Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
586 words
An opaque main supporting housing and a light-collecting and detecting system disposed within said supporting housing and intermediate the spaced opposite ends thereof, said housing surrounding said light-collecting and detecting system and said system being arranged to simultaneously view through light apertures in side wall portions of said housing all parts of a first and a second predetermined generally conically shaped endless annular object field outwardly of said housing and in concentric relation to a central longitudinal axis of said housing, said system comprising a single photosensitive detecting element for detecting any appreciable change in light intensity which occurs in any part of either object field, said detecting element being of relatively small predetermined size and disposed at a fixed location in said housing and upon said longitudinal axis, a first group and a second group of similar light apertures arranged in longitudinally spaced relation to each other in side wall portions of said housing, and the light apertures of each group being arranged in circumferentially spaced relation, each light aperture being of relatively small dimensions both in the longitudinal and circumferential directions thereof, and separated from adjacent apertures of the same group by side wall portions of said housing of appreciably greater circumferential dimension, the light apertures of said first group being arranged to face outwardly at a first predetermined look angle relative to said longitudinal axis toward different predetermined sectors, respectively, of said first object field, and the light apertures of said second group being arranged to face outwardly at a second predetermined look angle relative to said longitudinal axis toward different predetermined sectors, respectively, of said second object field, each light aperture of each group being of such a shape as to admit into the interior of said housing light from all parts of the predetermined sector aligned therewith, the circumferential spacing between adjacent apertures of each group and the angular field of view of each aperture of the same group being so related as to allow all of the apertures of the same group to jointly simultaneously admit into said housing light from all parts of the endless annular object field aligned therewith, said light-collecting and detecting system also comprising optical means for receiving and directing the light energy which enters said housing through said apertures from all azimuths of all sectors of both endless annular object fields onto said photosensitive detecting element, said optical means comprising a first plurality and a second plurality of unitary optical systems, with each unitary optical system of said first plurality optically aligned with a different respective light aperture of said first group and with said detecting element, and with each unitary optical system of said second plurality optically aligned with a different respective light aperture of said second group and with said detecting element, and each of said unitary optical systems being disposed in said housing so as to focus upon said detecting element and form a real image of said detecting element at the plane of the light aperture aligned therewith, each optical system comprising a plurality of optical componEnts having spaced optical surfaces thereon including a first optical surface for collecting substantially all of the light from the object field which enters the light aperture aligned therewith and for directing substantially all of the light so collected toward a second optical surface on said components, said second optical surface being a positive surface for receiving substantially all of said light and directing same as a focused beam onto said single photosensitive detecting element.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
586 words
An opaque main supporting housing and a light-collecting and detecting system disposed within said supporting housing and intermediate the spaced opposite ends thereof, said housing surrounding said light-collecting and detecting system and said system being arranged to simultaneously view through light apertures in side wall portions of said housing all parts of a first and a second predetermined generally conically shaped endless annular object field outwardly of said housing and in concentric relation to a central longitudinal axis of said housing, said system comprising a single photosensitive detecting element for detecting any appreciable change in light intensity which occurs in any part of either object field, said detecting element being of relatively small predetermined size and disposed at a fixed location in said housing and upon said longitudinal axis, a first group and a second group of similar light apertures arranged in longitudinally spaced relation to each other in side wall portions of said housing, and the light apertures of each group being arranged in circumferentially spaced relation, each light aperture being of relatively small dimensions both in the longitudinal and circumferential directions thereof, and separated from adjacent apertures of the same group by side wall portions of said housing of appreciably greater circumferential dimension, the light apertures of said first group being arranged to face outwardly at a first predetermined look angle relative to said longitudinal axis toward different predetermined sectors, respectively, of said first object field, and the light apertures of said second group being arranged to face outwardly at a second predetermined look angle relative to said longitudinal axis toward different predetermined sectors, respectively, of said second object field, each light aperture of each group being of such a shape as to admit into the interior of said housing light from all parts of the predetermined sector aligned therewith, the circumferential spacing between adjacent apertures of each group and the angular field of view of each aperture of the same group being so related as to allow all of the apertures of the same group to jointly simultaneously admit into said housing light from all parts of the endless annular object field aligned therewith, said light-collecting and detecting system also comprising optical means for receiving and directing the light energy which enters said housing through said apertures from all azimuths of all sectors of both endless annular object fields onto said photosensitive detecting element, said optical means comprising a first plurality and a second plurality of unitary optical systems, with each unitary optical system of said first plurality optically aligned with a different respective light aperture of said first group and with said detecting element, and with each unitary optical system of said second plurality optically aligned with a different respective light aperture of said second group and with said detecting element, and each of said unitary optical systems being disposed in said housing so as to focus upon said detecting element and form a real image of said detecting element at the plane of the light aperture aligned therewith, each optical system comprising a plurality of optical componEnts having spaced optical surfaces thereon including a first optical surface for collecting substantially all of the light from the object field which enters the light aperture aligned therewith and for directing substantially all of the light so collected toward a second optical surface on said components, said second optical surface being a positive surface for receiving substantially all of said light and directing same as a focused beam onto said single photosensitive detecting element.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1 and wherein said first and second predetermined look angles face in the same general direction and are of substantially equal angular values, whereby said first and second annular object fields are disposed in substantially coincident relation to each other.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1 and wherein said first and second predetermined look angles are of different angular values so that all parts of said first and second annular object fields of different conical shapes may be simultaneously viewed by said collecting and detecting system.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the unitary optical systems aligned with said first group of apertures and with said second group of apertures for receiving light from said first and second object fields, respectively, are disposed so as to simultaneously direct the light transmitted thereby onto opposite faces of said single photosensitive detecting element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the plurality of optical components providing said spaced optical surfaces of each unitary optical system are positive refracting optical components in optically aligned relation to each other.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the plurality of optical components providing said spaced optical surfaces of each unitary optical system are spaced reflecting components, including at least one positive reflecting component, in optically aligned relation to each other.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the plurality of optical components providing said spaced optical surfaces of each unitary optical system include at least one reflecting and one refracting component, and one of said optical surfaces being a positive surface for directing said light as a convergent beam onto said single photosensitive detecting element.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
106 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the unitary optical systems aligned with said first group of apertures and with said second group of apertures for receiving light from said first and second object fields, respectively, are disposed so as to direct the light transmitted thereby onto opposite faces of said single photosensitive detecting element, and each of said unitary optical systems comprise a pair of reflecting components one of which is flat and the other of which is curved so as to converge the light, and a positive refracting component adjacent said detecting element and in optical contact with a face thereof.