Imaging optical system

• US 5,716,118 A
• Filed: 10/18/1996
• Issued: 02/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Akira, Ohzawa, Soh, Takamoto, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William
• Application Number:
  US08/732,702
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 353/69, 353/70, 353/98, 353/76, 353/77, 353/78, 353/74, 359/867, 359/868, 359/869
• US Class Current: 353/98
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/08 Catadioptric systems used in non-imaging applications G02B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0852 having a field corrector only
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066

Abstract

An imaging optical system transmits a primary image. The optical system does not form an intermediate image. The primary image is projected on a screen as a secondary image. The optical system has a projection optical system and a reflection optical system. An optical axis of the reflection optical system forms an angle other than 90° with respect to a screen-side image surface.

Claims

1. An imaging optical system for transmitting a primary image to form an enlarged or reduced secondary image without forming an intermediate image in the middle of optical paths, comprising:

a projection optical system; and

a reflection optical system having a positive power and disposed in such a way that its optical axis forms an angle other than a right angle with respect to a enlargement-side image surface,

wherein all principal rays between said reflection optical system and said enlargement-side image surface form a uniform angle with respect to the enlargement-side image surface and a base ray incident on a reflection surface of said reflection optical system forms an angle of 90°

or less with respect to a base ray reflected by the reflection optical system.

2. An imaging optical system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a normal of the reflection surface of said reflection optical system has a direction approximately identical with a normal of a reduction-side image surface and does not have a direction approximately identical with an optical axis of said projection optical system.

3. An imaging optical system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein optical elements constituting said projection optical system are arranged symmetrically about an axis.

4. An imaging optical system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein all principal rays between said projection optical system and a reduction-side image surface form a uniform angle with respect to the reduction-side image surface.

5. An image projection device, comprising:

an image providing means for providing a primary image;

a screen on which a secondary image is projected;

a projection optical system; and

a reflection optical system having a positive power and disposed in such a way that its optical axis forms an angle other than a right angle with respect to the screen,

wherein all principal rays between said reflection optical system and said screen form a uniform angle with respect to the screen and a base ray incident on a reflection surface of said reflection optical system forms an angle of 90°

or less with respect to a base ray reflected by the reflection optical system.

6. An image reading apparatus, comprising:

an image providing surface for providing a primary image;

an image projection surface for projecting a secondary image on;

a reflection optical system having a positive power and disposed in such a way that its optical axis forms an angle other than a right angle with respect to the image providing surface; and

a projection optical system,

wherein all principal rays between said reflection optical system and said image providing surface form a uniform angle with respect to the image providing surface and a base ray incident on a reflection surface of said reflection optical system forms an angle of 90°

or less with respect to a base ray reflected by the reflection optical system.