Variable optical wedge for image stabilization and other purposes

Claim 2

A variable optical prism comprising first and second wedge members, said first wedge member being a plano-concave lens member having a plane surface on one side thereof and a concave surface of radius R opposite thereto, said second wedge member being a plano-convex lens member having a convex surface of radius R opposite a plane surface, the concave surface of said first member being in surface-to-surface contact with the convex surface of the second member, said first and second members being constructed of optical glass having indexes of refraction equal to 1.5, the plane surfaces of said first and second members being oriented at an acute angle relative to each other, means for moving one of said wedge members relative to the other wedge member to change the angular relationship of the plane surfaces thereof, means for stabilizing the position of the other wedge member, objective lens means in optical communication with said optical prism, said objective lens means being connected for movement in concert with the movable wedge member, and a mirror positioned in the path of the light exiting from said optical prism, said mirror reflecting the exiting light back to a different position on the optical prism whereby the reflected light enters and passes back through the prism in an opposite direction from the exiting light, and means connecting the mirror to the plane surface of the movable wedge member for movement in concert therewith.

Claim 3

In an optical system including means for receiving light from a remote source and directing light in a predetermined direction comprising means to stabilize the light in said predetermined direction regardless of changes in the position of the observed light source comprising an optical wedge including first and second adjacent wedge members, said first wedge member being a plano-concave lens element having a plane surface facing in the direction of the remote light source and an opposite concave surface having a radius of curvature equal to R, said second optical wedge member being a plano-convex lens element having a convex surface with a radius of curvature equal to R and an opposite plane surface, said convex surface being positioned adjacent to the concave surface of the first lens element, means to stabilize the position of one of said lens element, means for moving the other lens element relative thereto, optical means including lens means connected for movement in concert with the movable lens element, movements of said lens means and of the movable lens element to follow movements of the remote light source having relatively little effect on the position of the light exiting in the predetermined direction, and a second optical wedge similar to the aforesaid optical wedge positioned between the aforesaid optical wedge and the optical means, said second optical wedge having a first plano-concave lens element, the concave surface of which has a radius of curvature greater than R and selected so that the center of curvature coincides with the center of curvature of the concave and convex surfaces of the aforesaid first and second wedge members, and a plano-convex lens having a convex surface positioned in surface-to-surface contact with the concave surface of the said first member of said second optical wedge and means for connecting a corresponding one of the wedge elements of said first and second optical wedges and the lens means for movement in concert.

Claim 4

In an optical system including means for receiving light from a remote source and directing light in a predetermined direction comprising means to stabilize the light in said predetermined direction regardless of changes in the position of the observed light source comprising an optical wedge including first and second adjacent wedge members, said first wedge member being a plano-concave lens element having a plane surface facing in the direction of the remote light source and an opposite concave surface having a radius of curvature equal to R, said second optical wedge member being a plano-convex lens element having a convex surface with a radius of curvature equal to R and an opposite plane surface, said convex surface being positioned adjacent to the concave surface of the first lens element, means to stabilize the position of one of said lens element, means for moving the other lens element relative thereto, optical means including lens means connected for movement in concert with the movable lens element, movements of said lens means and of the movable lens element to follow movements of the remote light source having relatively little effect on the position of the light exiting in the predetermined direction, and a second optical wedge similar to the aforesaid optical wedge positioned between the aforesaid optical wedge and the optical means, said second optical wedge having a first plano-concave lens element, the concave surface of which has a radius of curvature greater than R and selected so that the center of curvature coincides with the center of curvature of the concave and convex surfaces of the aforesaid first and second wedge members, and a plano-convex lens having a convex surface positioned in surface-to-surface contact with the concave surface of the said first member of said second optical wedge and means for connecting a corresponding one of the wedge elements of said first and second optical wedges and the lens means for movement in concert.

