUT AND AN OUTPUT FACE AT AN ANGLE pi /2 - theta ; THE TANGENT OF THE COMPLEMENT theta OF SAID ANGLE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID REFRACTIVE INDEX N ; SAID FACES BEING POSITIONED FOR TRANSMITTING SAID BEAM IN SUCCESSION : A DEVIATION OF SAID BEAM BEING IMPARTED BY SAID PRISM ON ONLY ONE OF SAID FACES AND SAID DEFLECTION PLANE FORMING WITH THE COMMON EDGE OF SAID FACES AN ANGLE HAVING ONE OF THE TWO VALUES 0 AND pi /2.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
222 words
ACUSTO-OPTICAL DEFLECTION SYSTEM FOR DEFLECTING A MONOCHROMATIC BEAM OF RADIANT ENERGY UNDER THE CONTROL OF AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL, SAID DEFLECTION SYSTEM COMPRISING : FIRST ANAMORPHOTIC OPTICAL MEANS POSITIONED FOR RECEIVING SAID BEAM, AT LEAST ONE ACOUSTO-OPTICAL CELL POSITIONED FOR RECEIVING THE MODIFIED BEAM EMERGING FROM SAID FIRST ANAMORPHOTIC MEANS, AND SECOND ANAMORPHOTIC OPTICAL MEANS POSITIONED FOR RECEIVING THE DEFLECTED AND MODIFIED BEAM EMERGING FROM SAID ACOUSTO-OPTICAL CELL ; SAID ACOUSTO-OPTICAL CELL COMPRISING A REFRINGENT MEDIUM AND ULTRASONIC GENERATOR MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID SIGNAL FOR RADIATING WITHIN SAID MEDIUM AN ULTRASONIC WAVE CAPABLE OF MODULATING THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF SAID MEDIUM ; SAID ULTRASONIC WAVE HAVING WAVEFRONTS PERPENDICULAR TO THE DEFLECTION PLANE OF SAID CELL ; AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ANAMORPHOTIC MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PRISM HAVING A REFRACTIVE INDEX N FOR SAID RADIANT ENERGY, SAID PRISM HAVING AN INPUT AND AN OUTPUT FACE AT AN ANGLE pi /2 - theta ; THE TANGENT OF THE COMPLEMENT theta OF SAID ANGLE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID REFRACTIVE INDEX N ; SAID FACES BEING POSITIONED FOR TRANSMITTING SAID BEAM IN SUCCESSION : A DEVIATION OF SAID BEAM BEING IMPARTED BY SAID PRISM ON ONLY ONE OF SAID FACES AND SAID DEFLECTION PLANE FORMING WITH THE COMMON EDGE OF SAID FACES AN ANGLE HAVING ONE OF THE TWO VALUES 0 AND pi /2.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said common edge perpendicular to the deflection plane of said cell.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said common edge is parallel to the deflection plane of said cell.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said anamorphotic optical means comprises a set of prisms.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
89 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said prisms has input and output faces forming with one another an angle equal to the complement of said angle theta ; the mutual opposite faces of two successive prisms in said set forming an angle equal to said angle theta and the other faces of said successive prims forming with one another an angle equal to said angle theta ; the common edges of the two faces in each of said prisms being parallel with one another.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
81 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said anamorphotic optical means comprises at least one prism having two faces perpendicular to said deflection plane and making with one another an angle equal to the complement of said angle theta ; said cell comprising a bar having two lateral faces respectively opposite one of the prism faces belonging to said first and second anamorphotic optical means; each prism having one face immediately opposite one of said lateral faces.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said lateral faces are substantially parallel to the immediately opposite faces of said prisms.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said lateral faces are in contact with the immediately opposite faces of said prisms.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
62 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said anamorphotic means are constituted at least partially by two triangular section portions of a prismatic block of trapezoidal section having a central part adjacent said portions ; said bar being constituted by said central part ; electro-mechanical transducer means being provided to radiate through said central part a beam of ultrasonic energy.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the faces of said prisms comprises an anti-reflective coating.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
59 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, comprising two aligned deflection units ; each of said units including an acousto-optical cell and first and second anamorphotic means respectively positioned ahead and beyond the cell included in each of said units ; the respective deflection planes of said units making with one another an angle having a predetermined value.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
Acustooptical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising first and second supplementary anamorphotic means forming an afocal optical system ; said anamorphotic means and said cell being positioned between said supplementary anamorphotic means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
Acousto-optical deflection sytem as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first and second supplementary anamorphotic means are convergent cylindrical lenses having a common focal line ; said cell being located along said focal line.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic generator means comprise at least one electro-mechanical transducer ; said refringent medium being a bar carrying on one of its ends said transducer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
76 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first anamorphotic optical means is constituted by at least one prism having input and output faces perpendicular to the plane of deflection of said cell ; said second anamorphotic optical means being constituted by at least one prism having input and output faces ; the common edge of the input and output prism faces of said second anamorphotic optical means being parallel to said deflection plane.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
102 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of said first and second anamorphotic optical means comprises a set of prisms having a plane of symmetry perpendicular to said input and output faces of said prisms ; the plane of symmetry of one of said sets being arranged parallel to the deflection plane of said cell; the plane of symmetry of said other of said sets being arranged at right-angles to the plane of deflection of said cell ; the order ot succession of said prisms being the same on successive passage through said first and second anamorphotic optical means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a projection lens receiving the deflected beam emerging from said second anamorphotic optical means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said lens is a holographic lens.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
51 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 15, comprising first and second deflection units associated with one another and each constituted by an acousto-optical cell surrounded by sets of similar prisms ; the respective deflection planes of the cells of said units making with one another an angle of predetermined value.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
60 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the plane of symmetry of one of said sets of prisms is disposed perpendicularly to the planes of symmetry of the three other sets of prisms ; the order of succession of the prisms in one of said sets being the reverse of that in each of the three other sets.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the sets of prisms in one of said deflection units have a common plane of symmetry.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said common plane of symmetry is parallel to the deflection plane of the deflection cell of said deflection unit.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
28 words
Acousto-optical deflection system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said common plane of symmetry is perpendicular to the deflection plane of the deflection cell of said deflection unit.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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US3397605A
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US3462212A
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-03-25 | 1977-09-24 | 1978-03-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-03-25 | 1981-09-24 | 1982-03-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-03-25 | 1985-09-24 | 1986-03-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |