Apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be examined

Claim 1

An apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be examined, comprising: (a) beam supply means for determining a reference optical axis and generating a light beam passed through said optical system to be examined along said reference optical axis; (b) mask means for partly transmitting said light beam therethrough, said mask means having a pattern comprising at least one straight line disposed off said reference optical axis in said light beam, the straight line of said pattern extending in a predetermined direction in a plane substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis; (c) photosensitive detector means for receiving the light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means, said detector means being fixedly disposed relative to said mask means and having a substantial length in a direction substantially orthogonal to said pattern, said detector means producing an electrical signal indicative of the position of the pattern of said mask means projected onto said detector means in the direction of the length of said detector means; (d) rotating means for providing relative rotation about said reference optical axis between said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means; (e) means for processing said electrical signal and finding the refractive characteristic of said optical system to be examined; and (f) optical means provided between said mask means and said detector means for making said mask means and said detector means conjugate in a plane parallel to the direction of the straight line of said pattern and said reference optical axis.

Claim 2

An apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be examined, comprising: (a) beam supply means for determining a reference optical axis and generating a light beam passed through said optical system to be examined along said reference optical axis; (b) mask means for partly transmitting said light beam therethrough, said mask means having a pattern comprising at least one straight line disposed off said reference optical axis in said light beam, the straight line of said pattern extending in a predetermined direction in a plane substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis; (c) photosensitive detector means for receiving the light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means, said detector means being fixedly disposed relative to said mask means and having a substantial length in a direction substantially orthogonal to said pattern, said detector means producing an electrical signal indicative of the position of the pattern of said mask means projected onto said detector means in the direction of the length of said detector means; (d) rotating means for providing relative rotation about said reference optical axis between said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means; (e) means for processing said electrical signal and finding the refractive characteristic of said optical system to be examined; and (f) optical means provided between said mask means and said detector means for making said mask means and said detector means conjugate in a plane parallel to the direction of the straight line of said pattern and said reference optical axis.

Claim 4

An apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be examined, comprising: (a) beam supply means for determining a reference optical axis and generating a light beam passed through said optical system to be examined along said reference optical axis; (b) mask means for partly transmitting said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined, said mask means having a pattern comprising first and second straight lines which are parallel to each other and are disposed at opposite sides of said reference optical axis in said light beam, said first and second straight lines extending in a predetermined direction in a plane substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis; (c) photosensitive detector means for receiving the light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means, said detector means being fixedly disposed relative to said mask means and having a substantial length in a direction substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis and said predetermined direction, said detector means producing an electrical signal indicative of the respective positions of images of said first and second straight lines projected onto said detector means in the direction of the length of said detector means; (d) rotating means for providing relative rotation about said reference optical axis between said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means; and (e) means for processing said electrical signal and finding the refractive characteristic of said optical system to be examined, wherein, if y 1 and y 2 represent coordinate positions of said images of said first and second straight lines on said detector means, said processing means determines the lens power of two main meridian directions of said optical system to be examined from the maximum value and minimum value of (y 1 -y 2 ) and determines the prism power of said optical system to be examined from the maximum value of (y 1 +y 2 )/2, respectively, during the relative rotation by said rotating means.

Claim 5

An apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be examined, comprising: (a) beam supply means for determining a reference optical axis and generating a light beam passed through said optical system to be examined along said reference optical axis; (b) mask means for partly transmitting said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined, said mask means having a pattern comprising first and second straight lines which are parallel to each other and are disposed at opposite sides of said reference optical axis in said light beam, said first and second straight lines extending in a predetermined direction in a plane substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis; (c) photosensitive detector means for receiving the light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means, said detector means being fixedly disposed relative to said mask means and having a substantial length in a direction substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis and said predetermined direction, said detector means producing an electrical signal indicative of the respective positions of images of said first and second straight lines projected onto said detector means in the direction of the length of said detector means; (d) rotating means for providing relative rotation about said reference optical axis between said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means; and (e) means for processing said electrical signal and finding the refractive characteristic of said optical system to be examined, wherein, if y 1 and y 2 represent coordinate positions of said images of said first and second straight lines on said detector means, said processing means determines the lens power of two main meridian directions of said optical system to be examined from the maximum value and minimum value of (y 1 -y 2 ) and determines the prism power of said optical system to be examined from the maximum value of (y 1 +y 2 )/2, respectively, during the relative rotation by said rotating means.