Claim 5

In an optical system including means for receiving and passing light from a remote source including directing exiting light in a predetermined direction therefrom regardless of changes in the position of the observed light source comprising an optical wedge including first and second adjacent wedge members, said first wedge member being a plano-concave lens element having a plane surface facing in the direction of the remote light source and an opposite concave surface having a radius of curvature equAl to R, said second optical wedge member being a plano-convex lens element having a convex surface with a radius of curvature equal to R and an opposite plane surface, said convex surface being positioned adjacent to the concave surface of the first lens element, mirror means associated with the plane surface of one of said lens elements to reflect light exiting therefrom back through the optical wedge, means to stabilize the position of one of said lens elements, and means for moving the other lens element relative thereto, optical means including objective lens means, means connecting the objective lens means to the movable lens element for movement in concert therewith, movement of said optical means including the objective lens means and of the movable lens element to follow movements of the remote light source having relatively little effect on the position of the light exiting in the predetermined direction.

Claim 6

In an optical system including means for receiving and passing light from a remote source including directing exiting light in a predetermined direction therefrom regardless of changes in the position of the observed light source comprising an optical wedge including first and second adjacent wedge members, said first wedge member being a plano-concave lens element having a plane surface facing in the direction of the remote light source and an opposite concave surface having a radius of curvature equAl to R, said second optical wedge member being a plano-convex lens element having a convex surface with a radius of curvature equal to R and an opposite plane surface, said convex surface being positioned adjacent to the concave surface of the first lens element, mirror means associated with the plane surface of one of said lens elements to reflect light exiting therefrom back through the optical wedge, means to stabilize the position of one of said lens elements, and means for moving the other lens element relative thereto, optical means including objective lens means, means connecting the objective lens means to the movable lens element for movement in concert therewith, movement of said optical means including the objective lens means and of the movable lens element to follow movements of the remote light source having relatively little effect on the position of the light exiting in the predetermined direction.

Claim 7

Means to stabilize an output optical image regardless of movements of the source comprising an optical wedge formed by first and second adjacent wedge members, said first wedge member including a plano-concave lens element having a plane surface on one side and a concave surface of radius R on the opposite side thereof, the second wedge member including a plano-convex lens element having a convex surface of radius R positioned adjacent to the concave surface of the first element and an opposite plane surface, mirror means mounted on the plane surface of one of said lens elements, a second mirror spaced from the optical wedge on the opposite side thereof from the aforesaid mirror means, an optical system including objective lens means spaced from said second mirror such that incident light impinging on one of the plane surfaces of the optical wedge member passes through the optical wedge and is reflected by the mirror means and passes back therethrough, said reflected light exiting from said wedge toward said second mirror and being reflected thereby to the objective lens means, means connecting one of said wedge elements to the second mirror and to the objective lens means for movement thereof in concert, and means for stabilizing the other wedge element and the mirror means attached thereto, said connected movable members being movable to maintain the exiting light stabilized on the objective lens means.

Claim 8

Means to stabilize an output optical image regardless of movements of the source comprising an optical wedge formed by first and second adjacent wedge members, said first wedge member including a plano-concave lens element having a plane surface on one side and a concave surface of radius R on the opposite side thereof, the second wedge member including a plano-convex lens element having a convex surface of radius R positioned adjacent to the concave surface of the first element and an opposite plane surface, mirror means mounted on the plane surface of one of said lens elements, a second mirror spaced from the optical wedge on the opposite side thereof from the aforesaid mirror means, an optical system including objective lens means spaced from said second mirror such that incident light impinging on one of the plane surfaces of the optical wedge member passes through the optical wedge and is reflected by the mirror means and passes back therethrough, said reflected light exiting from said wedge toward said second mirror and being reflected thereby to the objective lens means, means connecting one of said wedge elements to the second mirror and to the objective lens means for movement thereof in concert, and means for stabilizing the other wedge element and the mirror means attached thereto, said connected movable members being movable to maintain the exiting light stabilized on the objective lens means.

Claim 9

The means defined in claim 4 wherein said first and second wedge members are formed of a light conducting material having an index of refraction equal to 1.5.

Claim 10

In an optical system, means for minimizing movements of output light from a remote source resulting from movements of the source, the improvements comprising an optical wedge including first and second adjacent wedge elements, said first wedge element including a plano-concave lens having opposed plane and concave surfaces, the concave surface having a radius of curvature of R, the second wedge element including a plano-convex lens wherein the convex surface thereof has a radius of curvature of R and is positioned adjacent to the concave surface of the first element, light from the remote source entering the optical wedge at the plane surface of one of the wedge elements passing through the optical wedge and exiting at the plane surface of the other wedge element, a mirror positioned in spaced relationship to the plane surface of the wedge element from which the light exits in position to receive and reflect the exiting light back to the optical wedge, said reflected light passing back through the optical wedge and exiting therefrom at a different location than where the light from the source enters the wedges, optical lens means spaced from said optical wedge in position to receive the exiting reflected light, means connecting the mirror, the said one wedge element, and the optical lens means together for movement in concert with each other, and means for inertially stabilizing the said other wedge element.

Claim 11

In an optical system, means for minimizing movements of output light from a remote source resulting from movements of the source, the improvements comprising an optical wedge including first and second adjacent wedge elements, said first wedge element including a plano-concave lens having opposed plane and concave surfaces, the concave surface having a radius of curvature of R, the second wedge element including a plano-convex lens wherein the convex surface thereof has a radius of curvature of R and is positioned adjacent to the concave surface of the first element, light from the remote source entering the optical wedge at the plane surface of one of the wedge elements passing through the optical wedge and exiting at the plane surface of the other wedge element, a mirror positioned in spaced relationship to the plane surface of the wedge element from which the light exits in position to receive and reflect the exiting light back to the optical wedge, said reflected light passing back through the optical wedge and exiting therefrom at a different location than where the light from the source enters the wedges, optical lens means spaced from said optical wedge in position to receive the exiting reflected light, means connecting the mirror, the said one wedge element, and the optical lens means together for movement in concert with each other, and means for inertially stabilizing the said other wedge element.

Claim 12

In the optical system defined in claim 6, said first aNd second wedge elements are constructed of optical glass having an index of refraction equal to 1.5.

Claim 13

Means for stabilizing an optical image produced by an object irrespective of movements of the image and irrespective of movements of components of the optical system relative to one another within limits, said means comprising a variable optical prism device including adjacent first and second relatively movable prism members, said first prism member including a lens member having a convex surface, said second prism member being a lens member having a concave surface of the same radius of curvature as the convex surface of the first prism member, said convex and said concave surfaces of said first and second prism members respectively being positioned adjacent to each other, one of said prism members having a pair of angularly related plane surfaces positioned thereon opposite from the adjacent concave and convex surfaces and the other of said prism members having a plane surface thereon forming the opposite side of the optical prism device from the pair of angularly related plane surfaces, means for moving one of said prism members relative to the other to change the angular orientation of the plane surfaces thereon, and means for stabilizing the other of said prism members.

Claim 14

Means for stabilizing an optical image produced by an object irrespective of movements of the image and irrespective of movements of components of the optical system relative to one another within limits, said means comprising a variable optical prism device including adjacent first and second relatively movable prism members, said first prism member including a lens member having a convex surface, said second prism member being a lens member having a concave surface of the same radius of curvature as the convex surface of the first prism member, said convex and said concave surfaces of said first and second prism members respectively being positioned adjacent to each other, one of said prism members having a pair of angularly related plane surfaces positioned thereon opposite from the adjacent concave and convex surfaces and the other of said prism members having a plane surface thereon forming the opposite side of the optical prism device from the pair of angularly related plane surfaces, means for moving one of said prism members relative to the other to change the angular orientation of the plane surfaces thereon, and means for stabilizing the other of said prism members.

Claim 15

The means defined in claim 8 wherein one of the pair of angularly related plane surfaces on said one prism member is oriented to face in the direction of the image to be observed, and mirror means associated with the plane surface of the other prism member in position to reflect light impinging thereon back through the prism device toward the other plane surface of the aforesaid one prism member, and secondary mirror means and objective lens means positioned to receive the light exiting from the said other plane surface.

Claim 16

The means defined in claim 9 wherein said movable prism member is connected for movement in concert with the objective lens means.