Stabilized binocular

Claim 2

A stabilized binocular for equally deviating and stabilizing separate viewing paths for the paired separate eyes of a viewer comprising: first and second discrete viewing paths including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array, each said mirror array including at least one stationary reflecting surface and at least one movable reflecting surface for each of said light paths for deviating and stabilizing light to each of said light paths; said movable reflecting surface in said mirror array for said first light path being substantially parallel to, coplanar with and back to back with said movable reflecting surface in said mirror array for said second light path; means for deflecting said movable reflecting surfaces about at least one axis substantially normal to the impingement of said light paths on said movable reflecting surfaces for reflective deviation and stabilization of each of said light paths through precisely identical movement of said reflecting surfaces.

Claim 3

The invention of claim 1 and including two movable reflective surfaces for each of said light paths; one of said reflective surfaces comprising a back to back reflective surface with one of said reflective surfaces of said other light path and the other of said reflective surfaces comprising a parallel and spaced apart coplanar reflecting surface with one of said reflective surfaces of said other light path.

Claim 4

The invention of claim 1 and including one movable reflective surface for each of said light paths; said one of said reflective surfaces comprising a back to back reflective surface with the other reflective surface for the other light path.

Claim 5

A stabilized binocular comprising: two discrete viewing paths including a first viewing path for said first eye, and a second Viewing path for said second eye; said first viewing path including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array; said second viewing path including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array; a movable reflective surface for each light path, said movable reflective surface for said first light path substantially coplanar with, parallel to and back to back with said movable surface for said second light path; said first mirror array of said first light path including at least three stationary mirrors in a first corner cube mirror array for reflecting light from said objective to said movable reflective surface and reflecting light from said movable reflective surface to said eye piece of said first viewing path; said second mirror array of said second light path including at least two stationary mirrors in a periscope array for reflecting light from said objective to said movable reflective surface and reflecting light from said movable reflective surface to said eye piece of said second viewing path, and means for deflecting said movable reflecting surfaces about at least two axes substantially orthogonal to the impingement of each of said light paths on said movable reflective surfaces for deflective deviation and stabilization of each of said light paths through precisely identical movement of said reflective surfaces.

Claim 6

A stabilized binocular comprising: two discrete viewing paths including a first viewing path for said first eye, and a second Viewing path for said second eye; said first viewing path including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array; said second viewing path including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array; a movable reflective surface for each light path, said movable reflective surface for said first light path substantially coplanar with, parallel to and back to back with said movable surface for said second light path; said first mirror array of said first light path including at least three stationary mirrors in a first corner cube mirror array for reflecting light from said objective to said movable reflective surface and reflecting light from said movable reflective surface to said eye piece of said first viewing path; said second mirror array of said second light path including at least two stationary mirrors in a periscope array for reflecting light from said objective to said movable reflective surface and reflecting light from said movable reflective surface to said eye piece of said second viewing path, and means for deflecting said movable reflecting surfaces about at least two axes substantially orthogonal to the impingement of each of said light paths on said movable reflective surfaces for deflective deviation and stabilization of each of said light paths through precisely identical movement of said reflective surfaces.

Claim 7

The invention of claim 4 and wherein said means for deflecting said mirror includes a fluid-tight chamber about said mirror attached to said binocular; a transparent fluid surrounding and at least partially supporting said mirror; and, first and second transparent portions in said fluid-tight chamber for entrance of said first and second discrete viewing paths.

Claim 8

The invention of claim 4 and wherein said movable reflecting surface is located equidistantly from said objective and said eye piece along said light path.

Claim 9

The invention of claim 4 and wherein said first and second discrete viewing paths are pivotal about said movable reflecting surface for changing the interocular separation at said eye piece between said first and second viewing paths.

Claim 10

The invention of claim 4 and including two second corner cube mirror assemblies for intercepting a part but not all of said light path between said movable mirror and said objective to relay light to said eye pieces.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 8 and wherein said at least one of said second corner cube mirror assemblies is pivotal to affect interocular separation between said light paths.

Claim 12

A stabilized binocular comprising: two discrete viewing paths including a first viewing path for said first eye, and a second viewing path for said second eye; said first viewing path including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array including a first Porro prism mirror array; said second viewing path including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array including a second Porro prism mirror array; each of said Porro prism mirror arrays including first and second movable reflecting surfaces for reflective deviation and stabilization of light passing there through; said first movable reflective surface of each Porro prism mirror array substantially coplanar and parallel to the first movable reflective surface of the other Porro prism mirror array; means for deflecting said first movable array of each Porro prism mirror array about a first single axis substantially normal to the impingement of each said light path on said movable reflective surface for reflective deviation and stabilization of each light path through precisely identical movement of said first reflective surfaces; said second movable reflective surfaces of each of said Porro prism mirror arrays substantially coplanar to, parallel to, and in back to back relation with the second movable reflective surface of the other Porro prism mirror array; means for deflecting said second movable mirror array of each Porro prism mirror array about a second single axis substantially orthogonal to both the impingement of light on Said second movable reflective surface and said first single axis for reflective deviation and stabilization of each light path through precisely identical movement of said second reflective surfaces.

Claim 13

A stabilized binocular comprising: two discrete viewing paths including a first viewing path for said first eye, and a second viewing path for said second eye; said first viewing path including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array including a first Porro prism mirror array; said second viewing path including an objective, an eye piece and a mirror array including a second Porro prism mirror array; each of said Porro prism mirror arrays including first and second movable reflecting surfaces for reflective deviation and stabilization of light passing there through; said first movable reflective surface of each Porro prism mirror array substantially coplanar and parallel to the first movable reflective surface of the other Porro prism mirror array; means for deflecting said first movable array of each Porro prism mirror array about a first single axis substantially normal to the impingement of each said light path on said movable reflective surface for reflective deviation and stabilization of each light path through precisely identical movement of said first reflective surfaces; said second movable reflective surfaces of each of said Porro prism mirror arrays substantially coplanar to, parallel to, and in back to back relation with the second movable reflective surface of the other Porro prism mirror array; means for deflecting said second movable mirror array of each Porro prism mirror array about a second single axis substantially orthogonal to both the impingement of light on Said second movable reflective surface and said first single axis for reflective deviation and stabilization of each light path through precisely identical movement of said second reflective surfaces.

Claim 14

The invention of claim 10 and wherein each of said movable reflective surfaces is contained within a fluid-tight housing; each said fluid-tight housing having a transparent fluid therein with at least first and second transparent chamber side-walls for permitting the entrances of light to and the exit of light from said reflective surfaces.

Claim 15

The invention of claim 10 and wherein each of said reflective surfaces is located at positions other than the midway position between said objective and said eye pieces in each of said first and second viewing paths.

Claim 16

An optical stabilizing cell for use in combination with a binocular for stabilizing vibrational angular orientations comprising: a fluid-tight chamber, a flat reflective plate within said chamber having reflective surfaces on both sides of said plate; said chamber having first and second transparent portions in first and second walls of said chamber; means for biasing said flat reflective plate to a preselected neutral position in said chamber for reflecting incident light to said reflective surfaces through said transparent portions of said wall; a transparent fluid interior of said chamber and surrounding said mirror to at least partially buoyantly support said mirror; and coupling means including a surface movable with said chamber and a surface movable with said flat plate for coupling said flat plate to said chamber through said fluid to act on said biasing means through said flat reflective plate.

Claim 17

An optical stabilizing cell for use in combination with a binocular for stabilizing vibrational angular orientations comprising: a fluid-tight chamber, a flat reflective plate within said chamber having reflective surfaces on both sides of said plate; said chamber having first and second transparent portions in first and second walls of said chamber; means for biasing said flat reflective plate to a preselected neutral position in said chamber for reflecting incident light to said reflective surfaces through said transparent portions of said wall; a transparent fluid interior of said chamber and surrounding said mirror to at least partially buoyantly support said mirror; and coupling means including a surface movable with said chamber and a surface movable with said flat plate for coupling said flat plate to said chamber through said fluid to act on said biasing means through said flat reflective plate.