Claim 16

An apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be examined, comprising: (a) beam supply means for determining a reference optical axis and generating a light beam passed through said optical system to be examined along said reference optical axis; (b) mask means for partly transmitting said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined, said mask means having a pattern comprising a straight line disposed off said reference optical axis in said light beam, the straight line of said pattern extending in a predetermined direction in a plane substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis; (c) photosensitive detector means for receiving the light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means, said detector means having a substantial length in a direction substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis and the straight line of said pattern, said detector means producing an electrical signal indicative of the position of said straight line projected onto said detector means in the direction of the length of said detector means, said mask means and said detector means having first and second relative rotation positions displaced by 180° about said reference optical axis; (d) rotating means for providing relative rotation about said reference optical axis between said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means, the projection image of said straight line being formed a coordinate position y 1 on said detector means at said first relative rotation position, and the projection image of said straight line being formed at a coordinate position y 2 on said detector means at said second relative rotation position; and (e) means for processing said electrical signal and finding the refractive characteristic of said optical system to be examined, said processing means determining the lens power of two main meridian directions of said optical system to be examined from the maximum value and the minimum value of (y 1 -y 2 ) and determining the prism power of said optical system to be examined from the maximum value of (y 1 -y 2 )/2, respectively, during said relative rotation by said rotating means.

Claim 17

An apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be examined, comprising: (a) beam supply means for determining a reference optical axis and generating a light beam passed through said optical system to be examined along said reference optical axis; (b) mask means for partly transmitting said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined, said mask means having a pattern comprising a straight line disposed off said reference optical axis in said light beam, the straight line of said pattern extending in a predetermined direction in a plane substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis; (c) photosensitive detector means for receiving the light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means, said detector means having a substantial length in a direction substantially orthogonal to said reference optical axis and the straight line of said pattern, said detector means producing an electrical signal indicative of the position of said straight line projected onto said detector means in the direction of the length of said detector means, said mask means and said detector means having first and second relative rotation positions displaced by 180° about said reference optical axis; (d) rotating means for providing relative rotation about said reference optical axis between said light beam passed through said optical system to be examined and said mask means, the projection image of said straight line being formed a coordinate position y 1 on said detector means at said first relative rotation position, and the projection image of said straight line being formed at a coordinate position y 2 on said detector means at said second relative rotation position; and (e) means for processing said electrical signal and finding the refractive characteristic of said optical system to be examined, said processing means determining the lens power of two main meridian directions of said optical system to be examined from the maximum value and the minimum value of (y 1 -y 2 ) and determining the prism power of said optical system to be examined from the maximum value of (y 1 -y 2 )/2, respectively, during said relative rotation by said rotating means.

Claim 26

An apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be inspected, comprising: (a) a collimating optical system having an optical axis and a predetermined focal point and capable of converting a light beam diverging from said focal point into a parallel beam; (b) light generating means for selectively generating light from either one of at least two positions on the optical axis of said collimating optical system; (c) mask means positioned opposite to said light source means with respect to said collimating optical system, wherein said mask means comprises a pattern composed of light transmitting and opaque areas, said pattern having at least one straight line disposed off the optical axis of said collimating optical system; (d) means for placing said optical system to be inspected on the optical axis of said collimating optical system in such a manner as to guide light from said light generating means through said collimating optical system to said mask means; and (e) detection means with a photoreceptor plane used for detecting the intensity distribution on said photoreceptor plane, said detection means receiving the light beam passed through said optical system to be inspected and said mask means.

Claim 27

An apparatus for measuring the optical characteristics of an optical system to be inspected, comprising: (a) a collimating optical system having an optical axis and a predetermined focal point and capable of converting a light beam diverging from said focal point into a parallel beam; (b) light generating means for selectively generating light from either one of at least two positions on the optical axis of said collimating optical system; (c) mask means positioned opposite to said light source means with respect to said collimating optical system, wherein said mask means comprises a pattern composed of light transmitting and opaque areas, said pattern having at least one straight line disposed off the optical axis of said collimating optical system; (d) means for placing said optical system to be inspected on the optical axis of said collimating optical system in such a manner as to guide light from said light generating means through said collimating optical system to said mask means; and (e) detection means with a photoreceptor plane used for detecting the intensity distribution on said photoreceptor plane, said detection means receiving the light beam passed through said optical system to be inspected and said mask means.